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CHAPTER EIGHT

❝YOU CAN'T HIDE THE TRUTH FOREVER, YOU'LL MISS OUT ON WHAT COULD'VE BEEN.❞

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Winnie sighed softly and scratched her curls as she walked into the kitchen with a yawn coming from her lips.

When she walked inside, she saw Justin standing over a bowl cracking eggs into a bowl, he looked up when he saw Winnie making him clear his throat as she gave a closed mouth smile.

Awkward, they both thought.

"You're cooking breakfast?"

"Yeah. . .should I not? I can order—"

"No, i-it's cool. . ."

Justin softly chuckled and cleared his throat then went back to cracking the eggs into the bowl as Winnie sat back and watched.

"So, um, how's the book?"

"I'm on my 8th chapter."

Justin's eyes slightly went wide. "Great."

"Yeah. . ."

Just after another awkward moment of silence, the sound of Winnie's phone in her robe pocket made her reach into it and get it.

Thank God, Winnie thought.

Winnie puffed out a breath and looked to see it was a text from Peter making her stomach do a flip and a smile come to her lips as she went to read the message.

are you doing anything today?

probably a little writing, why?

i wanna hang out, my place?

okie dokie, pick me up in a few?

you got it 😉

Winnie giggled out loud without realizing it and even though she couldn't see Justin's face, he had paused and rose an eyebrow as he watched Winnie smile down at her phone momentarily before locking it and putting it back in her robe pocket.

Once she turned back around to Justin, he had went back to cooking breakfast and pretended not to be eavesdropping on Winnie's business.

"I have to go, I'll grab some food later."

"Oh. . .sure, but I have a surprise for you when you get back."

"Surprise?"

Justin nodded and turned around to the stove and went to check on the waffles as Winnie pursed her lips and nodded as she left the kitchen and went upstairs to her bedroom to get dressed.

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Winnie looked at herself in the mirror at her outfit, she was dressed in a short sleeve cropped button up shirt, ripped dark blue jeans, and white slip on vans with her curls out and her lipstick on her lips.

Winnie smiled at herself and picked up her purse as she heard the sound of her phone ding, she checked it and saw it was Peter saying he was outside.

Winnie replied and put a pep in her step as she headed for the door to head out of her bedroom and downstairs, just when she opened the door the sound of a big red truck made her gasp and hold onto her chest.

"What the—"

"Damn, they're early."

"Who is? Lightning McQueen?"

Justin rolled his eyes and walked around Winnie to head outside to the truck. "No, my cars."

"What—"

Winnie cut herself off and watched Justin jog over to the big red truck and banged on the door and stepped back with a wide smile on his lips as the truck driver stepped out.

"JB, my man, I got your cars."

"Finally, thanks."

Winnie creased her eyebrows and walked over to Justin‍. "Justin, what the hell?"

"Well, the surprise is a bit early."

"Yeah, I got that, what is this?"

Justin held one finger up and walked backwards and walked up to the back of the truck and watched the truck driver open the wide silver door.

"Feast your eyes on these bad boys."

Winnie went to open her mouth to speak, but she stopped herself when she saw a ramp slide out from under the truck and slide out two Bentley's, a red and black one.

"Whoa."

"Peter!"

"Hey." Peter breathed out as he smiled down at Winnie and slipped his hands into the pocket of his jeans as Winnie smiled wide.

"Um—"

"Alright, Winnie, take your pick."

"Pardon?"

Justin chuckled and leaned onto the red Bentley behind him. "Well, it's your transportation for the rest of the summer, cool right?"

"Wow. . .it's great, Jay, can we do this later though? Pete's here and. . ."

"Ah, yeah. . .all good, you go."

Winnie raised an eyebrow momentarily before smiling at Justin and then holding hands with Peter and waving to Justin as they both headed for his truck — not without Peter waving to Justin as well.

Justin let his lips go into a thin line as he waved back and huffed through his nostrils as he watched Peter turn back around and open Winnie's door for her.

Just then, Justin remembered something and cursed under his breath as he hopped off the Bentley and jogged over to Winnie's door and knocked on the window.

Winnie creased her eyebrows and rolled down the window. "What?"

"What's Jade's number?"

"Oh gross, my new friend is not going to be your. . .rebound."

Justin rolled his eyes. "She won't, but I need her advice."

Winnie hummed in response and squinted her eyes as she reached into her purse for her phone and got out her phone and texted Jade's number to Justin making him smile.

"Thanks, see ya."

Winnie rolled her eyes and rolled the window back up as Peter started the engine and drove the truck out of the driveway and out back onto the dirt road to head to his house.

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"What's the emergency?"

"I need your advice."

Justin pursed his lips and cleared his throat as Jade stepped into the house and Justin shut the door behind her and she stopped the in middle of the room.

"Yes?"

"I. . .I made a mistake."

"With Iris? I think Kodak told us even the blind can see. . .Iris ain't for you."

Justin rolled his eyes. "Can we be serious?"

"Justin, in the past few days I've known you, I never thought I'd hear serious come out of your mouth."

"Can you be serious?"

"I'm sorry, but feed me first. Jade is starving."

Why is she like this? Justin thought.

Justin sighed softly and walked around Jade and walked into the kitchen and went into the cabinet and grabbed a box of buttered popcorn and took one pack out and tossed it to Jade.

"Oo, thanks."

Justin hummed in response and sat down in one of the chairs in front of the island as he watched Jade place the popcorn into the microwave for two minutes.

"Now, what's the issue?"

"Iris."

"Oh hell. . ." Jade breathed out as she rolled her eyes and picked at her nails as Justin licked his lips and shook his head as he ran his hands through his hair.

"I know you two didn't get off on the right foot, but I. . .I can see myself with her."

Jade had paused for a moment. Honestly, it scared Justin making him raise an eyebrow as Jade suddenly burst out laughing at his comment and grabbed her stomach.

Justin stood there with his lips twisted upwards and shook his head as he waited for her to stop, that was until she gasped and stopped.

"Oh, you're serious?"

"I really like her, Jade."

Jade smacked her teeth. "So. . .Winnie?"

"What the hell! I don't like her!"

Jade huffed and went to open her mouth to speak, but stopped when she heard the microwave ding. She squealed lowly and took the piping hot popcorn bag out of the microwave and ripped it open and started to eat the popcorn.

"Can we break this down?"

"Okay?"

"So, there's Winnie, the girl who's been in the beach house with you for almost what? Two and a half weeks? Yes, the most kindest and beautiful and unselfish person on earth that means no harm."

Justin nodded slowly.

"Then there's Iris. . .well I don't have shit to say about her, other than the fact that she's a bitch."

"Jade!"

"She's bitchier than Blair Waldorf and Regina George."

Justin creased his eyebrows and threw his hands up. "What is with all these Gossip Girl references?"

"What?"

"Nothing. . .listen, Jade, I asked for your advice. Can you just help me out?"

"All I'm gonna say is. . .you can't hide the truth forever, you'll miss out on what could've been."

Justin didn't respond. He just simply sat back and took in what Jade said as she leaned onto the kitchen counter and continued to eat her popcorn.

"Excuse me."

Jade nodded slowly and watched Justin lick his lips and hop up from the chair and make his way to the staircase and head upstairs to his bedroom, once he was inside, he shut the door back and took his phone out.

He smacked his teeth and went into his contacts and looked for Iris's number and held his finger over the phone button and thought it over.

Do I wanna do this? Justin thought.

Justin paused for one more moment and then shook his head and pressed the button and placed the phone to his ear and waited for her to pick up.

Once the line connected, Justin chuckled and rubbed his jawline and walked over to the edge of his bed to sit down before speaking into the phone.

"Can we talk?"

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"You sure your grandma will be okay with an unexpected guest for dinner?"

"Oh, she loves company."

Winnie giggled and nodded as her and Peter turned the corner and walked into the kitchen and saw an old woman standing over the stove putting some vegetables into a big and tall pot.

"Grandma."

The old woman turned around with somewhat wide eyes and let her eyes fall on Peter before smiling wide and waddling over to him as she wiped her hands on her apron. "Oh, how's my beautiful grandson?"

"Never better. . .but you did see me this morning."

Winnie smiled softly as she saw the old woman roll her eyes behind her glasses and then let her eyes meet Winnie's making her fix her posture slightly.

"You're pretty, who are you?"

"Winnie, nice to meet you."

"You're, Winnie, huh?"

Winnie rose her eyebrows. "I see I'm a trending topic in the Solano household?"

"Are you? It's Winnie's so sweet, Winnie's so beautiful, Winnie's so caring. . .the list goes on."

Winnie bit her bottom lip softly as she nudged Peter's arm seeing his cheeks turn a light shade of pink as he let out a nervous laugh.

"Grandma, let's get dinner ready, huh?"

"Sure. . .oh, dear, where are my manners? Sweetheart, call me Anne."

Winnie nodded and smiled as she took her hand into her fragile and wrinkled ones and gave it a light squeeze as she gave her a genuine smile and Winnie returned one back.

"Of course."

"Dinner?"

Peter nodded and watched Anne walk away from them and back into the kitchen to finish off cooking, leaving Winnie and Peter to set up the table for dinner.

As the two stand in the dining room, Winnie couldn't help but occasionally glance at Peter as he concentrated on the silverware and plates.

Peter had suddenly reluctantly looked up to see Winnie staring at him making her attempt to bite back a smile — only to let out a small giggle.

"What?"

"Nothing. . ."

"Nothing?"

"You talk about me to your grandma?" Winnie murmured softly as she tilted her head to the side and heard Peter nervously chuckle and scratch the back of his neck.

"You may or may not have came up in a conversation. . .or two, and I just said you were a good person."

"Really?"

Peter paused momentarily without making eye contact with Winnie and nodded before going back to what he was doing making Winnie lean forward onto the kitchen table. "Pete, did you really say I was beautiful?"

"I mean. . .how could I not?"

Winnie didn't respond to Peter, instead she went back to finishing up her side of the table as she felt her cheeks heating, and even though she couldn't see him, Peter's eyes were on her.

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Justin pursed his lips and looked down at his watch as the sound of the door opening behind him made him turn around and smile down at Iris while her lips stayed in a thin line.

"Hey. . ."

"You said you wanted to talk? Talk."

"Right. . .," Justin breathed out as he smacked his teeth and rubbed his sweaty palms against his jeans and looked Iris in the eye. "I'm sorry."

"You're sorry? That's cute."

"Can you just. . .let me talk?"

Iris huffed and crossed her arms over her chest. "Okay. . .fine."

"Listen, I do not have any feelings toward Winnie, I only want you. . .and I know that it's going to take a while for you to forgive me. . .but I'm willing to do it for you. . .and only you, Iris."

"Justin. . .you think you can waltz right back over to me? Like I'm some prize you won?"

Justin creased his eyebrows. "No, Iris. . .I made a choice."

"I think you made an ultimatum. . ."

"Iris, when it all comes down, I want you. . .I don't care how long it'll take for you to forgive me, but I'm willing to wait."

Iris pursed her lips and looked down at her feet momentarily before looking back into Justin's hazel eyes — for a moment she remembered why she was falling for him.

"Okay. . ."

Justin bit his bottom lip softly and walked closer to Iris and watched her lips curl upwards as her eyes remained on Justin's plump lips until his chest was almost touching hers.

Just when Justin's lips were about to reach hers, the door had suddenly opened wider making Justin suck in a breath and step back just as Iris did.

"Justin Bieber. . ."

"Mr. Baxter. . ."

Mr. Baxter hummed in response and slipped his hands into the pocket of his jeans and looked Justin in the eyes as he smacked his teeth and stuck his hand out for him to shake.

"I don't think we've properly met yet."

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"Your husband was in World War II?"

Anne smiled softly and laughed as she chewed her mashed potatoes as she sat across from Winnie and Peter who sat next to each other on the other side of the table.

"Ah yes. . .I loved my Harold. . .we fell in love back in high school and got married right before he was drafted to go to war."

"Sounds beautiful."

Anne hummed in response as if she was remembering all the good memories of when her and Harold were together when he was alive.

"I told him I was pregnant with Peter's mother the day before he left for the war, he almost didn't want to leave. . .but he still served, and when he came home, Peter's mother was already a few months old. He stayed and helped me take care of her."

"My grandpa died in 2011."

Winnie let out a small breath. "I'm so sorry. . ."

"Yes, but enough sad stories, are you and my grandson Peter a thing?"

Peter choked on a bit of his food — just as Winnie did making Anne raise an eyebrow as a grin came to her lips as well. "Hit a nerve, did I?"

"Um. . ."

"Grandma, it's not like that. . ."

"Yeah, we're just friends. . ."

"Who date?"

Winnie and Peter paused from eating and looked at each other and couldn't help but smile at each other and then look away and back to Anne.

"I guess we're just taking things slow."

"Your grandfather and I didn't move slow, in fact, our first time was in the back of his truck after a football game—"

"Grandma, not at the dinner table!"

Winnie snickered and bit her bottom lip softly as she started to twirl her fork in her mashed potatoes and suddenly feel a hand fiddling with hers.

Winnie took the chance to look over at Peter and see him eating his broccoli with a small grin on his lips and his other hand finding its way to Winnie's under the table.

And Winnie didn't mind.

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Winnie unlocked the door to the house and made her way inside quietly and puffed out a breath and walked in at the sound of the television in the living room.

Winnie creased her eyebrows and walked into the living room to see Jade on the couch with another bowl of popcorn in her blanket covered lap as she watched Black Lightning on Netflix.

"Jade?"

"Hey!"

"Where's Justin?"

Jade cleared her throat. "At Iris's. . ."

"Iris? I thought—"

"We both thought wrong, honey. . .," Jade breathed out as she shook her head and made room on the couch and patted for her to come over. "Join me, sister."

Winnie smiled softly and threw her purse down onto the back of the couch and walked around to plop down next to Jade as she gave her some room under the blanket.

Winnie sighed softly and rested her head down onto Jade's shoulder as Jade took a handful of popcorn and then passed Winnie the bowl making her smile and take the bowl.

Even though the television was on and the sound was blasting through her ears, she couldn't help but get a feeling in her chest about Justin.

Why was he going back to Iris?

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