Page 103 of Fool Me

“I want you to do what’s right for you, but if you’re asking if I think he’s being honest—no. I think he’s desperate and manipulating every angle he can. My parents want to see the best in him, even when they shouldn’t. It’s always been like that.” I sigh pushing a hand through my hair. “My mom lost her younger brother in a car accident right before Canyon was born. They could be twins, they look so much alike. And from what I’ve heard, their personalities are very similar. My uncle was wild, and my grandparents were super hard on him—it only pushed him away. The night he died, my grandpa kicked him out and told him not to come back until he straightened himself out. My mom was there and she didn’t step in.”

Harlowe’s hand comes up to cover her inhale. I can see the moment she understands why my mom acts the way she does with Canyon.

“I didn’t know.”

I’m not surprised. I’d only heard good things about Uncle Carter until the day I sat my mom down after I’d started therapy in college and told my parents pieces of what happened between Canyon and I. My mom broke down when I told her I didn’t want to see him anymore. “We don’t really talk about it, and I’m not sure Canyon even knows how deeply it impacted my mom.”

We’re quiet for a long moment as the sun dips below the horizon.

Then she whispers, “Can you live like this—not fixing things with him and being in the same place?”

“Yes.” I don’t tell her it might be hard with my parents—mom especially. Harlowe’s burden is heavy enough, and this is not hers to carry, it’s mine.

“I think you should talk to him, just to get a sense of what he’s playing at. Not for me, but for you. It feels like he’s trying to set you up to fall.”

“The enemy you know?” I ask, and she nods solemnly.

There’s something to her idea. I get the sense that Canyon’s not done pushing, and that tonight was only the beginning. But first, I need to cool off because a conversation with him right now would be a disaster.

CHAPTER

THIRTY-SIX

HARLOWE

Tessa has been back from Chile for three days, and it took exactly one of them for Drake to sign up for the bake-off, surprising everyone.

Now, they were two tables apart and refusing to look at each other like they hadn’t just spent a week as teammates sharing the podium and insults in equal measure.

“The tension in here is thicker than the frosting Drake’s piping on his cupcakes,” I say, watching Tessa flick powdered sugar over her tartlets with surgical precision.

Aspen and Sloane are working, but Briar and Denver are here showing their support for Tessa and Drake at Founder’s Day. The four of us stand under the tent, mesmerized by the spectacle unfolding.

Atlas hands me a coffee. “I think if you put them in a room unsupervised with an oven, only one of them would make it out.”

“Drake’s cupcakes might spontaneously combust with the way he’s glaring at them,” Briar adds from next to me.

“Wouldn’t be the first time something he touched went up in flames,” I deadpan.

“Ouch, that was harsh,” Denver says.

Atlas wraps his arms around me from behind, chuckling in my hair.

“Sorry, I’m Team Tessa.”

“Yeah, and so is the rest of the world.” Denver has a point, but still, she’s my friend and I will stand with her in solidarity. Even if I’m not one hundred percent sure what we’re standing for at the moment. The animosity between them has escalated to an all-time high since coming back from training.

Tessa is focused, with her jaw set like she’s in the middle of a run for gold.

Across the tent, Drake gives a sharp laugh at something one of the judges says. Tessa doesn’t flinch, but I see the way her hand pauses above her creations for a second.

Yeah, she’s still not over whatever went down between them in Chile.

“I feel bad for Marcy, and her hand pies stuck between them,” Atlas muses.

The giant timer counts down from ten and we join in with the rest of the crowded tent.

Jude, who managed to become a judge despite living off protein bars and cold brew, is sweating through his “Don’t Kiss the Cook” apron as he walks up and down the tables, surveying the results.

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