PJ Harlowe
PJ sat in the passenger seat staring into space. Her mind was blown all to hell. How in the world did her crazy uncle come up with that farce of a story? She knew for sure that her mother would never have slept with Mr. Aston. Wait until Latti heard what Jack said. He was going to lose his shit. She texted him asking that he meet her at the penthouse right away.
Max was a sweetheart. He walked her to the penthouse and made sure she was alright before leaving her alone with her thoughts. She would have preferred that he stayed with her.
“Aren’t you going to stay a while?”
He took her by the hand and looked deep into her eyes. Butterflies, penguins, and elephants ran amuck inside her at the contact. She didn’t know if she should move closer to him or run for the hills. His deep voice interrupted her musings.
“PJ, I would love to stay, but I feel like you need some time alone to think about everything that transpired tonight. Once you’ve had a chance to process it all, speak to Lattimore. If you still feel like some company, my door is always open to you. Just shoot me a text when you’re on your way.”
“I suppose you’re right. I’ll see you later and Max, thanks for everything.”
PJ went up to her room and changed into her most comfortable pair of pajama pants and a t-shirt. After slipping her feet into her cushy slippers, she went back downstairs and deposited herself onto the chaise to wait for Latti. While she waited, she tortured herself trying to recall even the slightest hint of her mother and Mr. Aston being inappropriate with each other.
Latti came rushing through the door out of breath and looking around the room for PJ. He let out a long breath as they made eye contact, relief settling on his face. As his shoulders relaxed, he made his way over to PJ.
“PJ, what’s wrong? Are you alright?”
“No.” Tears began to burn her eyes as she looked at her best friend and rumored brother.
“What did that bastard uncle of yours do now?”
“You might want to sit down for this one.”
He took her advice and sat down next to her on the chaise, placing her legs across his lap. He mindlessly rubbed her calf as he braced himself for the news. PJ cleared her throat and avoided eye contact with Latti. She took a drink of water from the bottle on the table to combat her dry mouth. After replacing the cap she swallowed and continued.
“He had the nerve to say that my mom and your dad had an affair and that you and I are brother and sister.”
Latti’s face went pale, and he looked like he might pass out. Good thing he was sitting. A look of anger grew on his handsome face. PJ studied it carefully trying to see any resemblance of her mom. There was none.
“What the hell? The man has lost his mind. Just look at me. I am totally a white guy. Some days I wish for more melanin.”
“He’s crazy, right? I wanted to smack his lying face. I just got up and left. And to top it all off, he did it at the dinner table with everybody staring at me.”
“That man needs to be stopped. I hope you see what I was telling you about him, now. You are never going back over there again!”
“Absolutely not. I didn’t believe his lies at all, but Latti, I need to ask your dad what happened with him and my mom. Rumors always start somewhere. There’s a story there. I need to know what really went down.”
Latti nodded his head as his hold on her leg tightened. PJ could tell he was in deep thought about the whole situation. Then he turned to her and began talking.
“I’ll call my dad and set up a family meeting. Better yet…” He snapped his fingers as if he had the most brilliant of ideas. A satisfactory smile greeted her as he continued, “I’ll invite my parents to join us on the ski trip. We’ll go for the Christmas holiday. There is no way they would say no to that.”
“Do you think that’s wise?”
“I sure do. That way they can’t leave and will have no choice but to answer our questions. It won’t give them room to weasel out.”
“Yeah, but if things go left, then what? We will be stuck in a cabin with each other and possibly ruin the holiday. I really love Christmas and would hate for this to be a burning memory.”
“Do you want answers or not?” Latti snapped at her.
Taken aback, PJ looked at him like he was an asshole of epic proportions. More tears began to form in her eyes, and this time she couldn’t hold them in.
“Fuck! I’m sorry, PJ. I didn’t mean to snap at you. This shit is making me a bit crazy. Come here.”
Latti pulled her in for a hug and rubbed her back to soothe her nerves. Her tears soaked his shirt as she released the stress of the day into his chest. The friends stayed like that for almost half an hour before PJ pulled away from him.
“Sorry for the waterworks. I just hate it when someone tries to disparage my mother’s name. It sucks that she’s not here to defend herself.”