Chapter 8 Somebody That I Used To Know
SOMEBODY THAT I USED TO KNOW
Thaddeus
While Aston lifted bags into the vehicle, I walked Lily out with one arm firmly around her shoulders.
She was headed back to school. I loved spending time with her, even if it hadn’t been exactly trouble-free.
Her life hadn’t stopped when I went away.
If I needed more proof of that, my baby sister had a boyfriend and told me she was looking forward to introducing him.
And, more mind-blowing, she wanted to marry him and was enlisting my help to break it to our father.
I’d missed so much of her life. Of my own life.
When we reached her car parked in front of the door on the gravel path, I kissed her and opened the door. “Drive carefully.”
Lily pulled me tight into another hug. “With this family’s bad luck with cars, I always do.”
“Good.”
Lily finally let go, stepped back, and smiled, but not before I caught a bit of something in her eyes.
“Hey, maybe I’ll drive up to the college one weekend. Check things out for myself.”
My sister’s eyes brightened. “Really?”
I nodded. “I’m home, so I’ll be visiting all the time. You’ll be sick of me.”
Lily smiled and lowered herself into the car. “Never.”
I smiled as she drove away, but my chest tightened briefly.
I left my sister all alone out here; my mother would never have wanted that.
Anger consumed me, and I forgot the people I had to protect.
Killing Clive had felt right. It satisfied that deep, dark hole within me, but since coming home, all the things I’d missed became painfully obvious.
When I went back inside, I heard sounds coming from the kitchen.
Before she left, Lily made us a huge breakfast spread, homemade croissants, omelets, waffles—it was all delicious but resulted in a big mess.
Aston would have his work cut out for him.
Earlier I spotted pots crusted with eggs and batter on the counters where syrup didn’t cover.
When I entered the kitchen to investigate, the noise I found was Henry elbow-deep in soapy water.
“Leave it. Aston will take care of everything.”
He shook his head. “By then this place will be all clean.”
After the near blowout with Felix, I’d driven to Henry’s house, practically packed his bags for him, and moved him in with me.
He’d suggested living with his parents, who lived over an hour away, but why would he do that?
I had a big house all to myself, plus he could visit his son and even set up a room for Wylie here if he wanted.
I had it all planned out. Fuck women. All of them were trouble.
A particular blonde’s face flashed in my mind.
I scowled, cursing the image away. Now that I was free, my main focus was building a life that centered on myself and the people who’d stuck by me.
I didn’t need her screwing with my mood throughout the day.
Annoyingly, I’d been thinking of her more since that night at Patriots Park, when I’d thought—even if only for a brief moment—that she’d been the one getting laid.
Something besides anger stirred when I thought of her nowadays.
I didn’t want to explore what that might be.
Ultimately, I shoved the odd sensation to the back of my mind and concentrated on what mattered most.
“Look at us, two bachelors in this big house!” I laughed with Henry.
“Wait, aren’t you engaged to be married?” he teased.
Melissa, Mimi, often slipped my mind. She was Ashley’s best friend, which put me in an awkward position. “Wait, I wonder if she knew her best friend was cheating,” I said, chewing my lip.
Henry shrugged. “They’re pretty close. I wouldn’t put it past them.”
Nodding, I thought about the mess Henry was in.
I mean, come on, he made a mistake. Years ago, he met a female worker at the prison and spent the past few years using his trips to visit me to spend time with her.
Two wrongs didn’t make a right. Ashley had set out to hit Henry where it hurt, choosing his friend.
That was a low blow. And Felix had no business helping her deliver it.
“Thad?”
A voice interrupted my thoughts, and I looked away from Henry to see my father.
“What are you doing here?”
“Let’s go. We can drive to the office together,” he said, ignoring my question.
I studied his face. He looked older than he had a couple of days ago. Something was wrong. He clearly hadn’t been sleeping if the heavy bags under his eyes were anything to go by.
“Why?”
“That damn girl who killed your mother is sabotaging the deal.”
Confusion swam in my mind. Summer didn’t kill anyone, I thought. The wording startled me for a moment before I shot to my feet, finally catching onto the fact that she was trying to outmaneuver me.
“How? The town would rather let those people die?”
Henry left the room as my father sat and explained. “She got the Jonas family involved.”
My stomach twisted. Oh no, not them again. They were so rich that they wasted loads of money for the greater good. “Didn’t you have a deal?”
“Not a firm one. The town hasn’t sold the damn building to me yet. Nothing is guaranteed until the dotted line is signed.”
The drive to the office was frosty. The rest of the morning was no different. It made me realize just how out of my depth I was. I sat and watched my father attempt to pull all the strings at his disposal to get Jonas to back out.
A meeting was set for after lunch with Summer, who was representing the building’s tenants.
When I entered the government building, I spotted Melissa waiting for me. “Do you have a plan?” I asked, skipping hellos.
She held her shoulders back and looked confident enough, but the cracks in her smile were easy to spot. Shit! Would I still need to marry Mimi if this deal didn’t go through? I wasn’t rushing to the altar for love.
“Let’s go. They’re waiting,” she said.
Inside the closed room, the meeting immediately became heated, with Summer leading the charge.
“The town claimed it was about safety. Now, the residents can stay and will be safe. Plus, the Jonas family is powerful. They’re not the kind of family you want to go against.” She tried to school her expression into something professional, but I saw the smug look hiding beneath.
Looking at her face, I decided I’d rather level the whole damn building to the ground than let Clive Cohen’s daughter beat my family. This was personal.
Melissa looked around before she spoke. “Are the residents safely out of the building?”
“Temporarily,” Summer said.
Before Melissa could reply, I jumped in. “Obviously, this meeting is going nowhere. We’ve both stated our cases, so let’s end it here.” We’d gone around in circles for too long. I couldn’t think in here. I couldn’t come up with a plan. I didn’t want to give Summer any more satisfaction.
The mediator nodded, and my shoulders relaxed an inch. I leaned close to Mimi and whispered, “Go and check on the purchase offer. See where we’re at with that.”
The purchase offer had been sent weeks ago, and my father was likely still nudging and bribing all the government officials he needed to get the deal to go through.
Mimi nodded and made her way out. The mediator followed, leaving me alone with Summer.
She collected her things, and I blocked the door.
I couldn’t resist. I had to let her know she hadn’t won.
“You look pretty pleased with yourself, don’t you?
This little ploy won’t stop Fitzgerald.” I narrowed my eyes.
Summer spun around quickly. She hadn’t expected me to be so close to her. In an attempt to prevent herself from falling, she reached out to steady herself. Her hand lay flat against my chest. Instinctively, I reached forward to stop her from falling into me, and my hand landed on her waist.
Neither of us moved.
It felt so familiar, even after all those years. Ten years ago, I’d have pulled her against me.
I looked at her. Really looked. It had been years since we were this close.
Something changed in Summer’s eyes. They were less sharp, more . . . surprised.
She stepped back and cleared her throat.
“It already has stopped Fitzgerald. You just don’t know it yet.”
I let her go. My hand remained molded to the shape of her waist.
Laughter spilled from my lips. “Summer. I’d rather fucking toss Mimi aside, marry Brit tomorrow, and plow a wrecking ball through that building than let you, a fucking Cohen, beat us.
” I ignored the tightness in my chest and held strong.
Fire spread up my body from where Summer and I touched.
One bump, and I was acting like a fucking teenager, like she’d dry-humped me.
Summer’s mouth fell into an ‘O,’ and I ignored the dirty thought that flickered into my mind.
This time, she didn’t have a witty reply ready.
She gripped the folder tighter and stared at me in what looked to be disbelief.
Brit had been a contentious subject in our relationship.
Summer hated her. She’d always said that when I wasn’t there, Brit treated her like shit.
We’d argued about that, but, deep down, I liked that she was jealous.
It had been a low blow to bring her up again now, but we were playing dirty.
I left her gawking, marched down the hall, and took out my phone.
Mentioning Brit had sparked an idea. She and I attended the prestigious Hackley School as kids.
If she’d gotten married, I’d have heard about it.
Brit’s longstanding crush on me wasn’t reciprocated, but I was banking on her still having the same soft spot, which was both vain and hopeful.
If she did, it could work in my favor. Inside my car, I called Henry, asked for her number, then wasted no time in calling Brit.
“I heard you were back and causing havoc,” Brit said when she realized who she was talking to. She didn’t sound too ruffled to hear my voice.