Page 38 of Exposed

“But I’m on your side. I’m not one of the bad friends.”

“Nigel.” I pointed to the couch and he sulked back over. I looked at James. “Seriously, James. You know how fucked up I was. How fucked up I still am over all this. You just had a freaking intervention for me because you thought I was depressed. So when the one person who could fix me reappeared in the city, you thought it was better to not say a word to me? Did you just want to keep her to yourself?”

James lowered his eyebrows at me. It looked like he was a few seconds away from walking up to me and taking a swing. “I’m happily married, Matt.”

“So rub it in my face why don’t you!”

“You know what I meant! I’m not trying to steal Brooklyn away from you. Are you insane?”

Honestly I kind of felt insane right now. I saw Penny staring up at James. Did she know that James had a crush on Brooklyn in high school? Had he filled her in? I’d made him promise not to tell her. But he’d had time now. And Penny deserved to know the truth. “He proposed to Brooklyn in high school. Did you know that?” I asked.

Penny folded her arms across her chest and stared at me like she stared at Scarlett when Scarlett was being naughty. “Yes, he told me. We talked all about Brooklyn after you finally told me about her. And you’re right, James took her death almost as hard as you. Soyou of all peoplecan imagine how much pain and stress it’s caused him over the years to not talk about her with anyone. Especially me. Because you asked him to stay silent. Because he’s a good friend. And loyal to you. Like we all are.” She gestured toward the rest of our friends.

“And no, I don’t know Brooklyn very well,” she said, not giving me a chance to talk. “But her story wasn’t mine to tell. It’s her own. She needed to tell you in her own way. And we only knew she was back for a few days. A few days when she had 16 freaking years to explain. Sixteen years that hurt James too. And Rob. And Mason. So don’t you dare stand there and yell at my husband for doing his best to be a good friend to you when he’s been struggling too!”

Penny never shouted at me. Ever.

Mason whistled. Bee elbowed his side.

“You’re supposed to have my back, man,” I said to Mason.

“Brooklyn was outside MAC International when I ran into her. And as soon as she saw me she had a panic attack.”

I winced.

“If she couldn’t handle seeing me yet, she wasn’t ready to see you.”

“No,” Nigel said and joined me by my side. “You’re all terrible friends. You should have told Matt right away. He deserved to know the truth!”

Damn right, Nigel. Wait…“Nigel, you knew too and didn’t tell me.”

“I did tell you. I told you there was a new player in town. I even had pictures but you didn’t want to see them. Of Poppy and Mr. Pruitt and Brooklyn having a rendezvous.”

“What?”

“Our special night. When we were in the warehouse together. Faxing things.”

“What the fuck does that mean?” Mason said.

“Is that like a sex thing?” Rob asked.

“No,” I said. “We were faxing.”

“In a warehouse?” Rob said. “That definitely sounds like a gay sex thing.”

“There was a fax machine…” my voice trailed off. “It’s not important.”

“But we love fax machines, don’t we Master Matthew?”

“Get back over to that side of the room.”

“But…”

“I’m mad at you too.”

“But…”

“Nigel!”

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