Chapter 14 Braxton #2
Nick doesn’t answer her, and we fall quiet, only the low beat of the music on the radio breaking the silence.
My phone vibrates, and I yank it out of my pants, almost dropping it in my haste.
Hope crawls into my throat that Gracie might have changed her mind, imagining us snuggling on her couch, eating greasy pizza together, and everything just feeling better.
But the hope shrivels up into a bitter ball at the message waiting for me—not from Gracie.
Nick
We need to talk.
“I’m actually glad I stuck around tonight,” Paisley declares as she finishes her second beer, smile wide. She slams the glass down on the table. “I feel like I haven’t had any real fun in weeks.” She side-eyes us with a laugh. “Even if it was with you guys.”
Nick’s mouth goes tight at the corners, but he just digs his wallet out, fishing out some cash and sliding it over to his sister. “Why don’t you get us another round?”
“Don’t mind if I do!” Paisley slaps a palm down on the money, dragging it toward her and pushing her chair back. Nick watches as she saunters over to the bar before turning back to me, his expression darkening.
This is the first time we’ve been alone since we got here.
Paisley decided almost immediately that she really didn’t want to go home, and sober driving apparently wasn’t on her bingo card for the night.
At the rate she is going, we are definitely going to need a rideshare.
And the idea of asking my mother or Gracie for a ride is enough to have me coming out in hives.
“Why were you with her?” Nick demands, leaning across the table and lowering his voice, as if someone might be listening in on us and he’s about to share state secrets. “Last week. Ashland. Isn’t that when you went to the wellness center?”
I rub the back of my neck, looking anywhere but at him. “Yeah. It’s nothing, man. We just ran into each other after my session.”
“She just happened to be in the next town over when you went there to have a counseling session?” The question is a challenge, but I tighten my jaw stubbornly, my own temper flaring.
When I don’t give him an answer, Nick sits back, crossing his arms over his chest. “You told me there was nothing going on between you and my sister.”
I frown. “There’s not. I’ve barely seen her since she got back.
” I gesture toward the bar, where Paisley’s grinning at some guy in a ball cap.
“Paisley and I have been friends for years, right? I was friends with her before—” I cut myself off, swallowing hard.
“The night before she left for Minnesota was a mistake. I never should have said anything.”
“But you did,” Nick says unnecessarily. “And it wasn’t something you decided on the fly. You came to me and told me first, basically asking for permission, and then you told her.” He stares at me, his eyes unreadable. “You wanted her to give you a different answer that night.”
“Of course I did!” I burst out, blood surging into my face.
Anger and guilt war for supremacy, but it’s easier to lean when Nick refuses to look away.
“I thought I loved her, and I’d been holding on to that for…
I don’t even know how long. And it wasn’t something I took lightly.
But it was also four years ago, and I don’t feel that way now. ”
“Don’t you?” Nick lifts his eyebrows, and agitation bubbles under my skin as I grind my molars so hard, they almost crack.
“No, I don’t. Fucking hell.” I stare at him. “Do you actually think that? That I’ve been carrying a torch for her all these years?”
Nick sighs, looking away from me. “I don’t know what to think, honestly. You didn’t date anyone seriously until Gracie, and Thanksgiving…”
A cold weight settles in just beneath my ribs. “What about it?” There’s a croak in my voice that I ignore, washing it away with another gulp of beer.
“Man…” Nick pinches the bridge of his nose, his expression frustrated and pained.
“I saw the look on your face when you saw Paisley. Gracie saw it too. She spent the night looking like someone had sucker-punched her, and you didn’t even notice.
” He drops his hand, exhaling hard. “I didn’t know that you hadn’t told her, but I caught on quick enough. ”
You let me be blindsided that night.
Gracie’s words trickle back into my head, reminding me of everything she overheard that night. It’s a glaring neon sign, pointing to everything I’m still omitting. But I just don’t know how to tell her that I did the one thing she asked me not to do.
And I can keep telling myself that it’s because Paisley keeps showing up, and that it’s not my fault because I can’t just turn her away.
But then a voice in my head whispers, But you didn’t have to go outside with her.
You didn’t have to go shopping with her.
You could have told Gracie everything as soon as it happened instead of lying.
Shame curdles in my stomach like something rotten, and I grab my beer, slamming the rest of the drink back. “I need something stronger,” I mumble.
Nick shakes his head. “What’s going on between you and my sister, Braxton?”
“Nothing is going on with Paisley,” I say emphatically. I’m not lying, but I almost choke on the words, knowing they’re not the whole truth, either. Nick doesn’t look convinced, but before he can keep pressing, I blurt, “I lost the house. Gracie’s house. Someone else bought it.”
His mouth drops open, face paling. “Oh, you stupid motherfucker.” He drops his head, thumping his forehead against the table. After three solid hits, he stands up. “You’re right. We need something stronger. I’ll go get us some shots, and you can tell me exactly what you fucking did.”