At First Hate, page 6
“Tell her, Marley,” Derek demanded.
But I just smiled at him. And it was that moment that he realized what I was doing. Why I’d shown up. It was as if all the pieces slid into place in his mind.
Krista snorted. “Well, Marley… he’s all yours.”
She turned and stomped back down the dock. Derek followed after her, trying to explain. But how could he explain my presence? His reputation had worked against me… so why shouldn’t it work against him too?
I waited with a smile as he tried unsuccessfully to salvage his date. But Krista got back into her car and peeled out of the parking lot without a backward glance. Derek jogged back onto the deck. He looked mad but mostly shocked that I’d gotten him back at his own game.
“What the fuck was that?”
“Oh sorry,” I said, batting my eyelashes at him. “Would you like me to go after her and tell her that we didn’t sleep together?”
His jaw set. “So, that’s what this is about.”
“What? Did you think I’d stop caring about all this?”
“It’s not my fault that people are talking about you at school.”
“It’s your reputation,” I snapped. “You clearly knew how people would see it. You get off scot-free, and I have to suffer the consequences. I decided if you wouldn’t do anything about it, then I would.”
He shook his head. “You’re insane.”
I laughed. “No, I’m brilliant.”
He tilted his head again, giving me that look that I hadn’t been able to decipher at the party. “You could always let me take you sailing.”
“What?” I asked, stunned by the offer.
“You could make it up to me,” he said with a panty-melting smile.
I blinked. “Have you lost it? I just fucked up your date.”
“Yeah. Well, I’m a make the best of any situation kind of guy.” He patted Sandra. “So?”
“You know what? You could make all of this up to me by telling people we didn’t hook up.”
He sighed. “Are you going to keep showing up here and sabotaging my dates?”
I grinned devilishly. “Yes.”
“Then, yes, I’ll do it. I don’t think it’ll change anything, but fine. Are you happy?”
“Yep.”
“So… sailing?”
“You think I’d get on that boat with you?”
I checked my watch. Technically, I didn’t have to be home until ten, which was unheard of, especially since I’d been grounded. And yeah, I wanted to go out on that boat. I’d never been before, and God, I loved the water.
But one look at his smug face told me exactly why I couldn’t. He expected me to say yes. He knew his charm worked on everyone, and then he could get away with murder. I wasn’t going to be another one of his girls.
“No thanks,” I said and then strode down the dock away from him.
“You’re really just going to walk away?” he asked disbelievingly.
“Yep!” I called back. I popped open the door to the minivan. “Have fun out on the water alone, Derek.”
“Aww, Minivan, you’re breaking my heart.”
I waggled my fingers at him. “Get used to it!”
Then I hopped into the van and left him behind.
7
Savannah
Present
“Thank you so much,” I said, holding my hand out to the attorney.
“Of course, Miss Nelson,” she said. “Mr. Nelson.” She shook Maddox’s hand next. “I understand that this is a hard time in your life and you want to focus on grieving. I’m glad to take the case. I’ll get to work on it, but I’d like to reiterate that this can be a long process. Just bear with me through the worst of it.”
“We understand,” I said.
Maddox nodded. “Thanks for your help.”
“Take my card, and if you ever have any questions, feel free to give me a call or email.”
I took it and slid it into my purse before following Maddox out of the office. My stomach rumbled with anxiety. It had been two weeks since Derek had shown up at my house and flipped everything upside down. I’d gotten in contact with an attorney right away, but this was the first available meeting time. I’d been a wreck since then.
“Well, that was fun,” he muttered, running a hand back through his curls. They’d grown longer this summer, looking more like when he’d been in high school. Sometimes, I missed Maddox’s wild curls.
“Not particularly.”
I got into the passenger seat of his Wrangler and tried to keep the tears from falling. If this were a normal school year, I’d be back at Emory, getting ready for my classes this fall. School started Wednesday and instead, I was still in Savannah. It was worse because I’d finally been approved for my sabbatical semester. I’d taken the fall off so that I could spend it with Gran during her sickness. And then she’d passed before I even got here.
I squeezed my eyes shut. I couldn’t change any of it, and I needed to be in Savannah to deal with all of this anyway. But it didn’t make any of it easier. I just wanted my Gran back.
“Where to?” Maddox asked.
“I need a drink.”
“All right. There’s a dive bar that I like—”
“No. Not in public,” I said automatically. “Just… I don’t know. Let’s go to the liquor store.”
Maddox nodded. “We’ll get through it together.”
He drove through downtown, nabbing a parking spot directly in front of the nicest local liquor store. Not generally the store I’d drop into, but I had to admit, it had a better selection.
Maddox followed me inside, but we split up as he went for the beer and I headed for the wine. I wanted to get a few bottles. I still had enough brandy at Gran’s to make a few sidecars. I’d watched Gran drink them for years and fallen in love with them when she finally let me have one of my own.
I added a few bottles of red and white into my basket and then went to take a look at the mixers. I turned the corner in the mixer aisle and nearly dropped the basket.
“Holy shit,” I hissed. “Ash?”
Ash Talmadge looked up at me, and I nearly swore again. Ash had been Lila’s on-again, off-again since high school. They’d called it off this summer, and I hadn’t seen him since then. I’d assumed that he was upset, but I hadn’t assumed that he would look like… this.
Normally, Ash was carefully buttoned up with short brown hair and piercing blue eyes. He was a wealthy Holy Cross boy who still worked with his father in real estate. The Talmadges owned half of downtown at this point. I’d seen him after he got into a car accident and broke a few ribs, and he’d looked better then than he did now.
His wrinkly polo was unbuttoned with the collar popped with khakis and flip-flops. I’d never seen him in flip-flops. I hadn’t been sure he even owned them. He had a little more than a five o’clock shadow. I’d only ever seen him freshly shaven. Then there were the sunglasses… he was wearing inside. Oh, and the entire shopping cart full of alcohol.
He stalled abruptly when he saw me. Something flashed across his face, and then he looked away. “Hey, Mars.”
“Are you… are you okay?” I asked, closing the distance.
“Fine.”
“You don’t look fine.”
“Thanks. Real nice,” he grumbled. “What are you even doing in town?”
“Gran died,” I whispered. I hated saying those words.
He looked over at me again and slowly removed his sunglasses. His eyes were bloodshot, and he had dark bruises under them, as if he hadn’t been sleeping since Lila left. “I’m sorry. I hadn’t heard.”
“Yeah. She’d been sick for a while. I thought we had more time.”
“Sorry, Mars.”
I nodded and choked back tears again. “Thanks. What about you?”
“What about me?”
“You were wearing sunglasses inside,” I pointed out. “And you have a cart full of alcohol.”
“Been a rough couple months. And I’m throwing a party.”
“Yeah?”
“Labor Day out on the yacht.”
I remembered quite a few parties that he’d thrown out on the yacht. I was usually invited because of Lila. This was all new territory. And while I was Lila’s best friend, I’d been around Ash too long to let him crawl into this shell of himself. I was worried about him.
“That sounds fun.”
“Eh,” he said noncommittally. “It will be something to do to pass the time rather than being alone.”
I winced. Jesus, he was in a terrible place. “Are you sure you shouldn’t just go see a therapist instead? What happened with Lila—”
“Stop,” he spat. “Don’t say her name.”
“Sorry,” I said quickly. “I didn’t mean to…”
He slid the glasses back into place. “I don’t want to talk about my feelings. I don’t want to talk about her. I just want to get drunk. You can come to the party if you don’t mention her.”
“Ash…”
“Are you coming or not?”
“Yeah,” I said finally. “Yeah, I’ll be there.”
Mostly to keep an eye on him. He was nosediving into the worst version of himself. I had some experience with that.
Ash wandered off, and Maddox found me a few minutes later.
“Whoa, did you see Ash Talmadge?” He whistled with his hand out like an airplane and then made a crashing sound.
“Well, he’s been through shit. He invited me to a yacht party on Monday. Want to go?”
“Nope. We only went before because of Lila.”
“Yeah, but I’m worried about him.”
“Can’t blame the dude.”
“No, me neither.”
Still, just because I got Lila in the breakup didn’t mean that I couldn’t check on Ash. I just wouldn’t tell her about it.
“Don’t you think Derek will be there?” Maddox asked once we were in the car again.
“Fuck. I didn’t think about that,” I muttered. “Well, I’ll be there for Ash. I can avoid him, right?”
“Probably not, but maybe you can tell him to go fuck himself again. He might deserve that,” Maddox said, white-knuckling the steering wheel.
I stared out the window. I didn’t want to see Derek. Especially after what had happened with the will. But I wouldn’t let him run me out of events either. Ash needed someone to help him, and if his Derek wasn’t doing it, then I’d try.
8
Savannah
Present
“You’re doing what?” Josie asked on the Bluetooth in my car as I drove to the Savannah Yacht Club.
“You heard me.”
“But why, Mars?”
“You didn’t see him, Josie. He’s a wreck.”
“Well, yeah. You were there. You know what happened.”
“Yeah, and it’s kind of our fault.”
Josie snorted. “Don’t put that on us. They all made their own choices. Ash Talmadge was never good enough for Lila anyway.”
I didn’t know about that. She’d been happy with him. But all of that was over now. He didn’t deserve to be miserable.
“I’m still going.”
“Are you going to tell her?”
I shook my head. “No way. Lila doesn’t need to deal with his baggage. That’s why I am.”
“I swear you’re a saint, Marley.”
I laughed. “Not by half.”
“Speaking of people not good enough for my friends, are you going to see Derek while you’re there?” Josie asked as if she were being nonchalant.
I hadn’t told either of my friends about what had happened with the will. I needed to get it out there, but I was still so mad that I didn’t want it to even exist. And I knew they’d both come running. I wasn’t prepared for that.
“Yeah. I think he’ll be at the party.”
I could practically see her wicked smile. “And he’s divorced, right? Officially.”
“I don’t keep up with him.”
“Well, have fun at least. You deserve some fun after Gran.”
I cleared my throat. “Love you, but I’m here. I’ll call you later and tell you how it went.”
“Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”
“There’s nothing you wouldn’t do,” I muttered.
She laughed. “I wouldn’t hook up with my best friend’s ex.”
I gagged. “Ew. I couldn’t even think that.”
“See, there you go. You’re good.”
I laughed and then hung up. I pulled my bag filled with everything I needed for a day out on the water out of the trunk and walked out onto the dock. Ash’s yacht technically belonged to his father, but Ash used it more than his dad. He always had. Ash and Derek had their love of the water in common. I tried not to think of all the times I’d been on the water with Derek as I stepped onto the yacht and found two-dozen mostly naked women on board.
My eyes rounded in surprise. I didn’t recognize a single one of them. They were all probably a decade younger than me, giggling with White Claws in one hand and their phones in the other. There was nothing wrong with any of that, but I certainly didn’t fit into any of those descriptions.
“Marley!”
I turned to find Amelia Ballentine in a two-piece white suit. She was as stunning as any of the doe-eyed blondes on board. Honestly, I’d never guess she was twenty-eight to my thirty. She still looked exactly the same. Those Ballentine genes were something else. Though I was sure it was a lot of hard work to stay so physically fit. She’d been Miss Georgia and Miss Georgia USA, having competed in both the Miss America and Miss USA pageants.
Amelia pulled me into a hug. “It’s so good to see you.”
“Hey, Mia,” I said, hugging her back. “You too. How have you been?”
“Busy! Working full-time at the boutique and coaching pageants.”
“I really should swing by the store. I haven’t been since you opened.”
“Yes, come by. I’d love for you to try on my new collection.” She twirled in a circle. “This is one of my latest.”
Amelia had gone to Parsons in NYC for fashion design. She’d worked in high-end fashion after but ultimately come home to open her own shop right here in Savannah. I still found it hard to believe that she’d wanted to leave everything behind. But she seemed happy doing her own thing. She always had.
“I love it. Better than my Target bathing suit.”
She laughed as I stripped out of my tank top and shorts.
“Oh, shush. You’re adorable.”
“You’re sweet.”
“I’m glad that someone else with a brain is here,” Amelia said with an eye roll. “The entire thing reeks of desperation.”
My gaze traveled over the lot of women and then found the source of their excitement. Ash Talmadge had appeared shirtless in baby-blue swim trunks and Ray-Bans. He still looked like a hot mess, but he was sure faking it for his adoring crowd.
“Yeah. That’s kind of why I’m here. I saw him at the liquor store. He looked…”
“Rough?” she offered. Amelia threw her long, dark hair off of her shoulder. “Of course he does after what happened. What I don’t get is why all these girls are throwing themselves at him. He needs time to recover, not whatever this is.”
I shrugged. “He’s encouraging it. You can’t blame the women.”
“Yeah. Well, at least he has an excuse,” she said venomously. Then she shrugged a petite shoulder. “Come on. I secured the best tanning location.”
She dragged me away from Ash’s shitshow and to the other side of the yacht. I lathered sunscreen on my pasty self and was grateful that there was an umbrella that I could use to shield myself. Otherwise, I’d be a lobster within minutes.
I pulled out a book. I’d brought one for fun. Usually I was reading the latest articles from the neuroscience field to try to keep up with my research. But since I had the semester off, I could pick up a fiction novel. I’d settled on Sarah J. Maas’s A Court of Thorns and Roses because who didn’t like hot Fae and a Beauty and the Beast retelling?
My brain was deep in the woods with Feyre when a voice cleared to my left. And then cleared again. I glanced up in a daze and found Derek in all of his glory. He was shirtless, his toned chest and stomach on full display. How he managed to still have a full six-pack was beyond me. His pale pink shorts were a few inches shorter than his knees with Rainbows on his feet. He sported Ray-Bans and a smirk that made my brain short-circuit.
“Sidecar?”
I blinked at him in confusion. “What?”
He held a drink out to me. “You still like sidecars, right?”
“Oh.” I straightened, putting a cute bookmark that read, The stars belong to those who read, inside the book and took the drink. “Yeah, I do. You remembered.”
“Yeah,” he said with that same great smile.
“Derek, if you ruin this for me, I will cut you,” Amelia threatened.
Derek laughed. “Mia, shut it.”
“She’s the only one here I like. I need a good sunbathing partner.”
“I’m mostly in the shade,” I reminded her.
“Your legs are in the sun!”
“I won’t ruin your tan,” Derek muttered.
I took a sip of the drink and nearly groaned. It was perfection. It was the same brandy that Gran always used. For a second, I teared up. All the happy memories soured with the first sweet taste and the note of lemon. I blinked away the tear and took another drink.
“Thanks for the drink.”
“You okay?”
“Yeah. Fine. Just tastes like Gran made it.”
He shot me a sympathetic look and nodded. “Yeah. I should have thought of that.”
“I like it. I don’t want to forget her.” Then I arched an eyebrow at him. “Or watch her legacy be destroyed.”
He winced. “I did try not to take the case.”
I rolled my eyes and held a hand up. “Let’s not discuss this. If I have to be on this giant boat with you all day, I would rather not bring it up.” Then, I opened my book again and tried to get back into the story.
