“We?” I ask, and he nods, the cold look not thawing.
“Yes, I told Dad I would check in and see why the movie keeps getting delayed, so I might as well come down with you then. I can drive the truck.” He turns and leaves without waiting for a reply.
Jesus, what did I do?For a moment there it almost looked like he cared... and then he just flipped his bitch switch. Again.
Men. Seriously, who can keep up with their mood swings?
Chapter Nineteen
Harlow
The drive over to Alex and Shane’s was pleasant, Jace and I passing the time by chatting about fairly safe things. He told me about New Orleans and the bar he works in, and I told him a little about me as well, but I managed to keep most of the conversation focused on him.
Pulling the Vanquish into a guest spot in the underground parking garage, we head toward the elevator where I put in the code for the penthouse. We head straight up without stopping, and when the elevator opens into their apartment, I call out for them.God, I hope we haven’t interrupted them again; that would be awkward as fuck.
Jace follows hesitantly behind me, his backpack over his shoulder, eyes wide as he takes in the beautiful apartment. The guys are nowhere to be seen, but I can hear some thumping music coming from down past the bedrooms.
Kicking off my shoes and dropping my backpack on the couch, I gesture for him to do the same. “Just drop your bag there for now. Let’s go see if we can find them.” He does as I say and follows after me, his hands jammed deep into his jeans pockets, a little frown creasing his brow.
“Don’t stress! My friends are really easy going. It will all be fine. They already know you're coming.” The frown lessens slightly, but the poor guy still looks uncomfortable.
We head in the direction the music is coming from, the sound getting louder the closer we get until I push open a semi-closed door and find the guys hard at work in their gym. Alex is on a treadmill, singing along to the music, and Shane is doing bicep curls on one of the benches. Neither of them have their tops on, their torsos glistening with sweat. I just about swallow my tongue at all that exposed muscle but quickly come to my senses when Shane notices us.
He reaches over, turning the music off, though Alex is completely unfazed, continuing to sing the next couple of words before stopping.
“What did you do that for?” he grumbles, looking at Shane. His boyfriend nods his head in our direction, putting down his weight, and Alex turns off his machine before swiveling to face us.
“Harlow, honey, you're here.” He jumps down and rushes toward me, and I hear Jace quietly curse.
“Holy shit!”
Alex is about to scoop me up in his sweaty arms, but I hold up my hands until he freezes. “Eww, no, gross! Don’t touch me.”
The grin that appears on his face could never be described as anything other than cheeky. “Are you sure you don't want me to make you wet?” He winks and then turns to Jace. “Hi, welcome, I’m–”
“You’re Alex Winters,” Jace interrupts, a kind of reverence in his voice. “And he’s Shane Silver,” he says, pointing at Shane who has a small smile on his face. “I had no idea where we were going when Harlow said I could stay with her and her friends. I cannot believe I’m here. Thank you so much for having me,” he all but gushes before turning on me with a scolding look. “God, Harlow, you never told me we were coming to stay with fashion royalty!” He can’t seem to look anywhere except between the two of them, even when he’s talking to me.The idol worship is strong with this one.
“Really?” I look at him, a little confused. “I knew Nana said you were popular, but I didn't realize it wasthatbig.”
“Poor Harlow here has no idea about the fashion industry; we’ve taken her under our wing,” Alex whispers out of the side of his mouth to Jace while running his eyes up and down his body. “And you’re the new talent that’s going to cause tidal waves down at Neighpalm Couture.”
Another frown crosses Jace’s face, and he finally looks at me. “What does he mean?”
Before I can answer, Shane grabs a towel off the bench next to him and wipes off his chest before throwing it at Alex’s head. “Ignore him, Jace. Come on, I need a drink. Let’s grab you a beer or something.”
Shane moves Alex out of the way and pulls a shirt over his head, pushing past us and heading to the kitchen. Jace turns and follows him, while Alex grabs hold of my arm. “Now that’s a tall glass of sweet southern iced tea.”
“Settle, tiger.” I roll my eyes at him and follow after the other two. When I get to the kitchen, Jace is telling Shane about his interview with Nana and his job offer. He waves a wine glass at me as we get closer.
“Fuck yes, it’s been a day.” Jace stops, but I wave my hand at him. “Sorry, continue. I’ll order us some food, and then we won’t get interrupted again until it comes. Everyone happy with Chinese? Anything anyone doesn’t eat?” Shane and Jace both agree with the food decision, neither being a picky eater.
Alex saunters into the kitchen, still shirtless. After grabbing a beer out of the fridge, he hands me some takeout menus from a drawer before taking a seat at the kitchen island. “Start from the beginning again! I want to hear the story too.” Jace’s eyes almost bug out of his head, the poor guy swallowing nervously before I turn and walk away, smiling. Alex is a lot to take in, but I’m sure Jace will be fine.
The voices fade as I grab my backpack and take it to “my” room. Throwing my bag on the bed, I follow closely after it, a huge breath of air escaping as I settle in with my phone and the menu. God, I’m tired. Between the drama, interviews, the box, and the police, today wassolong. Rubbing my cheek, I notice that there wasn't even enough power behind her slap to still hurt. Damn woman had spaghetti arms, similar to my mom’s, but at least hers had the power of whatever drug she had taken for the day behind them.Was coming out here a mistake?Should I have just continued on, pretending I never found out about Brad?
The questions resound in my mind, taking on a life of their own until something else breaks through: that feeling of sitting at lunch with Dad today. I really enjoyed our time together, uncovering tiny snippets of what kind of man he is, what kind of father he seems to be. Something inside me settles the tiniest bit, and I’m really looking forward to going riding with him on Wednesday.
Shaking off the mood, I call the Chinese restaurant and place an order, making sure I grab enough for three hungry guys. They can always eat leftovers tomorrow if it’s too much. With that done, I change into a pair of yoga pants and a tank top, getting rid of my bra. There’s nothing better than taking off your bra at the end of the day. It’s just instant relaxation.
