Page 82 of Lush

It was like a promise and a threat all in one.

CHAPTER 17

Reese

I was still buzzingafter my workout. A good, thorough workout that kicked my ass was exactly what I needed. But I was already thinking about Laurene, my family, and that huge mess I couldn’t seem to fix.

I had a woman waiting by my car.

“Blair,” I said flatly, walking closer.

“Hey, Reese!” She cocked her head. “You look tense. Rough day?”

I just unlocked the car and ignored her comment.

“Really? That’s it? No ‘Hey, Blair, good to see you’? No catching up with an old friend?” she asked, stepping into my path.

“Friend?” I stopped and looked her in the eyes. “Were we that?”

She blinked, and her smirk vanished. “You’re mad. But I come bearing good news. Remember that VP I was dating? Well, he knows a friend that owns a luxury car brand and wants to collaborate with you. Your liquor with their cars? Big win.”

“What’s your cut, Blair?”

She narrowed her eyes. “Excuse me?”

Blair was there for me after Conrad passed. Quirky as shewas, she understood how I felt. Apparently, the experience of being the town’s pariah was universal. Especially after her dad’s company got dragged into a scandal because of those leaked photos.

“I don’t get why you’re so mad.”

“Seriously? You don’t know?” My voice became sharper. “Why didn’t you tell me about Laurene? That she paid you off? You didn’t say a goddamn thing. Just sat there, playing pretend.”

“What was the right thing to do?”

“Be real for once! Act like you gave a shit about me. You wanna call yourself my friend? Then fucking prove it.”

I remained unmoved as Blair blinked back tears.

“That’s not right,” she said sharply. “I was trying to be a friend, Reese, not stir up more shit when you were already going through hell. If I wanted to ruin your fucking life, I could have.”

I shot her a glare. “Yeah? So what were you doing then? Plotting something? Hell, maybe you still are.”

“Plotting?” She scoffed. “You think I spend my days scheming? Gossiping and swiping my credit cards?”

I just stared her down.

Blair shook her head. “You’re so wrapped up in Laurene, you can’t see what’s right in front of you. What is it about her that every fucking man in this town goes crazy over her?”

I searched my bag for my cigarettes.

“You know, I’ve wondered. For years. Why you never tried. Not once. Never looked at me the way you do her—even when she wasn’t around.” She let out a dry laugh, a bitter smile tugging at her lips. “And now I get it. It was her. It was always her, wasn’t it?”

I froze, the cigarette halfway to my lips.

Her gaze didn’t waver. She tilted her head, that bitter smile still in place. “You were with her back then, weren’t you?”

I turned to face her, her accusation heavy on my chest. “You don’t know what the hell you’re talking about.”

“I saw the way you looked at her. How youalwayslooked ather, like she was the center of your fucking world.Always.And I never understood why. Now I do. You both weretogetherfrom the very beginning.”

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