January 17th, 2016
Logan felt ill at ease as he drove up the long driveway of the Kane estate. He could feel Phil's intense gaze on him.
"Penny for your thoughts," she said gently, patting his thigh comfortingly.
Logan couldn't help but smile as he reached down, took her hand, and squeezed it. "This just feels...wrong. He's my best friend. I'm a guy—an adult. We don't snoop in our friend's room."
"In most cases I would agree with you, but this is different," Philippa insisted.
"It doesn't feel different," he countered, as he parked the car around the side of the Kane's garage out of sight of both the front door and the driveway. "I don't want to talk about it. Let's just get this over with," he said as he exited the car.
He took Philippa by the hand and made his way to the Kane's ultra-modern front door.
Lilly was waiting for them on the front porch. "Welcome, welcome!" she said with a devious smile, her eyes full of mischief. "Perfect timing. My dad's at work and Duncan just left for the gym. We should have at least an hour. Let the games begin."
"She's enjoying this way too much," Logan muttered to Philippa under his breath. Then he turned to their other companion. "Lilly, couldn't you just do this alone? You do live here."
"Logan, here, is having second thoughts," Philippa singsonged.
Logan watched as Lilly's eyes narrowed. "What's with the hesitation, lover?" she asked innocently. "You used to love breaking the rules. This is for a good cause."
"Lilly, you can't call me…" Logan closed his eyes and took a long, steadying breath, channeling what little patience he possessed. "Listen, this isn't high school. It isn't like I'm sneaking into the girl's bathroom to make-out. We're adults. I'm breaking into my friend's bedroom to search his computer."
"Yes, but the end justifies the means in this case," Lilly said, shaking her head as she turned to open the front door.
"That's what I said!" Philippa agreed, taking Lilly by the arm and parading into the foyer as if she owned the place.
"Well, Phil and Lil, aren't you two peas in a pod?" Logan mocked. "You should just change your last name to DeVille and make it official."
"Only if you bring fresh diapers," Lilly said, not missing a beat. When Philippa looked at them both as if they'd lost their mind, Lilly continued, "What, no Rugrats across the pond?"
"I don't think I want to know," she laughed. "Look, Logan, if you insist on being a complete whinger, then at least wait here and keep watch."
"Celeste is around here somewhere. You two could chat it up," Lilly called over her shoulder as she and Philippa ascended the staircase.
That got Logan moving. "On second thought, I know way more about computers than the two of you do," he informed them as he took the stairs two at a time, passing them quickly. He ignored Lilly's smirk of triumph.
"Is your mum really that bad? I mean as someone who doesn't have one, I'd think that—"
"Yes!" Logan and Lilly chorused dryly.
They slipped down the hall and into Duncan's room, closing the door behind them.
"Well, isn't this...tidy," Philippa drawled. "That's it, this guy is too vanilla on the outside. I bet we find something colossal on his laptop."
"Or somewhere else," Lilly said, holding a screwdriver out to Logan.
Philippa looked perplexed, but Logan immediately made his way over to the vent on the wall and unscrewed it.
"Nothing in here. It was worth a try, Lil," he shrugged before turning to screw the cover back in place.
Lilly made her way over to Duncan's laptop and flipped it open.
She sat down on the chair but slid over to make room for Philippa, who eagerly sat down, sharing the computer chair with her. "Usually this thing is attached to Duncan like the Nuclear Football. That's why this playdate had to wait 'til he was at the gym." Lilly's tone was matter-of-fact, but Logan could tell that she was enjoying this. Lilly lived for drama and intrigue. He saw her slump suddenly, looking defeated. "Dammit!"
"What's wrong?" he asked.
"He changed his password!" Lilly moaned. "The password always used to be 'thenaturalchoice'," Lilly said, her voice laced with sarcasm.
"His slogan for student body president in high school?" Logan laughed out loud.
"You should know; you came up with it," she shot back at him playfully.
"Actually, Aaron did," Logan couldn't hide the disdain from his voice. "I can't believe it was his password."
"Right?! Well, it was until last year, at least. I used it for online shopping when I was between personal shoppers," Lilly stated.
"I hate it when that happens," Philippa said sincerely.
"Seriously! Pamela from Niemen's totally screwed me over with—"
"Can we focus here, ladies?" Logan cut in, snapping his fingers. "I'd like to get out of here as soon as possible, not sit around comparing lip glossing techniques."
"Who peed in your Cheerios?" Lilly asked snidely, spinning to face him, her wide, green eyes laser focused on him.
Logan decided to ignore her. Nothing was worth incurring the wrath of Lilly.
"Fine!" Lilly snapped the laptop shut. "But while we're in here, I'm going to peek in his drawers. Help me?"
Logan shook his head. He drew the line at rifling through drawers "I'm out; I'm going to wait downstairs." He skirted out of the room before the girls could object, making his way downstairs and nodding to the housekeeper politely as he turned in the direction of the Kane's wet bar. He needed a drink. He spotted a tonic water in the fridge of the bar and was sorely tempted to add in a little gin to take the edge off, but he resisted. No need to fall back into old habits. Not yet, anyway.
The front door banged shut and Logan heard whispers coming from the front of the house. He quietly made his way over to the foyer, trying to determine who had come in. The hushed voices weren't angry, but they were terse.
"I know it's a holiday, Duncan, but I have to work."
"But the house on El Montevideo went on the market last week. We need to move fast if…"
Veronica and Duncan! Logan turned his gaze to the staircase. There wasn't much of a chance of getting past the couple without being seen. He pulled out his phone as he walked back to the bar and shot Phil a text.
Logan: Duncan is back. Get out. Now.
Just as Logan slipped the phone into his pocket, Veronica turned the corner and jumped in surprise at the sight of him. After a second she smiled, placing one hand on her chest.
"Logan! You scared the hell out of me. What are you doing here? I didn't see your car." She laughed too sharply to be natural, and Duncan stepped into his view behind her.
"Hey, Logan, isn't it a little early to be hitting the bottle?" His words were in jest, but it still irked Logan that that was how Duncan saw him.
"Not that it's any of your business, but it's tonic water." His eyes shifted to Veronica. "Hey, V. I was in the neighborhood showing Philippa some of our old haunts when we decided to stop by," Logan said evenly, pulling down two more glasses. "Care for some?"
"No, we're fine," Duncan answered.
Logan pretended not to see Veronica stiffen up at Duncan's high handedness.
"I'd love one, thanks," Veronica said tightly, stepping forward to take Logan's own glass from his hand and gulping the water down. He smiled at the familiar gesture and poured himself a new glass. Relief washed over him at yet another brief confirmation that his girl was in there somewhere. But then he remembered the girls up in Duncan's room. Voices from the hall bounced off the glass front doors and broke his thoughts.
"It's a lovely house, Lilly; so modern. Thanks for the tour." Philippa's voice echoed down the hallway.
"Wait 'til you see the pool. It was designed by—" Lilly appeared in the room with the others and Logan raised his eyebrows at her triumphantly. "Oh, brother-of-mine." Lilly feigned surprise well, Logan had to admit. "What are you doing home? I thought you were off to the gym."
"Veronica was leaving yoga as I walked in, so I decided to skip my workout today," he said as though he was breaking a cardinal rule.
"Slow down, wild child," Lilly waved her arms in mock excitement.
"Why? Were you waiting for me to leave before you entertain?" Duncan teased back.
"Always!" she returned.
When Philippa reached them, Logan took her in his arms. She looked adoringly up at him but then winked at the last minute before she kissed his cheek. Logan fought the urge to laugh. For all Philippa's confidence and bravado, she wasn't a great actress. Luckily for them both, he was. He nuzzled her neck for a moment before turning back to Duncan and Veronica.
"Actually, Philippa and I were trying to surprise both of you. I was showing her around town— regaling her with tales of the good old days—and thought maybe we could reminisce over lasagna at Mama Leone's like old times? Group bonding?" Logan ventured. "Maybe watch the Southpark Movie?"
Duncan made a face.
"My old favorite!" Veronica smiled, leaning over to affectionately bump Lilly's shoulder with her own.
"Well, since we're reliving 2002 again and all," Logan supplied, grinning, his eyes locked on hers. He loved her smile.
"That sounds—" Veronica started.
"Sorry to say that Veronica is headed back to work this evening. And tomorrow too, apparently, even though it's a holiday," Duncan said pointedly.
Logan didn't like the pointed look Duncan threw at Veronica. Instantly her smile disappeared. Logan didn't like that either.
"Yeah, unfortunately, he's right. Especially if I want some time off next weekend," Veronica sighed, lamenting.
"So I guess this day of 'bonding and nostalgia' will have to wait," Duncan said, again speaking for her.
Logan stifled a growl. Was Veronica ever allowed time with her friends? Logan opened his mouth to ask just that when Philippa tucked herself into his side, sliding her arms around his waist.
"I'm sure Logan and I can find something else to do in town today, can't we, darling?" she cooed. "Relax," she whispered so that only he could hear.
"Let's do it soon, though. It sounds nice," Veronica nodded. Her eyes were on Philippa's arms about his waist, he noticed. The realization brightened his mood a little.
"We could take the boat out!" Duncan offered. "Go over to Catalina for dinner or just eat on the yacht like we used to?" Duncan pulled out his phone. "The boat is busy this week for corporate events, but next Friday should work."
"Duncan, you know I work. I have deadlines!" Veronica insisted.
"You have to eat, don't you?" Lilly asked. "Come on, Veronica Mars, play with us. It'll be so much fun, and I've been dying to get out on the water." Lilly ended in the full-fledged whine that Logan knew she used to get her way.
"Please?" Philippa joined in, looking sweet and folding her hands up as if in prayer.
Logan smirked again; there was no winning against this dynamic duo.
"Fine!" Veronica relented. "Next Friday, but make it an early night, I'll have to work Saturday to make up for it."
"6:00 p.m. on the dot, I promise! We'll have you home and in bed by eleven." Lilly crossed her heart dramatically and then pulled Veronica in for a hug with a small squeal. "Yay! That gives Philippa and I time to plan!"
This should be interesting. Logan snickered. "Indeed."
"Great!" Duncan said. He took Veronica's empty glass from her hand and set it on the bar. "Put it in my calendar while I walk Veronica out, would you?" He threw Logan his phone and turned to lead Veronica out the front door.
Logan caught the phone easily with his left hand while still holding on to Philippa and his glass with his right. Now I'm his damn personal assistant?
As soon as Duncan was out the door, Philippa took the phone from Logan's hand, glowing, and then Lilly took it from hers. "See, this is fate."
"Fate?" Logan asked. "An evening onboard a luxury yacht with your automaton brother?"
"Duh!" Lilly scoffed, tapping away on her brother's phone. "I couldn't get into his calendar on his laptop, but I can—"
"Memorize everything from now until Valentine's Day?" he teased.
The front door opened and Duncan reappeared just as Lilly threw Logan Duncan's phone.
"Everything all set?" Duncan asked, holding his hand out for his phone.
Lilly winked at and subtly nodded.
"All set!" Logan said, handing the phone over to Duncan. "So, about this afternoon—"
"I think I'm going to head to the gym after all. I can catch the next spin class if I leave now. See you guys later," he said, turning and walking through the door without waiting for a response.
"Well, I don't know about you guys, but I think I've just been dismissed," Logan said tightly.
"I'd have to agree with you, but I'm used to it," Lilly answered, grabbing her own phone out of her pocket and showing it to Philippa who laughed. "But I added myself to his calendar, so now we can have some real fun!"
"You're terrible!" Phil said, peering over Lilly's shoulder. "But I love it! Find anything good yet?"
"Nothing but political stuff this week. God, he's so boring," Lilly groaned. "But...oh, what is this? Why would he…" her voice trailed off.
"Spill, girl," Philippa tried to take Lilly's phone from her, but Lilly spun in a circle to avoid her.
"It looks like...this Thursday Duncan's having dinner with our old friend Madison Sinclair."
"What?" Logan spouted. "There's no way Veronica would be okay with that!"
Logan took the phone from her and saw the calendar entry for himself. "Where is the dinner?"
"In San Diego. At Salvatore's," Lilly exclaimed. "That place is amazing. Why would he take Madison to Salvatore's?"
"Is it close to Veronica's firm?" Philippa inquired.
"It's not too far, but there's no way Veronica would ever consent to a meal with that..."
"Skank?" Logan provided.
"I was going to go with heinous bitch, but skank applies too," Lilly agreed with a distracted nod, her eyes never leaving her screen. "Oh, I just had a brilliant idea. I think I know just the thing to drive a wedge between Veronica and Duncan and position you in the right place to be the hero. Logan, have your assistant make us a reservation for Thursday night."
Philippa's face lit up, and she pulled his phone out of his pocket and held it up to him. Logan scowled, but he made the call. "Melanie, can you get me a table for three—"
"Four!" Lilly and Philippa chorused.
"At 8:00 p.m." Lilly clarified.
Logan looked down at the two beautiful women smiling at him. "You're both evil. I don't want to hurt her. Can't we just go down there and see what he's up to ourselves?"
"Veronica should know what my brother is up to. Are you in or are you out?" Lilly asked him pointedly.
"—make that a table for four at Salvatore's in San Diego." He paused for a moment as Melanie found the address. "Yes, that's the one. Eight o'clock. Thanks." He shut his phone and scowled at Lilly. "Your parents totally picked the wrong child to push into politics," he said to her, shaking his head as he headed back to the bar for a refill. It was seriously time to reconsider a gin addition. His nerves might need some backup.
January 21st, 2016
The restaurant was crowded for a Thursday night. Veronica cursed herself for being such a pushover. She should be at work. There was so much yet to do.
At first Veronica had been annoyed when Lilly, Philippa, and Logan had arrived at her office unexpectedly at 7:00 p.m. As much as she missed having a life, there were stacks of paper everywhere that needed tending to. The firm knew that she would be taking time off for her wedding, but she had yet to tell them that she didn't plan to return. She needed to get everything in perfect order so that she could hand it off to someone else when she resigned. But when Lilly had explained that they were there as a surprise to kidnap her and take her to dinner, Veronica had relented without putting up much of a fight. Lilly had always been very persuasive, aka it was easier to just give in than resist, because Lilly always, inevitably won.
But now that she saw the crowd at the restaurant she was having second, or truth be told, third, thoughts about the whole evening. "I can't wait forty-five minutes for a table, guys. I have to go back to work after this," she reminded them sourly.
Lilly's green eyes were wide when she swung around to respond. "Would you relax, please? We made reservations," she said exasperatedly before she turned to Philippa with pursed lips. "Tell her, Philippa."
Philippa calmly slipped an arm around Veronica's waist and then turned to Logan, who gave them a swoon-worthy smile that left Veronica a little nauseated. They were just so...cute. "Logan, someone needs a drink to help her relax."
Clearly Logan had been well trained. He leaned forward to embrace Philippa and whisper in her ear before speaking to them both. "That's my cue. Four drinks coming up!" he said, saluting as he gave Philippa a kiss before heading for the bar. Veronica opened her mouth to protest, but Logan turned around just in time to stop her and shouted, "I know! Nothing strong, you're headed back to work," with an exaggerated wink. "I'm on it!"
"I have to wee. I'll just be a moment. Veronica, come with me to the ladies' while these two get us squared away, would you?" Philippa asked rhetorically as she looped her arm through Veronica's and ushered her to the hallway that lead to the restrooms.
As Veronica waited in the powder room for Philippa to emerge, she checked her email. The partners expected her to be available twenty-four/seven. Personal lives weren't to interfere with getting the job done. And she'd been AWOL more than was appropriate lately. The fact that she was newly engaged was the only thing saving her reputation. As much as she hated the long hours sometimes, she did love her job. She loved the process of reading and writing—investigating—and thinking, talking...arguing. She loved the details and the investigation; she loved that trust people put in her.
Which was why Duncan was such a great fit for her. They both had their work, both had their priorities. Well, at least for a little while. She sighed, again contemplating the idea of not working. Duncan had caught her at a weak moment when he'd suggested not returning to work. It had been a long week and the firm had fired a paralegal based on mistakes he'd made on the case Veronica had been using to launch her career—her first case out of the gates that was all hers from start to finish. She'd been fed up and bone tired when Duncan had suggested taking a break. He'd assured her that his connections would open doors for her at all the major firms if and when she decided to return to work later. It also hadn't hurt that she'd just tortured herself by checking Lilly's Instagram to see all her pictures from the south of France. But now she wondered what she would do with the freedom. And all the time Duncan would be off schmoozing without her. Like tonight. Tonight he was out with some crusty, old-money widow who was seeking his help in getting behind a bill for...what was it again? Something elderly-related. Veronica scrolled down to the email Duncan had sent her. She smiled when she read it again.
"I'll miss you tonight while I'm out with the elderly 'Ms. Crabapple'. More talk about health benefits for retirees, no doubt."
It gave her a bit of a sick thrill that for once she was out with friends while he was stuck with some old biddy. At least not working meant that she could spend some time with Lilly, she supposed. Lilly would take her to Florence for sure.
Philippa appeared from a stall looking amazingly gorgeous, as usual. Veronica would be insanely jealous of Philippa if she weren't irresistibly nice. Infuriatingly, irresistibly nice. And with Logan, she reminded herself.
"Ready to find our friends? They'd better have gotten that table," Veronica told her new friend.
"I'm sure they've got everything squared away. They're resourceful," Philippa answered, washing her hands. She seemed in no hurry, opening her purse and rummaging inside. "Just let me refresh my mascara first." She pulled a long shiny tube and unscrewed the cap just as her phone pinged. One glance at it and the makeup was seemingly forgotten. "That should do it. Let's go," Philippa said, tossing the cylinder back into her tiny purse hastily without having used it.
She and Philippa found their friends at the bar. She watched with envy as Philippa approached Logan and put her arms around him from the back. Logan turned his head and beamed adoringly at her. "Perfect timing," he grinned. "The table is ready." He kissed Philippa's temple and handed her a flute of champagne. Hesitating for just a moment, he turned out of his fiancée's arms and handed Veronica a tumbler full of red liquid. "It's only Chambord and Sprite," he informed her with a wry grin. "We'll have you back at work without even a buzz after you eat."
"Perfect," she said, taking a sip and falling in line behind Philippa and Lilly who were following the hostess. The table was prime, of course, in the corner surrounded by windows looking out onto the Gaslight. Veronica took a seat between Logan and Lilly and eagerly picked up the menu. She was just debating between the lasagna and the capellini when she heard a most unwelcome, bone-gratingly irksome laugh. A cackle that she would know anywhere, as it belonged to her long-time nemesis.
Of all the rotten luck. Craning her neck, she did a double take. There, two tables over, was Madison Sinclair, laughing obnoxiously, her hand on the shoulder of the poor guy who she'd entangled—probably trapped—for the evening.
The poor schlep looked familiar. He seemed…It couldn't be, right?She stiffened up as her jaw clenched. He wouldn't!
"I thought you said Duncan was out with some pensioner," Philippa's voice rose through the mesh of noise.
Veronica stood up, abandoning her friends. All eyes turned to her as she struggled to maintain her cool. Madison had single-handedly made it her mission in high school to constantly remind Veronica of her place. She never passed up a chance to point out that Veronica's house wasn't gated, wasn't in the prestigious 90909 zip-code. Of all the people. And, worst of all, he'd lied.
She felt a hand on the small of her back and looked up to see Logan staring up at her, something unreadable in his eyes. Regret? Sadness? Pity?Veronica seethed. Pity was unacceptable. And from Logan Echolls of all people, the one she'd... She'd picked Duncan— the dependable one, the steady one—for just this reason. To avoid situations like this. Of course, it would be Logan that was present to witness the utter failure that was her solid relationship. And he was the reason for all this in the first place, she'd—suddenly the fact that they were all there at the same time seemed like a little more than just coincidence. Her eyes narrowed at Logan and then back at Lilly and Philippa. They both seemed concerned, but she saw no trace of guilt in their expression. She still wasn't buying it. Before she could open her mouth to question any of them, Logan spoke up.
"Veronica, let's just leave. I'll take you home, or we can…"
His words drowned out for a moment before she was suddenly able to gain focus again. Duncan wouldn't do this to her. There had to be an explanation. She pushed Logan's arm from her and walked around him, willing herself to approach her fiancé and Madison with decorum.
She kept her pace even as walked over and stood by Duncan's side. She watched as his face blanched at the sight of her, but Veronica just plastered a smile on her face and turned toward Madison. "Ms. Crabapple, I presume." She fixed a challenging death-stare on Duncan. "Funny, she doesn't look seventy." Veronica turned her head to the side and studied Madison as if mentally measuring her up. Veronica tapped one finger to her chin thoughtfully and then cringed with a hiss, shivered over-dramatically, and she turned her attention pointedly back to Duncan. "I mean, I know Madison hasn't aged as well as the rest of us, but maybe closer to fifty?" she speculated, drawing out the number and shrugging.
"Veronica, what an unpleasant surprise." Madison seethed. "I'll have you know that my family's support—"
"The only support you can offer is the hooker-bra holding up your dime-store boob job." Veronica knew she'd taken things one step too far, but Madison always brought out the worst in her.
"As if! Dr. Robert Rey is a highly renowned—"
A loud chuckle from a nearby table reminded her that they had an audience. Veronica took note of the stare of other patrons and decided to dial things back. She held her hand up like a crossing guard. "You know what, Madison, I don't want to fight," she said, turning to face Duncan. "What's going on here? You said—"
"How dare you dismiss me! My father is key to Duncan's successful campaigning future, so you had better get used to seeing my face, you little nobody."
Duncan finally reemerged from his stupor. "Enough, Madison. I know you and Veronica have had your differences, but I won't sit by and have you insult her." Duncan stood as he spoke, winding his arm around Veronica's waist.
Veronica relaxed at his words. She'd been so surprised by his deceit that she hadn't been sure Duncan would back her up. She was intensely relieved.
Madison's mouth opened wide at the slight. She was furious. "Duncan, your parents will be very unhappy to hear that—"
Duncan cut Madison off. "Probably more happy than yours will be at this news. I've had any number of offers to help my campaign, Madison, each of them all too happy to schmooze me without insulting my future wife."
He turned to Veronica and said, "Let's go." As they walked away he whispered to her, "By the way, what are you doing here?"
"Can you get the car and take me back to work? We can talk on the way." Veronica looked up at him and smiled lightly. He kissed her lightly on the cheek and strode toward the front door. Duncan the Dependable. She was sure he had a good reason for keeping things from her. Just like she'd have a good reason for leaving out that his sister and best friend were involved in this seemingly serendipitous meetup. Her eyes turned to Logan, Lilly, and Philippa as she approached their table. Her friends...well, she'd deal with them later.
Logan stared open-mouthed as Veronica pushed her chair away from the table and walked calmly toward Duncan and Madison. He was in shock. As much as Logan wanted to hear what they were saying, he forced himself to remain seated. When it came to things like this, he counted on Veronica running. Or at the very least avoiding the issue at hand. He never dreamed she'd confront Duncan, and based on the look on Lilly's face, he wasn't alone.
After a few moments of tense conversation that Logan could hear but not make out, Veronica seemed to deflate. Duncan put his arm around Veronica's waist and a moment later gave her a brief peck on the cheek. The intimacy of the gestures caused Logan to bristle.
Veronica headed back to the table and then sat down in the seat she'd vacated earlier, her eyes locked on Logan's.
Logan looked over at the girls who were still sitting silently, as if also in shock, their eyes glued to the table. Nice, ladies. You get me into this mess and then desert me. But being wrong had never held Logan back from forging ahead recklessly, and he'd be damned if he was going to give up now. "So, uh, did you catch the Warriors game the other night? They completely smashed Cleveland. But I don't know; I think it's probably LeBron's year."
He refused to acknowledge Lilly's sudden intake of breath or Philippa's groan of 'bloody hell' and subsequent face-palm. Logan watched as Veronica finished her drink in three long gulps before setting it down on the table. He noticed with remorse that her eyes were glossy, but her voice was steady when she spoke.
"Well, now that that's all cleared up, I think I'd better head back to work. I seem to have lost my appetite." She stood up at the table and turned to exit. Logan, feeling helpless and at a loss for words, plead silently with Lilly to do something—to intervene. This had been a royal fuck up. He wasn't the hero at all. In fact…
"Veronica, I don't think you should drive. Let Logan—"
Veronica swung around and put out her hand. "Stop, Lilly. I thought...well, I know this was all a bit sudden for you guys, but I hoped we'd worked past that. I thought...you were my friends. I thought you were on my side."
Her voice was small and hurt and Logan found himself choking on so many words he wanted to say. Justifications he wanted to make. But the words didn't come and he looked down at the table, suddenly unable to meet her gaze.
"Duncan's going to drop me at the office so we can finish talking. I'll see you guys in a few days," Veronica said sadly as she turned and walked out of the restaurant.
And Logan, much to his disappointment, did what he always did when Veronica ran. He let her go.
Lilly watched Veronica's retreating form, completely gutted. She didn't like Veronica thinking that Lilly wasn't on her side. Why couldn't she see how crazy all this was? Veronica was right; this was no way to treat one's best friend. If only things were that black and white. Lilly had convinced herself that her, Philippa and Logan's actions were for the greater good. That exposing Duncan's lie would show Veronica that there was more going on with Duncan than was on the surface. She still believed that was true. She hadn't expected Veronica to turn the tables on them so aptly. She'd confronted Duncan. Despite everything, Lilly still knew that if she had to decide again, she'd still have brought Veronica tonight. She just wished that it was Logan consoling Veronica right now, not Duncan.
Her gaze went to Logan, who was as shell-shocked as she was and then slid her eyes to Philippa. Philippa looked as though she was going to be physically ill.
"What—" Lilly began
"Go after her," Philippa answered immediately.
Lilly didn't hesitate. She took off after Veronica as fast as she could, given the heels she was wearing. When she saw Veronica just ahead of her waiting for Duncan by the front door, Lilly heaved a sigh of relief. "Veronica!" she called, reaching out to catch Veronica by the arm so her friend couldn't escape. "Don't leave like this."
Veronica turned and pulled out of Lilly's reach. "I think you've done enough tonight," Veronica said tightly, sadly, before she turned to walk out to the street.
"Just give me one minute, please," Lilly begged, her hands massaging her temples as she tried to determine how best to fix this.
"Why should I? I let you guys talk me into a nice dinner out. But it was all a trick, wasn't it? This was all some...some scheme to…" Veronica stopped mid-sentence and swallowed hard, her eyes twinkled with unshed tears in the dim light. Lilly tried to think quickly, but Duncan pulled up to the curb before she'd been able to collect her thoughts. "Goodnight, Lilly," Veronica said without emotion as she stepped to the curb and opened the door of Duncan's Tesla. She didn't even spare Lilly a glance as she slid into the passenger seat and closed the door behind her with more force than was necessary.
Lilly let out an unladylike growl and fought the urge to stomp her foot as the car pulled away from the curb and then turned out of sight. She blew out a puff of air and turned in a full circle, thinking of the best way to proceed. Lilly had no intention of hailing a cab to chase after Veronica, but she certainly knew it wasn't wise to let her friend stew over this for too long. Maybe they should go to her work and wait for Duncan to leave? Or should she do it alone? Would Veronica be more apt to listen to Logan? Philippa?
A hand landed on her shoulder and she jumped in surprise. She swiftly turned to see Logan looking grim, Philippa at his side. "We didn't feel like eating," he said simply with a shrug of his shoulders.
"No," Lilly agreed. "Could you get the car?" she asked him.
He nodded and walked away toward the valet kiosk, Philippa taking his place at Lilly's side.
"I can't believe that just happened," Lilly mumbled petulantly, wiping at her eyes.
"A royal cock-up. I'm sorry, Lilly." Philippa sounded as dejected as Lilly felt. The girls leaned into one another as they waited for Logan to appear.
Most of the ride back to Neptune was silent. Lilly didn't know if the others were ashamed of themselves for tricking Veronica or if they were just shocked by the night's turn of events. Lilly, never one to remain silent for very long, spoke up first.
"Part of me feels like shit, but there's still a part of me that…" she paused for a long moment. "I'm pissed. We didn't learn anything! What was he really doing out with Madison Sinclair? Why would he lie to her? I mean I feel bad for tricking her, but it's not like we set Duncan up to be found there in some compromising position, that was all him."
"I agree," Philippa stated. "But you know her better than I do. Should we confront her or let it be? I still say there's something very wrong with this situation."
"Yes, there is," Lilly agreed. "What do you think, Lo?"
"I think we need to do a little damage control," he said with a sigh and began tapping lightly on the steering wheel. It was an old tick that reminded Lilly of younger years.
Lilly nodded, pulling out her phone. She selected Veronica's number and pressed send, immediately turning on her speakerphone. "Let me do the talking," she told her friends. "I don't even know if she'll take the call."
Lilly was surprised when the phone connected after a few rings. Veronica's voice spilled out into the car.
"Hey," was all she said.
"Hey," Lilly returned. She waited for the ranting and raging to start, but Veronica remained silent on the other end of the line. After a moment of silence, she continued. "I'll understand if you don't want to talk right now, but I couldn't just leave things like that."
"Me neither, but I don't want to talk much right now. Duncan just left; we talked. Things are okay between us. He explained about Madison," Veronica finished, her voice held no clues as to if she was mad at Duncan.
"I'm glad," Lilly stated. It was a lie, and they both probably knew it, but Lilly didn't know what else to say. "Can we get together this weekend? Maybe talk?"
"Honestly, Lilly, I don't think so. My schedule is tight to begin with, and even if it wasn't, I'm not ready yet. I only answered because I'm going to Seattle early next week for work and didn't want you to worry."
"I understand. But I don't want you to leave town feeling like I'm not on your side. I—we—are on your side. It may not feel like that at this exact moment, but—"
"I don't want to hear it right now," Veronica snapped.
"Will you still meet up with us next Friday? On the boat? Please, V," Lilly pleaded.
"Yeah, I think so. Maybe we can steal away for a few moments and...talk," Veronica conceded. "Listen, I've got to go. I'll see you next week, Lil," Veronica said, disconnecting the call.
Logan spoke up first. "Well, that could have gone worse."
"I suppose," Lilly reluctantly agreed.
"But what now?" Philippa asked the question that was probably on everyone's mind. "I don't want to hurt her, but she can't just ignore all these signs. If everyone thinks something is wrong, then something is wrong."
"Maybe we should call off the dogs for a while. Maybe we should just do more recon on Friday and let things fall where they will," Lilly responded.
"No!" Logan's adamancy surprised her. "No, we're following through. We're still in the right. Duncan is up to something, and Veronica is still not herself. Even if Duncan explained away Madison, Veronica now knows that he's lying to her. We've planted the seed of doubt. Now we need to stick with the knight in shining armor plan and get her and me alone. I feel like if I can just get to her, she'll see through him."
"What if she just sees through us?" Philippa asked.
"I can't believe you two are giving up so easily," he sneered.
"I'm not giving up, but we have to regroup. She'll be out of town next week, Logan. There just isn't time to interact with her before dinner," Lilly reminded him.
"Maybe not before next Friday, but I have an idea. Do you still have access to his calendar?" Logan asked, a smirk forming across his lips.
January 23rd, 2016
Veronica peered up at the large house through the passenger-side window of Duncan's Tesla. She liked it. It looked warm and inviting. She had to admit that she'd been more than a little annoyed with Duncan when he'd suggested house hunting today, but maybe she'd underestimated him. This place was her style. She felt excited for the first time in a while when she hopped out of the car to get a closer look. She hardly noticed the approaching vehicle until she heard a familiar voice.
"Don't you think it's a little on the small side?" Celeste simpered as she stepped out of her giant Range Rover, giving the house a once-over, a sour expression on her face.
"Small?" Veronica gasped. "It's over five-thousand square feet." She had to remind herself to be gracious. "And I can't even imagine taking care of three acres." She'd never dreamed she'd live in a house like this.
"Well, that will be someone else's job, Veronica," Celeste shrugged her arms as if this should be obvious. "I don't know why you insist on looking way out here, to begin with. The street is beautifully tree-lined of course, but Ashworth Place is too far outside of town—it's nearly ten miles away from your father and me."
"I like that it's set a bit off the road," Veronica countered, looking at the old oak trees up the lane.
"But there's so much that is closer to us. Everyone's saying the Gouldings are going to put their house on the market. They live on Hyde Park Drive; our properties would abut in one corner."
That's exactly why we're looking way out here, Veronica thought.
"Well, if it's not even up for sale—" Duncan began.
"What about the house on Stoke Avenue? I know the drawing room was small, but we can expand it easily," Celeste continued as if she hadn't heard her son. "You don't even need permits for work under 500 square feet. It could be done in one weekend."
"I—" Veronica started.
"And the house on Pervis Lodge is beautiful, though the attic was dreadful. But, again, that can be changed. We can change everything but the location," she insisted, walking up to the front porch.
The realtor smiled widely when she opened the door to welcome them. "Well, Celeste, what do you think?"
"Oh, Mavis, it's in the middle of nowhere!" Celeste complained. "If you can't do better than this, I fear for our choices."
Mavis' smile faltered for just a moment. "Well, wait until you see the kitchen. It's newly updated and fabulous. And there's a small pond out back."
"A breeding ground for mosquitoes is more like it," Celeste huffed.
Veronica exhaled deeply, closing her eyes for a moment. She'd hoped Duncan had picked up on her hints to not invite Celeste. No such luck apparently.
"Sorry. She means well," he insisted, taking her hand and leading her to the staircase. "Let's check out the master bedroom."
"Yes, I know, Duncan, but wouldn't it be nice to have some time just the two of us. I'm exhausted. And I feel like it's never just the two of us."
"We're alone now," he said as they reached the top of the staircase. He took her hand and led her past the bathroom near the end of the hall.
Whey they arrived in the huge suite, Veronica let go of his hand and walked over to a bright window seat overlooking the yard. She saw the pond complete with a few Canadian geese. It was beautiful.
"You okay? You feel a little distant. Are you still upset about Thursday? You were okay when I left." His tone told her that he was annoyed. "I spoke to Lilly, and I honestly don't think she was out to get us. It was a coincidence. And Madison isn't interested in anything but connections."
Veronica huffed. "Oh, naïve fiancé of mine." The words floated out of her before she had a chance to stop them.
He frowned in response, "Look I apologized about Madison. I knew you wouldn't like me meeting with her. But while I have no romantic interest in her, I'm not in a position to make enemies."
Especially out of potential supporters, she silently added. She supposed it wasn't fair to stop him from having friends. Even if they were vile excuses for human beings. She couldn't very well blame him for what their friends did, which was really what was bothering her. And, in the end, Duncan had stood up for her. "Yeah, I'm sorry." Veronica knew that she shouldn't be the one apologizing, but she didn't want to argue. She felt like all she did these days was apologize, and she spent more time defending her relationship than she spent being in one.
"Things will calm down after the wedding," he said comfortingly, reaching out to rub her shoulders lightly. She took a small step back and leaned into him, but it only felt awkward. His belt buckle dug into her back, and his chin was digging into the top of her head. Veronica pushed away from him and made her way into the master bathroom. To her relief, Duncan didn't follow her. But she knew he was right; things would be better after the wedding. They'd get busy and she wouldn't have time to think about things, and her friends would have to adjust.
She groaned inwardly when she heard voices coming from the hallway.
"Well, in my opinion, the downstairs needs to practically be gutted, but the nursery is divine," Celeste's voice echoed off the bare walls of the empty house.
"Oh, Celeste, grandbabies are the best," the realtor gushed.
"Yes, Duncan knows that the public loves a family man. He'll do what's expected," was Celeste's cold response.
The voices faded away and Veronica stealthily snuck down the hall and into the first bedroom she found. Babies? She and Duncan hadn't discussed children yet. It seemed like the kind of thing they should discuss before an engagement. It had just all proceeded so quickly. She pushed all of Lilly's objections and her own doubts out of her head. She liked babies, but she was too upset about her future mother-in-law knowing more about her future than she did. She'd bring it up with Duncan sometime soon. After she'd calmed down.
Veronica reminded herself that passion was overrated and then thought of Philippa and Logan. You want this, Veronica, she chanted before she left the room to join the others.
I wish I'd gotten this out yesterday, but today will have to do. Thanks so much for all the lovely comments and for all the reads. I appreciate it. Merry Christmas to those who celebrate!
I think you'll really like the next chapter, so I'm already anticipating my next posting. Thanks, as always, to Brit and kmd0107 for their beta skills and time!