Page 54 of Holly versus Mr. Ivy
Trevor smirked at me and opened the door with me sitting on the carpet, scowling.
“Are you Rhett?” Trevor demanded.
I smacked my hand against my forehead, shaking my head. Not cool, Trevor.
“Yes?” Rhett responded, confused.
“You’re late. Do you know how rude it is to keep people waiting?”
Trevor blocked Rhett’s face from my spot on the floor. All I could make out was the dark wash of the jeans Rhett wore. Flipping onto my knees, which elicited a hiss between my teeth from the pain, I slowly got up. Gingerly stepping to the front door, I pushed Trevor aside.
My heart stuttered at the sight of Rhett. Locks of damp hair clung to his head. His chocolate and caramel eyes were focused on me. The long-sleeved, baby-blue shirt he wore accentuated his defined chest, and I decided right then and there this t-shirt was my favorite of all time, especially since Rhett had pushed the sleeves up, showing off his glorious forearms. “Sorry about him.” I elbowed my brother, who didn’t move as much as I wanted him to. “He forgets to be nice most of the time, which is why we keep him locked up in a doghouse out back.”
“Hardy-har-har,” Trev deadpanned.
Rhett grinned and addressed Trevor. “You must be Holly’s brother.”
“Unfortunately, yes.”
I put my hands on my hips. “Did you want breakfast?”
Trevor looked at me, confused. “Yes?”
“Then be nice or else I’m taking your food away,” I warned my brother. Opening the door wider, I motioned for Rhett to come inside. “Truly, I’m sorry about him and Noah. I’m sure between the two of them, this will be a delightful morning for you—and a horrible one for me.”
Rhett smiled softly at me. “I will take everything they say with a grain of salt.”
“Thank you.” I looked at the floor. “Um, we started eating because I wasn’t sure if you were coming.”
Rhett toed off his shoes. “Sorry I’m late. My mom stopped by for an unexpected visit, and it put me behind schedule. I’m glad you didn’t wait for me to eat.”
Did it have to do with his meeting with Anthony? Or what had happened after? I eyed him. The tightness around his eyes told me he was still stressed and overwhelmed. Turning to Trev, I said, “Give us a minute.”
Trevor rolled his eyes and stalked away.
I shoved my hands into my back jeans pockets. “Is everything okay?”
He waved away my concern. “Family drama.”
Families could be difficult.Hello, he’d just witnessed mine. I also didn’t want Rhett to feel like he couldn’t tell me things anymore. “Need a listening ear? Or someone to bounce ideas off of?”
His lips pulled up into a sad smile. “Know anything about trusts?”
Not what I’d expected. Also…were we just skipping over what happened Thursday night? Wasn’t he going to tell me what was wrong? “Only that rich people usually set them up for their kids.” At least, all the TV shows I watched said as much.
“And grandkids.”
I scratched my forehead. “So, someone in your family is fighting over one?”
Rhett slowly shook his head, disgust marring his features. “According to my mom, my pregnant cousin is demanding a trust from my grandfather for her unborn child. Since this is the first great-grandchild, it sets a precedent. My grandpa has the money, but since he wasn’t the one to offer the trust, he said no, and now everyone’s prickly and upset. We’re supposed to have Thanksgiving with my dad’s side of the family this year, and no one wants to get together anymore. Uncle Anthony is mad and refuses to be in the same room as his parents, and it’s a stupid mess. I hate family money and the control it gives to those who have it. I can’t even access my trust until I’m married, which means it may be wasted.”
Rhett had a trust? He couldn’t use it until he married? Why hadn’t that motivated him to get to the altar? And why would it be wasted? Was he never going to get married?
He’d said he didn’t have a girlfriend and planned to keep it that way.
Well, that sucked. Guess it answered my question about what to do regarding my feelings for him. They were unrequited. Why waste time pursuing a man who never wanted a committed relationship?
I shook my head. “I’m sorry, that sucks. You and your parents are welcome here for Thanksgiving if you want. We’ll be a small group because of my mom.” Our extended family included over sixty people. With Mom’s cancer, it was best she stay away from crowds that large.
