Chapter 4
4
Spencer
At quarter to six, I knock on our door.
I could open it with my wristband, but I’m not looking to start another argument so soon. Not when we already have plenty to fight about and tensions are high. This is one battle I can surrender if it means having dinner with Cortney unscathed.
Or lessens the chances of walking away with wounds. More wounds.
The door swings open to reveal Cortney’s cautious expression.
“We should exchange numbers,” I announce, holding up my cell. “I thought about texting you to meet me somewhere but then remembered I haven’t been granted that privilege.”
“I don’t really think that’s necessary.”
“Come on.” I prop my shoulder against the doorjamb while she gathers her purse and slips on her strappy sandals. “We’re here together for a week. I’m bound to need to communicate with you.”
“I’m stuck with you for a week,” she amends, slipping past me and out the door. “And I don’t see a reason for us to communicate beyond…” Turning to face me, she walks backward and swishes her manicured finger between us. “This.”
In two strides, I’m at her side. “I’d like a way to get ahold of you.”
“Why?”
Why ? Is she serious?
“You want to go out on your own and go drinking, right?”
“I’m a big girl, Spencer.”
“What if you don’t come back one night? How am I supposed to find you?”
She cocks an eyebrow. “What if I don’t want to be found?” She stares at me, her expression issuing a challenge I don’t quite understand before she turns back around.
The pit opening beneath my sternum is one I’m unfamiliar with. I shove it down as I glare at her back.
I try to glare at her back.
But Cortney Powell had to pick the most sexy, open-backed red dress I’ve ever fucking seen. Except for one strip of fabric hanging low across her hips, the entire thing is just bare. Smooth tan skin is exposed from her shoulders to nearly the crack of her fucking ass. And it’s short. Too short for public. Her exposed legs appear to go on for miles.
Goddamn.
“Cort.” My voice is gritty after that extended perusal.
“What?” She stops abruptly.
“I need to be able to find you.”
She whirls around, her loose tresses of black hair floating around her face. Those dark brown eyes narrow as she studies me. “Did my brothers put you up to this? Oh my god, they did, didn’t they?”
“What? No. They don’t even know I’m here.”
She crosses her arms, and the move only serves to accentuate her already remarkable cleavage.
“I’m up here, Spence,” she says wryly.
Embarrassment turns my cheeks red as I rub the back of my head. “My apologies. Won’t happen again.”
“They really weren’t a part of this?”
“Do you really think after what happened between us that Lee would willingly send me to spend a week alone with his only sister?”
Cortney finally cracks a smile. God, she’s so beautiful she takes my damn breath away. “Good point.”
The conversation drops as we stroll from our villa to the dining location. The low sun is warm, beating down on our skin. I fiddle with the hem of my long-sleeved button-down, making sure I’m covered all the way to my wrists on my right side. Despite the long covering, the damaged skin beneath prickles with an uncomfortable itch.
Cortney turns left toward the hibachi place.
“This way.” I jerk my chin to the right.
Her brows furrow. “No, I remember the concierge said we’re eating at the hibachi place tonight.”
“I changed it. We’re having French cuisine instead.”
She moves slowly in the right direction. “Why would you do that?”
Only once we’re a few feet from the host do I figure out how to respond. “This is more private. I didn’t want you to have to pretend to like me in front of a table of strangers.”
I’d never admit it, but saying those words out loud hurt more than I ever thought they could. There used to be a time when I’m pretty sure she loved me, but I blew that opportunity straight to hell.
“Oh. That was actually really thoughtful of you.” Her surprised tone says she doesn’t see me as thoughtful at all. An assessment based on the defensive actions of an eighteen-year-old.
Deserved, to say the least.
We give the hostess our names, and she takes us to a two-person table in the corner of the restaurant. A scattering of rose petals gives the space a romantic feel. An orange flame flickers in the center of the table, bathing us in a warm glow. Cortney’s brown eyes appear molten as she flicks her gaze at me.
She clears her throat. “This is nice.”
“It is.” My head bobs in a curt nod.
“A little too romantic for friends.” She flicks a petal and reaches for a sliver of fresh bread.
I move the wrapped silverware a little to the left. “Is that what we are?”
“No.”
My head snaps up at her cutting honesty.
“Not yet anyway.”
“I’d like us to be friends again.” The admission feels a little too candid. “Might not be necessary in the end. I don’t know where I’m settling yet.”
Cortney hums around a bite. My attention is drawn to the pucker and twist of her glistening lips before I force it away.
“You aren’t staying in Fairview Valley?”
We’re interrupted by the server. I order a steak au poivre while Cortney decides on the seafood provencal linguine. He returns a moment later with some wine before we’re alone again.
My shrug is noncommittal. “Haven’t decided. The only thing I know for certain is I’m done with the pipeline. If I can’t find work in Fairview Valley, I’ll go somewhere else.”
“It’s tough out there. Ollie’s been looking for a more serious job for about six months now.”
“That’s your kid, right?”
Her eyes brighten. “It is. He’s seventeen. Ready to make a name for himself in this big world. He’s great at baseball and even received an offer to play for college, but he’s not sure that’s the course he wants to take. He wants to go into medicine.”
“Wow. Sounds like you’ve raised one hell of a son. Seventeen… that’s breaking my brain a little bit.”
Her smile is light. “Why?”
I stall with a sip of the red wine. The dry, bitter taste coats my tongue. She has a kid nearly the same age I was when I made the greatest mistake of my life.
“I think I’m just proud that you accomplished so much.” And relieved that she did so in spite of what I did to her.
Even in the orange light, the blush on her cheeks is visible. She shakes out her napkin and lays it delicately on her lap, her fake ring catching in the candlelight. “My support system is unmatched. I’m lucky. You too, from what I hear. Silas and Sutton sound thrilled to have you back.”
Sutton and Silas are my brothers. If the three of us were standing in the same room, it’d be apparent that Sutton is the oldest and Silas is the youngest, leaving me in the middle. Sutton is all tough, Mr. Serious, while Silas can’t go an hour without cracking a joke. He lives to make others smile.
They’re beloved by the community.
And the two have been insufferable since I came back to town.
“They’re the reason I’m on this trip,” I joke, watching the wine quiver as I swirl my glass. “Can’t find a moment of peace around those two.”
“That’s something we’ve always had in common.”
“What’s that?”
Her dewy lips twitch. “Dodging insufferable brothers.”
Sitting across from her is like watching a flower bloom in real time. Little by little, she opens up as if I’m the sun drawing out her petals.
“Do you remember that tree house we built down by the river in the woods behind Fifth Avenue?”
She lets out a throaty laugh. “If I remember correctly, it was more of a shack. We could never get it into the tree.”
“So it was built around the tree. It’s still a tree house.”
“What about it?”
“I used to sneak you out there so we could escape our brothers. I just remembered is all.”
Her lips twist. “Haven’t seen that place in years.”
“I wonder if it’s still standing.”
Cortney just hums and brings her wine to her parted lips.
Our reminiscing is interrupted by our food. We both dig in, starving from a day of travel. “Fuck, it’s good to eat a real meal rather than the shit I have delivered to my house.”
“Have you visited The Rocks since you’ve been back?”
The Rocks is a local staple. The bar is well-loved, and Rueben used to make a kick-ass burger that people traveled across county lines to try.
“I’ve had it delivered, but those cold, limp fries have nothing on a true dinner at The Rocks.”
“You haven’t gone in to eat?” Cortney’s quizzical tone reveals my screwup.
“I don’t—I don’t go out.”
“You must go out sometime.” That teasing lilt makes me wish I had a different answer.
“I very rarely leave the house.” A solid lump forms in my throat, and I swallow thickly. “I’m not ready for people to see me like this.” The vulnerable statement is odd for me. I point my steak knife at the scarred side of my face.
The low buzz of conversation and the tinkle of cutlery can’t mask her audible inhale.
“But you’re here.”
Because you’re here.
I shrug. “Nobody knows me here.”
“Did you forget about me?”
“You saw me in the hospital. But to be honest, it’s not easy being around you either. I’m just counting on you being too gracious to mention them.”
“If I wasn’t still pissed at you for crashing my honeymoon, I’d come up with something nice to say, but I feel that’d be revealing too much.”
The unexpected response pulls a chuckle from me. “Oh really? I’m going to take that as a compliment and go to bed a happy man.”
“I didn’t say it was a compliment.”
“It was implied. ”
She huffs and rolls her eyes playfully. “I’m going to let you have that one because it’s better than having you cry all over our dinner.”
I scoff. “I wasn’t about to cry.”
“Sure looked like it to me. I think I still see tears in your eyes.”
“Now you’re just being mean.” Dragging my napkin from my lap, I pat my faux tears.
“Sadly, you’ll still be alone.”
“Ouch.”
Cortney sighs like she’s releasing the weight of the world. “It’s long overdue.”
“I’m sorry.”
She waves me off as she tips back the rest of the wine. “Nothing to apologize for. It was a long time ago. This has been a nice dinner. Let’s keep it that way.”
If she wants to keep things swept under the rug, I’ll relent.
For now.
But before we leave this island, Cortney Powell deserves to get a full apology. She also needs to hear the truth. For two decades, I’ve carried around the weight of this secret. If I’m going to attempt to reconcile old hurts, I know just where to start.