Grand Lies by JC Hawke

14

Nina

The beautiful moonlitsky casts a shadow over the sprawling home before me. It’s magnificent. Curved granite steps lead up from the circular driveway, leading to a terrace that runs from the left and right of the double-fronted doors. Ivy creeps up and around the windows covering a third of the mansion. It must be a listed property; it’s so grand. I can’t imagine growing up in a place like this.

Mason stands unmoving at the bottom of the steps, his shoulders set and his jaw tight. I slip my hand into his and squeeze.

I’m here, Bossman.

“I can’t wait to see inside.” I swing our arms between us. “It’s stunning, Mason.”

“Come on,” he mumbles, pulling me forward and up the steps.

I can feel him shutting down already.

He ushers me through the door, taking his time to close it. He doesn’t turn around straight away, and I watch his back as he moves the champagne he had under his arm from one side to the other, then back again.

I step forward, sliding between him and the door, then reaching up, I take his face in my hands.

“Mase, we can leave?” His eyes search mine for something I’m unsure I hold. “But I would love to meet your family.”

Let me in.

He nods his head then pulls me through the house and towards the noise at the back of the property. His family is sitting out on the terrace, which must wrap around the entire house. It’s tranquil and calm, with lanterns scattered throughout the area and a fire that burns in a little chimney in the corner. Beyond that lies miles and miles of uninterrupted countryside.

“Mason, you’re here.”

I recognise the man immediately. He is the man from the photo in Mason’s home office. His dad. He has aged some since it was taken, but the sharp line of his jaw and the deep dark brown of his eyes match his son’s.

“Dad,” Mason says, placing me to his front. I can’t help but feel like it’s a shield. “This is Nina, my girlfriend.”

It’s unexplainable, the feeling that flits through my chest. For a second it’s almost painful, jarring my entire body, but it spreads fast and ends in the tips of my fingers.

I crave it.

“Hello, Mr Lowell.” I reach out my hand to him feeling unsure when he doesn’t take it immediately.

“Girlfriend? Right, sorry. Hello, Nina. Please, call me Anthony.” He looks to Mason in question, while taking my hand in a gentle shake. “I can’t tell you how happy I am to meet you.”

“You too, Mr Lowell.”

He nods his head, still looking at Mason, then his glassy eyes come back to me.

Mason puts his hand on my back and steers me forward. “I’m going to introduce Nina to the others.”

“Of course.” Anthony smiles, stealing a moment as he walks to the edge of the patio, looking out over the rolling hills and setting sun.

He seems frail. Much smaller than he looked in the photo. John always tells us that as you get older, the weight tends to be harder to shift. It’s an excuse for extra apple pie, I’m sure—but if it is true, then that’s not the case here, and as Anthony leans against the flower bed, grasping the granite planter to steady himself, I wonder just how bad his addiction is.

“Frey, Glen,” Mason greets the couple standing at the fire. “Nina, these are Elliot’s parents, Freya and Glen Montgomery.”

I shake both their hands as they smile warmly at me.

“It’s lovely to meet you, Nina. Elliot has told me so much about you. And your friends Megan and Lucy? I do hope I’m not making that up.” She leans into me as she laughs.

“No, that’s right.” I chuckle. “Elliot told you about us?” I frown, looking across the terrace at him. He is sitting in a big circular lounge chair, chatting to Charlie, who sits opposite him.

“Oh, he loves the ladies. You’ll have to get used to that and never tell the boy a secret.”

I smile, deciding I already like her. Frey Montgomery is exactly how I’d expect her to be. She oozes class, her ashy blonde hair cut into a long bob that perfectly suits her petite frame, and her clothes, all white linen.

Glen, Elliot’s dad, is tall, just like Elliot, but has dark brown hair speckled with grey around the sides.

“Yes, he does seem to be quite taken with the girls.” I smile, my mind wandering back to the first night we met.

“Where’s Scar?” Mason asks.

“Kitchen,” Freya replies. “She wouldn’t let me help her.”

“Why does that not surprise me? Come on, I want you to meet her.” Mason leads me back towards the door, but I stop when we pass the boys, needing a moment to breathe after already meeting half the people here in under a minute.

Charlie stands to hug me. “Nina, it’s good to see you.”

“I should apologise for yesterday,” I say, my mouth pulling down on one side as I wince.

He chuckles, taking a swig of his beer. “It’s fine. I was bored shitless anyway. You don’t need to apologise to me, that’s for sure.”

“Nor me,” Elliot pipes up, standing from the chair. “I’ve been waiting years to see this prick get put in his place.”

Mason shakes his head, placing a hand on my back. “On that note. See you later, assholes.”

He guides me towards the back door again, but just as we cross the threshold, we run into a petite lavender-haired woman carrying a tray of canapés.

“Fucking-great-shit-balls!” She shrieks as the canapés clatter to the floor. “MASE! Why are you storming through the door like that for? Look what you’ve done!”

“Me? It’s not my fault; you had the damn thing in front of your face.” Mason proclaims, refusing to take the blame.

The lavender-haired girl—who I presume is Scarlet—tuts. “Always my fault.” She laughs, twisting her lips into a pout then pulling him in for a hug. “It’s good to see you, big brother.”

I look between the two siblings, suddenly feeling nervous to meet Scarlet. She is nothing like what I expected. “Hello,” I say.

She turns to me, blinking rapidly as she looks back to Mason in question. “Hello, I’m sorry, who are you?”

“This is Nina,” Mason replies proudly.

“This is Nina,” she repeats, still smiling as she looks between us. “And Nina is…”

“My girlfriend.”

“The what the what? Girlfriend? That’s a first.” She laughs awkwardly, clearly surprised by the information. “Well, it’s lovely to meet you. I’m sorry my brother has caught me off guard. He didn’t tell me you were coming.”

“It’s fine!” I wave her off, bending to pick up the canapés—although they are no longer edible. “Do you need a hand? I can help you with these.”

“You don’t have to do that, Nina,” Mason tells me, pulling on my elbow.

I shrug him off. “It’s fine. Two sets of hands will get it done twice as fast.” I smile over at his sister, who is on her knees, scraping up the last of the mess.

“My name’s Scarlet, but you can call me Scar.” She puts out her hand, then cringes when she realises it’s covered in a mixture of toppings.

“It’s lovely to meet you,” I tell her, laughing with her when I don’t take her hand.

“My brother hasn’t told you anything about me, though, I presume,” she says, looking up at Mason.

Mason slips his arm around my waist when I stand. “I brought her to meet you, Scar.”

Her shoulders sag, and something in the air shifts. “Dad’s been struggling,” she tells him.

His hand tightens on my side, and he doesn’t say anything more. An awkward silence settling between the three of us.

“I’m going to get some more champagne.” Scarlet’s eyes lower to the floor as Mase gestures for me to walk on in front of him, but I don’t want to leave his sister alone to clean up the mess.

“It’s okay, you go. I’m going to help your sister.”

“You don’t need to,” he whispers in my ear.

I turn, kissing the side of his mouth. “I want to.”

Scarlet leads me into the kitchen, which sits in the middle of the house. It’s modern but traditional, with a farmhouse feel to it. It’s got lots of mess, and it’s homely. It’s completely different to Mason’s.

“Would you like a drink?” Scarlet asks, pulling open the fridge.

“I’d love one, thank you,” I say, sliding onto a stool at the island. “Your home is beautiful.”

She turns, wine bottle grasped in her hand. “Thanks. As you can see, it needs some TLC. I’ve barely managed to scratch the surface over the years, but I’m getting there.”

“You wouldn’t get someone in to do the work for you? I’m sure Mase would know someone. It’s real estate your family is in, right?”

“My dad and Mase, not me. I wouldn’t know where to start with the ‘family’ business, and have you seen Mason’s place? I’d never let his minions loose in this place.” She grins, and I know exactly what she means. “And I kind of love doing it myself; it’s rewarding to finish a room and then pick the next.”

She whirls around the kitchen, opening cupboards and draws until she has two glasses and a bottle opener in hand. I get the feeling Scarlet is a doer. She is quirky in her style and seems like a creative ‘out there’ kind of person. I mean, she is wearing combat boots with her pale blue midi dress and lilac hair, yet she is rocking it. With the money that I presume comes with the Lowell name, I’m shocked at how utterly normal she is.

“I love that. I’m completely awful at all things DIY.” I laugh. “Would Mase not come and help you at least?”

She looks at me as if I’d grown two heads. “Oh boy, you’re in for a ride. He doesn’t come here. Not unless he has to.”

“Like when your dad is having a bad day?” I give her a tight smile.

“Exactly.” She slumps down into the chair next to me, filling both glasses with wine. “He told you about that?” she asks, her eyebrows dipping into a frown.

“Yeah, I mean, not all that willingly.” I take a small sip. “but it came up.”

“Mason had our parents for three years more than me, and I think he remembers a lot about Mum, whereas I only have the pictures.”

“I’m so sorry, Scarlet.”

“Please call me Scar.” She clinks our glasses together, taking a large gulp from her glass. “How did you meet my brother?”

“Ah, through Elliot and Charlie.” My lips pull up in a smile, and I feel my cheeks redden with my next question. “Hey, do you know why Elliot would call me Pixie?”

She snorts, choking on her wine as she seemingly inhales instead of exhaling at the wrong time, and wine starts to drip from her nose.

“Oh god, are you okay?” I grab a napkin and pass it to her.

“Sorry, did you say Pixie?”

“Yeah, since the first night I met Elliot, he’s called me Pixie.”

She hesitates, but I can see her smile beneath the napkin, the glimmer in her brown eyes giving her away. “No, I’m afraid I don’t know, Nina.” She wipes the remnants from her chin.

“Wow, Scar. Are we really starting this friendship off on a lie?” I tease, reaching over to top up her glass.

“Not my story.” She shrugs with a smile before changing the subject. “You know, it’s nice to have a female around here. Some days I feel like saying screw it and finding myself a job. I just can’t leave Dad right now.”

“Have you ever worked?” I ask, hoping I don’t sound rude.

“Nope, I feel like it’s too late now. I’m twenty-nine tomorrow, and I feel like my time to study has run out.”

“Your birthday is tomorrow? And it’s not too late to study! This is the prime of your life.”

“I wanted to be a doctor. Started studying medicine after college but dropped out when Dad got sick. I never really thought about going back,” she says, and I know it’s a lie with the sad look in her eyes.

It’s not the revelation of a lost dream. It’s the confession of one that’s never left her.

“You should absolutely go back. Surely Mason could help you with your dad?” I raise my brows at her over the rim of my glass. I should probably slow down. I’m starting to poke my nose in places where it’s not wanted. “What’re your birthday plans?”

“Nothing really. Dad has an appointment at two, and I will need to drive him to that.”

“What about tomorrow evening? Will you be out with your girlfriends?”

“You mean the snooty girls who haven’t reached out since I left college?”

“Did you reach out?” I question.

She tuts, shaking her head sarcastically. “Just when I was starting to like you.”

“We are sooo going out,” I decide, knowing my friends and my own bank account won’t hack it, especially with Erin arriving Sunday and the prospect of another night out in the city. But I can’t have her stuck here all day. I’m already imagining her as a hermit for the past ten years, just with a better sense of style.

“Out? Out where?” Her eyes bug out, but she bounces on her chair, excitedly.

“Wherever you want. I have a morning class, but I could be here by twelve thirty? We could go anywhere.”

“What do you do?”

“I have a dance studio in London.”

“That’s amazing,” she says excitedly, but then her shoulders drop and I can see her mind racing.

I shake my head at her, not understanding. “Scarlet, I don’t want to impose.”

“But you’re about to anyway.” She nudges me with her elbow, giggling.

I take a sip of my wine, smiling around the rim of my glass. “But if there was a way to go back to med school, would you go?”

“I couldn’t. My father doesn’t have his health anymore. Mase doesn’t get it.”

“And neither do I, so ignore me. But you shouldn’t put your life on hold for anybody else. Even if that person is your family.”

She eyes me behind my wine glass, a slight smirk pulling at her lips. “Okay, it’s official. I like you.”

* * *

Mase

I should behappy that my father isn’t drinking tonight. Our guests wouldn’t know; they never noticed when he drank. At least they never seemed to. Maybe it was the elephant in the room for all the years the alcohol wasn’t visibly killing him. It’s too late now. Nothing can mask the damage it’s done.

He’s sick. I can see it in the pale of his skin. The way his body is slower, his bones protruding. It infuriates me that he has done it to himself. All the years wasted locked away in his office with a bottle of scotch that he won’t get back.

“Mason.” He approaches me. “How are you, son?”

I wish I could hate him. It would make this so much easier. “I’m good, Dad.”

He nods. “I was hoping we could sit down for a chat this week. I have a few things I need to go through with you. Maybe you could ask Charles—”

“Just, stop. I have enough on my plate right now without worrying about this. I need to go and find Nina.” I feel like an asshole as I leave him on the patio, but I’m not ready for what he wants to say. I won’t ever be ready, and he knows that. I don’t catch what he says as I walk away. I only hear the word time.

I hear their laughter from the other side of the house, and it wraps itself around me like a warm veil. A sound I never knew I needed and now won’t ever forget.

“No!” Nina shrieks.

“Yep, the whole thing is on tape. You have to see it.” Scarlet laughs.

I round the corner finding them at the kitchen island, the canapés a mess and sitting in the centre untouched. There are two bottles of wine on the counter, both emptied. I shake my head and smile my first genuine smile of the night.

They both turn at the shutter sounding on my phone.

“Did you just take a picture?” Scarlet points a finger in my direction.

“Mase!” Nina chides, hopping down from her chair, and moving around to stand beside me. Leaning up on her toes, she places a kiss on my cheek. “You okay?” she asks.

I slide my arm around her waist. I am now.

* * *

We sitin the main dining room for dinner, the cool August evening too chilly for the girls. They seem to have hit it off, and I probably should’ve expected it with Scarlet being only a year older than Nina. With her lack of social life, I’ve always seen her as much younger than she is.

“So, Nina, what is it you do?” my father asks.

“I’m a dancer.”

“She owns her own studio and gym in London,” I correct her, squeezing her thigh beneath the table.

“She’s incredible,” Scarlet admires, staring like a creep across the table.

“Scarlet was telling me about her time at med school. I told her she should go back if it’s something she wants to pursue.” Nina says, and I watch Scarlet’s face drop.

“You want to go back to med school?” I frown, looking at my baby sister in surprise. She’s never mentioned going back. Not once.

She gives Nina a wide-eyed look. “Well, thanks, friend.”

“Scarlet, is that true?” my father asks her.

“I don’t know.” She shrugs. “I haven’t really thought about it.”

“That’s a wonderful idea, darling. It’s about time you did something for yourself,” Frey says.

Scarlet chews on her lip, her eyes flicking to my father. “Maybe next year I could look into it, find out what the process is.”

She looks at Nina again, and I follow her gaze, catching Nina mouth ‘Sorry’.

“I can speak to Ben if you want? I’m sure with the pull your name has at the university you could get into this year’s class?” Charlie offers.

Scarlet rolls her eyes, looking back at Dad again as Nina’s hand slips into mine under the table. She gives me a look.

Is it weird that I know exactly what she wants?

“You should go for it, Scar. You know I’d be behind you one hundred percent. Anything you need.”

“I agree,” Dad voices, grasping her hand on the table.

“Thank you, Mason.” She smiles softly, looking at Nina with a warm look in her eyes.

I haven’t seen my sister so relaxed in years. She usually spends all her time cooking the food or fetching drinks to keep everyone happy at family meals. To see her with that spark in her eye and to hear that she actually wants to do something with her life—after years of me thinking she was wasted here—it has a warmth spreading through my chest, and I know the woman to my left is entirely responsible.

I lean in to kiss her temple, catching Elliot and Charlie smirking at me knowingly.

I’m completely fucked for this girl.

* * *

Nina

“Thank you for coming,Nina. It was wonderful to meet you.” Anthony leans down, kissing the side of my cheek.

He’s a sweet man who very clearly loves his children.

If only that were enough.

“It was a lovely evening. Thank you for having me.”

Mason leans in, giving his dad a quick hug, and pulling back before a second is up.

“Thank you for coming, son. Maybe I’ll see you both again soon?” he asks hopefully.

“I’d love that,” I mutter, even though I know my answer isn’t the one he wanted.

Mase walks me to the passenger side of the car and opens the door. I slide in, taking a deep breath as I process the events of the evening.

Once inside, he picks up my hand, kissing the back of it. “They loved you.”

“Was I too much? I felt like I was a little intrusive with the Scarlet thing. I should have waited to tell you.”

“No, not at all. Nina, I’m serious. Thank you. I didn’t know that Scar wanted to go back to med school.”

“Did you ever ask her?”

He drops his head. “No, and I feel like a dick for it.”

“Don’t. I had to poke it out of her. She feels like she can’t, with your dad being—”

“I know.”

“Mase you could help her, be there when she can’t.”

“Nina, he is sixty-two years old. He shouldn’t need babysitting.”

“No. You’re right. But if it’s peace of mind for your sister whilst she studies, surely that’s enough of a reason to do it anyway?”

He looks at me with a glare but has absolutely nothing to say. “I’m glad we agree.” I smile, rolling my lips. “Thank you for bringing me tonight. I really did have a great time.”

“Yeah?”

I nod, leaning in and giving him a soft kiss.

“Hmmm, just you wait till I get you home, angel.”