The Truth Be Told (The Truth in Lies Saga #3) (15 page)

“Are you all right, my dear?” Kat asked, sucking down her third, maybe fourth, mimosa since I sat down.

“I’m fine,” I winced, gasping for air.  “It just went down the wrong pipe.”

Everyone waited a few moments to make sure I was in fact all right, then gradually returned to their conversations.  “Damn, that hurt.”  I pounded my chest a couple of times, trying to breathe.  

“I’m so sorry,” Natasha babbled.  “I didn’t mean to choke you up.  I was just curious.  He’s a nice guy and you’re a nice woman, and well, I didn’t want to encroach on your territory if he was spoken for.”

I rubbed my fingers along my eyebrows and laughed.  “Natasha, you’re more than welcome to pursue him.”

“Pursue who?” Olivia chimed in.

“Jared,” Natasha replied.

“So, he wasn’t that good after all, huh?” Olivia clamored.  “A lifelong friendship down the tubes over a one night stand.  I thought you were closer than that.”

“I told you already, I didn’t sleep with Jared last night,” I declared.  That stopped any remaining conversation, prompting all eyes back on me.

“You don’t have to hide it from us.  We’re all girls here,” Olivia giggled, extending her hand out to the others at the table.  “I’m sure everyone of us have gone down that road a time or two in our lives.”

“She’s not hiding anything,” Andie declared.

“And how would you know?” Olivia challenged, a hint of sarcasm to her tone.

“Because Jared left my bed this morning very satisfied.”  Andie looked over at me, casting a coy wink.  I covered my mouth with my napkin to hide my huge smile.  So, Jared got laid.  It was about time.

“That’s my girl!”  Kat raised her glass to her daughter.  “He’s a little cutie.”

“And a very sensitive lover,” Andie noted, starring Olivia down.  “He’s very well endowed, and he had me screaming his name several times last night.”

“Oh my!” gasped Natasha.

“I’ll have to text this to Gavin.  He’ll never let Jared hear the end of it,” Morgan laughed, whipping out her cellphone.

“Drew’ll kick his ass,” Olivia sneered, crossing her arms over her chest.  “He hates Jared.”

“I beg to differ,” I noted, popping a grape in my mouth.  “From what I saw on our way here, Jared and Drew have developed a friendship, or at least a mutual respect for one another.”  So I might’ve fibbed a little about when I’d witnessed such a thing, but after last night, I knew it was true.

“I agree,” Morgan returned.  “And Gavin thinks the world of Jared.  He’d never allow Drew to harm him.”

“I’d kick Drew’s ass if he tried,” Andie bolstered.

Kat laughed, patting her daughter on the hand.  “Nobody’s going to harm him,” she slurred.  “I raised my boys to be gentlemen.”  Morgan, Andie, and I all three snickered.  We’d seen their not-so-gentlemanly sides.

Throughout the conversation, I found myself watching Olivia.  She was very calculated, never letting herself lose composure, but her dark eyes hardened into bottomless craters.  She wrung her napkin in her hands until it was wound so tight she couldn’t twist it any further.

Our eyes locked, and she released the napkin from its vice grip.  “Where’s our waiter?” she interrupted the friendly conversation.  “They should’ve delivered the first course by now.”  She stood up.  “If you’ll excuse me, I need to find out what’s causing the delay.”

“I’ll go with you.  I need to run to the restroom anyway,” Morgan stated, slipping her phone in her pocket.  

“Me, too,” Natasha announced.  She and Morgan stood up and followed Olivia into the house, stopping at a few tables along the way to visit with other guests.

Silence settled on our little table.  I picked at the rest of my fruit, feeling a bit uneasy.  Moments later, Andie excused herself to go talk to a few old friends she recognized at another table.

Then there were two
ran through my mind.

Kat gulped back her drink and placed the empty glass on the table.  “She’s a spitfire, that Olivia,” she noted, breaking the silence.

“Yes she is.”  I rolled a grape back and forth across my plate.  This felt like my encounter with Jonathan all over again.  I expected at any moment Kat would tell me how she adored Olivia and couldn’t imagine anyone else with her son.

“She’s very much a perfectionist.”

I chuckled, biting my bottom lip.  “Yes, ma’am.”

“That’s what my husband appreciates about her, I think.  Her tenacity.”

I jabbed my fork into the grape, inflicting the same pain on it that I felt.  My chest tightened, staring down at the little grape bleeding out on my plate.  I sighed in resignation, unsure as to what she expected me to say.  Finally, I swallowed my pride and said the first thing that came to mind.  “Jonathan’s right to admire that about her.  She’s an amazing woman and she’ll make a wonderful mother.”

Kat slipped into Andie’s vacated chair and took the fork from my hand, placing it on the plate.  “That might be true, but that doesn’t mean she’s the one for Drew.”  I jerked my face to the side, making contact with her vehement stare.  Kat studied me for an impregnated moment, her perfectly sculpted brows furrowed in deep concentration.  She couldn’t be suggesting what I thought she was suggesting.  

She smiled and took my hand in hers.  “I wanted to tell you how sorry I am for how Jonathan behaved last night.  He had no right saying those things about Drew and Olivia.”

“She’s carrying Drew’s child,” I swallowed.

“Yes, but she’s not the person he loves.”

She was insinuating that she knew about Drew and me.  If she knew, then everyone knew, which meant only one thing.  Olivia had to know, too.  Or did she?  Because if that were the case, why would she accuse me of sleeping with Jared?  My mind swam with so many questions and jumbled up thoughts.  None of this made sense.

“You see, McKenzie, Drew needs a woman with tenacity and ambition, but he also needs a woman who has a heart.  One who understands the real world and is willing to stand with him against it when it comes barreling down on him.  He needs a woman who has the ability to exhibit self-control and poise in the face of adversity, but knows how to have fun at the end of the day.  And I believe he found that woman.”

“You do?”

Kat nodded, her bright smile shining hotter than the sun.  “Drew was never one to be uptight.  He’s a free soul, one that’s been burdened by the world.  Life has been cruel to him, and for the longest time, the glimmer that used to sparkle in his eyes was gone, but not any longer.  My baby boy came home to me this week, and I believe I owe that to you,” she stated, sounding quite sober all of the sudden.

I was speechless.  Every secret that I’d hidden away during this trip was exposed, and by two of the most unexpected people.  “Thank you,” I replied.

“You’re an amazing woman.  I knew that the instant you stepped into our home.  The way he looks at you is how every woman wishes to be looked at by a man.  You have something special with my son.  Don’t let his father or the mother of his child get in the way of that.”

I chuckled, my eyes drifting down to our clasped hands.  “You’re the second person to tell me that in the last twelve hours.”

“We’re both right, my dear.  Don’t worry about Jonathan.  I’ll handle him.  You keep your focus on making Drew happy.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

She gave my hand a good squeeze, her bright smile reminding me of Drew.  He carried her heart, her gentleness, and her charm.  It made me wonder why on earth she stayed with a man like Jonathan, who appeared so cold and heartless.  Love was a strange creature.

“Here it comes!” Natasha rushed out of the house all bright eyed and smiles.  From what I could tell, her blue maxi dress managed to wrap itself around her ankles, tripping her up.  She took a nose dive into the stucco.  Everyone jumped from their seats, rushing to her aid.  Morgan and Olivia ran outside to see what happened.

Blood gushed from Natasha’s nose, but she appeared unfazed by that fact.  She cried out, grabbing her ankle, rocking back and forth on the ground.

“Move aside,” Morgan demanded, dropping to her knees.  Dr. Carter had arrived.  “Nat, tell me where it hurts.”

“My ankle,” she bellowed.

“Someone get her some napkins and cold water to stop the bleeding,” Morgan commanded.  Andie grabbed the requested items from a nearby table and dropped to help her.  Olivia stood off in the background, watching the commotion.  “Can I look at your ankle?” Morgan requested.  Tears mixed with blood trickled down Natasha’s face.  She nodded her head and Morgan lifted her dress.  Her ankle had already swollen to the size of a grapefruit.  “Nat, we need to get you to a hospital.  I can’t tell if it’s broken or not, and we need to make sure.”

“I’m so sorry.  I’ve ruined your day,” Natasha wailed.

Morgan brushed Natasha’s hair back from her face.  I felt a twinge of jealousy at the way she cared for her friend.  They shared something that I couldn’t recall ever sharing with Olivia.  Kindness, love, and admiration were abundant between these two women.  “Not at all.  It was an accident,” Morgan reassured her.  “Now, let me help you up.”

I moved around to help from the other side.  “Let’s get her to my car,” Morgan instructed.  

We started toward the door.  Kat stepped forward, gripping Morgan’s shoulder and smiling at me.  Her eyes weren’t hazed with alcohol as they usually were.  She nodded and shooed us off, taking charge of the situation.  “Olivia, you and Andie stay here with me to care for our guests.  Morgan and McKenzie will take Natasha to the hospital.”  She turned toward the crowd of women gawking at us.  “All right, ladies.  Let’s return to our seats.  She’s going to be just fine.”

We spent the rest of the afternoon in the ER with Natasha.  X-rays showed Natasha had a bad sprain, but she would have to be put in a cast for six weeks, and needed to be off her feet for the next few days.  Morgan cancelled all the evening plans, refusing to leave Natasha’s side.  Much to my surprise, she asked me to stand in for Natasha as her maid of honor.  Both Andie and Natasha appeared pleased with the idea, but Olivia tried to argue it, claiming she needed my assistance.  Morgan refused to accept no for an answer, so instead of watching a bunch of hot, beefed up men taking their clothes off for me, I spent the evening being fitted into Natasha’s bridesmaid dress.  My, oh, my, how plans change.

Andrew

Gavin cupped his hands around his mouth and yelled out, “Fore!”

Jared’s golf ball went bouncing through the trees, taking leaves, bark, and maybe a few feathers with it.

Gavin and I laughed.  “Had I known you’d play this bad, our wager would’ve been much different,” I announced.

Aggravated, Jared rubbed the back of his neck as he shoved the club back into his bag.  He then plopped down in the backseat of the golf cart, pulled his frayed ball cap over his eyes, and crossed his arms over his chest.  “Fuck off, both of you.  I told you I’ve never played before.”

I reached for my 3-iron and stepped up to the ball.  I glanced over my shoulder at my playing partners, grateful for having been late.  Had Jared and I been on time, there was no doubt my father would’ve forced me to play with him and his club companions.  How Gavin got out of it was beyond me.  For our father, there was no such thing as fun when it came to golf.  It was all about the competition, and there was nothing friendly about it.

With my club between my knees, I adjusted my glove before scoping the distance down the greenway toward the hole.  I then positioned my hands on the handle, pulled back at my waist, and swung.  The sound of metal hitting the tiny ball reverberated around us.  My heart soared as high as the ball as I watched it fly through the air with precision.  It disappeared into the sunlight for a moment and then landed soundly on the green.  

“Now
that’s
how you hit a ball,” I crowed, pumping my fist.  “That’s another birdie for me!”

“Show off!” Gavin griped.

“Rub it in, why don’t you?” Jared grumbled.

“I thought that’s what I was doing.”

Dropping my 3-iron back into my bag, I marched around the Club Car and slipped in behind the steering wheel.   Jared and Gavin learned pretty quickly that the same rule for a motor vehicle applied for the golf cart.  In other words, I drove.  

Gavin and me coerced Jared into placing a little wager on the game with us.  No money would exchange hands.  And instead of going with our usual ‘whoever loses has to attend Andie’s next opening night’ wager, we chose to spice things up a little bit.  The loser would be forced to shoot the final hole wearing nothing but their boxers.

The cart jolted to life and I drove us closer to our drop zones.  Well, at least Gavin and I would be closer.  Lord only knew where Jared’s ball landed.  

“No way!” Gavin exclaimed, startling me.  I caught a glimpse of him in my peripheral vision.  He was staring at his cell phone with a look of bewilderment.  He jerked around to Jared.  “Dude, is she serious?”  He pushed the cell phone in Jared’s face.

“What?” I asked.  This was when it sucked being the driver, because I couldn’t take my eyes off the path.

“Um, well…”Jared muttered.

“Holy shit!  It’s true!”  Gavin punched Jared in the thigh.  “You sly dog, you.”

“What?” I repeated, a little more agitated this time.

“Should I tell him or will you?”

“She’s your sister, too,” Jared deemed.

“Yes, but I didn’t share a womb with her.”

I slammed on the brakes.  The vehicle jerked, throwing us forward with it.  I shifted in my seat, turning to Jared.  “What the hell did you do with Andie?”

Nervous and a little apprehensive, Jared inhaled a deep breath.  “Look, it just sort of happened.  It’s not like we planned it or anything.  Last night after I left you and McKenzie, I had to get away.  The idea of going back into that house, well, it about killed me.  So, I left and found myself at some pub.  A few beers later, Andie slid into the seat next to me.  We got to talking, one thing led to another, and well…”

“He totally fucked our sister’s brains out.” My head snapped to Gavin, who appeared to be having a good ol’ time with the news that Jared and Andie hooked up.  “And according to Andie,” he glanced down at his phone, “he’s a very sensitive lover.”

“That’s fucked up!” I bellowed.

“Literally,” Gavin heckled.

I punched my older brother in the arm.  He rubbed his bicep but continued to laugh.  “Oh, and Morgan says he didn’t leave Andie’s bed until this morning.”

I whipped around to Jared again.  “You tore into me for being late, and you were just leaving my sister’s bed when you found me?”

“Not just leaving.  I swear.  I had to go to my room to take a shower first.”

I pulled my sunglasses from my face and slapped my hand over my eyes.  “Why?  So we wouldn’t smell her all over you?”  I cringed at the thought.  

Jared shrugged.  “That, and because we worked up a good sweat last night.  I didn’t want to come out here feeling all sticky.”  

I turned back around in my seat and restarted the cart, completely speechless.  Sparks had flown between Jared and Andie, but the idea of them actually hooking up sent me into a brotherly rage.

“I can’t believe you fucked my sister,” I groaned, wrenching my hands around the steering wheel.

“You fucked McKenzie last night!” Jared shot back.

“And I fucked no one because Morgan refuses to have sex until tomorrow night,” Gavin griped.

I extended my hand back toward Jared and exclaimed, “But he fucked our sister!”

“Get your panties out of a wad.”  Gavin jabbed his elbow into my ribs.  “Wouldn’t you prefer her to hook up with someone we know and trust rather than some random stranger?”

“Yeah,” I groused.

“At least with him we know she was safe,” Gavin added.

“But, Bro, that’s our sister.”

“And Jared’s our friend.  I call that a win-win.”

“There’s more.”

“More?” Gavin and I echoed in unison.

“Yeah.  Olivia sort of saw me leave Andie’s room.”

I pulled up to the green and slammed to a stop.  “How’d she react?” Gavin coaxed.

“What did she say?” I wanted to know.

Jared bounced out of the backseat of the cart.  “Nothing!” he stressed.  “She walked past me almost as if she didn’t see me.  I didn’t even get the pleasure of a snide comment or condemning scowl.”

“You know there’s something really strange about that woman,” Gavin noted, slipping out of the passenger seat.  

“Tell me about it.”

Gavin chuckled, shaking his head at Jared.  “No, seriously.  When I first met Olivia, I liked her.  She was fun to hang around, but then McKenzie moved in with her and she changed.  She became bitchy.  Even Morgan noticed it.”

Gavin and I met at the clubs, both reaching for our putters.  Our next shots were simple putts.  Jared stood next to the green with his club in his hand.  It was sort of pointless for him to go searching for his ball, since none of us knew where it landed.  “She’s always been a bitch to me,” Jared stated.  “For as long as I’ve known McKenzie, she’s treated her like a servant or an afterthought.  Everything she does for McKenzie is to benefit herself.  She’s selfish.  If only I could get McKenzie to see that.”

My phone buzzed in my pocket.  I placed my putter between my knees and reached for my phone.  It was a message from McKenzie.  “Holy shit!” I gasped.

“What is it?” Gavin asked.

“The girls are on their way to the hospital.  Natasha had an accident.”

“Is she okay?”

I turned to Jared.  “They don’t know yet, but I do think you might’ve gotten your wish about McKenzie.”  I walked my phone over to Jared and showed him the message.

McKenzie Evans:
You should’ve seen Liv.  She stood back and let everyone handl
e
the situation as if Natasha’s fall was an extreme inconvenience to her.  I can’t explain it
,
but it almost felt like she was furious and I don’t understand why.  It was an accident.

“It’s about time!” Jared shouted.  He handed my phone back to me and I typed out a quick response, asking if we needed to meet them at the hospital. I also told her not to worry about Olivia before putting my phone back into my pocket.

The hot summer sun beat down on us.  Sweat covered my skin, making my polo shirt and shorts stick to me.  With a deep sigh, I pulled my visor off my head and rubbed my forehead, searching for the right thing to say.  “Jared,” I finally said, “I know I owe you for last night.”

“Owe me?”  He seemed surprised by my proclamation.

“Yeah.  I’m pretty sure my evening would’ve ended differently had you not been there for Mickie.”

“Ah, yeah.  It’s no big deal.”

“It is to me.  And what you said about her and Olivia, I agree.  Her loyalty blinds her.”

Jared nodded.

“You’ve been nothing but good to her, and in all honesty,” I took in a deep breath, “me.”  I scratched my jaw, feeling a huge weight lift off my chest.  Jared’s mouth dropped, and while I couldn’t see Gavin, I was pretty certain he, too, stared at me in disbelief.  “What I’m trying to say is thank you.”

Jared blinked a few times, letting the words settle on him.  “Does this mean you’re not going to kill me for boning your sister?”

I gritted my teeth.  “Yes, on two conditions. One, you continue to help me push McKenzie to see the truth about Olivia.”  My phone buzzed in my pocket.  I pulled it out and glanced at the message.  She and Morgan were at the hospital with Natasha, but neither of them wanted us to join.  They wanted us to enjoy the rest of the day just as we’d planned.

“Everything all right?” Gavin questioned.

“Yeah.  The girls say don’t worry about them and to have fun.”

Gavin pulled out his phone and started to type away.

“What’s the other condition?” Jared encouraged.

“Ah, yes.  The second is, be careful with Andie.”

“I’m not going to hurt her.”

“It’s not her I’m worried about.  I love Andie and I’ll defend her to my dying breath, and if you ever tell her what I’m about to say, I swear the deal’s off and I’ll beat the living shit out of you.”

Jared waved his hands in defense.  “I won’t say anything.”

“Good.  Well, Andie is what many people would call a man-eater.”

Jared buckled over in laughter.

I rolled my eyes.  “Whatever, man.  Laugh all you want.  Do we have a deal?”

Jared stuck out his hand. “Yeah, we’ve got a deal.”

We shook on it and went back to our game.  There was a nagging twinge of guilt that ate at the three of us.  It seemed hypocritical to continue to have fun while the girls were stuck at a hospital.  But Morgan and McKenzie made us promise to finish our game and go to the bachelor party.  We did as we were told, because none of us wanted to face Morgan or McKenzie’s wrath.  And by the time we reached the eighteenth hole, our feelings of guilt had pretty much disappeared.  Having lost, Jared stripped down to his pink boxers and made the best shot he’d played all day.  He still bogeyed, but at least it was only one over par instead of six.  Afterward, he even posed for pictures, which we sent to the girls to lighten their day.

Through it all, something changed between Jared and me.  I’d always liked him.  He was quick witted and funny, but my jealous nature kept me from befriending or trusting him.  Which was sad, because Jared was an honest and sincere person.  I’d seen that in the way he handled McKenzie the night before.  Not that he did anything for me, per se, but it affected me all the same.  All he ever wanted was her happiness.

Throughout the day, I’d received text messages from McKenzie filling me in on the happenings around Natasha.  It came as a relief that she hadn’t broken anything, but she did have a bad enough sprain that bed rest was required.  In turn, Morgan asked McKenzie to act as her maid of honor.  I loved the idea and couldn’t wait to watch her walk down the aisle.  It was sad, however, that she was stuck getting fitted for a dress instead of stuffing singles in a sweaty guy’s G-string.  On second thought, thank God for Natasha’s bout of clumsiness.

Later that night, the three of us arrived at The Union Club, dressed to impress and ready to be bored out of our minds.  Father had determined that a respectable gentleman, such as Gavin, should conduct himself in a proper manner the night before his wedding.  To him, that meant drinking scotch, smoking cigars, and discussing politics and sports.  Anything outside of that was unsuitable.

The Union Club was just as I remembered it from my Harvard days.  Our event was placed in one of the informal meeting rooms.  While it still appeared as if it were something right off the pages of a history book, it at least had a fully functional bar which lined the back wall, making it the perfect spot to remain under my father’s radar.  There were also several televisions on the walls with sports programming playing on them.  Wood flooring, brass light fixtures, walls painted an intense green, and off white crown molding added age and refinement to the space.  The room was decorated with all of the finest furnishings.  Scattered around were sections of antique leather chairs and sofas, ranging in various dark autumn hues.

Cigar smoke and conversation filled the air, while young women pranced about wearing 1950’s cigarette girl outfits, catering to our every need.  “I’m not allowed to hire strippers, but this is all right?” I garbled, sucking down my virgin piña colada.  It just wasn’t the same without the rum.