“You made me look like an idiot, Bailey. I introduced you to each other like strangers. You both stood there and let me do it.” His voice rises. “I thought we didn’t keep secrets.”
Guilt twists in my chest. “We don’t. I’m sorry. It all happened so fast, and I didn’t know how to—”
“How to what? Tell your brother the truth? That’s pretty straightforward.”
“Trevor, please—”
“Does he know?” Trevor’s voice cracks slightly. “Does he know you’re my sister when he hired you? Or did you conveniently forget to mention that, too?”
“He knew at the reunion, not before.”
Trevor laughs bitterly. “Perfect. So you’re both liars.”
“That’s not fair.”
“What’s not fair is finding out my best friend and my sister have been lying to my face for weeks.” He pauses, and when he speaks again, his voice is even quieter. “You both made a fool of me.”
“We didn’t mean to—”
“Don’t. Just … don’t.”
Knowing Trevor, I shut my mouth immediately. The last thing I want to do is annoy him further. The silence that settles after is tight and brittle. I can hear my own breathing getting too loud, like the phone is suddenly pressed directly against my ribs. On his end, there’s nothing except just that electric stillness that means he’s angrier than he’s letting on.
Seconds drag. He doesn’t fill them.
When he finally speaks, it’s in a low, curt tone.
“We’ll talk about it later. I’m not doing this right now.”
A faint shift, maybe the sound of him adjusting his grip on the phone, then his voice hardens again.
“Tell Daniel that when he’s ready to talk to me, he’d better be ready. Because I’m not going easy on him.”
Another beat of silence.
“As for you… I’ll say what I need to say when I’m ready. Until then…” A dry exhale, almost a scoff. “…just be careful. Daniel is not simple. He has been through hell.”
My pulse quickens. “What do you mean?”
“It’s not my story to tell. Just… he’s got baggage, Bay. Serious baggage. And when he gets hurt, he shuts down completely.”
I know he’s right, but then I find myself retorting,
“I can handle it.”
I’m not sure if I’m trying to convince Trevor or myself.
“Can you? Because I’ve watched him destroy every relationship he’s ever had. He doesn’t mean to, but he does. He gets close to people and then pushes them away before they can leave first.”
“He’s not like that with me.”
“He’s exactly like that with everyone. He just hasn’t shown you that side yet.”
The warning sits heavy in my chest.
“I have to go,” Trevor says. “I need time to process this.”
“Trevor—”
