Like, why the hell had Edward kept me on his brother’s account but not tell me it’s his brother? A brother he doesn’t even speak to regularly or seem to like? The animosity between these two is tangible and somehow I find myself tangled in the middle.
A snarl of my own threatens to take over my face but I rein it in and clutch Andrew’s arm. I grip it a little too tight, pulling his attention away from Edward. He looks down at me and asks, “You okay?”
With a jerky nod, I confirm that I’m fine. Even if my heart is racing a million beats per second.
A nasty mix of confusion and horror cripples me, but I school my features into a watery smile. He doesn’t look anywhere near convinced but decides not to push the issue in present company.
Edward is silently flexing his power and the smug look on his face makes my stomach churn as I anticipate the moment this is all going to blow up. The fizzy Champagne I drank earlier threatens to make a reappearance.
“What are you up to these days, little brother? Still playing around with crayons in your basement?”
His blatant disregard for Andrew’s talent makes me bristle, especially in the wake of the conversation we just had.
Disgust turns the corners of Andrew’s mouth down into a scowl.
“Why don’t you cut the shit, Teddy? You can try to cut me down all you want but it won’t change the fact that you’re a pathetic follower who’s always been jealous of me.”
Edward’s face falters and he shows the first visible signs of discomfort. In a matter of seconds, he’s recovered and spewing more insults.
“Jealous? That would imply that you had something I wanted—”
“Oh, but I do,” Andrew states confidently as his body gradually relaxes beside me. “I have my freedom and that’s something you’ll never have as long as you’re playing the role of a puppet.”
Sounding in control of the situation, Andrew goes on. His voice is clipped and calm as he appears to read Edward like a wide open book.
“That’s your problem. You never developed your own identity outside of other people’s expectations and now you despise anybody who lives their life on their own terms because you were never brave enough to take that chance. That must be hard for you,” he finishes with a shake of his head.
“You don’t know what the hell you’re talking about,” Edward says in a tight voice.
A rigid moment of silence passes between the brothers while I stand there feeling like a fish out of water.
I need to get the fuck out of here. Where’s the emergency exit when a girl needs it?
This is the most stifling exchange I’ve ever witnessed and it’s just growing worse by the second. The tension is radiating off them in waves and I don’t want to be here when the situation inevitably detonates right before my eyes.
Here I am, in bed with one brother while working for the other one. How on earth did I get in the middle of this sibling rivalry?
Someone should really make a movie about my summer. It’ll be a blockbuster hit because I can’t make up this crap. What the hell is going to be thrown at me next?
The uncertainty of it all is starting to gnaw at my sanity.
I spot Charli coming into view down the hall and my shoulders sag in relief. Luckily, the universe is throwing me a bone.
“There you two are, I was just about to put out an APB—” she pauses when she sees Edward standing there. “Oh, hello.”
He spares her a cursory glance, much in the same way he’d perused me earlier.
“Good seeing you, Andrew,” Edward says. He turns on his heel and walks away without a backward glance, abandoning me.
Charli looks to me for an explanation of what just transpired.
“What was all that about?”
I wish I knew.
Thirty-one
LILAH
When I get back to the office the following week, I have no idea what to expect. The remainder of the Hamptons trip was uneventful and we didn’t run into Edward again. However, I was on edge until we left. My unease made Andrew worry.
Every time he asked me if I was okay, I lied or gave him a placating smile to ease his concerns. In truth, all I could think about was what was waiting for me back in Connecticut.
Had I ruined everything?
Now that Edward knows I’m involved with his brother and my only client, will he give me the ax when he sees me? Is my dream of helping children over?
And where exactly do I stand with Andrew? I had ample opportunity over the course of our trip to tell him that I knew his brother but I chickened out every time our conversations presented a natural opening. Now I feel like a fraud.
I’m still confused about why Edward pretended he didn’t know me. Does he want me to fall in line and go along with whatever sick game he’s playing?
After the way I saw him interact with Andrew, I’m not sure I want to be on his side. It’s one thing to have me working on this special project of his, but deception isn’t something I’m comfortable with.
I have to tell Andrew, I’m just not sure how without blowing my cover and coming off as a liar.
If he finds out I hid my employment with Edward from him, it’s bound to end badly. Even worse if he hears it from somebody else.
He doesn’t know that I’m really a school teacher looking for wealthy donors to get my project off the ground.
I just have to think of a way to bring it up. Andrew hasn’t touched the subject since it happened. He just moved on like it meant nothing.
Ill at ease, I hop down from Charli’s car and thank her for the ride to work before heading inside.
When the hell did my life
