Stepbrother Broken (The Hawthorne Brothers Book 2) Page 15

  I’m too stunned to deny anything. “Luke wasn’t just some guy I’d seen around Sheridan,” I tell my sister, “He was my TA this past semester. I sort of had a thing for him the whole time he was my teacher. And…Uh…The feeling was mutual.”

  “That is so much juicer than what I imagined,” Maddie says excitedly, “Go on!”

  “Okay…” I continue, “Well, right after the semester ended, we sort of hooked up.”

  “What!”

  “…In a bar bathroom.”

  “What?!”

  “And the only reason we didn’t get it on right then and there is because Luke had to save me and my best friend from getting beat up by a bunch of skinheads.”

  “WHAT?!”

  “So, yeah,” I go on, “We were already sort of a thing before I left for the lake house. But I had no idea until I got there that Luke was John’s son. We were both completely blindsided. And we just… Thought it would be better to keep it a secret, and just pick up once we were back at Sheridan. So we just spent the week sneaking around, trying not to get caught.”

  “Your sneaking could use some work,” Maddie tells me.

  “I’m getting that, yeah,” I laugh wryly, “But I mean, it’s not like it even matters now.

  “Why not?”

  “What do you mean, ‘why not’?” I shoot back, “Because of Mom and John. Their choice to shack up for good totally ruined any chance Luke and I had of picking things up when we got back here. We both thought for sure they’d break up, but instead Mom gets a set of keys to the place? Now, instead of spending the summer with Luke, I’m just here licking my wounds on my own—”

  “Wait. I don’t understand. Luke isn’t with you?” Maddie asks.

  “Of course not,” I tell her, “He dropped me off at campus and split. It’s not like we could just pretend like everything was OK and stay together like a normal couple.”

  “But…It sounds like that’s exactly what you want to do,” Maddie points out.

  “Sure, in a perfect world,” I scoff.

  “You don’t have to laugh it off,” she tells me, “It’s not ridiculous.”

  “I’m sorry…Were you not there for the part where his dad and our mom are an item?” I reply, “In what universe is it OK for us to go on—”

  “Man, and here I thought you were supposed to be the free-loving hippie in the family,” Maddie laughs, “How am I the one telling you not to be a prude now?”

  “That’s…a very good question,” I say slowly, planting a hand on my hip, “Why aren’t you freaking out about all this? The Maddie I know would be telling me I’m a perverted sex fiend right now. What the hell gives?”

  Maddie sighs on the other end of the line.

  “Let’s just say…I kind of know what you’re going through,” she tells me.

  “Wh-what?” I stammer. “What do you…?”

  And then it hits me. The scene I witnessed that last night at the lake, when the pickup drove off leaving a devastated Maddie in its dust. I thought she was just upset about Mom’s behavior, and our house getting sold off, but really…

  “No,” I breathe.

  “Yeah,” Maddie replies.

  “You and Cash?!” I gasp, “You two were… But how is that—?”

  “It’s also something of a long story,” she tells me, “But it involves a one-night stand at a roadside motel, if you can believe it.”

  “Madeleine Porter, who are you even?” I ask, mind reeling.

  “Someone who knows a thing or two about what you’re grappling with,” she tells me.

  I sink back down on the bench, landing heavily. How did I not pick up on the fact that Maddie and Cash had a thing for each other? And here I thought I was the actress of the family. There’s also the fact that Cash is the last person I could ever picture my sister with. She’s always gone for boring, bland, safe guys. Bad boy, punch-throwing Cash Hawthorne is anything but safe. I guess I was so wrapped up in my own drama with Luke that I didn’t even think for a second about anyone else at that house. God, what else have I been missing?

  “How are you so calm, then?” I ask Maddie, “Shouldn’t you be just as broken up about this whole thing as I am? I mean, to be forced to call off your thing with Cash because—”

  “That’s the thing, Sophie,” Maddie cuts in, “We haven’t called anything off. We’re still very much together.”

  “…What.”

  “I was totally freaked out about Mom and John too, at first,” Maddie tells me, “I bailed on Cash, told him I couldn’t keep seeing him if our parents’ relationship was getting serious. I tried to go back to Seattle and get on with my life. But I couldn’t. I was miserable without him.”

  “So…What did you do?”

  “Luckily, I have a little guardian angel out here with me in Seattle. Or, maybe a guardian devil? My best friend Allie, the one who works at ReImaged with me? She arranged for Cash to be hired by our firm for a PR project we’re working on now. He’s one of our ‘everyman models’ for this denim campaign we’re running.”

  “Cash is a model?!” I ask, unable to keep from laughing.

  “I know. It’s insane,” Maddie laughs too, “Honestly, it’s kind of just a cover. A reason for him to be in Seattle with me while we figure out how to go forward. As a couple. Of course, now we’re hiding our relationship from our employers and our parents…”

  “But not your baby sister,” I point out.

  “No. And I’m glad,” Maddie says, her voice taking on a serious cast, “I’m glad that you told me about you and Luke, too. Because now, for perhaps the first time in my life, I can give you some big-sisterly advice. You listening?”

  “Oh, I’m all ears.”

  “If breaking things off with Luke is what you really want, then I’m certainly not going to try and talk you out of it. But if you don’t mind my saying so, it doesn’t sound like you want him out of your life. It sounds to me like you’re scared.”

  “Scared?” I say, clutching the phone to my ear, “Scared of what?”

  “Scared of what people will think. Scared that you’re doing something sick or wrong. Scared that you’re setting yourself up for heartbreak. Need I go on?”

  “No…” I whisper, “No, that’s about the size of it.”

  “I don’t mean to sound all high and mighty. I still don’t have my own feelings for Cash all the way figured out. I mean, they’re still…What did Anna say? Our ‘almost brothers’?”

  “Ugh. Don’t remind me,” I groan.

  “But that almost is the important part,” Maddie urges, “Last time I checked, we don’t share a drop of blood with the Hawthorne boys. And I didn’t see any ring on Mom’s finger. There’s nothing wrong with what you feel for Luke. Nothing.”

  “Even though our parents are together? Christ, even though you and Cash—?”

  “Let’s be honest for a second, Soph,” Maddie cuts in, “Since when has our family functioned in anything approaching a normal way? How much has Mom even been involved in your life these past few years? God, to what extent has she ever even acted like a mother to us?”

  “She’s not perfect,” I allow, “But it’s like you said yourself, back at the lake. Family’s not something you can ever forget.”

  “No,” Maddie allows, “We’ll never forget the place she had in our lives when we were small. And we’ll always, always love her. But she’s moved on from the part of her life that included us. She said as much herself. And if she’s written off her past…”

  “Then why can’t we,” I say softly, feeling the world come into focus around me.

  “We’ve already been robbed of our happiness once in our lives,” Maddie says firmly, “Losing Dad nearly destroyed us all. Maybe a new start is what all of us Porter women need. Even if that means going our own ways. God knows, we kind of already have.”

  I sit silently, taking in everything Maddie’s said to me. For the first time in weeks, I feel the faintest flutter of hope coming back to life
inside me. Maybe it’s crazy to go along with what she’s saying. Maybe I’m just clinging onto her words because they give me a shot at having a future with Luke. But maybe it doesn’t matter…Maybe all that matters is keeping that little flare of hope alive, nursing it until it erupts into full blown happiness.

  It’s certainly worth a shot.

  “You’re not too bad at this big sister thing,” I finally say, my voice hoarse with emotion.

  “Gee. Thanks,” Maddie drawls.

  “Thank you. Seriously,” I whisper.

  “Of course,” she says softly, “I’m so glad you told me what was going on with you. Not least of all because I have an idea.”

  “An idea about what?” I ask her.

  “About how to get you and Luke back together, of course,” she tells me.

  “Whoa, whoa. Slow your roll, sister,” I tell her.

  “No time to waste, Sophie. Do you want this boy back in your life or not?”

  “I…I do,” I tell her.

  Saying it out loud, I know at once that it’s the truth. I want Luke to be a part of my life again. Whatever it takes. Even if it means trusting my romantic life to my lapsed-prude of a sister.

  “Well OK then,” she says. I can practically hear her grinning across the state line, “Here’s what I’m thinking…”

  Chapter Thirteen

  Maddie’s master plan boils down to this: getting Luke and I back in the same place and letting fate take its course. Her agency, ReImaged, is hosting a big party to launch their campaign for Asphalt denim. Cash will be there as a “brand ambassador” and Maddie is pretty much running the whole show with her wily coworker Allie. Maddie will get my name on the guest list to the exclusive event, and make sure that Cash invites Luke as well. Once Luke and I cross paths at the party, the ball will be in my court. I’ll have to find a way to convince him to give us a chance, despite the odds. Whether or not I can do that is anyone’s guess.

  But I have to take the shot. Surely, Luke will be able to understand that.

  The only real hitch in Maddie’s scheme is that the Asphalt party is tomorrow night. In Seattle. A full day’s drive from Sheridan University. Which is a pretty daunting obstacle, seeing as I don’t currently have a car. Daunting, but not insurmountable.

  The second I get off the phone with Maddie, I race across campus to Danny’s dorm room. Time is of the essence if I’m going to pull this off, and I’m going to need to call in every favor I’ve got (and even a few that I haven’t got). I charge into Danny’s building, take the stairs two at a time, and nearly body slam his door as I skid to a halt before it.

  “Danny!” I call, hammering the door with my fist, “Danny, are you home?”

  The door swings open, but it isn’t Danny who greets me. For a second, I have trouble placing the attractive, dark haired man standing in my best friend’s doorway. But he recognizes me right away.

  “Hey Maddie!” he smiles, pulling me into a hug.

  “Oh, hey!” I reply giving him a friendly pat on the back.

  “I haven’t seen you since that dreadful night at The Bear Trap,” he goes on excitedly, “How have you been doing?”

  That’s where I know him from. It’s Greg—the guy Danny was chatting up the night I hooked up with Luke at the bar. The guy who came and fetched us just before Danny got jumped by those assholes. Looks like their flirtation wasn’t just a one-night thing, either.

  “I’ve been…OK,” I tell him, “Some family drama. A dash of guy trouble.”

  “Sounds like quite the summer,” Greg nods.

  “Indeed,” I reply, “Hey, is Danny here? It’s kind of urgent.”

  On cue, my best friend appears in the bathroom doorway, a towel wrapped around his sculpted hips. He stops in his tracks as he catches sight of me and Greg chatting at the door. I’ve never seen my brash, confident friend look bashful before. What gives?

  “Heyyy, Sophie,” Danny says slowly, adjusting his towel, “What brings you here?”

  “Well,” I tell him, “There’s been a pretty interesting development in the Luke saga, and I may need your help. Scratch that, I definitely need your help.”

  “Wait, wait,” Greg cuts in, “This sounds like the beginning of an adventure. And that calls for something fermented. Give me one sec.”

  He dashes off into the kitchen, and I raise an eyebrow at Danny.

  “So you get to know every detail of my love life, but I don’t hear a word about this?”

  “Ugh. I was just…too embarrassed to tell you, OK?” Danny sighs, “I mean, seeing the same person for more than a week? I’m getting so boring.”

  “I think it’s sweet,” I tell him, “You guys seem happy.”

  “So far, so good,” Danny allows, “Who would have thought I’d meet such a nice boy at a backwoods biker bar?”

  “Stranger things have happened,” I shrug, “And speaking of, wait until I tell you what’s going on with my sister. Put some pants on. This may take a while to explain…”

  Once all present are fully dressed and furnished with glasses of rosé, I sit Danny and Greg down to fill them in on my predicament. Greg’s jaw inches slowly toward the floor as I get him up to speed, and Danny’s follows suit when I reveal Maddie’s secret affair with Cash.

  “And no ‘all in the family’ jokes just yet,” I warn them, taking a big sip of wine, “There’s more.”

  I tell the boys about Maddie’s plan to get me face-to-face with Luke again, and about ReImaged’s Asphalt launch party in Seattle tomorrow. Their eyes go wide as I describe the event as Maddie did on the phone. The party is going down in a newly renovated industrial warehouse turned luxury hotel on the Seattle waterfront. All of the “everyman models” featured in Asphalt’s new ad campaign will be present. This is the launch of the company’s brand new men’s line, so they’re not cutting any corners.

  “So there’s going to be booze, beautiful men, and a spur-of-the-moment road trip?” Danny asks me, sounding like a little kid at Christmas.

  “My only question is, where are our invites?” Greg grins.

  “I’d be more than happy to have some moral support,” I tell them, “And…even happier if one of you would be willing to chip in some wheels.”

  “We can take my car,” Greg says decisively.

  “Really?” I ask with bated breath, “You’d haul some girl you’ve barely met across state lines, just like that?”

  “Any friend of Daniel’s is a friend of mine,” Greg says warmly, “I’d be happy to help.”

  Daniel? I mouth to my best friend as Greg takes a swig of wine.

  Shut up, he mouths back, unable to hide his smile.

  “Next question,” Greg goes on, setting down his glass, “When do we leave?”

  “Um…Right now, more or less,” I say nervously.

  “No time like the present,” Danny says, rising to his feet, “You go pack up, Soph. We’ll come get you in twenty. And be sure to pack your sexiest underthings. We’re not dragging you all the way to Seattle just so you can horrify Professor Sexy Pants with your granny panties.”

  “Hey. Granny panties are making a comeback,” I tell him, “The internet says so.”

  “Ugh,” Danny shudders, “All the more reason never to go near technology.

  I give him a quick kiss on the cheek. “Thank you. Both of you. You’re really saving me, here.”

  “It’s not every day you get to be an accessory to an epic lovers’ reunion,” Gary says.

  “We don’t even know how he’s going to react,” I say cautiously. “He could be furious to find me at this party, for all we know.”

  “He’s going to be thrilled,” Greg assures me, “I just know it.”

  The certainty of a near-stranger will have to do for now. I turn on my heel and dart out of the room, off to pack my bags for the adventure—or the disappointment—of a lifetime.

  It isn’t just any set of wheels that Gary donates to the cause of reuniting me and Luke. The boys swing around
to pick me up in a vintage BMW convertible. The top is down, the radio is blasting, and the engine is running.

  “Is this for real?” I laugh, tossing my bag into the backseat and hopping in after it.

  “You better believe it’s real,” Danny calls back, “How’s this for a chariot, m’lady?”

  We take off in the late afternoon sunlight, bidding adieu to Sheridan for the next few days. By the time I lay eyes on this place again come Monday, my life will be inalterably changed. It’s just hard to say in which direction.

  But as the three of us peel off onto the open road, singing along to Nicki Minaj at the top of our lungs, I feel my reservations begin to melt away. Whatever happens in Seattle, I will have gone after my happiness at full speed. And that’s all one can do, in the end.

  We spend the night in the cheapest (and seediest) roadside motel we can find along the way. The blue-haired woman that checks us in nearly has a heart attack when we request a single room.

  “Are you one of those open marriages, or what have you?” she asks us, clearly appalled.

  “Would you refuse to let us stay here if we were?” I ask.

  “I have the right to refuse anyone a room,” the old woman huffs, crossing her meaty arms, “I don’t like unconventional arrangements.”

  “There’s nothing unconventional about us,” Danny says, flashing her a winning smile. That grin would work on anyone.

  The receptionist relents, sliding a plastic key card across the counter.

  “Well, if you say so…” she purrs, charmed by my sandy-haired BFF.

  “Thanks, sweetheart,” Danny replies, snatching up the key and turning away.

  The second all our backs are turned, Danny slips and arm around Greg’s waist. I have to swallow a laugh as I hear the blue-haired woman harrumph behind us.

  “If only she knew we were bringing you to reunite with your stepbrother-professor-lover,” Danny remarks over his shoulder, “That would really get her blood boiling.”

  “Maybe you can start keeping that little detail to yourself, huh Danny?” I suggest, punching him in the shoulder. “I hardly want that to be the headline of our relationship.