Chapter 26 #2
She took a gulp of her fresh cocktail, the bite of the vodka and the tart cranberry a distinct contrast to the spritz’s effervescent bubbles. Is Ben right? Was Teddy using me the whole time? She felt cold all over.
Avery looked down. “Maybe it’s not all my fault,” she stirred her drink with her straw, her head swimming with images of her time with Teddy.
“Teddy strung me along. A real dick move. I mean you know how it is being Michael Silver’s kids.
It’s so hard to trust that anyone likes you for you, and not for the money, or the notoriety.
But I thought since Teddy has his own money and fame, I didn’t have to worry about him using me. I guess I was wrong.”
“Maybe he thought that getting involved with me was strategic too. Like Dad or Brandon couldn’t fire him if he were with me?
” There had to have been a reason Teddy led her on like that when their fake-dating arrangement could have been fulfilled easily without complication.
“That it somehow would help save his drive even if he didn’t perform on track? ”
“Damn, I hadn’t thought of that, but you are right, Aves.
That could be part of it. What a piece of work,” her brother was getting animated now.
“If he weren’t so damn fast, I’d call Dad right now and tell him to fire that piece of shit,” Ben curled his lip into a sneer.
“Well, maybe I should anyway. There’s a lot of talented drivers out there who deserve a shot, maybe we can find someone who can both win races and keep it professional. ”
“No,” she held up her hand. “I don’t want him to get fired, but I wouldn’t mind seeing him suffer a bit.
I wish I could get back at him personally without hurting the team or bringing bad press to our family right when I am going to need to use our family name to fix the gala. ” She drained the rest of her glass.
She was feeling more emboldened now, the alcohol starting to fuel an anger that matched Ben’s.
Why shouldn’t Teddy feel the ramifications of messing with her heart?
Had he forgotten who she was, who her dad was?
While she was usually hesitant to play the “do you know who I am” card, the vodka was starting to make it seem like a reasonable path to take.
“Maybe I can give him a taste of his own medicine, plant an embarrassing story about him in the press?” Avery suggested. “I do know quite a bit about him now. He may have been using me for sex and job security, but he also confided in me. And I could hurt him if I want to.”
“Hmm, this could be fun,” Ben said conspiratorially, leaning in and wiggling his eyebrows. “So, what do you have? Does he sleep in women’s underwear? Eat burritos by taking a bite out of the middle first?”
Avery rolled her eyes and playfully smacked her brother on the arm. She appreciated that he was trying to lighten the mood.
“Well, if I really wanted to get him where it hurts, he told me the real reason he had that on track melt down a few years and lost the F2 championship. His dad called him the night before and asked him to throw the race. He didn’t lose on purpose, but it fucked with his head and he lost anyway. Teddy hasn’t spoken to him since.”
“Whoa,” Ben’s eyes went wide. “I did not know that. How did that not make the news?”
Shit, I shouldn’t have told him that. Too late.
She took a deep breath and quickly looked left then right, making sure the bartender wasn’t hovering, before she continued.
“Well, Teddy had very little to do with his father. He left Teddy’s mom when Teddy and his brother were very young, and he wasn’t there for them growing up,” Avery explained.
“When Teddy was a teenager, he started using his mom’s maiden name, Ross, and the press never made the connection. Dad helped the whole thing go away.”
Ben’s brow knit together. “That would be enough to mess with anyone’s head, especially a seventeen-year-old kid under intense pressure.”
Avery’s heart lurched. An image of a young Teddy, hurt in his eyes, appeared in her head, but she quickly pushed it aside and forced herself to picture him on the beach, the exasperation in his eyes when he rejected her.
He doesn’t care about you the way you care about him. Telling herself that hurt like a fresh paper cut.
“Here you are, burger and fries.” Avery jumped, the bartender jolted her out of her thoughts as he set down a plate in front of her.
Avery picked up a handful of the piping hot fries and dunked them in the little white ramekin of ketchup next to her plate before shoving them in her mouth.
She washed it down with the last of her vodka soda.
“Do you want half of this?” Avery offered her burger to her brother before she started in.
“Sure.”
“And, I haven’t told you about what’s going on with the gala yet,” she groaned. “This was only Part One of Avery’s Life is A Dumpster Fire.”
“Hit me with Part Two, I can handle it,” Ben offered.
“I’m not sure I can without another one of these,” she pointed to her empty glass. “Excuse me,” she called to the bartender, her voice way louder than necessary, considering he was about two feet away. “Could we get another round?”
“One Aperol Spritz and one vodka martini coming up.”
“Actually, just the martini, I’m all set for tonight,” Ben corrected.
“Don’t make me drink alone! What kind of fun, older brother are you?” Avery pouted.
“The kind who has a preschooler who wakes up at six a.m. and a family history of alcohol addiction. Also, the kind who is not going to let you drive home after a third drink,” he pulled out his phone. “I will let Adam know you’ll be spending the night in our guest room.”
“That is probably wise. Thank you,” Avery accepted his offer.
Avery took a big bite out of her half of the burger before she filled her brother in on her other major failure.
“We officially have no venue. No Monarch. No Four Seasons,” she said between bites, “Mom asked her friends today for ideas, and even they came up empty. We are royally screwed, and it’s all my fault. ”
Ben used his napkin to wipe some ketchup from his face and gave her a small smile, but didn’t argue that it wasn’t her fault.
“And Dad arranged for Teddy and I to do some Aurelia Strap photos at the gala, together. And we really need their sponsorship money.”
“I know you want to transform the event and be able to donate to your new causes, but you don’t have to put so much pressure on yourself,” he gave her a pointed look. “Just let Mom find a suitable alternative and focus on changing the world next year.”
Avery looked down at her burger and suddenly couldn’t take another bite. Her ravenous hunger and buzzy anger had morphed into a bone-deep weariness. She longed to put her head down on the bar—she could probably fall asleep right there.
She summoned the strength to look back up at Ben. “I sort of already promised the Youth Sports Complex that we’d fund the construction of the new gym. I can’t go back on my word. I have to make the gala better, more successful than ever.”
Ben shook his head. “Bold move, kid. Okay, here’s what we are going to do. Adam joined the Automotive History Museum board this year. They have events there all the time. He can call first thing in the morning and check on the date.”
“That’s not a bad idea,” Avery said as the wheels started turning in her head.
A fraction of the tension she’d been holding evaporated.
Her problem wasn’t solved yet, but knowing that her brother was on her side and looking out for her made her feel optimistic for the first time since she’d fled the beach.
“It’s a bit on the nose, but we could lean into the theme, I guess. And thank you for helping me out of this mess. For listening too,” she said.
“I wish you’d asked me for some advice sooner. I’ve been on the foundation board for a decade, and I could have warned you against making promises to charities,” he signaled to the bartender for the check. “I’m sorry you had to learn the hard way, but I’m here to help.”