Chapter 7 THEIR FRIENDSHIP
VANESSA POV
I slammed my car door hard enough that the valet actually flinched.
"Miss Sterling, are you—"
"I'm fine," I snapped, tossing my keys at my driver without looking at him. "Just park it."
I stormed into my father's house—well, my house now since I'd moved into the guest wing after college—and headed straight for the wine cellar.
My heels echoed against the marble floors, each click punctuating the anger still simmering in my chest.
I needed something expensive and strong and I needed it five minutes ago.
My phone buzzed. It was from Madison.
Bitch where are you? You said you'd be here an hour ago
Shit. I'd completely forgotten about our spa day.
On my way. Bring wine
You're supposed to be relaxing at the spa why would I bring wine
Because I need it. Trust me
I grabbed a bottle of my father's 2020 Château Margaux—he'd kill me if he knew I was drinking his $800 wine in the middle of the day but I didn't care—and headed back out to my car.
Twenty minutes later I was pulling up to Madison's family estate in Pacific Heights. The gate opened automatically because I had clearance. I'd been coming here since we were fourteen.
Madison was waiting on the front steps in a white silk robe, her blonde hair piled on top of her head, a green face mask already on. She had her arms crossed and was tapping one perfectly manicured nail against her elbow.
"You look like hell," she said when I got out of the car, her eyes scanning me from head to toe.
"Thanks. You look like Shrek," I shot back, slamming the car door behind me.
She rolled her eyes and gestured at her face. "It's volcanic mud from Iceland. It cost me three hundred dollars." Her gaze dropped to the wine bottle in my hand and her expression shifted. "What happened?"
"Can we go inside first? I need a glass," I said, already moving past her toward the front door.
"We're supposed to be at the spa in twenty minutes," Madison called after me, but she was following anyway because she knew me well enough to know when something was really wrong.
"Cancel it."
Her footsteps stopped. "This must be bad."
We went inside and I headed straight for her kitchen, my hands shaking slightly as I grabbed two wine glasses from the cabinet.
I poured us both generous amounts, the deep red liquid sloshing against the sides, and downed half of mine before Madison even sat down. The wine burned going down but I barely noticed.
"Okay seriously, what's going on?" Madison settled onto one of the bar stools, watching me with those sharp blue eyes that missed nothing.
She took a sip of her wine and made an appreciative noise. "Is this your dad's Margaux?"
"Yup," I said, refilling my glass even though I'd just poured it.
I set the bottle down harder than I meant to, the sound echoing in the large kitchen. "Callum is in love with some nobody."
Madison choked on her wine, actually spraying a little bit onto the counter. "What?"
"You heard me." I pressed my palms against the cool marble countertop, trying to steady myself. "That girl I told you about? Nova? The one whose mom married Richard Blackthorn for like two seconds?"
"The dead mom?" Madison grabbed a napkin and wiped at the counter, her eyes wide.
"Yes, the dead mom." I could hear my voice getting higher, more hysterical, and I hated it.
"She showed up at the estate a few days ago with her stuff in garbage bags—actual garbage bags, Madison—and now she's living there and Callum and Elias are acting like she's the second coming of Christ."
Madison set down her wine glass slowly, processing this. "Okay but how do you know Callum's in love with her? Did he say something?"
I thought about the way he'd looked at Nova in that sitting room. The way he'd pulled his arm away from me like I'd burned him.
The way both brothers had positioned themselves on either side of her like bodyguards protecting something precious.
"I just know," I said quietly, staring into my wine glass.
"That's not really evidence, babe." Madison's voice was gentle but firm, the way it always was when she thought I was being dramatic.
"I went there this morning. To see Callum." I took another drink, the wine warming my chest. "We were supposed to have coffee and talk about the merger."
"And?" Madison prompted when I didn't continue right away.
"And he wasn't even there. He and Elias had left to go somewhere and Little Miss Garbage Bags was there looking lost and pathetic in her ratty jeans and plain t-shirt." My voice was getting bitter now. "So I waited. And when they got back, Callum looked at her like... like..."
"Like what?" Madison leaned forward, her elbows on the counter.
"Like she was the only person in the room." My voice cracked and I hated myself for it. "I was standing right there, Madison. Right there. I'd just kissed his cheek. And he didn't even see me. He just looked at her."
"I'm sorry," she said softly, her chin resting on my shoulder. “Listen to me. You are Vanessa Sterling. You don't back down from some random girl who shows up with garbage bags. You fight."
"Fight how?" I wiped at my eyes, probably smearing my makeup even more. "She said she wasn't going anywhere. Right in front of me. Like she was claiming territory or something. And the brothers didn't even tell her to leave. They just... accepted it."
"Then you make them unaccept it," Madison said, shaking my shoulders slightly for emphasis.
"How am I supposed to do that when Callum won't even look at me?" My voice was rising again, frustration bleeding through every word.
Madison studied my face for a long moment. Then she squeezed my hand. "Don't give up. You never have. Remember when Brittany Westwood tried to steal your spot as head cheerleader in sophomore year?"
"I made her cry in front of the entire squad," I said, a small smile tugging at my lips.
"Exactly. And you're going to do the same thing here. Not literally make her cry, but you know what I mean." Madison grabbed the wine bottle and refilled both our glasses.
I took a deep breath and nodded. "You're right. I just need to figure out what angle to work."
"There's always an angle," Madison agreed, clinking her glass against mine. "Come on. We need to go shopping."
"Shopping? Why?" I asked, confused by the sudden topic change.
"Because if you're going to fight for Callum Blackthorn, you need to look like a woman worth fighting for." She gestured at my face. "And right now you look like you've been crying in a wine cellar."
"I kind of have been," I admitted.
Madison laughed. "Shut up and get your purse. We're going to Neiman Marcus and you're going to buy something that makes you look so hot that Callum forgets that girl even exists."
I grabbed my purse, feeling steadier now. More determined. "What would I do without you?"
"Probably make a lot of terrible decisions alone instead of with moral support," Madison said, linking her arm through mine as we headed for the door.
"You mean you're going to help me make terrible decisions but at least you'll be there?"
"Exactly." She grinned at me. "That's what best friends are for."