Chapter 16
The next morning, Viv woke up early. She was anxious to go shopping with her aunt, but even more excited to set her plan into action. She went down to the kitchen and found her father sitting at the table eating breakfast and reading the paper. Despite the fact he could read everything online, he still preferred to feel the paper in his hands. The smell of a freshly printed newspaper was comforting and reminded him of a simpler time.
"Morning, Dad," she greeted him.
"Not sleeping in today?" Logan asked.
"Nope. I wanted to talk to you before I left for Aunt Honor's," she said.
"About what?" he asked curiously. Please don't let this be about my dinner last night, he silently pleaded.
"Well...um...I don't know if it's because I don't know how many people here, but I'm starting to rethink my friendship with Ritchie," she stated faking nervousness.
Rethink her friendship? What the hell does that even mean? No - he thought as the dread began washing over Logan, who was trying not to let it show.
"How so? He's your best friend..." his voice trailed off.
"I know...but last night really got me thinking about him and what he means to me," Viv continued her charade.
She could see the wheels turning as she vaguely hinted at a potential romance with her brother. She did her best to hide the smile that threatened to make an appearance.
"I'm not sure I follow. How exactly would your friendship change?" he probed.
Please don't tell me my daughter is interested in her half-brother as a romantic interest! He thought worriedly.
"He's my best friend, and we can practically finish each other's sentences. I guess I never really looked at him in that way, but, now, I am," she replied.
"You're saying you like Ritchie as more than a friend?" he asked for clarification.
"Yeah, I think I do," Viv responded as a smile started spreading across her face. "I mean, he's smart, good-looking, funny, and supportive. We have the same interests."
"That doesn't always mean that someone would make a good boyfriend or girlfriend," Logan warned.
"But he's totally hot, and we really get each other, you know?" she gushed like a typical teenage girl.
What the hell? He's totally hot? That does not sound like my daughter! Wait - she knows that he's her brother. Why would she suddenly start to like him? It's all just a ploy, but she doesn't know that I know that she knows. I want to tell her, but I want to get to know my son better first, he rationalized silently.
"Well, my advice to you is to consider whether or not you want to risk your friendship for this. Once you cross that line, there's no going back," he advised.
Really Did my dad just say that? He doesn't care that I want to - OH! Nope. He knows that I know and he's trying to play it off like normal. Not today, Dad! I'm winning this battle! she discerned in her head.
"I will! Thanks for the great advice. I knew I could count on you!" she said enthusiastically.
She finished her breakfast and went upstairs to get ready. She didn't have to go too crazy since they were doing their pampering before shopping. Honor always said to never shop stressed; it always heads to regrettable impulse buys.
"Bye, Dad," she called out as she left.
Logan couldn't believe his own daughter was trying to play him. Then again, she was a true Huntzberger. This type of thing was in the nature of her being. To him, it was starting to feel like when his dad was playing him and Rory. Mitchum was well aware of his son's doings and called Logan's bluff one day while he was at lunch with Rory. He didn't care which way his son went with his decision, but he wanted him to make up his mind instead of playing around.
One her way to Honor's, Viv reassessed her strategy. Obviously, her dad wasn't going to crack as easily as she anticipated. She needed to follow through on her words. Ritchie had been holding off as well, but when push comes to shove, he'll definitely cave, she thought. My dad had years of experience on me, so I've got to make it a believable show if I want the truth. She started devising the second part of her plan: 'confessing her feelings' for Ritchie.
Once she arrived, she went inside to find her aunt waiting for her arrival.
"It's about time you got here," Honor said with a smile. "You're always early, so why the tardiness today?"
"I was having breakfast with dad," Viv said. "I had something kind of important to talk to him about."
"Does it involve boys? Because you know I'm always here for you if you can't talk to him," she offered.
"Thanks, but this was kind of a unique circumstance."
"Is it about the handsome boy you are always posting pictures of?" Honor asked knowingly.
"Maybe," she replied and managed to muster an embarrassed look. "But I don't want to talk about it!"
"Then, let's distract ourselves with pampering and shopping!" she recommended.
"You have no idea how much I need this right now!" Viv answered with a smile. She had no intentions of relaxing because she had to strategize if she wanted to succeed. It was an all-out war, and she aimed to take them both down."
On their way to the salon, Viv took out her phone. Wanting to start her plan as soon as possible, she began concocting a message to him about wanting to talk. Viv saved several drafts on her phone to look over a little later in the day. For now, she was going to enjoy the pampering and shopping courtesy of her aunt. She started to feel revitalized and refreshed even before their appointments. This is going to be too easy, she thought.
At home, Logan had settled into his study to do some more reading. He'd been working his way through Rory's book and found it thoroughly fascinating. He thought he knew everything there was to know about her, but he was wrong. He didn't realize how complicated her relationship with her mother and grandparents had been. It helped him gain a new perspective. He'd just finished a chapter when his phone began to ring. He saw Rory's name pop up.
"Ace," he said.
"We need to talk," Rory said calmly, skipping any pleasantries.
"About what?" Logan asked curiously.
"You've got to tell that poor daughter of yours about Richard," she advised.
"Oh, the irony," he chuckled.
"I know, I know, but if she's anything like you, you'll be in for a world of hurt if you don't tell her and she finds out."
"I suspect she already knows."
"If she's got half of your investigative skills, I'm sure she does, too," Rory agreed.
"I'll tell her tomorrow after she's had a chance to get settled from being with Honor," he declared and promptly flipped it back onto her. "Speaking of Richard, why the hell do you let him ride a motorcycle? Those things are death on two-wheels!"
"Says the guy who convinced me to jump off a seven-story high scaffolding and then wanted to do it again..."
"Oh, it wasn't that bad, was it?" he asked as he fondly recalled the memory.
"I wasn't done yet, Mr. Drunk Base Jumping in Costa Rica!" she quipped.
"I'll admit that one was pretty stupid...and reckless," he confessed.
"It's about damn time!" she laughed. "Oh, hey, I was going to ask how dinner went."
"He's a remarkable young man. It was a little bittersweet," he said and paused. "I found myself longing for memories of him growing up. I want to know what more about him - his childhood."
"I can do that. Want to come over for dinner?" she asked.
"Chinese does sound good," he quipped knowing her favorite cuisine.
"You read my mind."
"Be over at six?" he offered.
"Perfect," she agreed. "I'll dig out the photo albums."
Logan shot his daughter a text to let her know he'd be out tonight. He wasn't sure he wanted to deal with more of her questions about his love life or the new game she was trying to play. Rory's right. I've really just got to tell her about all of this, he thought. I need to come clean, but how? If he prolonged it much longer, it could spell trouble for everyone.
Later in the day, while Honor was in the midst of her personal shopping appointment, Viv began to carefully set her plan into motion with the first texts to Richard. She didn't want to freak him out, but she wanted to apply some pressure. She figured it wouldn't take much for him to crack once she started hitting on him.
Viv: Hey, what are you doing tonight?
Richard: I don't have any plans. Why?
Viv: I really need to talk to you. Can we hang out?
Richard: Your place or mine?
Viv: Mine. My dad is going to be gone tonight. Said he's got some last-minute dinner.
Richard: What time?
Viv: Anytime after six.
Yes, she thought. With Dad gone tonight, I can put a little more pressure on him without an audience.
At first, Richard hadn't thought much of the messages from Viv. He figured it wasn't a big deal, and it's not like she had a lot of friends in Hartford. Although, the more he analyzed, the more worried he got. What if it's about something else? Oh, my god! What if she knows and she's going to confront me about being her brother? he thought worriedly. He started freaking out a little bit not knowing what to expect, and he still had a few hours before he was supposed to go to Viv's house.
He went downstairs in search of his mother because she was the only person he could talk to about this situation. He found her in the living room drinking a cup of coffee.
"Hey, Mom, can I ask you something?
"Sure, what is it?" she replied.
"Well, Viv wants to meet up tonight to talk about something, but I don't know what," he began. "And, the more I think about it, the more worried I am that she's going to confront me about being her brother and hiding it from her."
"Whoa, slow down, Richard," she said. "What makes you think that she knows?"
"My gut," he answered.
"Well, maybe she just needs to talk because she doesn't really have any friends here yet," Rory suggested.
"I hope that's the case," he said.
"When are you headed over there?"
"Sometime after six," he answered. "I'll probably grab a quick bite here and head over there.
"Logan is coming over tonight at about that time," she informed him.
"That would explain why she wanted to meet at her house," he surmised.
Despite the chat with his mom, Richard still felt a little nervous about why Viv needed to chat. He hoped it was as innocent as his mom suggested, but his instinct said otherwise. He rang the doorbell and waited. Viv answered the door. He was taken aback by how she looked. He couldn't remember ever seeing her all dolled up. I really have a beautiful sister, he thought. I won't be able to introduce her to any of my friends.
"Hey," Viv said softly with a flirtatious smile.
"Hi," Richard greeted her.
She gestured for him to come inside. He looked around at the dimly lit house. He didn't remember it being so dark the couple of times he'd been there. He started to get a feeling that all was not well with the situation, just as he'd suspected.
"So, uh...what did you want to talk about?" he asked nervously.
She led him to an even dimmer living room and sat down. She patted the sofa next to her. He sat down, but not too close. He was starting to rethink that maybe she didn't know he was her brother. It felt like a couple of dates he'd gone on in high school. Oh, crap, he thought. This is not good!
Viv noticed that Richard was starting to get nervous. This is going to be easier than I thought. Thanks to Aunt Honor, my job was even easier, she thought.
"Can I get you a glass of wine?" she asked as she stood up. In vino veritas, she thought. Nothing like a little wine to help pry out the truth!
"Umm...I'm not twenty-one yet, so I'd better not," he declined.
"Oh, that's right! It just wasn't a big deal back in London," she replied. "But it's just the two of us, so...live a little!"
"Nah."
Is she trying to get me drunk or something? he wondered. What is going on?
Viv sat next to him on the couch and gave him a very serious look.
"We need to talk," she said and put her hand on his leg.
Whoa, no! No, no, no! he thought.
"About, uh, what?" he asked nervously and started fidgeting.
I've got him right where I want him, she thought.
"So, I've been thinking a lot lately," she started. "I guess being alone in a new place makes you do that. Really makes you reconsider everything."
"Ok."
Richard felt her hand slide up his leg a little farther, and he felt himself tense up with her movement.
"I mean, we get along and we're best friends," she explained. "You're good-looking and we are interested in the same things."
She crossed her legs toward him and slid her hand up a little more. He finally couldn't take it anymore and clapped his hand on top of hers to prevent further movement.
"Viv," he tried to start but the words wouldn't come.
"Don't tell me you don't feel it, too," she replied with a sly grin. She leaned in flirtatiously.
"Please, no," he replied sternly finally finding his voice.
"Come on, Ritchie...we're perfect for each other..." she continued to pressure him.
"I don't think of you like that, Viv," he stated.
"Why not?" she asked. "Don't you think I'm attractive?"
"It's not that," he replied. "You're beautiful, but..."
"Then what's the problem?" she questioned and leaned in closer.
"I'm your..."
