32

I’d gone to bed that night with my mind racing, trying to figure out how I could put my so-called PI skills to use for a purpose other than catching cheaters. I was missing an important detail, something that should’ve been jumping out at me but wasn’t.

Until it did.

I sat bolt upright in bed and sent a text to TJ asking the name of Eli’s stepbrother. But I got no response and I fell asleep waiting for his answer.

The next morning, my arm reached outside my sheets for my phone before I even opened my eyes. My text chain with Kendall had gone silent after I’d threatened her. Either she’d dismissed me, or I’d made her angrier and this was the calm before the storm. I was too afraid to pull up the Busted website and find out.

When I looked at the screen, I had a reply from TJ: Jason Carvalho.

I knew it. It had finally hit me why Eli looked so familiar—I’d seen him walking behind Charlie’s ex the night he’d shown up at the Templeton game with his new girlfriend.

My heart started to pound. I scrolled through my phone, needing an answer faster than a text message could get it to me. When I called Charlie, she didn’t answer. Unsurprising, since she slept like the dead. I hit another number and soon, a groggy-sounding Mindy greeted me.

“Marisa? It’s six thirty in the morning. Did someone die?”

“Geez, no. No one died. Sorry for the early call but I need to know what Charlie’s ex-boyfriend’s last name is.”

“You need his name? Why didn’t you ask Charlie?”

I waved my fist at the phone. “Long story. Do you know what it is?”

“It’s Carvello or Asswad or something like that.”

I couldn’t help but laugh. “Carvalho?”

“That’s it. Why?”

“I think our boy Greggie-George might be able to help me clear Charlie’s name.”

“Greggie-huh?”

I smiled and shook my head. “Go back to sleep, Mindy. I’ll explain everything later, but let me talk to Charlie before you say anything to her.”

“You’re speaking Chinese to me right now. I don’t even know what you’re saying.”

“Perfect. Sweet dreams.”

I hung up and tapped my phone against my lips. With one eye half-open, I pulled up the Busted site.

It was still there. The video, the pictures, all of it.

Was Kendall trying to tell me she wasn’t scared? Was she taunting me? Did she not realize she’d messed with the wrong person?

I tried to pretend it didn’t bother me that she’d blatantly ignored my warning. If my plan for today went off the way I wanted it to, it wouldn’t be long until I had Kendall eating out of my hand.

“Honey?” My mother poked her head into my room. Perfect timing. “Were you talking to someone?”

“I was asking someone to bring me my calc homework today. My stomach isn’t feeling so great and I don’t think I should go to school.”

Mom’s forehead creased with worry and she came over to kiss my temple. “You don’t have a fever, but you do look a little pale.” Ha. I’ll bet I did. “There’s a bug going around. I’ll make you some tea before I leave for work.”

“Sounds awesome.” Especially the part where you leave.

But as she reached my bedroom door, her shoulders tensed, like she was bracing herself to say something she didn’t want to. “Honey,” she began, “Is there anything I need to speak to Mrs. Keene about?”

Oh no. What did that mean? Did my mother know what was going on? My defenses flared.

“Like what?”

“I don’t know. Is Kendall—bothering you at all?”

Mom was definitely up to something. She definitely knew something.

“Who told you? Did Nick tell you?”

“You ran off when we bumped into Barbara at the tree farm.” She fiddled with the doorknob. “And then Mrs. Horowitz came to pick up her son from school yesterday, and we were chatting. Her daughter Ellen is in some of your classes.”

I groaned. Why did the world have to be so damn small? Between my parents’ technological ineptitude and the fact that my mother taught kids who weren’t old enough to read, I thought they’d remain blissfully ignorant of my situation. Damn Ellen Horowitz. Damn her straight to hell.

I rubbed my eyes. “Did she show you the video?”

Mom’s nostrils flared. “What video? There’s a video? Sweetheart, what kind of trouble are you in?”

“Oh my God, Mom, not that kind of video!” I blanched, then took a breath to calm myself. If I acted like it was no biggie, maybe she’d believe me. “This isn’t kindergarten, Mom. You can’t fix what’s going on between Kendall and me by sitting her mother down for a chat. I can handle it myself.”

“You’re a smart girl. You can handle anything. But be warned, if I think someone is hurting my daughter, I’m going to step in.”

I managed a weak smile. “I know, Mom. I’m fine, I promise.” I put my hand on my stomach and whimpered a little, to let her know I wasn’t all that fine.

She smiled back. “I’ll go get your tea.”

The minute she shut the door behind her, I got up to find my car keys. I’d need them once the house was empty. Then I picked up my phone and hit Charlie’s number again.

• • •

Sleep had almost cocooned me in its wondrous bliss when the sound of horrific retching coming from the bathroom in the hall made me sit up in bed. A few seconds later, the toilet flushed and Nick appeared in my doorway.

“Holy hell, are you okay?”

He smirked and scratched at his stomach. “I knew you were up to something when Mom told me you were staying home, so I faked sick too. That was a little added touch. How’d I do?”

“Pretty freaking disgusting.”

He leaped onto the foot of my bed. “So what are we doing today?”

“We’re not doing anything. I’m having breakfast with Charlie before school starts.”

Nick balked. “Why do you get to have breakfast with Charlie without me?”

I threw off my covers and headed to my closet. “Aren’t you dating? You can see her whenever you want.”

The silence that followed told me something wasn’t right. I stopped mid-closet rifle and turned around. Nick stared at the wall, drumming his fingers against my comforter.

“Have you even talked to her since the promposal?”

“Shut up.”

“Have you kissed her yet?”

“Shut up.”

I dropped the hanger I’d been holding and put my hands on my hips. “Nick! Are you kidding me? For someone who talks such a big game, you have none!”

“Kiss my ass. I haven’t figured out the right time yet.”

“Well, it’s not this morning, I can tell you that.”

Nick jumped up and trotted toward the door. “Meet you downstairs in half an hour,” he called on his way out. “You’re driving.”

• • •

Nick was none too pleased when he found out my whole plan, but I still couldn’t get him to stay out of it. If anything, he attached himself to me like a barnacle once he found out Charlie’s ex would be at breakfast.

She and Jason were already sitting next to each other in a booth when Nick and I arrived at the diner about a half mile off the Templeton campus. Since I hadn’t noticed Charlie’s car in the lot, I assumed Jason had picked her up. They looked uncomfortable as hell, but it didn’t stop Nick from grumbling under his breath at the sight of them seated side by side.

“Hey,” I said as Nick and I slid into the booth. I stuck my hand across the table at Jason. “Hi, Jason. Marisa. How’s that vanilla ice cream treating you?”

Jason looked at Charlie and then back at me, ignoring my hand. “Am I supposed to know what that means?”

“Maybe you should ask Kelly,” Charlie muttered to the table.

“Why do we care if he asks Kelly?” Nick asked.

Jason looked even more bewildered. “You told me we were here to call a truce,” he said to Charlie.

“Not quite.” I pulled my phone out of my purse.

Charlie folded her arms. “Did Kelly know you already had a girlfriend when she became your girlfriend?”

“Not that it matters now,” Nick piped up, an edge of defensiveness in his voice.

“Actually, that’s a good question,” I cut in. “Did Kelly know about Charlie when you started dating?”

Jason folded and unfolded his hands on the table. “No. What’s going on here? What does this have to do with anything?”

I started to scroll through my phone. “Maybe a better question is, how did Charlie find out you were cheating with Kelly?” I held my phone up to his face. “And the answer is, I told her.”

He squinted at the picture that started everything. His face turned every conceivable shade of red. “Where the fuck did you get that?”

I dropped the phone into my purse and folded my hands in front of me on the table. “That’s irrelevant. What’s important is that if you value your relationship with Kelly, at least more than you valued your relationship with Charlie, then you’ll help us.”

“Help you? I don’t even know you!”

“Also irrelevant. Because if you feel even a little bad about what you did, you’ll want to do this.”

“Do what?”

Before I could answer, Charlie turned to Jason. “Did you even like me?”

“Of course I did.”

“Pff. Clearly,” Nick scoffed.

Charlie shot a butt out look across the table at the same time as Jason said, “Hey, who are you, her fucking bodyguard?” She put her hand on Jason’s arm and Nick stiffened.

“Listen,” Charlie said. “I’m not mad at you anymore, but you know you hurt me. I think you owe me one, Jay.”

Jason sat back against the booth. “I’m still waiting for someone to tell me what you all want from me.”

“To drop dead?” Nick volunteered.

I kicked him under the table. Hard.

“Eli Jasper is your stepbrother, right?” I continued.

“What of it? Eli and I live under the same roof, but that’s about it. We’re not exactly the Brady Bunch.”

“I know. He tells me you’re quite the artist. It’s a shame you don’t want to take credit for your work.” Jason’s mouth opened and closed like that of a goldfish. Before he could respond, I forged ahead. “Luckily, I’m not asking you to tell each other bedtime stories. I’m asking you to help him so we can help Charlie.”

“And how am I supposed to do that?”

Charlie turned to him. “Be honest. Do you know anyone in Mrs. Pace’s class who cheated?”

Jason swallowed and squirmed like a worm on a hook. “I can’t say for sure. I have my suspicions.”

Nick opened his big mouth again. “Wow, way to let her take the fall.”

“Nick!” Charlie and I both rounded on him as Jason’s hand slammed down on the table.

“Fuck you! I keep hearing that you want my help, but what you’re really asking is for a chair jammed up your ass.”

“Guys!” Charlie cut in sharply before things could escalate. “Can I talk to Jason alone, please?” She gave Nick an ice-cold look and if I hadn’t wanted to yank his hair out myself, I would’ve had to resist the urge to tell him to dress warmly on his way to the doghouse.

I pulled Nick’s sleeve. “Come on. We’ll go get some coffee at the counter.” He must’ve figured out I’d unravel his entire shirt if I had to, because he slid out of the booth after me with one last dirty look at Jason.

“You’re ruining everything,” I whispered through gritted teeth as we slid onto stools at the diner counter. “This is exactly why you’re not supposed to be here.”

Nick scowled. “You think I like watching this? Why does it still bother her so much that this kid cheated on her? She has me now.”

“Because his cheating isn’t about you. And since she’s not a mind reader and you haven’t made a move since the promposal, how is she supposed to know she has you?”

Nick glared in the direction of Charlie’s booth like he hadn’t heard me. “Look at him. He’s practically sitting on top of her.”

“Coffee?” A waitress with a pencil behind her ear asked.

“Yes,” I replied. “And maybe put some vodka in his.”

I got a stony stare in response. “How old are you?”

“I was kidding.”

“You’d better be.”

I stuck out my tongue out at her backside as she retreated to the shelf for our coffee cups, then turned my attention to Nick.

“You are in so much trouble if you ruined this for us.”

“I don’t understand why you need his help. If he can get names of people who cheated, why can’t he give them to this Eli kid and let him handle it?”

“Because they don’t get along. If it were that easy, we wouldn’t be here.”

“And you didn’t know whether to guilt him over Charlie or blackmail him, so you thought you’d try both?”

“Basically.”

Nick shook his head. “This is getting ridiculous.”

The waitress returned with our coffee, and not long after, Jason came up behind us. “I’ll help,” he said, yanking up the zipper to his coat. “As long as you delete those pictures right now.”

“Great!” I whipped out my phone with exaggerated cheer. I had no problem deleting the pictures, because I’d already emailed them to myself. Dude must not have been the sharpest tool in the shed. “So we’ll need you to get us the names of anyone you know or suspect has cheated. Then we need to find out where they’re getting the information and who they’re getting it from. We’ll probably need to rig a fake purchase—”

“I know,” Jason said, holding up his hand. “Charlie told me everything.” He started for the door. “And I would’ve helped without the fucking extortion, just so you know.”

“That’s not what Eli said.”

“Fuck Eli. Watch me prove in two minutes what that dumbass has been trying to do for two semesters.”

Wow, this kid liked to drop f-bombs. With that last detonation, he turned and pushed through the doorway. Meanwhile, Charlie sat at the table fishing money out of her purse for the milkshake she’d ordered.

“I’ll get that, Char.” Nick leaped off his stool and scooted into the booth next to her, reaching for his wallet in his back pocket.

“I’ve got it.” She didn’t look at him.

“Put your money away. I’ll—”

“I’ve. Got. It.”

Oh, snap. I turned away and tried to pretend I wasn’t eavesdropping and peeking out of the corner of my eye.

“You’re mad at me, aren’t you?” Nick stopped tugging at his wallet and tentatively reached for her hand. She pulled it away.

“What were you thinking, Nick? My whole life depends on Jason helping Marisa and me right now, and if you don’t like that, that’s too bad!”

“I know, Char. I’m sorry—”

“It’s nice that you’re mad about what he did to me, but that’s my battle, not yours.”

“You’re right. It’s not, but—”

“It was hard enough for me to be nice to him without you goading him and making him angry. I know you did it because you’re my friend, but asking me to the dance doesn’t give you the right to treat me like your propert—”

He kissed her then. Dove right in and silenced her, midlecture.

I almost choked on my coffee. Apparently Charlie’s f-bomb—friend—had finally catapulted him into action.

Nick pulled away and Charlie sat there, lips parted in stunned silence, searching his face. Nick wasted no time sliding his hand behind her neck and going in again. Despite my stomach’s violent protest at watching my brother kiss my friend, I couldn’t look away. Part of me was terrified she’d slap him and throw her milkshake in his face.

She didn’t though.

She closed her eyes and melted into him, wrapping her hand around the forearm that held her. A second later, she threw all caution to the wind and slid both arms around him. Nick pulled her close against him with his other arm. It was the kind of kiss girls dreamed about: spontaneous and tender and passionate.

And completely disgusting, because it was my brother and my best friend.

The sound of our waitress slamming a bill on the table made them jump apart.

“Are we done here?”

Nick’s shoulders shook with barely stifled laughter as Charlie ducked and giggled a “yes.” The moment the waitress walked away, they fell on top of each other laughing like little kids.

I had to smile too. At least someone had their act together where relationships were concerned.