Page 83 of Lush

“You’re reaching,” I shot back.

“Reaching?” Her voice dropped into something softer, more dangerous. “I wasthere. On the yacht. Laurene was standing at the rail, and then you showed up. I didn’t think anything of it. But something told me towatch.You didn’t say anything at first. Just stood there next to her. Then you touched her.”

My stomach twisted, but I kept my expression neutral. “That’s not what happened.”

Blair’s smile widened, venomous now. “Wasn’t it? Because I remember her turning to you, and the way you leaned in. Like you wanted tokissyour brother’s fiancée. Oh God, did Conrad find out? Is that why you fought?”

“That’s enough,” I said.

“I could have toldeverybody.But I didn’t, because youwere my friend, Reese. I thought, hm. I’m so stupid, and I’m still helping you! I held that secret foryou.”

“You didn’t gossip about me? So I should be grateful?”

“Yes!” Blair shouted.

I swallowed, but something felt stuck in my throat. I’d always known Blair had been there for me, but I hadn’t realized how much of it had been conditional.

“You couldn’t be bothered to see what was right in front of you. You couldn’t even see how much I gave you. How much Ikeptgiving. You took and took! Don’t act like I didn’t give everything I had to you, just to watch you screw it up over and over again forher. Now I have to watch you two get married?”

The air crackled with years of unspoken things.

“I thought you were different. But now, I see it. I see it all. You and her in her perfect little fucking world, and I’m nothing. But that’s what she does, right? She wins. She always fucking wins.”

Her words hit me harder than I cared to admit.

“Did she seduce you? Convince you to kill your brother?”

My instincts urged me to lash out. But then I heard Laurene’s voice in my head.

You don’t need to fight every fight, Reese. Sometimes you just gotta walk away.

I relaxed. Maybe Laurene was right. Maybe Blair was the blackmailer, and if she was, I couldn’t lose my head. The anger was still there, burning in my chest, but I refused to let it consume me. Not this time.

“You’re bitter,” I said finally. “Bitter because you know we can’t be. You’ve only been and will only be my friend, Blair. My heart is branded by Laurene. I’m sorry.”

Blair blinked, and I saw her eyes get watery and she shook her head.

“Don’t ever bring my brother into this again. Not if you want to keep what’s left of my patience and our friendship.”

Blair scoffed, shaking her head. “What are you gonna do when she leaves again?”

“She won’t.”

“Laurene used you back then, and she’s using you now. She was with Conrad at the yacht club that night. Before we boarded.”

I narrowed my eyes. “What are you trying to say?”

Blair shrugged. “They were in the hallway, and let’s just say it didn’t look like your perfect little princess was playing nice. He was furious. Kept saying he couldn’t trust her. And Laurene? She didn’t deny it.”

“You’re making this up.”

“You think so?” Blair let out a sharp, cruel laugh. “She grabbed his arm. She kissed him.”

She lied. Again.You don’t know that; you don’t, I told myself.

“Just ask Noelle.”

“Noelle?”

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