Bad Influencer by Kenzie Reed
Chapter Thirty-One
Elliott
I’m asleep and dreaming about Jillian when a harsh voice barks out my name. “Elliott James Dumbass Bradford!”
I bolt upright and realize I’ve fallen asleep at my desk. My mouth tastes foul and my head is fuzzy. I look at the wall clock. It’s 10 a.m. and Edith is standing there, tapping her foot impatiently.
It’s the last week of August. Tonight is our invite-only 125th anniversary celebration, at the special events center at our Washington park. The press will be there, and a group of our celebrity entertainers and local VIPs, and all of our investors, listening to speeches and enjoying music and carnival acts. And if I don’t stroll in looking breezy and confident, with a smile on my face, it’ll tip the investors in the wrong direction.
No pressure there. No pressure at all.
“Wha… Why… I didn’t hear you come in,” I groan.
“It’s a good thing we weren’t assassins.” Edith sniffs disapprovingly. “You’d have woken up dead.”
“Can a person wake up dead, though?” I scrub at my face with my hands and groan again.
I’m just absolutely laid low right now. I’ve lost Jillian, Cameron, and Trevor, the three people closest to me outside my own family. They’ve left holes in my life that I can never fill, and worse, they’ve stolen my sense of trust. And I already wasn’t a man who lets people in easily.
“Just wondering,” Edith chimes in, ”is your shower not working?”
I look up and glare at her. “Wow. Nice.”
“Trevor’s worried about you, by the way,” Edith says.
She slams a cup of coffee down in front of me. I grab it and drain half of it before I gag on the bitterness. No sugar. Edith’s clearly pissed.
“What he should be is furious at me.” I grimace. “Now that I’ve had some time to think about it, I know I overreacted. It just really hurt that he felt like he’d need to pay Jillian to date me, but he wasn’t wrong. That would have been the only way to make her interested in me.”
“You know what’s not a good look on you?” Edith says, her voice sharp with disapproval. “Other than yesterday’s shirt with mustard stains on it, I mean?”
I glance down at myself. My shirt is rumpled and stained, and my pants are wrinkled, and it’s a good thing she hasn’t spotted the splotch of coffee on my knee. ”Let me guess. Hmm, what’s not a good look on me. Self-pity?”
“Exactly. I’ve seen you angry before, but I’ve never seen you wallow like this.” She scowls at me. “And another thing.”
“Oh, good. There’s another thing.”
“If you say, one more time, that Jillian accepted money to date you, I quit.”
I snort in disbelief. “Of course you will.” I drain the rest of my coffee, shuddering at the bitter taste that puckers my tongue.
My desk phone rings. I glance down at it and see that it’s my mother. Edith leans over and puts it on video. ”Yes, he’s here. No, he’s not fine.” She swivels the monitor to point it at me. “You see this? It’s bad. And if you want any more details, get off your ass and come here yourself instead of leaving him to deal with everything entirely on his own like you have since he was in grade school. Because I’ve had it up to here with you right now.”
“Well, really, I think that was a little harsh,” my mother huffs.
“Excuse me! Edith, I know we’re friends, but I don’t appreciate you talking to my wife that way.” I hear my father’s voice in the background. He walks up behind my mother, whose face has flushed with indignation.
“You know what? I’ve had it with you too.” Edith scowls at him.
“Edith!” I yell. “His heart!”
She ignores me. “I’ve had it with your entire family. Stewart, you’re completely recovered. I’ve seen your doctor’s reports, and you’re healthy as a horse. The doctor gave you the all clear to return to all normal activities, including regular exercise and work.”
He did? First I’ve heard of it. And my father’s guilty look says that she’s telling the truth.
“And yet you spend your days screwing around in the greenhouse and leaving the entire weight of this company resting on your son’s shoulders, which frankly you’ve done since he was in grade school, and which is absolute bullshit. All because you didn’t want to stand up to Arthur Bradford.”
“Excuse me!” My father’s outraged voice crackles over the phone.
“Some of this is on me, of course. I should have said something long ago, but I knew none of you were at a point where you’d listen. So I’ve been running around behind the scenes trying to keep things going. And Fayette spends half her time gallivanting around the world, and her big contribution is dropping off fresh flowers at the employee lounge from time to time. In the meantime, thousands of people across seven different states are relying on you for their livelihood, and as usual you’re leaving it all on Elliott’s shoulders, so he gets all the blame if he can’t save the company.”
“You… you…” My father’s never been at a loss for words before. “You have absolutely no right to say that.”
“Oh, I’m holding back,” Edith snaps. “Believe me.” And she presses a button and the picture of them vanishes. I draw in a breath to yell at her, but she cuts me off with a glare.
“Don’t even bother, Elliott. You’ve already given up on the company, on us, on yourself. I’ve done and said everything I can think of to get you to get ahold of yourself, and yet here you are, looking like this. Boo hoo, you had a bad breakup and a fallout with an old friend. The world does not revolve around you, and your company doesn’t stop depending on you just because of a few setbacks.”
“Two old friends,” I say grimly.
She ignores me. “Everyone’s picking up on your lousy attitude, and Park City is aware, and so are the investors. And you know this. You were winning, you had it in the bag, and now you’re circling the drain. And you won’t even stand up for yourself enough to ask for help from your parents. You know you need to put your foot down with them, just like they should have with your grandfather, but you’d rather let the entire damn company go under then tell your parents a few home truths.”
Fury boils up inside me. I don’t know who I’m angry at, but she’s the most convenient target. “Thanks so much for having my back, Edith. If you feel that way, why are you here?”
“That’s a good question. And I’ve had other offers.”
The thought of Edith actually leaving sends a seismic shock through me. “Are you kidding me? You’re dropping a nuclear bomb in my lap now of all times? How could you?”
“Have you heard a single word I’ve been saying?” she fumes at me. “Elliott, grow a damn spine and go talk to Jillian. That is not a woman who uses men for money. Ever. And deep down, you must know that. Secondly, you need to ask yourself why you’re not fighting harder for this company. Maybe it’s time to let it go.”
My eyes widen in shock. “Excuse me, are you sending mixed messages, much?” I splutter. “I’m a bastard for not doing enough to save the company, but I should also dump the company?”
“I’m not saying sell it to Park City. Ever.” Her voice softens a little. “Maybe look for another buyer? Because if a simple heartbreak makes you give up on all of us, then you need to ask yourself how much you really care about this company. I mean, are you even happy here? Other than when you were dating Jillian, I haven’t seen you look happy in a long time.”
“I’m not giving up on the company.” I slump back in my chair. “I haven’t been thinking very clearly since our breakup, but I have been getting all of my work done. I haven’t missed any meetings, I’ve been making decisions, signing the necessary paperwork, responding to emails…” But I’ve been storming around the building scowling and snapping at people, at a time when the company needs a leader, and when Manny is sure to find out about it.
Her words hit me hard, though. Especially because Jillian asked me the same question. Why is everyone asking me that?
I don’t know. Are they seeing something in me that I don’t see? I love the company. It’s a fantastic company. I couldn’t be more proud of Bradford Family Amusement Parks and Resorts, of what we represent and how we treat our employees.
I haven’t really been able to enjoy the job, I guess, but that’s because of the abrupt and unexpected transition to CEO, and worrying about my father, and the threat of takeover by Park City. At least I think that’s the reason.
“I’ll figure things out,” I say to Edith. “I think it’s too late to fix things with Jillian, but if I’m giving off the impression that I don’t care about the company, then I need to make some changes.”
Edith wrinkles her nose in distaste. “Starting with a change of clothing. Also, deodorant is a thing.”
“I’m on it.”
As I walk out of the office, she calls out after me, “Whether or not you’ve ruined things with her, you owe her an apology. And the same goes for Trevor.”
In my back office bedroom, a wave of sorrow rolls over me. I’ve been avoiding it because it makes me think of Jillian.
I take a quick shower, change into a new suit, and toss my old suit directly into the trash. That thing needs to be taken to a hazardous waste site for disposal.
I call my father at the greenhouse and get the answering machine. He doesn’t usually answer the phone when he’s puttering around with his orchids.
“I think it’s over, Dad,” I say wearily. “I’ve failed. I can’t do the job. I’m screwing up so badly that even Edith is ready to quit. All I need to do to save the company is smile and shake hands, and I can’t even do that. I’ve let Grandad down, I’ve let you and Mom down. I’m sorry.”
I sit back down at my desk and call the greenhouse, getting the answering machine again, and I remotely erase my message to my father. He’s got enough on his plate as it is.
Grimly, I start sending out emails and returning calls.
My desk phone rings. It’s Edith.
“You’re still here,” I say snidely.
“I didn’t say I’d quit without notice. You should know me better than that. And you have a visitor who’s not on your schedule but she says it’s important. She says that her name is Amber Contreras, but you knew her as Amber Davidson.”
Amber Davidson? The first woman who ever broke my heart? What exactly is the universe trying to tell me?
“Send her in,” I say, and hang up the phone.
What the hell could she possibly want after all these years?
Amber walks into the office. She’s as pretty as she was back in high school, and she’s barely changed. She’s still got the lean, tanned body of an athlete. Her straight blonde hair has darkened a little and it has streaks in it now, and faint lines crinkle at the corner of her eyes. And the big sparkling rock on her finger, that’s new.
“Amber. Long time no see. Please, sit down.” She’s looking fantastic, wearing a little pink tennis dress with a Balenciaga bag slung over her shoulder. My first thought was that she’d come here to ask to borrow money, but that’s hard to imagine after all these years, and she’s certainly not dressed like a woman who’s hard up for cash.
She sinks into the chair facing my desk, her back rigid. “Thanks for seeing me.” Her tone is cool, which isn’t surprising given that we didn’t exactly end things on a good note. That was on her, though. What could she possibly have to be snippy about?
“It’s nice to see you again after all this time,” I lie. It’s not really what I’d call nice. It’s weird. “So, uh… Contreras... Did you marry Rogelio Contreras?” He was our quarterback.
She nods, sitting stiff and uncomfortable in her chair. “Yes, I did. We have four children.”
“Congratulations. So, ahh… Here you are… Can I help you with something?”
She shifts awkwardly in her seat, crossing her legs at the ankles. “I probably should have come here sooner, but I’ve been pretty mad at you for a long time. Anyway. A couple of weeks ago, a lady named Jillian pulled up in my driveway. She was with a group of women who’d just been in some kind of fight.”
I straighten up in my chair. “I’m sorry—some kind of fight?”
Amber shrugs. “She had a black eye. There was an older lady with a split lip. One of the other girls had scratches on her face. And she was driving a car that looked like it was held together with duct tape. I nearly called the police, to be honest with you.”
Jillian’s done some crazy things in her life… but a fight? It’s so out of character for my free-spirited girl.
Not yours, I internally berate myself.
“Anyway. She said she’s sort of a friend of yours, and she claims that after you went away to college, you believe that I sent you a very nasty message saying that I was glad you left, that I had been screwing around on you, and I’d only been dating you for your money and your family name.” She arches one perfectly plucked brow. “Is that true? Did you think I sent you a text like that?”
I clear my throat, the ghost of the old hurt whispering through me then quickly vanishing. “You did. I got the text.”
“Really,” she says frostily. “Does that sound in character with anything you knew about me?”
“I mean… no, it doesn’t. It caught me out of the blue. But it came from your cell phone. Who else would have sent it?” An uneasy feeling sweeps through me. “You’re saying you never sent that text message?”
“I’m not just saying it. It never happened. I mean, why would I lie?” She arches one perfect brow. “I’m a happily married woman. I didn’t come here to hit on you.” No, she looks more like she wants to spit on me.
“So why did you come?”
“While talking to Jillian, I had this insane gut feeling that maybe we were played. Perhaps all these years, I’ve hated you and you’ve hated me, and we both had it wrong.”
“If you didn’t send the message, then who? I’m being straight with you, Amber, I did receive that awful text from your phone number.”
Her scowl softens, and she chews on her bottom lip. “I think it was Cameron.”
I rear back in shock. And then the anger hits me, slamming into me like a tidal wave, and I clench the arms of my chair. “Why do you think he’s involved?” I grit through my teeth.
“Jillian says that you’re still best friends with Cameron and he worked at your company up until very recently? Here’s the thing. Cameron was at my house during the weekend of the text message fiasco. He was hanging out with my brother—as a way to get close to me. He always hit on me, Elliott. It was gross.”
“Holy... He hit on you? You never said anything.”
She shrugs. “I wasn’t as assertive back then. And I didn’t want to ruin your friendship. Now I realize I should have said something. So I just wanted you to know he very easily could have gotten hold of my phone and sent you that text. It’s the only explanation.”
My mind is spinning. She’s just rewritten the last twenty-odd years of my life. Everything I thought I knew about Cameron was a lie. And I fell for his smarmy charm like everybody else and deliberately overlooked all the warning signals I should have spotted long ago.
He was never protecting me, never sticking up for me. He just used that as a smokescreen, an acceptable excuse to punch and mock people.
I grimace. “And I sent you a really shitty text message in response, because I thought you’d written that message. It broke my heart. It absolutely devastated me. I thought we were going to get married. I thought I’d be that guy who married his high school sweetheart and lived happily ever after. I’m so sorry I didn’t talk to you about it. All of this could’ve been avoided. I’m sorry for everything I said to you back then.”
“I thought we’d be together for the long haul too.” She flashes me a rueful smile. “I appreciate the apology… even if it’s decades late. Anyway, it’s all water under the bridge. Rogelio found me crying my eyes out and took me out for an ice cream sundae to make me feel better. The rest is history. My kids are great, my husband is a sweetheart. So all’s well that ends well.”
“I’m so sorry, Amber. I’m really glad things worked out for you. I appreciate you coming here to tell me that. It makes perfect sense now, and I can’t believe I didn’t question things when it all went down. I was a lot less mature back then, but it’s still no excuse.”
She sighs. “Jillian begged and nagged for me to come here and tell you the whole story. It was her that connected the dots for me. She said you really needed to know the truth, because you’ve had a string of bad relationships and it’s haunting you. I was in the area, so I decided to stop by.”
Jillian.
Knowing that after everything she still cares causes a pang in my chest.
I stand up abruptly. “I have to go make a few phone calls. Please come to the park any time you like, on me.”
“Maybe.” She smiles wryly. ”If I helped you, I’m glad. You were a great guy, up until the minute I got that douchey text from you.” She smirks. “I’ve got to get home, though. I need to run some errands before I pick up the kids from day camp.”
She stands up in one smooth, graceful movement. I come out from behind my desk to shake her hand and walk her to the elevator.
After she’s gone, I call Edith into my office and tell her what Amber just told me. Her eyes go wide with astonishment.
“Son of a bitch.” She shakes her head slowly from side to side. “I need to call security and have them go over his computer and company phone with a fine-tooth comb. Heaven knows what else that little bastard’s been up to.”
I nod, but I’m barely listening. One word is running through my head again and again. Jillian.
I’m an idiot on an epic level. I am the Mount Everest of idiots. I let Cameron destroy my relationship with Jillian. Whatever really happened with her and Trevor, I know she never cheated on me with him, and I’m sure Cameron twisted things around to make the situation sound worse than it was. And she still cared enough about me to ferret out the truth and warn me about him, without asking for a single thing, without expecting ever to see me again. If I could kick my own ass, I would.
I try to call her immediately. Her cell phone goes to voicemail.
“Amber just came by here today. I am sorry,” I say to her. “I’m an idiot. I screwed up the best thing that ever happened to me. Please, can we talk? Even if you never forgive me, I just want the chance to tell you how sorry I am face to face.” I hang up, feeling ill.
Then I make a quick phone call to Trevor.
“What the hell do you want now? Want to throw any more bullshit accusations at me?” he snaps. Then his voice softens a little. “Is everything all right?”
“It’s Cameron,” I tell him before he gets a chance to curse me out. “I just found out some stuff. He’s a lying sack of shit. Can I please come over to your house right now? I want to tell you about it and apologize in person. You can punch me in the face or whatever.”
“‘Whatever’ leaves me a lot of room,” he warns me.
“Awesome. I deserve it. Be there in half an hour.”
When I get to his house, I spill out everything. He stands there, his scowl deepening, eyes blazing with anger.
I shove my hands in my pockets, feeling absolutely wretched. “Tell me about the agreement with Jillian. Please.”
He shrugs. “I caught her climbing up your billboard. She planned on spray painting some shit on it because she thought the safari park was meant for actual hunters.”
I choke on a bitter laugh. “That sounds very Jillian. Big-hearted to a fault and rushes into things without thinking.”
“I blackmailed her into working for us until after the investors’ meeting and told her she had to help soften your image and make you smile for the cameras. That was it.”
“God, was I a…” My voice trails off. “I can’t even come up with enough bad words to call myself.”
His face is stony. “I’m compiling a list. I’ll be happy to share.”
“Would you possibly consider coming back to work for us?”
He lifts one burly shoulder in a shrug. “I never completely quit. I’ve been compiling some intel on Cameron and his communications with Park City Properties, and I was getting close to coming to you with it. Edith knew.”
Park City Properties? Of course it was all him. The sabotaged rides, the insider info leaking…
And Trevor was still trying to help me. Jesus take the wheel. My friends are far kinder to me than I deserve. “‘Thank you’ seems inadequate, but, you know, thank you, and look for a huge Christmas bonus. I want to go talk to Cameron,” I say. “He’s been getting away with shit for far too long.”
He replies with a short, abrupt nod. “I’m coming with you.”
“To stop me from kicking his ass? Or to do it yourself?” I ask.
“Jury’s still out,” he growls.
He gets in my passenger seat, and we drive straight to Cameron’s house, and when we arrive, I see a familiar little red Porsche parked outside. And I’m not even surprised.
We walk up the front steps. We hear voices off to the side and follow them.
Cameron and Lauren are passionately entangled in a chair on the deck behind his house. His hands are everywhere. She’s moaning aloud, and it hits me for the first time how forced and theatrical it sounds.
I stand there watching with mingled revulsion and fascination for a full minute before Trevor coughs the word “Sleazebags!” loudly into his hand. Cameron and Lauren fall away from each other, and Lauren tumbles off the chair and onto the deck with a shriek of anger.
“What?” Trevor shrugs. “I was getting bored.”
Lauren scrambles to her feet, tugging down the hem of her skirt. “Wait! You don’t understand! It’s not what it looks like!”
“We know. He was having a heart attack, and you were doing mouth to dick resuscitation,” Trevor drawls, his mouth curling up in sardonic amusement as we climb the steps of the deck and walk towards them.
“What the hell are you doing here?” Cameron scowls and tucks his shirt back into his shorts.
Trevor’s eyes gleam with cold anger. “Lifting up a rock and seeing what’s crawling around under it. So, all those things you said about Lauren being a skank and a liar and a backstabbing bitch. That was all fake.”
“No, I pretty much meant every word I said,” Cameron sneers. ”Doesn’t mean she’s a bad lay, though.”
“Excuse me?” Lauren’s jaw drops.
He flicks her a glance of utter contempt. “You’re still here?” His lip curls up in a smirk.
“You son of a bitch!” She hauls off and slaps him in the face so hard his head rocks back.
I lunge forward as he draws his fist back to hit her, and I catch his arm and twist it up behind his back. “You don’t hit a woman, not on my watch.”
Lauren turns to me, eyes shining with hope. “You do still care!” she simpers.
“Not about you, no. I’m just not into watching men hit women.”
“Looks like you’re still single, babe.” Cameron’s voice drips with venom.
She spins toward me, her face twisting in desperation. “When I cheated on you? Cameron was behind that. He kept telling me I deserved more. Planting ideas in my head. He pretty much fed me everything I said to you after we broke up.”
“I know that now.” I sigh. “It all makes sense. What you said perfectly echoed what Amber said back in high school. And now I know why. The thing is, though, if you had problems with our relationship, you could have come to me at any time. Nobody forced you to cheat.”
“Can we wrap this up any time soon?” Cameron snarls. He jerks his arm, and I tighten my grip, wrenching a grunt of pain from him. “She’s annoying me.”
She stumbles back. ”You asshole! Park City’s going to fire you!” she screams at Cameron. She turns to glare at me. “He’s been working for them all along. Corporate espionage. Him and me, we’d meet up and share intel. And he put on a big act about how he hated me for cheating on you, when it was his damn suggestion. I would have told you that, if you’d just taken me back. And now they’ll take over your company and you’ll have nothing. Nothing!” Rivers of mascara stream down her face. “Both of you will have nothing!”
“Run along now,” I say. She flips me off, then storms off the property.
When she’s gone, I let go of Cameron’s arm and bring my foot up, kicking him in the ass so hard he flies forward and lands face first in the grass. I’m throbbing with anger, with the need to swarm over him and pound him until my fists bleed, but I hold myself back. There’s a nauseating pity mixing with my anger. Cameron is truly a pathetic creature. He’ll never know true friendship or love.
I had love. And I lost it because of him. But my summer with Jillian was the sweetest time of my life, and I pity him, knowing that he’ll never experience that.
He lets out a roar of rage and leaps to his feet, drawing his fist back as if he’s about to punch me. “Go ahead,” I snort. “You’ve never been able to beat me in a fight yet.”
He sways where he stands, both hands clenched into balls of rage. He doesn’t try to hit me, though. “You think you’re better than me!” he screams. “You always think you’re better than me!”
“That can’t be what all of this is about.” I shake my head in astonishment. How could I not have seen what he was really like, underneath it all? “I spoke to Amber, by the way. You’ve been trying to screw with me for a long time. I just want to know why. After everything we’ve done for you...”
“Yeah, everything you’ve done for me,” he sneers. “All the charity you’ve given me. But you always had to do better than me, didn’t you? Better grades, better times on the track, better family.”
“Are you serious with this?” I splutter. “Excuse me for being good at things. It wasn’t like I was specifically trying to beat you.”
“That’s just it. You weren’t even trying.” His eyes spark with fury. “You just have to be naturally better at everything, and rub it in my face all the time. And all those little bits of charity you gave me... inviting me to your house on the holidays and giving presents to poor Cameron... and hiring me for a fucking assistant manager job? That was fucking insulting.”
“No, it was me trying to help a friend. And you know what, Cameron? You were shitty at your job. The fact that you think I should have handed you a manager’s job when you weren’t even qualified for an assistant manager position is typical of you. By the way, industrial espionage is illegal, you’ve violated your non-disclosure agreements, and we’ll be pressing charges. Enjoy the rest of your day.”
Trevor and I spin around and stalk off. Cameron charges after me, bellowing like a bull. I spin around and raise my fists, but before he gets to me, Trevor grabs him by the arm and spins him around. “You really thought this through, Cameron?” he snarls in his ear. “Your pretty face is the only thing you’ve got going for you. Be a shame if I had to rearrange it.”
“Motherfucker!” Cameron howls. Trevor lets him go. We walk away, and Cameron hurls a stream of insults at our back, but doesn’t try to follow us.