“But it’s quite a drive from Shane and Alex’s every day to get here,” Nana reminds me, “and that’s not fair to either of them if they have to drive you.”
“Stay here, please. The others are on their way home now, and their tails better be firmly between their legs if they want to be permitted to stay. They’ll have a lot of groveling to do before I allow that to happen. You don't ever have to speak to them or even look at them, but please move back in,” Brad pleads again, but I shake my head.
“As much as I dislike your children at the moment and appreciate what you’re trying to do for me, please don't put a rift in your relationship for my sake. I know what it’s like to feel tossed aside for someone new and shiny. My mother had a new boyfriend every other week that she tried to force me to like, and that was never going to happen. You can't force them to like me, and making them feel like you’re choosing me over them will destroy any chances of us ever getting along. They need to do it on their own, or it’s never going to work.” I glance around the table at them, making myself look each person in the eye even though this conversation is far from comfortable.
“Let it be. It will either happen or it won't, and we need to work that out on our own, but I promise you that it won't affect the relationship the four of us have. If it needs to be a long distance one and I return home, it still won't change things. The three of you are my family just as much as Max and her parents, and I won’t cut you off and spite myself because of the others’ feelings.” They go to argue one last time, Nana’s eyes filled with something a little desperate, and something inside me starts to waver. It might not make sense because I am the majorly wronged party, but it feels like Iamalready putting a crack in our relationship if I can’t withstand Brad’s other kids for the sake of spending more time with Nana, Poppy, and Dad.
Taking a deep breath, I make up my mind. It’s not what I want to do, and I have a strong feeling I may live to regret this decision, but I can do this one thing for them.Plus,I reason with myself,it’ll be a lot easier to pay them back if you’re living in the same house.
I reach out for Dad’s hand and give it a squeeze. “Look, I’ll stay here. Will that make you guys happy?” All three respond with nods around the table, a fragile hope lighting up their eyes. “But I will not be making any roads into forgiveness for a while. I may even hold a grudge, abigfucking grudge.” I reach for my cup and take a sip of my coffee while I gather my thoughts, debating just how direct I should be. “As much as your press conference was supposed to right their wrongs, it actually did nothing but cause more speculation, and those gossipy rags had a field day. I’m hoping that it didn't get as far as the East Coast and that I may still be able to get a job out there if everything fails here. Chuck didn't seem to have a clue, so it looks like your PR team was successful in stopping it from spreading further.”
My dad’s tension eases slightly, especially with those final words. I think he’s probably dreading having his best friend find out what his children have done to me. Especially since Chuck was the one to support me through so much of my mother’s crap. Chuck had a knack of making me feel better every single time my mom brought me down, which was basically every time I had to visit her. The minute I got back to the Bostons’, he would have something planned to distract me from my misery and negative feelings. Even if it was just something as simple as a board game or a movie night. Brad’s got some big shoes to fill as far as being a dad to me.
They all nod again, their understanding warring with their anger. “I may be petty enough to not want to be in the same room as them again, but you have to promise to let us all be. We’re big kids, and we’ll sort this out in a way that will suit us all.Promise me.”
I can tell by the looks on their faces that they really don’t like the sounds of this, but these are my conditions. I’ve been fighting my own battles for a long time, and a couple of spoiled rich brats are not going to break me. Now that I've had my pity party, I’m ready to move on to the next phase. And I may even execute those plans for revenge because I don't know how this is going to affect my chances of getting an internship.
“Okay, sweetheart,” Nana agrees. “We’ll stay out of it, but if it gets too much or they take it too far, I want to know about it.” A wicked glint fills her eyes, and she gives me a quick wink. “And if you need any help with some payback, I can be quite creative myself.”
Poppy scoffs, “You can be downright evil. Maybe leave your Nana out of this, Harlow. We wouldn't want the others thinking that she was playing favorites.”
“Oh, but I am at the moment, and I have no problem letting the others know that. They’ll not only have to work their asses off to get back into Harlow's good graces, they’re going to have to kiss my ass too.” Nana crosses her arms in defiance, and Dad and Poppy chuckle.
“Between the two of you, I feel a little sorry for my children, but I won't interfere.” Dad chuckles, but his smile and eyes show how pleased he is that I’m staying. He gets up, heading inside through the glass doors to a nearby buffet cabinet. Pulling open one of the drawers, he grabs something out before coming back to the table and tossing it at me. Squeaking in surprise, I reach out my hands and catch them right in time, a set of keys now clasped in my hand.
“What’s this for?” I ask, dangling them on one finger.
“Keys to one of the cars in the garage. I figure you need to be able to get around and won’t want to rely on one of us or Alex and Shane to drive you everywhere. It’s also a means to escape if you need to. I’d offer to get you a driver, but I’ve gotten the impression that you’d prefer to be a bit more independent than that, and I want you to feel like you have control of when you can come and go.”
I look at the emblem of the keys, a niggle of discomfort wiggling into my stomach along with a slightly petty sense of satisfaction. “But isn't this...?”
“Yep, that’s Oliver's Aston Martin. I saw your face when he left the house the other day, how thrilled you looked to be riding in it. I figure it’s the least he can do for being involved in the incident. Do what you want with it. There’s a card for gas in the glove compartment; I've written down the pin for it on a piece of paper.”
A wicked grin crosses my face, ideas already running through my mind. “You know, normally, I would say no to this, but I really do like that car. I need to head back to Shane and Alex’s to grab my stuff and speak to them, thank them for everything.”
I get up from the table and go around, placing a kiss on everyone’s cheek. When I get to my dad, he stands up and pulls me in for a big hug, whispering in my ear, “Thank you for this. I know it’s a big ask of you, but I appreciate it so much.”
Pulling away, I nod. “I’m sure everything will work out in the long run.”Hopefully he believes that more than I believe myself.
Waving goodbye, I walk out to the garage, flipping the keys around in my hands while going over my plans for revenge in my head.
When I reach the garage, the scent of car polish and engine oil hits my nostrils. A very different smell to the hay and horse manure I’m used to, but it still causes a wave of goosebumps to cover my skin. The thrill of getting to drive a car like that is akin to being on the back of a rearing stallion. Just a different kind of horsepower.
Jumping into the Vanquish, the goosebumps intensify because it smells just like Oliver. That sharp citrusy scent that he wears. I remember breathing it in when he had me pinned against the wall, and with the memory, my anger intensifies. I’d thought about sticking shrimp in the hubcaps of this car, but having Brad hand me the keys is even better.
Hitting the switch on the visor for the garage, I slide the key into the slot and press the button, revving the engine as I wait impatiently for the door to rise. As soon as it’s high enough for it to clear the car, I’m putting my foot on the accelerator, tearing out of the garage like the hounds of hell are on my trail and whooping with joy. Navigating around the front of the property, as soon as I clear the cobblestone turning circle, my foot goes down again, kicking up gravel.
I push the car faster and faster down the driveway, the trees green blurs as they go past, but as I get to the entrance, a large black limo pulls into the drive, taking up both lanes and causing me to have to brake more than I’d planned. Slowing down as it passes, I cackle with glee.
Through the open window I can see Oliver shouting furiously while his other siblings are frozen, looking kind of stunned. I wink and blow Oliver a kiss before practically drifting the car out of the drive and onto the road. Today, I have no interest in trying to see the abandoned house next door, but it’s next on my list of things to do while I’m here. If I have to be at that house to enact my revenge, I’m going to be spending my time how I want to. And exploring that house is one of my main priorities.
But for now, I need to brainstorm a little more with Alex and then return to wreak havoc on the Summers siblings.
A wicked grin crosses my face as I contemplate all the ways I’m going to get my payback. Did they really think that something like their billboard was going to get me to run away? Sure, I was humiliated, and yes, it possibly made my job prospects zero, but all they did was paint a target on their own backs. I have put up with enough shit over the years from so many people that it was only a matter of time until I snapped. Unfortunately for them, they finally pushed me to my very limit.Payback’s a bitch, and so am I.
The Summers siblings are not going to know what hit them. I bet they’ve never had anyone fight back before. I bet everyone that’s ever challenged them has tucked tail and run in the face of that kind of humiliation, but they have no clue what they're up against. They have no clue about the shit I’ve been through and the humiliation I suffered from the kids at school. Maxine doesn't even know it all because I wasn't willing to tell her, knowing she would have wanted to fight my battles for me. I didn't cave then, and I'm certainly not going to cave now.
Good-looking assholes are a dime a dozen back home. And bitchy princesses? Please, like I don't know how to handle them. Nope, the Summers siblings are going to wish they had never tried to chase me off.
