Page 63 of Enemies with my Bestie’s Brother
“That’s actually my fault. I planned the article as a surprise for you, since you’ve been working so hard on Grayson’s apartment. I was planning on telling you tonight at the birthday party, and the journalist was supposed to come tomorrow, but apparently she mixed up the dates on her calendar and showed up today.”
I stare at Penny and she shrugs.
“You seriously did that for me?” I look at her, my lip wobbling as more tears threaten to spill out onto my cheeks.
“Of course I did, you’re my best friend! I’d do anything for you. That’s why I’m so upset that you kept Grayson’s and your relationship from me. I can’t believe you thought I’d be mad at you. I’ve been pushing you and Grayson together for weeks!” Penny throws her hands up incredulously.
“I know,” I say, dipping my head into my hands, “I’m the worst best friend in the world. I was just so scared that things would go wrong, I didn’t want to ruin our friendship. I know that it’s not the right answer, but it’s the truth. I’m so sorry for lying to you all this time and hiding things from you.”
“I forgive you, but my feelings are still hurt. I just feel like you should know that no matter what, I’ll always love you. You’ve been my best friend for years, and there’s nothing short of you murdering my entire family that could make me hate you.”
I sigh and look down at my hands, twiddling my thumbs. I’ve really made a mess of things.
“I know, Pen. I feel the same way about you.”
“Okay, so let’s figure out how we can fix things between you and Grayson. I’ve already explained the whole journalist situation, so I’m pretty sure he’s feeling like a mega idiot right now, after blaming you for the entire thing,” Penny says, smiling at me.
I shake my head and grab a shirt to roll.
“No, there’s no fixing things. He’s made it clear how he feels. The fact that he wouldn’t even let me explain when something went awry tells me exactly what I need to know. And no matter how much I prove myself, or what I do to show the contrary, he’ll never see me as anything more than a woman that will manipulate him to move up in the world, and whose after his money. It’s the first thing he went to, and there’s just no way we can come back from that.” The more that I say, the more passionate that I feel about the situation. “Especially because, even if I had called Home and Design myself, would it really be that bad? Is there really something wrong with wanting to show off my work and improve my business? It’s not like he loses anything from it. No, there’s no future for Grayson and me. I need to take care of myself and figure out where I’m going from here.”
“You’re still moving here, though, aren’t you? Forget about Grayson, I still need you!” Penny looks at me with hopeful eyes.
“I don’t know what I’m going to do, Pen. The only thing that I know right now is that I need to go home, to Keene, and figure out exactly what it is that I want.”
“Whitney, please. I don’t want you to leave because of something stupid like a misunderstanding.”
“It’s not just about the misunderstanding, though. He fired me, and I was only supposed to stay here for as long as the job lasted. The job’s over, so I’m going home. Whether I move here officially or move somewhere else, I can’t say just yet. Maybe I’ll still come live in San Francisco, or maybe I’ll move somewhere else entirely. I don’t know yet.”
Penny looks at me sadly before giving me a small smile. She grabs a shirt and helps me roll.
“Well, no matter what you choose, I’ll always support you. Although, I’ll support you just the littlest bit more if you choose San Francisco,” she says as she cracks a smile.
I chuckle and shake my head at her lame joke. “I’ll help you pack, and then give you a lift to the airport, okay? But, you have to call me as soon as you get to Keene.”
“That’s a promise I can keep,” I respond.
She throws her arms around me and wraps me in a giant bear hug, and I find myself hugging her back. Even if I lost my boyfriend and a great-paying client all in one, at least I still have my best friend, which is exactly what I came here with.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Grayson
I’mstandingatthedoor to my sister's penthouse, contemplating what to say when she opens the door. We haven’t spoken since I met her on the rooftop the evening of my birthday party, one week ago today. Penny and I have never gone this long without talking. I’m obviously still angry with her for invading my privacy.
She didn’t ask my permission to have the article done, and I’m willing to bet it’s because she knew I would say no if she did. I have no idea what she has to be angry about, besides me not telling her about my relationship with her best friend for the past few months. I guess that’s a good enough reason to still be mad, when I think about it.
I sigh and knock on the door. To my surprise, Parker is the one that opens it up, not Penny.
“Hey, man, what’s going on?” he asks.
I note that he doesn’t open the door wider or invite me in.
“Um, I was hoping that I could talk to Whitney. I have a lot of things that I want to say to her.”
“She’s not here, actually.”
“Oh, I could come back another time, then. Sorry for—”
