Chapter 13
THIRTEEN
Ishouldn’t have been surprised when my mother announced she was going for an after-dinner drink with Brody’s father.
Rufus was exactly the sort of man my mother always chased.
He clearly had money. He carried himself like a professional.
Sure, it was sort of like a professional asshole but was professional nonetheless.
It wasn’t hard to understand what my mother saw in his father.
It was hard to understand what Rufus saw in my mother, however.
“You’re going out together?” Brody was clearly also surprised by the turn of events because he kept asking the same question over and over.
Irritation, faint as a whisper, rocketed over Rufus’s features. “I’ve already confirmed that three times.”
“Four times,” Mom volunteered helpfully.
I had to duck my head to keep from laughing. This was a surreal situation.
“Four times,” Rufus clarified.
“But… your Mercedes is back at my house,” Brody reminded his father.
“Ooh,” Mom cooed. “I love a good Mercedes.” She liked any car that cost as much as a house.
“I’ll take your golf cart. You can ride back with Bree,” Rufus said in a way that promised an argument would cause issues.
Brody opened his mouth. My protective instincts kicked in, and I grabbed his arm. When he sent me a questioning look, all I could do was shake my head.
“You can ride back with me.” I pointed at one of the valets in front of the restaurant. “And they can drive your cart back to your house.”
The valet didn’t argue. He just nodded, which was a relief.
Brody seemed to think on it for a beat then nodded. “Okay, then.” He handed the valet his golf cart key. “Have fun. I guess.”
“That’s the plan,” Rufus agreed as he swaggered toward the cart, the valet trailing behind.
Mom giggled like a schoolgirl. Brody and I stood shoulder to shoulder and watched them drive off. The last thing I heard was Mom suggesting more cocktails.
“I pity that poor valet, but they couldn’t drive,” Brody said. “They both had multiple drinks.”
“Were there any circumstances where your father was going to take no for an answer?”
He shook his head. “No.”
“Well, then, here’s hoping they get to your house and decide to stay there. Or call an Uber,” I added as an afterthought.
“I do not want them staying at my house.” The look he shot me was incredulous. “Are you kidding me right now?”
There was no containing my laughter. “I would invite them to my house—I’m used to my mother’s shenanigans—but something tells me your father is not going to be up for that.”
“He’s not going to be up for anything at my house either. He hates my house.”
That caught me by surprise. “Why? Is there something wrong with your house?”
“You could fit the entirety of my house in his foyer.”
“Oh.”
I’d known Brody came from money. That rumor had made the rounds right after the incident two years before. That was part of the reason I wasn’t sympathetic to his plight. Still, I knew him better now and couldn’t help wanting to stand up for him.
“I’m sure it’s nice,” I said finally.
“It is. It’s a lot like your house.”
“My house isn’t even decorated yet.”
“Oh.” He cocked his head. “Then I guess your house will be better than mine when you get to that.”
“You don’t like decorations?”
“I don’t think I know how to decorate.”
“All you have to do is pick things you like,” I said.
“What if I don’t like anything?”
“There has to be something you like,” I insisted.
For a moment—just a split second really—the way he looked at me suggested he wanted to say that he liked me. My stomach constricted at the naked emotion on his face, and I realized I liked that possibility. Then I wanted to slap myself for thinking anything of the sort.
It’s a bad idea to get involved with him. If it goes poorly, which it will, you’ll be stuck attending the same conferences for the next two decades, and it will be awkward.
“I guess I’ll have to give it some thought,” he said finally. “I don’t like nautical themes, and in case you haven’t noticed, most of the houses here have them.”
I chuckled. “Oh, I’ve noticed. Do you think it’s weird that lawn gnomes are bad?”
It was an odd transition, but he took it in stride. “What’s with you and the lawn gnomes? Why are you so interested in them?”
“I never was until I was told I couldn’t have one.”
“Are you going to test the rules of the homeowner’s association by trying to sneak gnomes in?”
I turned coy. “Maybe.”
He smirked. “You’ll get fined.”
“Yes, but what happens if the lawn gnomes are part of a birdbath or fountain?”
His forehead creased. “I’m not sure I understand.”
“Well, you can have a birdbath or a fountain. You can’t have both, which I find weird, but there are no restrictions on the designs.”
Amusement had the corners of his lips turning up. “You have a plan.”
“I believe I already told you that.”
“Yes, but I thought you were exaggerating. You really do have a plan.”
“Yup, and it’s going to be glorious.” I pulled the key for my cart out of my pocket and twirled it around my finger. “Are you ready?”
“No.” He shook his head. “If I go home now, I’ll run into… them.”
“You mean Sylfus?”
Genuine bafflement took over his features. “Um… what?”
“That’s their ship name. You know, when you mash two romantic characters’ names together. Like Bennifer, Brangelina, and TomKat.”
“I have no idea what any of that means.”
I had to hold back a sigh. This was hardly surprising. He wasn’t a ship kind of guy. “Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck are Bennifer. It’s what happens when you mash their names together.”
“Oh.” His mouth went tight. “That’s freaky. You’re calling our parents Sylfus?”
“I considered calling them syphilis because it was so close, but I know myself. I will slip up if I go that route.”
He burst out laughing, and I realized how much I liked the sound.
“That’s crazy, but now I can never unhear it,” he said when he’d settled.
“That’s just the way my mind works.”
“I like it.” Brody was looking away from me, and I couldn’t tell if he even realized what he’d said.
“If you don’t want to go home, we have to figure out something to do,” I said. “Any ideas? I mean, somehow, I don’t think the Landings has a happening nightlife that doesn’t revolve around the bars, and I’m not in the mood to drink.”
I expected him to say no, so when he looked over at me again, this time smiling, I was thrown.
“Oh, see, that’s an evil look.” I wagged a finger. “What are you plotting?”
“I’m not plotting anything. There’s just one thing at this place I’ve always wanted to check out and never have. You seem like the perfect person to do it with.”
I was instantly suspicious. “Is there a brothel here or something?”
“A brothel?”
“They probably call it a house of ill repute, don’t they?”
He laughed again. Man, I really loved that sound.
“It’s not a brothel,” he assured me. “If there is a brothel here, they failed to inform me of it.”
“Would that be disappointing?”
He scratched his cheek. “From a literary perspective, yes. Who doesn’t want to see a brothel so they can write about it correctly in a book?”
I didn’t disagree. “Fair point.”
“From a personal perspective, I wouldn’t even know what to do in one of those places.”
“They’re for boning,” I replied before thinking better of it. “You have boned before, right?”
“You did not just calling it boning.” Brody looked scandalized.
“Are you offended?”
He laughed again then gestured toward the parking lot. “It’s not a brothel. It’s a place I think you’re going to love, though.”
“Where?”
He hesitated but only for a moment. “It’s going to be a surprise. Just… trust me.”
I didn’t trust easily. My mother had told me that it was a mistake to trust certain people. But I could trust Brody. I understood that on a basic level. He wasn’t a creeper. Sure, he was a bit odd, but so was I. Odd was better than boring.
“Fine,” I said after a prolonged silence. “But you’d better not be taking me to a golf course to kill me and bury my body in a sand trap.”
His eyebrows lifted toward his hairline. “Your imagination is something.”
“Yes, it’s a royal mess. But I’m fine with it.”
He laughed once and shook his head. “You’re going to like this surprise. I have a very good feeling.”
“Then show me.”
brODY COULDN’T GET OVER THE FACT that I’d purchased a pink golf cart.
“It’s not against the rules,” I insisted.
“It is. You can only have black or white carts.”
“Ah, but there was a recent amendment that you could have a specific cart—it’s eco-friendly—and they failed to include color restrictions when adding that vehicle to the rules.”
Brody blinked, taking it all in. He’d directed me to Green Island Road and told me to keep driving until he instructed me to stop. “So, you bought this green cart just so you could get it in a loud color.”
“It’s one of those temporary colors,” I agreed.
“How did you find out about the loophole?”
“Weirdly, the woman who sold me the cart knew about it. She lived at the Landings until her divorce and intends to return. She wants me to mess with the association for reasons she didn’t share with me.”
Brody snickered. “Well, I still think you’re going to get into trouble. This thing is Barbie pink.”
“I wanted a turquoise one, but it was definitely banned. I don’t get how they think they can mandate the color of my golf cart. It’s crap.”
“I don’t disagree. They will try to beat you into submission, though.”
“I’m really looking forward to that.”
“Your expression just went really evil,” he said.
“Something I’m fine with.”
We went a bit farther in companionable silence, then he instructed me to pull in near a huge white building.
“What is this place?” I was suddenly alert. Nothing about the building, or the darkness surrounding it, felt comfortable.
“This is the Landings Golf & Athletic Club.”
“And why are we here?” A worrying thought coursed through me. “Is this a brothel?”
“Dude, you need to let the idea of the brothel go.”