"Where were you?" Ramsey asked his eyes steeled on her.
"I got caught in surgery," Parker said her eyes moving from Ramsey to Lexi and then back again quickly as if she had been caught doing something wrong. "I couldn't just leave."
"You had to change in the hospital?" he asked holding back a smirk.
"Is it that obvious?" she asked adjusting the hem of her dress unnecessarily.
"Only because you don't look like the Club," he murmured under his breath.
"I hate the Club as much as you do," Parker responded quickly before ducking her head to show that the conversation was over until the couple had finished their speeches.
Lexi was surprised to find that the remainder of the rehearsal dinner went off without a hitch. The delicious food came and went. The conversation at their table was light and refreshing without any of the biting remarks Lexi was fearful of being involved in. And after Parker and Ramsey's brief exchange, they acted as if they hardly knew each other. When a question was directed at the both of them, they answered it separately without their eyes cutting to each other or the easy banter that she had seen fall between them. On the outside, the evening seemed to be a rousing success besides Lexi's momentary mental breakdown at the beginning of the night.
As the dessert dishes were whisked away, Bekah stood once more. "Now I know it's me and Jack's night tonight, but we personally," she said smiling down on him, "wanted to give a special announcement. This is known to very few people, and we thought we would share it with our dearest friends and family first and foremost."
For some reason, it was like Lexi could feel Bekah's eyes on her. She had no idea why. The room was dark with a spotlight on the front table. Therefore the likelihood that she was speaking directly to Lexi didn't make any sense. Why her eyes would find Lexi in this crowd of people when she spoke made no sense to her. Bekah had done her damage with Jack a year ago. She knew that they had mutual distaste for the other, but whatever this announcement was Lexi couldn't see how it would have to do with her.
"Ramsey do you mind coming up here?" Bekah asked. Ramsey stared forward at Bekah in confusion. His eyes narrowed calculating what he could possibly have to do with any of this. "Come on," she sing-songed forcing her hand as the bride-to-be.
Ramsey stood slowly hating that he had to do as she said. There were too many other people that would cheer him onward if he didn't immediately follow his sister's orders. "Of course." He nodded walking toward hers. His head turned once just once and met Lexi's gaze. She had no idea what to expect in that moment. She was holding her breath unsure as to what Bekah had in mind. Warning bells hadn't started going off yet. She was still too confused.
"Now you all know my dear brother," Bekah said a little too cheerfully. "He's been off running his own business and being a star." Lexi knew for a fact that him running his own business had never made his family think that he was a star. They all hated that he owned the clubs. "But we're thrilled to announce that he is finally coming home and taking on as the position as vice president for Bridges Enterprise's newest company."
Lexi's mouth dropped open in shock. She had heard not a single word of this. She had lived with him for two months. All of this had to have taken longer than the month she was gone to put together. Why hadn't he told her any of this? Was this was Lola had meant about Ramsey making it all up to her? Was this why Brad and Jason had been so secretive about him doing all of this for her? Was this why they had been forced to move out? Did this announcement somehow answer all her questions? She couldn't see how.
She just couldn't understand. Ramsey hated the idea of working for his father…for the company. He had bucked the status quo for so long that she had no idea why he would possibly want to do this.
Bekah's voice cut off Lexi's train of thought. "I'm pleased to announce along with this new development that the new wing of the company is going to be a full-time medical wing, and to head up our medical wing with my brother is none other than our own Parker Mackenson. Parker come up here!" Bekah shrieked excitedly.
* * *
K.A. Linde
Rashomon
The scars of your love remind me of us,
They keep me thinking that we almost had it all,
The scars of your love, they leave me breathless,
I can't help feeling, we could have had it all
-Adele "Rolling in the Deep"
* * *
Chapter 20: July One Month Earlier
It was easy to pretend like nothing had happened. Lexi's father ended up staying in the ICU for longer than anticipated, and she kept making the excuse that she had to be with him. No one could ever question her decision to stay in the hospital for extended periods of time. She still went into work, but she was distracted. Her earlier fervor for the company had slackened. She was certain her bosses noted the change in her work ethic. And she knew it was a stupid risk on her part to let herself fall behind. She honestly needed the job that she had. It paid well and she could tell they were leaving open a job for one of the interns in the fall, and up until that dreadful conversation with Parker, she had been gunning for that job. But there just wasn't anything she could do about her lack of caring. The program would be over soon and they would have to make their decisions either way. She just couldn't give them the truth. How could she tell her bosses that she was afraid she didn't know her boyfriend any longer? That wasn't something that they even cared about.
So she gave them the same excuse that she was giving everyone else since it had happened…that her father's heart attack had really shaken her. That she was terrified his condition might worsen and she needed the time to be with him. The company had allowed her the time however reluctantly, but there wasn't much time left and they were going to want her to complete the project she had been assigned. That had become her back up excuse when it was brought up that she was spending too much time at the hospital.
Lexi knew Ramsey's schedule by heart now and found herself showing up at the apartment when she knew he wouldn't be there and leaving before he awoke the next day. She couldn't help it. She knew that she should just ask him about what Parker had told him. Yes, that would be the logical thing to do.
After all Parker could have simply made the whole thing up. She had been friends with Bekah since birth, Lexi wouldn't exactly put it past her to do something horrible like that. But who was she kidding? Parker just wasn't Bekah. As much as she wanted to hate her, Lexi just couldn't. Parker had never done anything to her. If everything she had said was true, she had honestly done her a huge favor.