Chapter 21
Chapter Twenty-One
HAZEL
I vy forwarded a link to me, and I'd clicked on it. It was from one of the reporters who was at the opening for the program. They'd done an exposé of Kingston Construction and how they only support causes related to their family even though they were purporting to be a community-focused company.
I did a search to see if there was anything else on the library and Kingston Construction.
There was another one that revealed Brady's streaming show and how no one on the island seemed to know it was him.
Like it was a dirty secret or something, and there was even a mention of how he'd dated me so that he could improve his show ratings and get the family-friendly designation.
How could they possibly have figured that out?
I couldn't believe this was snowballing out of control. I never meant for any of this to happen. I didn't think it was wrong when we went forward with the plan. If I had, I wouldn't have agreed to it. I thought the worst thing that could happen is that we'd be a disappointment to our families.
I never thought this would affect Brady's show or his family's business. I checked my messages to see that Brady had tried to call me, but I must have missed it with my phone still on silent after work.
Before I could call him back, my phone rang again. "Brady?"
"Where are you? I came home to talk to you, and you aren't here. There's nothing in the closets, the bathroom. I never thought you'd leave without talking to me first." His voice sounded frustrated.
"You've been gone the last two days—" I said, realizing how lame that sounded.
"I've been dealing with Dalton and everything he's been going through. I know I should have checked in with you sooner, but I had to make sure Dalton was okay."
There was an ongoing issue with Dalton coming before me, but technically we weren't in a real relationship, and there were more pressing issues at the moment. "Have you seen the news articles about Kingston Construction and the after-school program?"
"I wanted to talk about us."
"I think that has to wait. We have bigger issues."
He sighed long and hard. "Fine. What is it?"
"The reporters that covered the after-school program did some digging. There's a couple of articles, one about Kingston giving money to family?—"
"We already knew about that one."
"But it gets worse. There's another one that found out about your video-game show. That reporter went on to interview people in the community who don't know anything about it. Brady, your family is going to find out. Your dad?—"
"He's already pissed at me about the other stuff. He's going to hate this." Brady's tone was disgusted.
"They even alluded to the fact that we were dating to get the family-friendly designation for the show. I have no idea how they figured that out." The line was quiet. "I'm so sorry, Brady. I never intended for this to happen."
"They know that we're fake," he said, his voice defeated.
"It looks like it. But I don't know how they could know. I never told anyone. Did you?"
"No," he said softly.
"Maybe they're just grasping at straws, trying to see if anything will stick. Because there's no way they could know." My heart rate picked up.
"It's true though. There's no point in pretending it's not."
It was like all the air was sucked out of my lungs. "What are you saying?"
"We have to tell everyone the truth. We got engaged for the show designation. Dad was right about everything. I make stupid decisions."
I felt like the ground was dropping out from underneath me, and I couldn't find solid footing. I wasn't even sure that I wanted to. "That's not true."
"Don't you see? We did something impulsive, and now we're paying the price."
"I'll stand by you. I'll tell everyone our feelings are real," I said desperately, hoping he'd listen to me.
"You don't have to do that. I got us into this mess, and it's time to deal with it. I've been lecturing Dalton how he needs to step up, and I haven't done the same."
"Can I come see you?" The hand that was holding the phone trembled.
"My dad's calling. I have to take this."
"Wait—" I cried, but he'd already hung up.
How did this get so out of control? Now everyone knew that our relationship was fake.
I thought it would be a good thing to tell them our feelings were real.
That we might have started out as pretend, but that at some point, we fell for each other.
But that might have only been one-sided because he hadn't agreed with me when I proposed telling everyone that.
The phone rang. It was Ivy.
"Hello."
"Are you okay?" Ivy asked, her voice laced with concern.
I took stock of my feelings. My eyes were tearing up, and my muscles were sore as if I'd just run a marathon. Everything was falling apart, and there was nothing I could do to stop it. "Not really."
"I just submitted Dalton's contract for a house, so I have some time before I hear back. Can I come to you?"
"I should see Brady." I felt scatterbrained
"Why? What did he say to you?"
"He was going to talk to his dad and tell him everything about the video game show, our relationship."
"Is it true? You guys weren't actually engaged?" Her voice was incredulous.
"Yes. No. It's complicated." I sighed. "I'm debating whether I should go to Brady. Tell him how I feel."
"I'm calling the girls. Hang tight, and whatever you do, don't talk to Brady until we've had a chance to talk this out."
I sighed, not feeling like I could drive in this state anyway. "Okay. But I'm at my place, not Brady's."
"Okay," Ivy said before hanging up, and I'd never been more grateful for good friends.
I'd always thought of Brady as my closest friend, but I'd ruined that with this fiasco of an arrangement.
We naively thought we'd solve all our problems with a little lie.
But we should have known better. Lies never solve anything.
I knew I'd fall for Brady. That it wouldn't take much to have me careening over the edge. I'd held out hope that he'd feel the same way. But I guess I was wrong. He didn't even want to talk about it. He was more concerned about making things right with his dad.
Shouldn't he talk to me first? Weren't we a team? I guess if I wanted the real thing, I should have been upfront with him from the beginning.
I washed my face, wishing it didn't look so red and puffy. But there was nothing I could do about it now. The doorbell rang, and I went to the door, seeing it was Ivy. I opened it, letting the girls in.
They hugged me one by one, whispering words of encouragement.
"Thanks for coming," I said as they sat on the chairs and couch in the living room.
Once everyone was settled, I perched on the ottoman so that I was facing them. "I suppose you want to know the truth."
"What's this about Brady having his own show?" Elena asked, leaning in.
"He has a video-game show on a streaming platform.
He wanted a family-friendly designation, and he thought a girlfriend—or even better, a fiancée—would seal the deal.
It started when I picked up this ring at bingo night and wanted to see what it looked like on my finger.
" I held up my hand with the ring. "I put it on, and when I came out from under the table, Grandma assumed I was engaged.
Before I could correct her, Brady stepped in and agreed with her.
He told me later that he needed me to be his fiancée for his show, and that it would make Grandma happy too.
It seemed like a good idea at the time. I had no idea that Kingston giving the library money for the after-school program would prompt all of this. " I threw my hands up in the air.
"Hazel, was there another reason why you went along with the engagement?" Elena asked gently.
I blew out a breath, looking around at all my friends. I saw nothing but concern and support in their gazes. "I thought it would be a way to see if what I felt for Brady was real."
"I knew it," Kinsley said under her breath.
"Did it work?" Daria asked.
"A little too well. It was impossible to resist him, sleeping in his bed and sharing his bathroom. It was only a matter of time before we kissed, and then it led to more. We have chemistry."
"How does Brady feel?"
"He said he was going to tell everyone we were fake. But if we like each other, then it's not fake. I mean, the engagement is, but not our relationship."
"Do you love him?" Kinsley asked.
"I think I do. But I have no idea how he feels. He's willing to tell everyone our relationship isn't real. So he must not feel the same way I do," I said.
"That's not necessarily true. Has he said anything about how he feels?" Ivy asked.
"Before we took things to the next level, he said he wanted to explore things between us. I fell harder for him, but he never really said how he felt."
"So you don't know for sure how he feels," Elena said.
"He's going to tell everyone we're fake, and we're going to have to deal with the fallout from that," I said.
"There's no way around that. But what's more important to you? What everyone else thinks or how he feels about you?" Elena asked.
I chewed on my lip. "How he feels about me."
"Then you need to focus on saving your relationship," Ivy said.
"Unfortunately, he's worried about his father and what he thinks. For him, this is proof that his dad is right about him. That he makes stupid and impulsive decisions." I felt defeated. This entire situation was out of my control.
"Maybe he'll calm down and see things differently," Daria murmured.
"Yeah, you just have to give him time to deal with the stuff around the family business," Nora added.
"So I should wait?" I asked them. Now that we'd made the decision on what to focus on, I wanted to act now. I didn't want to lose Brady.
"I think we need a plan," Kinsley said, exchanging a look with Ivy.
Ivy gave her a nod before turning her attention to me. "Have you spoken to your grandmother yet?"
Dread formed in my stomach. "Not yet. But I need to."
"She's probably already heard about all of this. You need to talk to her first. And I think she can help us."
"You don't think she's going to be mad that I put on a ring and pretended to be engaged?" I asked them.
Ivy gave me a look. "I wouldn't be surprised if Mabel planted that ring."
The girls all looked at each other and burst out laughing.
When everyone sobered, Elena asked, "Did you ever find out whose it was?"
I shook my head. "But we didn't look that hard for the owner. I was all too eager to pretend it was mine."
Ivy put her arm around me. "A couple of us will go with you to talk to Mabel, and then we'll come up with a plan."
"How can you be so sure that Grandma will want to help me?"
"Because she's a romantic at heart and wanted you and Brady to get together ages ago. She won't want to see you two apart."
I sighed. "If you're sure this is the right move."
"I think it's our only play at the moment.”
For a short time, I thought Brady's family would be mine too, but his dad didn't seem keen on including me. And with everything that had happened, that reality was more out of reach than ever. "I don't have a better idea."
I said bye to my friends. Elena and Ivy volunteered to take me to Grandma's place.
We knocked on the door, and Mabel opened it. "What a nice surprise. Come inside."
"I thought you'd be expecting us," Ivy said dryly.
Mabel nodded as we followed her into the kitchen. "Well, I have heard some things. I hope you've come here to tell me they aren't true."
My stomach twisted. "I wish I could. But unfortunately they are."
"You aren't engaged?" Grandma asked as she moved around the kitchen, filling the tea kettle with water.
"I found that ring on the floor, and then you assumed I was engaged. Brady stepped in before I could correct you."
Grandma's gaze was shrewd. "Why would Brady volunteer to be your fiancé?"
"He has a video-game show, and having a fiancée would help him get the family-friendly designation he needed to gain more credibility and followers. That part of our plan worked."
"And what were you getting out of this arrangement?" Grandma asked.
I shrugged. "You were so happy that I was engaged. We thought you'd enjoy planning a party."
"That's not it," Grandma said.
I frowned. "What do you mean?"
"You wanted to try on that ring to see how it would look and feel. You wanted to be engaged to Brady so you could finally know once and for all if he was the one for you."
My cheeks flushed. "I thought it would be a good opportunity to explore my feelings for him. But it doesn't matter because he doesn't feel the same way I do. He's talking to his dad right now, telling him our relationship isn't real."
"Are you certain that he doesn't have feelings for you?" Grandma asked.
"If he does, he hasn't said anything."
"So why are you here?" Grandma asked, eying my friends.
"We thought you could help us with our plan—" Ivy began.
Grandma raised a brow, her interest piqued. "Oh? And what plan is that?"
"Hazel wants to tell Brady how she feels, hoping he'll reciprocate those feelings," Ivy said.
Grandma's eyes lit up. "Now we're getting somewhere."
"So you'll help us?" I asked her.
Grandma cackled. "I've been waiting a long time for you to admit that you have feelings for Brady."
I frowned. "I didn't know until the last few weeks of living with him."
Grandma shook her head. "You've been in love with that boy for half of your life. I've never seen two people who were more stubborn. I had to do something to finally push you together."
My heart skipped a beat. "Grandma, what are you talking about? What did you do?"
"I put my ring where you'd see it and pick it up. I never thought you'd put it on your finger though. That was all you."
I couldn't believe what I was hearing. I'd never seen her ring. She had it tucked away in her safe. "You instigated this whole thing?"
"My friends thought I was crazy at worst and meddling at best. But I didn't want you to waste your entire life loving Brady from afar, but too afraid to tell him how you felt."
"I can't believe you orchestrated this." I threw my arms in the air.
Ivy crossed her arms and gave me an I told you so look.
Elena reached over and squeezed my hand. "Mabel meant well."
"I was doing you two a favor. I don't expect you to understand. Maybe one day when you have stubborn kids, you'll get it." Mabel shook her head.
"Grandma—" I began.
"Let's work on the plan. We don't have much time," Elena said.
We all leaned in to talk through possible scenarios. I still couldn't believe that Grandma put that ring on the floor. But I couldn't be upset, not when it had allowed me to explore my feelings for Brady. I just hoped he felt the same way I did.