Page 11 of Terms + Conditions
Legally, we weren’t supposed to talk about the arrangement with anyone outside of it unless we agreed upon it, and we never did. Besides, I was scared of what might happen if someone found out the truth.
“You can’t convince me this whole thing was for show. Trust me, Josh, I’ve seen you when you lie, and it’s not pretty.”
“Guess I’m better than you thought.” The words hang between us. I hate that I’m still lying to her, but it’s better than trying to explain the alternative. There’s a lot that has led up to this moment, and it would be hard for anyone to understand. “Elizabeth was always going to walk away at the end. Anything between us was only to fill the void until she could be free. I’ve fulfilled my purpose in her life and now she’s going to live her life the way she wants to.”
That’s what she said earlier, right?
Michaela wants to argue some more, but instead, she shares a glance with Finn before letting out a loud huff and walking out of the kitchen.
“She means well,” Finn says a few beats later when he turns back to me after he’s watched her disappear up the stairs.
“She’s nosy.”
He chuckles. “She’s Michaela. Of course, she’s nosy.” He pulls two more beers from the fridge and passes one to me. “Now that she’s gone, you wanna tell me how youreallyfeel?”
CHAPTER SIX
THEN
December 2015
THE ANNUAL CHRISTMAS BALL in Winchester was hosted by local Congressman Harvey Cawthorn and his wife at their home. The plantation house sat back off the road a good half mile or so, down a dirt drive that was filled in with gravel until you got closer to the house, where they had poured concrete (and repoured it every other year to keep up appearances).
The white house had a large veranda with four classic columns and four windows—two on each story on either side—each of which was currently decorated with evergreen wreaths sporting red bows. Small porches extended from the side of the house and the driveway formed a circle around a large fountain just below the ten steps that led up to the front door with a carved tympanum (at least that’s what Michaela called it when she saw it).
The opulence of the Cawthorn Mansion made it the obvious choice for the location of the Christmas Ball. The Christmas Ball was an event that only the most prominent families in the area were invited to attend. The “official” purpose was to raise money for families in need during the holiday season, but it was reallyjust an excuse for some of the richest people in town to have a party.
The Davis family had never been invited until this year. Scratch that; thewholeof the Davis family had never been invited until this year. I have been invited a few times over the years after I becamefriendsacquaintances with Harvey’s son. I rarely chose to attend. This kind of thing isn’t my scene, but I don’t have a choice this year (or for the foreseeable future).
Walking inside, I notice the house is full of people dressed to impress. Women wear ball gowns and men are dressed in five-piece suits. Servers pass through the crowd with trays of champagne, sparkling juice, and cocktails. It looks like Christmas threw up. I feel like there should be a rule against two Christmas trees in one room. I don’t remember there being this many decorations when I visited during Christmas before.
Across the room, I make brief eye contact with Nina before a large mass steps into view—William Cawthorn, son of our host and Elizabeth’s current boyfriend. Michaela saunters off to meet Nina and Elizabeth, leaving me alone with him, and that’s the last place I want to be right now. I am about to steal his girlfriend, after all.
The paperwork has been signed. Elizabeth has been registered at SCAD, starting the winter quarter in January. My name was scrubbed from everything to do with the hazing incident, which has been made public and the police are heavily involved. The kid’s parents are going after the school and fraternity because of the injuries he sustained; luckily, he did live. Had I not taken him to the hospital…I don’t even want to think about it, but my name got scrubbed from that, too. I’m set to graduate this spring and start a job at QC Marketing, a firm in Charlotte. Brina was gracious enough to throw in a year’s lease on any condo of my choosing.
The “relationship” won’t make a public debut until after the new year, though. One of Elizabeth’s last-minute stipulations was that she wanted to spend the holidays with the Cawthorns, and I wasn’t going to protest getting to spend one final holiday with my family.
Elizabeth’s idea of “selling” this whole arrangement was contingent on my reputation as one of the town’s golden boys. She would stage a break-up with William at a time and place that we’d set later and then I’d swoop in to help pick up the pieces of her broken heart.
“Josh, dude, what the hell is going on up at Chadwick?” William asks.
“Crazy, right?” I try not to wince at the mention of it.
“Did you know about—What am I saying? Of course you did! You went through it too, I imagine?”
“It wasn’t this bad, but the guy who supposedly did it was newer—a sophomore.”
“Shit,” he breathes. “The kid is supposed to make it, though, right?”
“Far as I know.”
Something over my shoulder catches William’s eye, and I turn to see Elizabeth laughing at something Michaela whispers behind her hand. Elizabeth takes a sip of champagne, her lips gracefully enclosed around the rim of the glass, letting the golden liquid slide down her throat before she pulls away without leaving a stain.
When I turn back to William, he is still staring at her.
“Everything okay?” I ask.
“I don’t know.” He sighs. “Elizabeth has been acting weird lately. I think the distance is getting the best of us.”
