Page 73 of Built to Last

Reid stills for a moment. “If it goes to hell and the world hates me, are you going to stop being my friend? I’ll understand, you know. You have a reputation and a country to hold up.”

Luca waves the idea away. “Of course not. You’re with the woman who is basically my sister-in-law. I assure you there is only one point of view my family will consider. Even if you weren’t, I would believe you. Especially since I’ve met Britta. She talks openly about never settling down. She doesn’t believe in monogamy. I don’t understand why she’s doing this.”

“I do.” Ivy walks in with Heath, and she’s got the biggest grin on her face.

Oh, that is her gotcha grin.

Anika rushes to my side and we welcome Ivy. “Tell us.”

Heath joins the guys, and they look so comfortable together, this family of mine. “Before she does, you should all know that I put her on the right track. She kept looking for a lover Britta was hiding or a shit ton of cocaine. I figured it was something way more ordinary and way worse.”

“So money?” Luca asks. “That’s where I would look. It’s all she’s concerned about.”

“Bingo,” Ivy announces. “Turns out there’s some reporters sniffing around a manufacturing plant in Cambodia where Britta’s fashion line is made. She’s been working hard to cover up the fact that she signed off on paying far below normal wages and has seen reports on the safety situations in the workshops, but I got the receipts. I think she decided if it comes out, she can do an ‘I had no idea’ tour while announcing her engagement or terrible treatment by a powerful man, and guess which one would get the most airtime?”

“I do not like this woman.” Anika looks down at the tablet Ivy’s holding. It’s got a ton of information about the working conditions, and none of it is good. Including the child labor going into Britta’s two-hundred-dollar pairs of jeans. “I consider myself a girl’s girl, but sometimes girls are awful, too.”

“We can take her down like we used to take down the mean girls in high school,” Ivy says with a grin.

I stare at the information and realize something sad. We can’t use it. “Guys, let’s not get ahead of ourselves. We have to think.”

“Or we could upload it all to the Internet and let the world decide,” Heath counters. “This could get her in serious trouble, especially in Europe.”

I look to Reid, who seems to be thinking the same thing I am. “And then she won’t have any reason not to release what she knows. I talked to Jeremiah and we’re going to see a lawyer, but I still worry about what it’s going to do to his mental health.”

Ivy’s jaw tightens, and I know she’s biting back all her questions. I asked her not to look into Jeremiah. It’s killing her to not know, but she’s been a good sister.

“So we need to sit down and figure out how to leverage what we’ve found,” Reid says with a nod. “We could use this to get her to keep her mouth shut about what she knows. I think we’ll still have to deal with the interview. We have to give her something.”

“Or I can do what I should have done all those years ago,” a familiar voice says. “I can tell the truth and shame the devil.” Jeremiah looks tired as he walks in wearing stylish clothes and a weary smile. “The sad thing is I figured out I’ve been the real devil all along.”

“Jer, you have not,” Reid insists. “I agreed to all of it.”

Jeremiah holds up a hand, staving his brother off. He has his laptop, and he opens it. “I put this up on social media. I’ve already got a bunch of requests for interviews, and I’m probably going to need a lawyer for when she sues me for libel. The good news? It’s only libel if it isn’t true. Anyway, this is it.”

I stare at the screen, and Jeremiah is sitting at the dining room table in the penthouse. He gives the camera a smile before talking.

“Hey, guys. My name is Jeremiah Dorsey, though I suspect you already know that since you’re following me, but I expect I’m about to go viral, so I thought I would introduce myself. Two years ago my brother, Reid, his girlfriend at the time, Britta Olensoff, and I were coming home from a party in the Hamptons and had an accident with a family of four. My brother was injured pretty badly, and the driver of the other vehicle ended up needing some medical attention for soft tissue injuries. There is a police report that states my brother was driving. This report is a lie. I was behind the wheel. I was also drunk, though I was excellent at hiding it. I started drinking at a young age, and I was always good at deflecting. I suspect my brother caught me a dozen times over the years and never thought there was a problem until he found out that night. I panicked. Utterly panicked. We had a hit show, and no one knew that I was not only an alcoholic, but I started trying drugs. Pot at first, and then cocaine. I was also high that night. We got my brother out of the car before the other car could see us. We placed his injured body in the driver’s seat. It was Britta’s idea, but I went along with it, and it was Britta and I who told the police he was the driver.”

Reid’s hand is suddenly in mine, but he looks his brother’s way. “Jer. What did you do?”

“What I should have done a long time ago,” his brother says, tears in his eyes. “I should never have allowed you to take the fall.”

“It wasn’t a fall. I would have done it if I’d been conscious,” Reid admits.

“And if I’d been sober, it would never have happened.” Jeremiah gestures to the screen where he continues his tale.

“My brother and I offered the other family a settlement that included a nondisclosure agreement and hoped that was the end of it,” Jeremiah says on screen. “I quietly went into rehab. We decided with the producers of The Dorsey Brothers show that it was for the best to shelve the series. That was supposed to be the end of it, but we found ourselves in a situation where the person my brother should have been able to trust decided to blackmail us. Yes, I said blackmail, and I have the receipts. Literally, since mostly Britta wanted money. However, she would also force my brother to perform for the cameras when she needed publicity. All because I was too scared to tell the truth. Lying on a police report is a crime, and I’m willing to step up and do whatever it takes to fix this situation because my brother is in love and he and his girlfriend deserve far more than the trap Britta Olensoff is trying to put them in. So I will be surrendering myself this afternoon. My name is Jeremiah Dorsey and I am an alcoholic and an addict, but what I will no longer be is a coward. To all the fans out there, I am sorry for letting you down. I’m sorry for not coming forward and sharing a story that might help people in my situation. I don’t know what the future will bring. I only know that I will face it with love and courage and hopefully sobriety. I love you all.”

I’m crying at the end. Big fat tears that feel full of love and not sorrow. Despite the idea of Jeremiah facing charges, these tears are filled with hope because it’s out in the open and he can deal with it. We can all deal with it because he’s part of us now.

“You did not have to do that,” Reid says, his voice hoarse.

Jeremiah’s head shakes. “I did. I have to face what I did so it doesn’t bury me. I’m an addict. I have to be honest and open or I’ll go under, and I swear I don’t ever want to do that to you. I’m sorry it took this to get me to do the right thing, but it won’t happen again. I won’t let her hurt you and Harper.”

“Lawyer is going to have so much fun,” Ivy says as she pulls out her cell phone. She points Jeremiah’s way. “You do not go to the police without Lawyer. Am I clear?”

“As crystal,” Jeremiah replies. “I was going to grab a lawyer on my way in, but I bet whoever CeCe brings in will be better.”

---