Chapter Ten: You Can't Live With Them, Can't Order a Mob Hit on Them Either
Boys will be boys.
I hate that phrase, I really do. What does it even mean? What is this universal pass that allows the opposite sex to act like complete imbeciles and that behaviour is explained by that one infuriating phrase,that boys will be boys? I grit my teeth and try not to bite off my dad's head through the phone because that's exactly what he tells me.
"No dad, not buying it. I might honestly need you to send in that helicopter you once mentioned."
"Tess honey, it's not like I've got one parked in the garage." He chuckles and my blood boils. I take a look at the pair seated on opposite sides of the vinyl booth and consider tipping the waitress a little extra if she could just slip a little bit of laxative in their drinks.
"But you do technically own one right?"
He hesitates, clears his throat and then obviously gives in. "I do," he sighs, "but it's nowhere near where you are right now so I would suggest that you stick with your car."
"But Dad, it's either the helicopter or homicide. You pick."
"It can't be that bad."
Oh but it is exactly, that bad.
Only the Stone brothers could make a two hour journey back home feel like the descent to hell, right from Greek mythology. I felt like I was Persephone, languishing in hell for half of the year as I tried to drive these two demons back to our hometown. Now that we'd stopped for food, I'd been contemplating dining and ditching knowing that they were more than capable of finding their own way. Either they would arrive home, both of them intact or one of their corpse's would end up in the woods.
Of course I'm rooting for my man but it would be so great if he didn't turn into a sociopath around his step-brother.
"Would you like me to send in re-enforcements?"
"Such as?"
"I don't know, maybe the Farrow Hills police department to make sure those boys don't get ahead of themselves?"
I sigh, it shouldn't have to be this difficult. Gazing at their table, watching Cole and Jay bicker like it's going out of fashion, I realise that the fact that they were usually separated by considerable land mass is a blessing and that perhaps holidays would always be a nightmare. Someone needed to step up and make sure that they learnt how to get along and not treat each other like the scum of the earth.
That someone would have to be me.
"Don't worry Dad, I'm over the theatrics. I'll get them home." I blow out a breath and hang up on him and store in my memory the fact that my father owns a helicopter.
"Boys," I say walking towards them and slipping into the booth next to Cole. "Have you ordered?"
"No," They both say in unison and resume glaring at one another.
I see a poor, terrified waitress hovering nearby, pen and paper gripped tightly in her hands. I try to kindly signal her over because she looks like she's both entrance and scared to death of these two, obviously good looking guys who're both looking like they're about to burst out of their clothing and go all Hulk on each other's behinds.
I really need to sort out this mess, it's Thanksgiving weekend for crying out loud and I'm in the middle of throwing an over the top, slightly extravagant and completely against Beth's guidelines, engagement party for my brother and best friend. These boys need to get it together because I did not spend the budget of a small family's trip to a luxury island resort in Thailand on this party to have two testosterone fuelled grown up men act like toddlers.
We place our order amidst the glaring match and the waitress scurries away.
Beneath the table I kick Cole's foot to have his glare directed towards me but it softens significantly when he looks at me.
"What?"
"You realise that between school and work, I've hardly seen you and now that I've finally gotten you back you're only interested in getting into these weird staring contests with your brother. Honestly, if you want I could just call and Uber and the two of you can spend some quality time driving home by yourself."
His jaw goes slack and then he blinks as though having a moment of clarity and I can almost see the clouds parting and light streaming down from the cracks in the ceiling above us.
Almost.
But I think I've made my point.
"Tessie...I...I'm so sorry."
"You seem to be spending a lot of time apologising to me lately. How about we make sure that doesn't happen any more this weekend."
I see the resolve settle in and with an almost steely yet humorous determination, Cole nods his head. "Got it, no more fucking up."
"Thanks, much appreciated." I give him a quick kiss which he tries to prolong but PDA still make me oddly uncomfortable, especially if it's in front of one particular Jason Stone.
"And you," I point to the man in question. "Stop baiting him, I see what you're trying to do here and I swear on my collection of Pixar themed pyjamas, I will go right up to your mother and tell her about the questionable figure who showed up to my doorstep, wearing only a trench coat and looking for you." Beside me, Cole attempts to suppress a chuckle and Jay gapes.
"Look, I met her in a bar and we got talking. I had no idea that she was a..." he hisses
"You still led her to believe that you were interested in making some sort of a transaction and she followed you to my place. Do you realise how hard it is for me to show my face in the lobby these days?"
Jay's face reddens and with a self-satisfied smirk, I settle back into my seat feeling like a total badass. With both the boys in control, I have a feeling the next hour of the journey will be a lot more peaceful.
***
"Get off dickhead, we're here."
A girl can only hope.
"I have eyes, jackass. Don't worry, I won't be breathing your toxic air for a second more than necessary." The two Stone stomp and huff and puff and I nearly let Jay get out of a running car than stand this stupid confrontation a second longer. He doesn't mind that I throw his bags at him because I'm guessing two hours in a car together is really all they can manage. How they were able to live under the same roof is still a mystery to me and makes me wonder if the Sheriff and Cassandra practice voodoo on the side.
Once we drop Jay off, I make the short drive to my own house in utter silence but can practically hear Cole grovelling. Wordlessly, I park the car in our garage, grab my bags and head inside. Cole is hot on my heels and as I keep ignoring him and greet my dad, there is an obvious elephant in the room but my father, bless him is smart enough to not approach the subject.
"So..." He awkwardly rubs his palms together, "you guys hungry? There's some leftovers in the fridge that'll fill you up till dinner. How does that sound?"
Right, dinner with Cole's family tonight. This just keeps getting better and better.
"Sounds great Dad. I'm going to go take a quick shower and then you can put me to work."
He waves it off, "The caterer's got it all taken care but I know you love to make dessert together so we're all set for that tomorrow."
As I begin to lug my bags to my room, Cole tries to help and follow me but Dad intervenes again with his telepathic superpowers and not so casually steers him in the opposite direction, telling him that there's something wrong with his lawn mower.
An intuitive father is definitely something I'm thankful for because had Cole tried to have a conversation with me after the journey from hell I could foresee myself hurling several heavy objects towards him. Ever since Cole had surprised me by flying to the city first, I'd been dreaming about just how wonderful this weekend could be. With the building distance between us, the unsaid words and the non-verbalised frustration of keeping things from one another, we desperately needed this time to reconnect. But the fact that the entire day, from the moment we woke up till I literally had to kick Jay out of my running car had been all about Cole acting like the kind of toddler that makes people not want to procreate. I don't begrudge Jay anything because I have zero expectations where he's concerned. He's not my boyfriend, the love of my life, that one person who won't get tired of having to eat the same flavour ice-cream all year long because I only keep one flavour in my fridge. No, I'm not mad at Jay because I don't care what he does but of course with Cole, I'd been stupid enough to think that our time together would be more important to him than some childish feud with his brother.
Obviously I'd been wrong.
I take a scalding hot shower in the hopes of washing off some of my anger but that doesn't work. Instead as I get dressed and stomp downstairs, I'm still seething and seeing Cole helping out my dad in the kitchen with dinner, whistling as though nothing is wrong really gets on my nerves.
"I'm going for a walk." I call out to both of them, scrambling to grab my phone and wallet before beelining for the door. I don't want questions and I don't want interventions. Just thinking about this morning, which I thought would start out with a romantic breakfast in bed and lead to all kinds of fun things in bed but instead turning into a battle of the egos.
Ugh, men. You can't live with them, can't order a mob hit on them either. But it's especially disappointing when you think your boyfriend would've grown past his caveman tendencies.
"Hey, hey wait up." Cole chases after me, of course he does and I ignore him. If he thinks it's okay for me to be stuck in the middle of some pointless family feud that's been brewing for ages, on a day where I thought we'd finally have some time alone outside of his weird little family back in Chicago and my work then he's got a second thought coming.
"Tessie, I'm sorry."
"Aren't you tired of apologising? Because I sure am sick of hearing you say sorry." I'd managed to only throw on a pair of leggings and a thin sweater so the cold November air seeped into my skin, making me shiver. I wrap my arms tightly around myself, wishing that the hair I'd piled on top of my head wasn't still wait. Jesus, my teeth start chattering and I realise very quickly that this walk is an extremely bad idea. Bridesmaids with pneumonia aren't the most fun.
"Here, yell at me all you want but put this on."
He'd grabbed my coat, how thoughtful of him.
Jerk.
I stand there like an obstinate child as he wraps me up and sure enough I don't feel like a human popsicle anymore.
"Thanks."
Sneaky as he is, Cole takes the moment to wrap me in his arms and pull me towards his chest. I pretend to resist for a minute but surrounded by his warmth, I'm left with little choice but to rest my right above his heart and breath in his delicious scent. He smells like cinnamon because he'd been helping Dad get started on the baking but of course he also smells like Cole, that woodsy, citrusy clean scent that I've always associated with him.
I might be mad at the guy but of course I'll be the first to admit it when he smells downright edible.
"I'm mad at you." I mumble into his jacket.
His hold around me tightens, "I know. I'm so sorry Shortcake. Today should've been about us and I let my own stupidity get in the way. It's just...you know why it's hard for me."
"I know and I can't believe how that's still an issue for you all these years later." I close my eyes, beyond frustrated with the fact that Cole would still have any reason to be jealous of Jay. How could I possibly explain to him that what I feel for him goes above and beyond my feelings for his brother? Nothing, I feel absolutely nothing for Jay. Half the time I hang out with the guy, I'm not even sure if I like him. But I'd come across as so pathetic if I tell Cole that sometimes when you're lonely and aren't exactly stellar at making friends, it's the people that you have history with, people you know are safe territory that you turn towards? And that's what Jay is for me, that safe area.
But I bet saying that out loud won't make this situation any better.
"I woke up this morning, wanting to make you breakfast but Jay was already there, waiting to be let in. Apparently he's a regular?" Cole raises a brow and waits for me to explain but I don't really owe him an explanation.
Especially not when I think about Mel and Laney, because really that would be ridiculous.
"We were going to drive back together, it made sense." I move away from his orbit a little, already feeling cold again but this time it's got little to do with the weather.
"What sucks is that I know that." He growls through gritted teeth and I can my frustration mirrored in him. Cole doesn't want to have this conversation any more than I do but something compels him to continue being plagued by this ridiculous insecurity of his.
And I remember how he's always been there for me, my rock and my safe haven through every single insecurity I've ever battled. To other people they may have appeared to be insignificant but Cole's never taken them lightly, so even though right now I feel like banging my head against the wall, I listen.
"Can we keep walking?" Cole asks, taking my hand in his, "I think people are starting to watch."
We'd stopped just outside of my neighbourhood and sure enough, there were plenty of eyes watching us from their windows and some of them might even step outside to get an earful because hey, it's a small town and we live for the drama. So I squeeze his hand and let him walk us to our old haunt, that park where we've made one too many memories.
On the way there, he finally talks.
"I just...I'm not used to him being around you anymore I guess. And when he walked in, carrying your usual coffee and breakfast order, it threw me off a little."
"Cole,just because he knows how I like my lattes and my love for pain au chocolat, doesn't mean that we've established this deep, unbreakable bond over the course of the short period of time he's been here."
"You don't need to remind me, I know okay...I know."
"But?"
"But he's so smug about it!" Cole kicks at the ground, "He couldn't help but rub it in my face that he knows which bakery makes your favourite croissant and how much sugar you like in your coffee. He knew which cabinet you kept the dishes in, which frikkin plate you liked to use in the morning. The ease with which he moved around that place, where I haven't ever managed to spend a decent amount of time? Yeah, not the greatest feeling."
He scowls and despite trying my best and biting my lip so hard that I tasted blood, I start laughing. I laugh so hard and so loud that my broody boyfriend has to press me close to him and kiss me just so that I'd shut up. I go all into the kiss though because his little ramble has done wonderful things for my heart.
Bless him, he's so jealous and I kind of love it.
I wrap myself around him like a vine and just like that, my anger dissipates because I understand. I know exactly how he feels because the kind of irrational jealousy he's experiencing right now is the kind I've dealt with throughout my relationship with him. There's always been a girl round the corner, watching and waiting for me to mess up so that she could swoop right in and replace me. I've seem them come in every shape, size and colour and through it all, I like to think I've come out stronger. I don't get jealous the way I used to so to see the tables turning and for Cole to be the one having to deal with those feelings? It doesn't feel good but I'm glad that he understands.
When he finally lets me come up for air, we're both breathless and greedily inhaling some air. My lips feel swollen and Cole's hair is all messed up. I see my lipstick over the corner of his mouth and I try to rub it off with my thumb but when he licks the thumb in question, I all but disintegrate.
"We're in public Stone." I remind him and his response is to slip his hands up my top and caress the sensitive skin of my back.
"I don't care. I've wasted enough time as it is acting like a dumbass when I should've never removed my hands from your body."
"A dumbass, hmm I think you're going a bit easy on yourself. I'd say you acted more like a..."
He slaps a hand over my mouth before I can finish the sentence. "I realise that I was jealous of a breakfast plate, you don't need to make it worse."
"Oh I think I do." I mumble beneath his fingers, because really it's as ridiculous as it sounds.
He removes his hand, only to kiss me again and it's like whatever barrier there previously was between us, whatever damage the distance and time apart had done has all been fixed because we can't keep our hands off of each other.
"Still want to go to the park?" Cole asks in the middle of another dizzying kiss.
"My dad did say he had to go out to his office for some last minute work emergency."
"Back to your house then?"
"Back to my house."
And I can't be mad at him anymore because honestly, his behaviour as childish and as ridiculous as it'd been comes from a place of love. For a girl who's seen enough indifference to last a lifetime, the fact that Cole cares and cares so much somehow means the world.
That still doesn't mean that he can get away with acting like a petulant child and so I plot my revenge, after we get back to my room as soon as possible though.
***
Being in your parents' house, in the town you grew up in with the people who'd been there to witness it all is a little strange. I haven't really lived here for a long stretch of time for what seems like years. Summers in college were spent interning and squeezing in short holidays with Cole and with my friends whenever we could. Sure, I'd come home for the holidays and go see my mom when the occasion called for it but it's been a while since I've been in Farrow Hills for a while or considered it home. Even now, knowing that I'll be gone by Sunday the feeling of being here is still odd and it doesn't help that Dad has invited the Stones over for dinner tonight before we do our separate meals tomorrow.
I'm a grown woman, or so I like to think. At twenty-two, I work for a reputable magazine although half the time I question what on earth I'm even doing there, I live on my own even if it's in a place that constantly reports my whereabouts to my father. I even manage to stock my fridge with more than just chocolate and deep-frozen chicken nuggets. That, I can attest to is the true sign of having developed into an adult successfully, as some would argue.
So the fact that I'm sulking into my plate, with my bottom lip practically quivering, watching the so called adults on the table attempt to have a civil conversation really sets me back.
"Cole's being doing really well in school." Cassandra says proudly as she digs into lasagne. The Sheriff is pre-occupied with his food but he nods. "Yeah, we're hearing great things."
"I've only been there for two months guys, nothing pretty pathbreaking has happened yet."
I snort.
"But honey, we're all so proud of how focused you are right now." Cassandra is sitting directly opposite me and I can feel her gaze rest on my face for a second before she moves on to Cole. He knows this dinner isn't easy for me and even now, he senses that the next couple of words to come out of his stepmother's mouth won't be kind to me so he slips his hand into mine, where it's clenched on my thigh beneath the table and grips it tightly.
"We knew you'd do so well when there were no distractions."
It's a dig at me, you'd need to have the IQ of a flea to not understand that but it still hurts. I'm not the only person whose take aback by such a direct attack because the sheriff's forks clatters noisily onto his plate. Dad, who sits at the head of the table opens his mouth to speak at the same time.
"Now Cass..."
"I just meant that, I'm happy that the two of them are focusing on their careers right now, that's all. I read your recent article Tessa, who knew there were so many different kinds of eyeshadows out there right now."
It's been one jab after another and I might actually leave this dinner table with physical bruises after all the insults she's been hurling at me. I get it, she thinks my job is stupid and even though I've never quite fit in at my workplace, I'm still proud of myself for working hard and for not giving up even though I found myself in untested waters.But I know what she's insinuating and I won't lie and say that it doesn't affect me. The fact that my job involves writing about makeup and that Cole's putting himself through law school has never bothered me before but now I see it from step monster's perspective. She thinks he could better, find a nice lawyer girl to have nice lawyer babies with. I can see the disdain dripping off of her. Apparently, Cassandra has a lot to say about my career choices and belittling me seems to have become newfound hobby. I don't take the bait though because I'd rather this dinner go over smoothly and that, more importantly Thanksgiving and the engagement party don't take place under hostile conditions.
"Mom..." Cole starts and there's a hint of barely restrained anger in his voice. It seems as though he's had enough as well.
She raises her hands, palms up as though that'll excuse her behaviour. "I meant no harm. I'm just curious about what Tessa does. A beauty magazine? Is that what you really wanted to do with your degree?"
"It's the number one selling magazine in the country Cassandra and I happen to be very proud of my daughter for all that she's doing." Dad uses his mayor voice, the kind that dares people to retaliate and argue with him. It demands a certain respect and carries a sense of authority so Cassandra's forced to shut it for the rest of dinner. My dad's definitely risen up to the role of being my hero these days, even if it's later in life. I wish that his girlfriend Danielle were her just so that he'd have someone to back him up but she's gone to New Haven to visit her family. I decided that the moment she comes back, I'll lock the two in a room and force Dad to finally ask her that one question he's really been wanting to.
Do I want a double wedding in the family? No, but what I do want is for my dad to not be alone all any more.
The Stones refuse dessert and rush out. I know the sheriff is embarrassed by his wife's behaviour and does try to apologise on her behalf but I wave it off. I'm past the point of letting pettiness get to me, or so I think. After seeing her parents off, Cole comes back to me looking all kinds of guilty.
"Stop it, you didn't do anything." The poor guy looks tormented.
"She promised me that she wouldn't pull stunts like that again. I never would have brought her to your home if I knew..."
I wonder if I should tell him about the little trip she paid me while I was lying on my deathbed but I decide against it. "She's probably just made that you literally banned Jay from coming."
"The guy thought it was okay for him to tell me to watch your salt intake because he'd been noticing how bloated you felt after a meal. In what world does he think it's okay to say that to me?"
"Well, if I'm comfortable enough with him to tell him that I feel bloated, you know there's nothing remotely romantic or sexy on the table."
I rest my head against his chest and let him hold me. "I don't want to cause your family problems."
"You're not."
"I'll also keeping hanging out with Jay because it's comfortable and sometimes I need a friend."
He's quiet for what feels like is a really long time.
Then, a weighed sigh escapes him and it's as though he's waving a white flag. "Fine, I won't kill him for knowing where you keep your fine china."
"That sounds dirty."
"Believe me, I did not want it to."
"Would you like to see my fine china though?"
And that's when my dad chooses to announce his entrance into the room with a rather loud cough.
Little did I know that worrying about Jay's life would be the least of my problems this long weekend.
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Hey guys!
Apologies for the rather long break. I've had the craziest few months but the good news is that I'm officially done with COLLEGE OMG. The past four years have gone by in a blur (of tears and camping out in the library) and I can't believe that I'm a grad! That's always been a life goal for me and I'm so happy that I've managed to make the dream come true. If any of you still in high school are still indecisive about whether or not to go to college, I'd say that if it's something that's realistic for you, DO IT. College just does so many wonderful things for you as a person, other than your degree and I'd encourage everyone to have that experience if they're lucky enough to be able to!
Okay, preaching aside. I do hope to finish this story pretty soon so be ready. It might seem a little abrupt and fast paced but trust me on this, I will do the story justice <3
Secondly, thank you all so so much for all the support and love for the paperback version of TBBG! I've gotten so many tweets/comments and emails with you guys holding your copies and it just makes my LIFE. So absolutely incredible!!! I'm so excited for all that's to come <3
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Blair