Chapter 6: Chapter 6

SHAY

^SUNDAY, MAY 22^

Shay needed to meet with her brothers today. They had things to discuss and were planning a family vacation.

She’d arrived at the country club early to renew her membership and was waiting in the restaurant, checking her emails. When her thumb hovered over one email, her heart sped up.

She’d been waiting for this email for the past two months. Nervously, she clicked on the email and read the header.

~Re: Potential Collaboration~

~Dear Ms. Haze,~

~It is our great pleasure to inform you that, after much deliberation, we would like to collaborate with you.~

~We have an opening slot for our upcoming fall collection, and although we know this is short notice, we hope that you’ll accept our offer. Please get your team in touch with ours, and they’ll send over the list of documents we need.~

~If it works for you, we’d like to meet with you on Tuesday, May 24, at 10 a.m. Please come prepared with samples and ideas.~

~Thank you.~

Her smile spread wide as she reread the email over and over again. She couldn’t believe her eyes.

She’d wanted to collaborate with them for some time now, but she knew that NaturesEX didn’t do many collaborations. And when they did, it was with A-list movie stars.

She’d known that approaching them was a bold move with a 90 percent chance of rejection.

“You’re happy.”

Shay looked up to see Pete. She smiled at him and nodded, then locked her phone as he took a seat opposite her.

“Oh my god, I got the deal! The one I’ve been talking about for the past few months. With NaturesEX!”

“I’m happy for you, Shay,” he said as he placed his phone on the table.

She smiled, knowing he meant it.

Although their relationship hadn’t worked out for obvious reasons, she knew that Pete was a good man and was genuinely happy for her.

During their relationship, she’d spent a lot of time telling him about her plans to create an empire of her own. She didn’t want to be known for just Haze Industries—or the accident—she wanted to do good for the world.

“Thank you, Pete,” she said, taking a sip of her drink and recalling the last one-on-one conversation she had with him.

“How are you doing?” he asked.

“Good. What about you?” she asked awkwardly.

They’d never had problems talking in the past. Of course, they’d grown up together, so things had been effortless between them.

She’d always had a crush on him, and he was always around because her parents and his mom had been college friends. When Billie became a single mother, Shay’s dad took care of Pete, teaching him to be a man.

Pete’s previous relationships had never lasted more than six months, but it had been different with them. Probably because their relationship had been private, but it worked for them.

They broke up when they found out their parents had been dating secretly for years and her father had recently proposed. Although they were happy for their parents, the end of their relationship had been inevitable.

“I’ve been good, been keeping busy since…” He trailed off, obviously trying not to mention the breakup.

Nodding her head slowly, she hmmed in response. Unsure of what to say next, she looked at her watch, hoping her brothers would get here soon.

“Are you seeing anyone?” Pete asked, a question that quite frankly stunned her.

“No, not really,” she answered truthfully, raising an eyebrow. “What about you?”

“No, but I thought you were. That guy from the party?” She could hear the curiosity in his voice.

“That’s Ethan. I mean, technically I’m not going out with him.” She sat up straighter. “But to be honest, we are going out on a date later. Our first date.”

She knew it was better to tell the truth. She hated lies, and if anything were to blossom from the date with Ethan, her conscience would remain clear with Pete.

“But I thought you guys knew each other.” He paused and leaned his elbow on the table. “You seemed pretty cozy in the hallway.”

“I was embarrassed by something my mom said, so I needed a breather and he followed me. We’d met prior, but he was just being funny. It was nothing, really.”

“But you’re going out on a date with him?” Pete said carefully.

She sighed. “It’s a long story, but yes. I agreed to one date with him.” She paused and looked into Pete’s eyes.

“Pete, we agreed to end things because we’re about to be stepbrother and sister. I had no intention to date, not so soon at least, but we have to move on eventually. And I want you to date too.” She reached over and squeezed his hand.

She stared at their hands, enjoying the difference in the color of their skin. Her chocolaty-bronze complexion against his pinkish white skin.

It was true. She hadn’t wanted to go on dates so soon. She’d planned to take a few more months before looking for a guy, but she had someone who was interested in her now.

That night in her apartment, she and Ethan had talked about random things and got to know each other. She wasn’t sure why she’d been so open, but she felt safe with him.

Like she didn’t need to worry about being judged or being taken advantage of. Like she could be her ugliest self and still want to be with him.

She’d given him her number at the end of the night, after thanking him for the food, and he’d asked her out again. Finally giving in, she’d agreed to go on a date.

Pete circled his thumb on the back of her hand. “I miss you,” he confessed.

“I miss you too.” And she did, more than she cared to admit, but she knew there wasn’t a point to it. They wouldn’t be able to have a future together once their parents got married.

She could almost see the headlines: Incest in Haze Family!

They couldn’t risk it, even though there was nothing inappropriate about their relationship. He was a doctor after all, and couldn’t risk tarnishing his name.

And she didn’t need more bad publicity—the accident had been traumatic enough.

Pete sighed. “I wish things were different.” He looked down at the table, dejected.

“Have you tried dating apps?”

“Shay! Pete!”

She quickly let go of Pete’s hand and stood up to greet her brothers.

“Ian… Ivan…” She kissed both brothers on the cheek, and they each took a seat beside her, filling up the square table.

Her brothers were dressed similarly. Although she and Sky were very different, Ian and Ivan were alike in more ways than one, and sometimes Shay felt a little envious of their bond.

Sky hated being a twin, which was why she dyed her hair platinum blonde the first chance she got and kept her afro. So they’d look like polar opposites.

Shay had natural curls instead of an afro, which was what distinguished them once their hair grew in.

“What are we talking about?” Ivan asked as soon as he ordered food for the table.

Her eyes meeting Pete’s, Shay shifted her weight in the chair before clearing her throat. “Just normal chatter. Anyway, where do you want our family vacation to be?”

“I was thinking of Tulum or the Maldives,” Ivan said. “We can rent out an entire resort for a week, then we can have games and all, just like old times.”

Shay nodded her head as she processed the information. She knew it was a good idea, but her mind was elsewhere.

The servers brought the food, as the three men discussed the family plans as they ate. It was quickly settled that this round, the kids would be paying for the family vacation.

And she heard Ian say that their uncle would be paying for half of it. They agreed on the terms, seeing that they had a huge family and Uncle Holden was planning to invite a few people along.

“I think I prefer Tulum. I’ve never been,” Shay said, finally speaking up.

Ian looked at her and nodded his head in agreement.

“Tulum it is then,” Ivan seconded.

They continued their conversation, talking about all sorts of things, from work to random topics. She realized that she missed spending time with her brothers, and that included Pete. The only person missing was her twin.

She sighed. She hadn’t spoken to Sky in a long time, but she didn’t want to reach out. There was too much between them now, and she wasn’t sure how to fix things.

“You okay, Shay?” Ivan asked, noticing her silence.

Smiling, she nodded slowly.

“You sure?” Ivan asked again, not believing her.

“Yeah, I’ve just had a lot on my mind lately,” she half lied.

“You can tell us anything,” Ian encouraged.

Smiling at her brothers, she made eye contact with Pete, who was still giving her the loving stare. The stare she knew all too well.

“I’m fine, really—just had a couple of bad days. But all work-related.” She sighed. “Let’s not dwell on the past. So when are we going?” she asked, trying to change the topic. “I need to make arrangements for my team.”

This time she paid attention, listening to their plans for all the games they wanted to play, and she started to feel excited about going. The trip would give her a much-needed break.

She could use a few days without worrying about her company.

~Bzzz.~

Her screen lit up with a message, and she grabbed her phone as her brothers eyed it, rolling her eyes at their busybody attitudes. She smiled as she read the message.

Ethan Ramsay

I’ll pick you up later for our date. Wear something comfortable, and you promised me that you won’t back out. Can’t wait to see you soon. 😊

As she put her phone away, Shay couldn’t contain her smile. Despite how guarded she acted around Ethan, she had a huge crush on him.

And she was excited for their date.