Chapter 12 Brendan #2
Eli’s truck sits in the driveway, and I can see his legs sticking out from underneath the front end.
As I approach the house, Eli slides out from under Mona, grease on his hands and shirt. He looks at Scarlett first, then our eyes meet, and his jaw clenches.
“Eli.” I nod toward his truck. “Mona’s looking good.” It actually does look remarkably improved since the last time I saw it.
He wipes his hands on a rag from his pocket. Eli’s wavy hair brushes his collar under a trucker cap. Right now he’s looking at me like I’m the last person he’d like to see in his yard.
He frowns at Scarlett. “Where’s your car?”
“It died at the arena. Brendan was just being helpful.”
Eli shoves the rag back into his pocket. “I would’ve picked you up.”
“He saved you the trip,” Scarlett says pointedly. “The least you could do is thank him.”
Eli looks like thanking me ranks just below getting kicked in the nuts. “Just never thought you two would be so friendly again. You know, considering everything that happened.” His eyes meet mine, and there’s no humor in them.
We both know he’s referring to that night years ago when everything went sideways between us. I know Scarlett told him about what happened at the beach. But what she doesn’t realize is that I looked for her that night. At the hospital, in the waiting room, everywhere. And she wasn’t there.
My sister was in a terrible car wreck, and we didn’t know if she’d even make it. And Scarlett didn’t even bother to show up.
I told myself it didn’t matter—that she was just a girl I’d kissed once. I had bigger things to worry about with Carmen in surgery, not knowing if she’d wake up.
But it mattered more than I realized. She basically abandoned me when my life was imploding, and there’s no getting over that.
“What do you want?” Eli asks his sister. “For me to pretend to like him after what he did?”
My internal temperature rises. “What I did?” I scoff, shaking my head.
What about what Scarlett did to me?
I shut that thought down. It’s old history I can’t bring up in front of Eli. Right now, I need her on my side.
Scarlett steps between us, frowning. “Okay, what is happening right now?”
Eli lets out a humorless laugh. “Why don’t you ask your boyfriend about that.” His eyes slide to mine.
She steps up to her brother. “Eli, you’re going to have to accept the fact that we’re dating. And if you can’t, then this will continue to be painfully awkward for everyone involved.”
“What do you mean? This isn’t awkward at all,” Eli shoots back.
Scarlett rolls her eyes. “I’m going upstairs,” she calls over her shoulder. “I have laundry to do and a tuba player to avoid.”
“I’ll walk you up.” I follow her toward the porch steps.
“Really not necessary.” She stops at the front door.
Eli watches us with narrowed eyes and I remember that the only thing that matters now is our agreement.
“Scarlett.” I lower my voice as she digs through her enormous bag. “We should probably act more like…”
She turns around to face me, keys finally in hand. “What?”
“Do I need to spell it out?” I nod subtly toward Eli, trying to be inconspicuous. “Your brother is watching us.”
Her gaze flicks over my shoulder where Eli is pretending to examine a smudge on Mona’s back bumper.
“He’s not watching. And honestly, I have a headache right now.”
“Hey, Scarlett,” Eli calls, walking around to the porch stairs. “Everything alright between you and Marco here?”
He looks between us like he suspects something’s off.
Scarlett gives her brother a tight smile. “We’re perfectly fine. Just couldn’t locate my keys.” She jingles them in the air as evidence.
“Door’s already unlocked,” Eli says flatly.
“Right,” she says, palming her forehead. “Should’ve checked that first.”
We escape inside and head up an old staircase that’s definitely seen better days.
The interior is somehow worse than the exterior, if that’s even possible, and the downstairs neighbor is playing heavy metal music that’s so loud, the walls are vibrating.
The stair rail is sticky, the paint is peeling, and the door to her apartment is so thin, it looks like it couldn’t survive a solid knock.
Definitely not safe for Scarlett to be living here.
“You really don’t need to stay,” she says, taking her bag from me. “I’ve got it from here.”
I look around at the questionable living conditions. “After what you told me about your neighbors, I can completely understand why you’d want to move.”
“Well, I can’t move anytime soon. Not unless I get that vendor contract.”
“Then let’s make sure you get it.”
We step inside. The apartment is small with dated furniture—a worn couch that’s clearly seen better days, a mismatched coffee table, and a bookshelf crammed with paperbacks and every Taylor Swift album ever released on vinyl.
Everything looks secondhand, but arranged with little touches that feel like her.
Cheerful yellow curtains. Flowers on the table.
Pretty mugs lined up on open shelves. Even with those small things though, it’s not a desirable place to live.
I look around, doing the math. A week at the Marco estate versus this.
“You know, the offer is still available,” I say. “The wedding week would at least get you out of here temporarily. Like a vacation.”
She’s quiet for a second, her eyes doing a slow sweep of her apartment. “I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t thought about it. It’s sounding better all the time.”
“By the way, there’s something I need to ask you—”
I pause, knowing what I’m about to say is a huge request. Becoming a bridesmaid isn’t just doing my sister a favor; it’s more wedding activities, more pressure, and more time pretending to be my girlfriend. More of everything I’m already struggling to keep in check.
But the more time she spends with my family, the better her chances with my uncle. Which means this isn’t just Carmen’s favor. It’s a strategy to get that contract.
Her phone rings, and she digs it out of her bag. “It’s your sister. Why would Carmen be calling me right now?”
I freeze. If Carmen had just waited a few more minutes, I could’ve eased into the bridesmaid question myself. But my sister has no patience for waiting, especially with anything involving her wedding.
“Well, that’s actually what I wanted to discuss with you. There’s a favor I need to ask.”
“Oh. Maybe I should just talk to her directly?” She holds up the phone like she’s about to answer, but I snatch it from her hands before she can.
Her eyes widen. “Brendan! Why did you do that?”
“Because Carmen will try to pressure you into this, and she’s currently in full-scale panic mode about a wedding emergency.”
Scarlett frowns. “What kind of emergency?”
My phone starts ringing next, and I already know who it is without looking.
“Carmen, give me five minutes!” I bark into the phone, then hang up. I can only imagine what my sister is muttering on the other end.
Scarlett points at the phone. “Did you just hang up on your sister?”
“I have a good reason.” I silence both phones, then hide them under a couch pillow, just in case. “One of her bridesmaids had to drop out of the wedding—a long story involving a TikTok video and poor decision-making on a Swiss ski slope.”
Scarlett’s brow furrows.
“Anyway, Carmen was wondering…” I pause. “If you’d be willing to step in as a replacement.”
Scarlett blinks rapidly. “She wants me to be a bridesmaid?”
“Yes.” I nod. “It would mean a significantly larger time commitment than just being my date. Dress fittings, bridal showers, rehearsal dinners, bachelorette parties—a week of pretending to be my girlfriend in front of my entire extended family.”
Scarlett’s lips part, and I can see her brain calculating what this means.
“I know it’s a lot,” I add. “But after the away game, I’m not sure Rafael is convinced about us. He never saw us together. A full week with the family might be the only thing that changes his mind about the contract.”
She bites her lip, then nods once. “You know what? I’ll do it.”
“Wait, did you just say yes?”
“I’ve been weighing this since Isabella showed up at my cafe.” She straightens her shoulders. “The contract, the lease, Rafael—it all points to the same answer. I just needed a good enough reason to say it out loud.”
I level my gaze with hers. “Do you know what you’re getting into?”
“Maybe not completely. But wouldn’t it be weird if I said no? It would call everything between us into question and possibly affect my potential vendor contract with your uncle.”
“I could make up an excuse. Tell them you have too much to do at the cafe.”
“No, Bren. I can shut the cafe down for a week.” She glances down at her hands. “I understand what this wedding means to your family. And I know I need to be there if we’re going to make this relationship look believable. Especially since Rafael didn’t get a chance to see us together.”
I study her, worried that she’ll regret this later. She doesn’t know my extended family the way I do. “Are you sure about this?”
“No.” She laughs to herself. “But it’s what I need to do if I want that contract.” She picks up the phone from where I hid it. “Now go call your sister back before she drives here herself.”