Chapter Eighteen
Zoey
I sank into my car and allowed the tears I’d barely held back to rush out of me so hard I cringed. I shouldn’t be in hysterics. I should be doing a victory dance. My ultimate revenge plan had been a success. One problem.
I didn’t plan on falling for him.
I thought I could fix it. Thought he’d give me a chance, but I was too good at plotting. I’d come up with something that would ensure he didn’t get the internship, and on top of that, more than likely ruin his meeting with my father. How could I expect him to trust me after the act I’d pulled? I couldn’t help wishing he believed me, though. That it wasn’t all an act. That our kiss had been real and incredible.
An alarm blared on my cell, and I jolted against my steering wheel at the jarring sound. I scooped it up, noting the label on the alarm.
Midnight.
Time to text Fynn. I hoped Braylen had already come clean with him, but if she hadn’t, at least I knew this was the right thing to do. Fynn deserved to know that Braylen was in love with him, and she deserved to leave for college without regrets.
I typed out a fast text to Fynn, then dropped my phone in my bag. After a few minutes of staring at the light glowing through the closed glass door of the shop, I finally drove out of the parking lot. And I kept going, driving around town as I let my mind wander, trying like hell to figure out a way to fix what I’d ruined. There had to be a way, and I wouldn’t stop until I’d found it.
An hour later, I parked in a gas station lot and texted Braylen. I needed an outsider’s prospective. She, at least, would tell me the truth. Tell me if I didn’t have a chance at earning back his trust.
A smile cracked my lips when I read her return text. Fynn was at her house. Well, there was something good from this wretched night. I told her that we’d talk tomorrow. There was no way I was busting up that love fest. It was eighteen years coming, and I would not get in the way.
I swiped underneath my eyes, sucking in a sharp breath. I had nowhere else to go but home.
Home.
A lightbulb clicked on in my brain, the answer waiting buried in the one place I’d avoided looking. I hurried home, a rush of hope filling my chest. A cold sense of dread sat right next to it because it was something I’d sworn to myself a long time ago I’d never do.
I’d done a lot of things I should’ve never done tonight.
May as well keep pushing it.
An icy sweat broke out on the back of my neck as I padded down the hallway that led to my parents’ master bedroom. My stomach was in knots, twisting tight like someone was wringing me out from the inside. I hadn’t been this nervous when I had to get up in front of half the school after Gordon had humiliated me—in retrospect, it didn’t seem that bad.
I wrapped my knuckles against their door, not caring that it was past one a.m. This couldn’t wait.
“Zoey?” My father’s voice grumbled from the other side before the door swung open. He squinted at me as he cinched his blue bathrobe tight around him. “Are you all right?”
“I need to talk to you.” I motioned toward the living room behind me.
“Can this not wait? I have an early meeting,” he whispered.
“No. That’s why it can’t wait.” The seriousness in my tone seemed to wake him up better than his morning espresso.
“Should I wake your mother?”
I shook my head. “Only if you want to.”
He stepped into the hallway and softly closed the door behind him. I took a seat on the couch after we’d both made it to the living room. He sat across from me, his eyes wide and alert.
“What happened, Zoey?” He pressed the tips of his fingers against his lips. “Are you in trouble?”
Funny how easily I could hold his attention when he thought I’d done something wrong, but not when I wanted to talk to him about real things—like the internship and Gordon. Oh well, he’d get his wish now if he did what I asked.
“Something like that,” I said, wiping my palms on my thighs.
“Do I need to call Linda?”
Of course he’d want to know if we needed the company’s PR manager. “No,” I said, sighing. “Nothing is publicly tied to me.” But it should be.
A breath went out of him and he settled into his seat. “Then what is so important you had to wake me up at one a.m.?”
At least he wasn’t laying into me for staying out so late. “Can you remember the last time I asked you for anything?”
He scrunched his brow. “Zoey, what has that got to do with—”
“Please,” I cut him off. “Think about it.”
He shook his head, his eyes rolling upward like he was trying to pinpoint the time. After a few seconds, he shrugged. “Honestly, I can’t remember.”
“It’s because I haven’t.”
“And?” He urged me onward.
“And you have to know there is a reason behind that, right?”
“I imagine so,” he said, crossing one leg over the other. “You never do anything without an objective in mind.” A small smile flashed before the genuine concern covered his features again.
“You’re right,” I said, wishing for once he’d been wrong. “I’ve never asked you for help because I’ve never wanted to be accused of taking favors or using the family name to get ahead.” I raked my fingers through my hair. “But despite never asking, it’s never made a difference.” I shrugged. “People think I use you to get ahead anyway.”
“What happened, Zoey?” He leaned forward.
“I messed up. Hurt someone who didn’t deserve it.”
“Why?”
“Revenge.” I chuckled darkly. “Something that seems so ridiculous now.” I pressed the heels of my palms into my eyes to stop the tears from coming back. I was done crying. It was time to act. Time to fix. And by any means necessary. “It took seeing the damage on his face, seeing what I’d robbed of him, seeing him lose everything, to realize what I had. How lucky I’ve been.”
“You’ve worked hard for everything you’ve earned, Zoey.”
I darted my eyes up to him, shocked at the words that came out of his mouth. He rarely complimented me for my efforts. Instead he chose to shove the family business in my face like it was the only path I was allowed to take.
“I know your mother and I have our own plans for you,” he continued. “But it’s only because we can see how incredibly brilliant you are, and we know you’ll do wonderful things wherever you end up. You can’t fault us for wanting you to use that mind of yours at the company we built on our backs.”
I huffed out a laugh. “You’ve never put it like that before.”
He shrugged. “I didn’t think I had to.”
“Would’ve been nice to know.”
“Now you do,” he said. “But we’re getting off topic.”
“Right,” I said. “You know I can remember the first time someone accused me of using your bank account to gain something?” He arched an eyebrow at me. “It was in the eighth grade. I’d won first place in the science fair for my solar powered mini-car.”
“You saved your allowance for months to buy the parts needed to make that car,” he said. “Even though I said I would get you whatever you needed.”
“Katy Evans told everyone in the class that I wouldn’t have won if it hadn’t been for you buying all the expensive parts.” I shook my head. Gordon had gotten second place for a steam powered vehicle. Even back then, he’d been good—he’d shaken my hand when I’d beaten him and told me he’d get me next time. “That was the first day I promised myself I would never ask you for anything. Never give them any reason to say things like that to me again, but it didn’t matter…they kept it up behind my back all these years.” I shrugged. “Anyway, today I’m going to break that promise to myself.”
“Well,” he said. “You certainly have my attention. What is my role in all this?”
I took a deep breath and told him exactly what I needed.
Sleep evaded me the rest of the night. I laid in bed for a couple of hours, rehashing the events of the night and trying to change them with the power of my mind. When that didn’t work, I hopped up and took a shower before the sun rose. I’d found the weekend hours of A&J Industries on their website, and headed to their offices just after six in the morning. I refused to think about how my dad would be leaving to meet with Gordon in a little under an hour, or worry about if he’d gotten the place in shape after I left. I couldn’t think about it anymore. I’d already stripped myself raw over it.
The circles under my eyes were concealed by makeup, but I’m sure anyone who spared me a look would be able to see the exhaustion written all over my face. I’d pulled all-nighters before—studying, working, or prepping for a big project—but this was nothing compared to that. Those nights had been fueled by adrenaline of anticipation for what would come next. Now it was all dread and a little bit of hope that propelled me forward. My father had already agreed to my terms, and speaking with the hiring coordinator at A&J was the second to last step in rectifying the mess I’d made.
“Ms. Handler?” Connie, the hiring coordinator, asked after her receptionist had told her I was here. “Come on in,” she said, motioning inside her small but elegant office. “What brings you here so early?”
I took a seat in the available chair across from her desk.
“We haven’t finalized the decision yet on the internship,” she hurried to say. “And the interview process is complete. Did someone tell you otherwise?”
“No,” I said. “I’m not here for another interview.”
“All right, then. What can I do for you?” She laced her fingers over her desk.
Now that I was here, the idea of actually going through with my plan squeezed my chest. I’d wanted this summer internship so badly I could taste it. But if I took a step back—which I was seriously trying to do since last night—and looked at it from Gordon’s point of view, he’d fit in here better than I would. A&J was the best market research company in the area, and as an economics major, Gordon would be the perfect analyst for them. I wanted to be here because one of the managers was a renowned international relations consultant, someone I could learn more from than in any classroom—but that was my sole reason. Not because I wanted to do analytics.
“I want to withdraw my application.” The words were painful coming out of my mouth, but the air in my lungs expanded at the relief.
Connie’s eyes popped. “You do realize that we narrowed it down to two candidates out of hundreds of applications?”
“Yes, Ma’am,” I said, nodding. “I’m not trying to disrespect the amazing opportunity this company has given me from the mere fact that I’m one of those lucky two, but I know who else you’re looking at, and he’s the better choice.”
She eyed me. “I was intrigued that you and Mr. Meyers attended the same school. The two of you are friends, then?”
I wished. Maybe after this, he would consider giving me at least that much. “It’s complicated.”
“Boys usually are.”
“We’ve had our differences, as you can imagine.” I pushed some hair off my shoulder. “And yesterday…well, I took our competitions a little too far. I wanted to come here today to tell you personally that anything you may see about him on social media in the last twenty-four hours was a direct result of me. My actions. My plans. It had nothing to do with him, and it shouldn’t stand in your way of hiring him. He’s the smartest boy I know, and he will absolutely kill it for you here.”
She studied me for a few moments. “This is quite an odd situation.”
“I know,” I said, raising my hands in defense. “Trust me, I wish I didn’t have to be here, but you needed to know.” And I needed to make things right. Whatever happened now, at least I knew I did everything in my power to try and make up for what I’d done to him.
“I’m impressed by your honesty,” she said, standing to shake my hand. “Thank you for coming to see me at first light.” Her smile was genuine, and mine was, too.
“You’ll see,” I said, dropping her hand. “After he works here this summer, you’ll be begging him to stay.”
“Glad to hear that. We need good people around here.” She watched me walk toward her door. “And Ms. Handler?”
“Yes?” I stopped in the doorway.
“Make sure he knows.”
I tilted my head at her.
“How much you care about him.” She smiled.
I nodded, wishing it were that easy, and shut the door behind me. The sun had finally risen by the time I’d made it back to my car, and I dug in my purse for my cell phone. One last step.
I dialed the number for Mrs. Rollins—our guidance counselor—and hoped she wouldn’t fault me the early morning wake up call.
After this was all over, I was going to take a long nap. Maybe for an entire week depending on how it all played out.