Page 2 of The Southern Submission

Maddie makes a gurgling noise in my arms, drawing my attention to her tiny face, and I wonder if I did something to upset her. Is she on Harlowe’s side, too?Women. They can’t all be against me.

Harlowe gives me a disbelieving look and fishes her phone from her purse. She quickly opens it, then flashes the phone toward me with a stunning redhead’s Instagram account on display.

“This is Jillian. She’s adorable, funny as hell, and loves the water, like you. You should really meet her before you make that decision.” She swipes through the photos and videos for me to see what I’m turning down as I rock back and forth infront of her with the baby in my arms.

Harlowe’s not wrong. Jillian is hot and fit, and from her carefully curated Insta feed, seems like a lot of fun. But I’m not looking for the relationship Harlowe wants to saddle on me.

“I believe you. I’m just not interested. Don't waste your time trying to set me up.” Jesus, my hands are getting sweaty at the thought of being tied down to one of Harlowe’s friends when all I want is to work to my heart’s content and focus on my job. Ilikebeing a workaholic. It suits me.

Hayes lets out a bark of a laugh at my discomfort and stands, not wanting me to hold his child anymore. He relieves me of my burden and cradles the tiny baby in his huge arms like it’s nothing.

“This is fucking great. You’re in for it now. Glad her sights are set on you and I can finally relax,” he says in a low voice with his back to the sofa. I raise an eyebrow at him but smile in challenge at Harlowe, ready for whatever she thinks she can throw at me. I settle on a chair across from her as Hayes moves around the room, soothing the fussy baby.

“Okay, maybe not a model, then,” Harlowe says, intent on her Instagram as she quickly searches and turns the phone to show me another account. “This is Libby. She’s a single mom friend that I know from Hendricks’s school. She’s a total MILF, with the sweetest little boy that Hendricks is obsessed with. They’re in the same class, and Theo’s smart, too.” She shows me a photo of a stunning brunette with huge blue eyes and a gorgeous smile, holding the hand of a cute little boy on a playground.

“Harlowe,” I warn as she scrolls through Libby’s Instagram, showing me more photos of Theo and her mom friend, an apparently down-to-earth and smoking-hot woman who knows how to take a killer photo.

“The father’s totally out of the picture, so no baby daddy drama, either. Ready-made family, win-win for company PR! She’s a total sweetheart who I like, which is rare, but I’ve heard what she likes in bed and it’s hot. Not at all saying she’s easy, but if you hit it off, I could see it being mutually beneficial.”

Paige chokes out an embarrassed laugh and claps a hand over her mouth, scandalized by Harlowe’s brazen words. She’s young and innocent, completely sheltered until she met Hayes, who has likely corrupted her thoroughly at this point, but it’s hard to remove the impeccable Southern manners forced into her. Harlowe is unapologetically herself and can be a bit much, especially for a prim and proper debutante like Paige. The fact they get along so well is still shocking, but everyone likes Paige.

“Damn, Harlowe. You’re shameless. Do you even hear yourself? Libby’s hot and that kid’s super cute, but I’m not interested in dating anyone. Find her a good guy who will do her justice as a boyfriend because it’s not going to be me.”

“You’re impossible. You can’t be the only Olsen brother without a partner. It’s indecent.”

“Indecent?” I scoff, my smile slipping as Harlowe grows more insistent. I point at my younger brother. “Zander being a player for ten years was indecent. Not wanting to date your friends is far from that. Let me live my life on my terms and enjoy my work. I’ll be fine.” I’m keeping my words family-friendly due to the little ears around me, but I want to let her know how irritated I am with her insistence.

“Fine.” She rolls her eyes. “I think it’s bad for business. You’re the PR guy. You know better than anyone that being in a relationship would show the world that the men of Olympus are calming down, becoming more serious than ever, and committing to the stability of their company. Isn't thatwhat Zander being married did? It’s done wonders for your subsidiary stock prices. You’re the lone holdout. We need to wife you up.”

She wraps Zander’s arm around her belly and laces her fingers with his. He pulls her back into his lap, fully on board with whatever she says. He’s a stupid, besotted fool. I swear he loses his ability to think with his big brain whenever she’s around.

“My love life’s never been a problem for the company, like Zander’s was, so you can’t use that against me,” I point out, gesturing at Zander, who makes a face at me like he doesn’t want me bringing up his past indiscretions in front of his wife, who is all too aware of them. “As for being committed to the company's stability, there’s a hacker I need to track down, and all the operations to run. I’m putting in more time than ever to ensure the company’s success, so obviously I’m already doing my part. I don’t need a wife or a girlfriend to do that.”

Harlowe’s shoulders slump as I refute her arguments with ease, but she straightens and gets a gleam in her eyes I don’t like the look of. “Just let me introduce you to a few people. Give them a shot and see what you think in person,” she persists. “You need a girlfriend.”

“Uncle Payton, do you want to borrow my girlfriend?”

I look over, surprised at the small voice chiming in, and catch Hendricks looking up at me from the rug where he’s playing with more of his toy cars. “That’s a nice offer, buddy, but I don't want to take your girlfriend,” I say with an easy smile. “Your momma is playing around. I don't actually need a girlfriend, but thank you.”

“It’s okay. It's just pretend. Taylor and I play boyfriend and girlfriend on the playground, but it’s not real. You could pretend to have a girlfriend and Momma would be happy.”

I chuckle at his suggestion. “That’s very nice of you. I’m sureTaylor likes playing with you more than she’d want to be my girlfriend.”

He shrugs and goes back to his cars satisfied that he no longer has to be a part of the conversation. I turn back to Harlowe and give her a look.

“You see what your antics are doing? Your kid is trying to save me now. How about we leave this subject and get back to the cute baby and new mom we’re supposed to be celebrating? I’m good on my own. There’s no need for you to meddle in my love life.”

Harlowe pouts for a moment before leaning forward and pinning me with her most calculating stare. “Mark my words, Payton, a woman is going to come along and turn your world upside down and have you eating your words. I’m going to laugh my ass off when it happens.”

Her words sound more like a curse and a tingle of unease runs down my spine. “If that’s the case, I’ll laugh with you.” My smile feels a little more apprehensive than usual after what she said. I need to plan for a future assault where Harlowe is concerned. She doesn’t give up easily. I’m going to be an ongoing target for her machinations if that look is anything to go by.

Two

Payton

I’m going to kill Harlowe. She’s asked me to meet her at a place called the fucking Unicorn Café on a Saturday morning in June. Ishouldbe at the coast escaping the oppressive heat and humidity of Atlanta, but she won’t take no for an answer.

My phone vibrates in my pocket as I open the door and get a welcome blast of icy air conditioning in the face. My eyes adjust from the blazing sunshine outside and aqua blue immediately assaults my senses. Blue and white flowers decorate the ceiling and cascade down the walls above the aqua bench seating, with marble tables set at intervals along the periphery. I blink back my surprise as a giant carousel unicorn greets me at the entrance, a bemused smile on my lips.

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