Page 51

All three of them laugh, and it’s nice to get this glimpse into their friendship like this.

Tate shakes his head. “This show is really good though,” he says. “Probably one of the better things you’ve done.”

“Maybe the best,” Ares agrees. He sighs. “I’m gonna miss it.” It’s supposed to be joking, but I can tell there’s real wistfulness in his voice. It makes sense. He’s devoted a lot of time to this show, and it must be bittersweet to see it ending.

“I think they made the right call,” Tate says. “After the last season, there wasn’t really anywhere else to go. And it’s not like they wanted to drag it out and be one of those shows that hits soap opera levels of never ending. Your producers knew to quit while they were ahead.”

I nod. “Yeah, they did. It was one of the few shows where no one was killed for shock value, and the series finale ended on a great note.”

“You’ve watched it?” Tate asks, looking delighted.

“Oh. Yeah. Most of it. Or… all of it.”

Fucking whiskey. I don’t think I would have admitted that if I hadn’t been drinking.

I go to take another bite of my soup, but notice Ares looking at me. He catches my gaze, and there’s a moment between us. I guess it is a significant thing, thinking we had written each other out of our lives after our fight and now finding out that we’ve kept up with each other from a distance.

It means something.

Neither of us says anything about it though, and the conversation moves on while we finish eating.

I get up to start taking dishes back to the kitchen, and Ares follows me with a handful of glasses. I start putting leftovers away while Ares rinses dishes out, and for a while neither of us breaks the silence.

Then I feel Ares looking at me, and I glance over. “What?”

“Nothing. Just… I don’t know, I’m sorry. I’m sorry you were struggling in Atlanta.”

“It’s not like it’s your fault.” I can’t blame my OCD on him or our breakup, as much as I have wished I could over the years.

“Maybe not, but I was right there. I was so close, and I didn’t do anything to help you. I don’t like thinking about that.”

“Ares, there’s nothing you could have done. It wasn’t your problem. I’m not your problem to fix.” I look down at the remains of the soup, not sure what to do with the feeling curling around my chest. “I mean, I ‘betrayed’ you, right? So you don’t owe me anything.”

Out of the corner of my eye, I can see Ares’ jaw go tight. His nostrils flare as he lets out a harsh breath. “Yeah, well. Maybe… maybe I should have tried to get your perspective after everything. So I could understand why you did what you did.”

I throw my hands up, suddenly fed up with this. “I didn’t do anything,” I insist.

He gives me a look. “I know you did, Brynn. Genevieve showed me the texts.”

That brings me up short, and I frown in confusion. “What texts?”

“The texts between you and Genevieve about my dad’s tax evasion.”

“Why would I have been texting with Genevieve about your dad?” That makes no sense. “Why would I have been texting with Genevieve about anything? She didn’t like me, and I didn’t have anything to say to her.”

Ares pulls out his phone and scrolls for a moment before finding the screenshots. “Here,” he says, holding the phone out to me. “You don’t have to pretend it never happened. I have the proof.”

I take the phone, feeling like I’m in the Twilight Zone. I’m not surprised that Genevieve would lie about me, but it’s hard to believe that there’s proof we talked when I know for a fact we didn’t.

I scroll through the screenshots of this text thread, brow furrowed. My name and number are there, but that doesn’t make any sense. The thread shows me admitting that I found out something scandalous about the Thorntons and that when the world finds out, the reputation of their family will tank. I also mention The November Place, and how seeing Ares there made me even more determined to make sure this information goes out to the world.

A lot of things click into place. Ares and I were the only ones who knew about The November Place. It was our secret, the place where we met up to just be together without worrying about anyone seeing us.

I look up at Ares, my mouth dry. “You said something about The November Place when you broke up with me, and I never understood why. That was our first big fight, and it was in front of the whole school. I always thought it was a weird thing to bring up when it was supposed to be our secret. But this… this is why, isn’t it? Because of these texts that are supposedly between me and Genevieve?”

Ares nods, his expression tight.

My heart is pounding in my chest. After all these years, things are finally starting to make sense. “Ares, I never sent these texts. I didn’t talk to Genevieve, and even if I did know something about your dad, why would I tell her about it?”