by Melinda Metz
She shook her head. “Just unexpectedly fast. And fun.”
“A lot of fun.”
“And tonight, more fun.”
“As much fun as you can stand until you go,” Nate said. He dressed quickly. He wanted to get this situation with Nathalie resolved, check in on his mom, check in on Archie, do a walk-through inspection of all the grounds and public buildings, then get back over here. “I’ll call you.”
“I’ll answer,” Briony told him.
He let himself have one more fast kiss, then left, retrieved his car, and started for Nathalie’s. Including a fast stop for donuts, it only took him about ten minutes to get to his sister’s. She’d wanted to live close. As he pulled into the driveway, he saw Lyle and Lyla sitting on the front porch, probably so they wouldn’t have to hear their mom crying. He promised himself he’d make plans to take them someplace awesome. Maybe while Briony was still here. She’d been great with them, and they’d liked her, he could tell.
“Donuts!” Lyle exclaimed, spotting the green-and-white box Nate held. He ran over, grabbed the box, and started looking at the possibilities.
Lyla approached more slowly, not as easily cheered up as her brother. “Are there sprinkles?” she asked.
“Are you ever going to trust me again? It’s been about two years since I got you plain strawberry instead of strawberry with sprinkles.”
Lyla smiled at him. “In maybe another year.”
“Two of the chocolate cakes are for your mom,” he said as Lyla and Lyle started divvying up the donuts. “The rest are up for grabs.”
“You don’t want any?” Lyle asked, through a mouthful of an Oreo Cookies and Kreme. He’d never settled on a favorite.
“I’m smart. I had mine in the car. I didn’t want someone grabbing my maple.”
Lyla handed him a napkin with the two donuts for her mom, and Nate walked into the house without bothering to knock. Nathalie wouldn’t want to drag herself over to the door.
“What took you so long?” she demanded from the sofa, where she lay stretched out, still in the clothes from the night before. Unless she’d started wearing Lycra pajamas. A half-empty glass of wine sat on the coffee table. He hoped that was from the night before, too. Probably was. Nathalie wasn’t the best mom, but she had her limits.
“It wasn’t long. But maybe I shouldn’t have stopped for donuts.”
“Chocolate?”
He pushed her feet off the edge of the sofa and sat down, then handed over the donuts. “I was thinking in the car that you should give Mom another chance to help you when you’re in a dating crisis. It’s a mom and daughter thing, not a brother and sister thing.”
Nathalie raised her eyebrows, then winced. “I already told you that will never work. I had to pretend I never had a boyfriend in high school. The one time I didn’t, she kept predicting that I’d get my heart broken. Which I did.” Nathalie sat up and reached for the glass. “It’s morning, isn’t it?” She pulled her hand back.
“Ding, ding, ding. You win a brand-new car.” Nathalie shook her head at him, then winced. “It would be nice if you knew what time it was before you called me,” he added.
“It was an emergency.”
“It wasn’t an emergency. It’s something that happens all the time. Actually, less than a week ago you got broken up with by text.”
Tears sprang into his sister’s eyes. Nate had been harsh. He hoped he hadn’t just spurred a crying jag. She’d clearly had one before he arrived. “I shouldn’t have said it like that. I just mean . . .” He tried to choose his words carefully. “Maybe you and the guys you go out with aren’t communicating well enough. Maybe you think you’re further along in your relationship than they do.” What he really meant was maybe they didn’t see two dates as a relationship, but he knew better than to say it. “Possibly they don’t even think they’re breaking up, as much as deciding it was good to get to meet you, but that they don’t . . .” There was no way to say this in a good way. “That they aren’t ready to take it further right now.”
“You mean they got some and have no use for me anymore.”
This was what he didn’t want ten-year-old Lyla to have to listen to. “What I mean is, maybe you should be pickier.”
“At least I get out there. I try. Unlike you.”
Nate didn’t protest. He wasn’t going to talk to Nathalie about Briony. It would only make her feel worse.
“You’re so afraid of getting hurt, you don’t even give yourself the chance to get attached to anyone.”
Except he was getting attached to Briony. He had to remember what they talked about that morning. She was leaving soon. They’d just been having fun. Although staying in touch wasn’t an impossibility. Staying in touch, maybe getting together over on her side of the country at some point.
He hadn’t met anyone he felt this way about in a long time. Maybe it was worth trying to hang on to.
* * *
Mac pulled in a deep breath, enjoying the smell of Briony’s happiness. Happiness he had provided. If everyone would settle down and obey the paw, they’d all be feeling as good as Briony and Nate. And Jamie and David.
This would be the perfect time for a celebratory nap in the spot of early morning sunshine that fell on Jamie’s pillow, except that the other people he was responsible for still needed help. Mac gave a huff of exasperation. He’d nap when he’d finished all his missions. It would be helpful if humans were a little smarter, but it wasn’t their fault that they weren’t cats.
CHAPTER 12
Briony checked herself in the full-length mirror inside the bathroom door. She spun from side to side to make her short skirt swirl around her legs. She’d decided to wear her hair down, and it bounced against her shoulders as she moved. She gave a full twirl, then laughed at herself. She felt giddy, like what she imagined a high school girl going on a first date with her crush would feel. Nate would be here in less than half an hour.
You shouldn’t be so happy, a little voice whispered to her. She ignored it, or at least tried to ignore it. Being miserable wasn’t going to make Caleb, or her parents, or his parents, or anyone else feel any better. And she only had two weeks and two days left in California; then she’d be back home, trying to put her life back together. For this little stretch of time, here in this beautiful place, with him, she wanted to soak in every bit of pleasure. It didn’t come around that often.
She decided to write a quick e-mail to Vi. She’d had a couple texts from her friend and she owed her a response, but she didn’t want to get into a live conversation. That involved questions, and the questions and answers could wait until after she got back.
Vi! Hello! Sorry I’ve taken days to get back
to you. I’ve—
She’d what? Been having steaming sex with an almost stranger, not that Nate felt that way. No. Maybe at some point she’d tell Vi about her California fling—
Fling. That didn’t seem like the right word. But that’s what it was. By definition a fling was short and wild. It’s just that with Nate it was also tender and fun and more than just a sex thing. She’d met the residents he cared so much about. She’d met his niece and nephew.
But even if it hadn’t just been wild—although the wild was amazing—it was still short. It would still be over soon. And once it was she’d probably tell Vi about it, but not now, not when she was still in it. She wanted her time with Nate kept inside a shining bubble of happiness, just the two of them.
Okay, so . . .
been using the time out here to do a lot of thinking. And chasing after my cousin’s cat, who could escape from Alcatraz. If Alcatraz was still a prison.
I’ve gotten messages from Savannah and Penelope (and a bunch of others). Please tell them (and anyone else who asks) that I’m fine. When I get home, I’ll take you all out for drinks, and try to explain....
Love you!
Briony
It wasn’t great, but it would do. She should probably write one to her parents. T
hey—
Skype blipped at her. She had an incoming call from her parents. It was like thinking about them had made them appear. Briony clicked “Answer with video,” and her dad’s face filled the screen. Up close, she could see every line in his face. He looked weary and worried, and she was sure she was the cause. Her stomach tensed.
“Hi, Dad!” She smiled, glad she had her going-out makeup on. Maybe seeing her without red eyes and pale—paler than her usual pale—skin would reassure him. Not that she could ever tell him or her mom what had her feeling so good. They’d never understand her going out with a guy so soon after she’d been moments away from getting married. She found it hard to understand, too, but it felt so good, so right, that she was going to try not to analyze it anymore. “Where’s Mom?” Her parents almost always called together.
“At the grocery store. I’m sure she’ll try you later, but I wanted to see how you are. Did you make an appointment for a CAT scan? Your mother thinks that’s really important.”
“I’m fine, Dad. Really. It was a panic attack, like Dr. Shah said.” She almost asked him if that was okay. She didn’t need permission anymore. Why did she still so often feel like she needed permission?
“You said last time that you’d sent Caleb back his ring.”
“Yes.” She hesitated, then went on. “Dad, I’m sure you and Mom are finding all this hard to understand. Actually, I am, too. I truly thought I wanted to marry Caleb.” Except, apparently, at her bachelorette party when she was asking everyone whether or not she should. “But in that last minute, it’s like my body told me no.” That was actually Ruby’s explanation, not her own, but it felt right.
Her father ran his thumbs over the bags beneath his eyes. “Maybe your mom and I pushed you too hard. Caleb had so much going for him—great job and all that. And it was obvious he adored you. We thought he was someone who’d take good care of you.”
“And he would have.” She was absolutely sure of that. Taking care of people was in Caleb’s nature. If a friend needed something, Caleb was there. If a stranger needed something, Caleb was there. Whenever she needed something, he’d always been there. “He would have. But maybe that’s not the most important thing. I’m twenty-seven. I should be able to take care of myself. Why don’t you and Mom think I can take care of myself?” The question came out shrill, filled with so much emotion it surprised her.
“We do,” her father reassured her. “Of course we do. We know how smart you are. You always got top grades.”
“But you and Mom didn’t trust me to ride my bike to the park with my friends. You guys convinced me to live at home during college. I swear Mom was still cutting my French toast when I was eleven,” Briony burst out, releasing feelings she’d had all through her childhood. “Why didn’t you think I could handle anything? I felt like there had to be something so wrong with me.”
“Oh, sweetie, no. No.” He sounded appalled. “We wanted to keep you safe, that’s all. Not because we thought you couldn’t handle things. Just because so many horrible things can happen that are no one’s fault.”
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that.”
“You should have. I want to know how you feel, what you think. You’re my daughter. I don’t want to be treated like some acquaintance you want to be polite to. I wish you’d told me earlier.”
“Honestly, I don’t think I knew earlier,” Briony admitted. “What happened at the wedding, the panic attack, made me think about a lot of things, including how hard it is for me to make decisions. I could hardly dress myself without asking someone’s opinion.” She tilted her head back and sighed, then returned her gaze to the screen, to her father’s face. “I guess that’s why it was easy to convince myself I should marry Caleb. He was great at helping me decide stuff I should have been able to decide for myself.”
Mac jumped into her lap, and she stroked his warm, soft fur. “I wish I’d realized all this earlier. I wish I hadn’t hurt him. And you and Mom. And—”
Her father cut her off. “Don’t worry about us.” He looked over his shoulder, then turned back to face Briony. “Your mother had three miscarriages before we had you.”
“What?” Briony exclaimed.
“It was devastating. To both of us, but to her even more so. We were so thrilled, and so relieved, when you were born. I guess we went too far, trying to make sure nothing bad happened to you. But something did anyway. I never thought you’d feel inadequate or—” He blinked rapidly, and Briony realized there were tears in his eyes.
“Oh, Dad. No. You and Mom were great. We went so many fun places. We had so many good times.” Mac rubbed his cheek against her chin. “This is Jamie’s cat,” Briony added, wanting to get away from the subject that was causing her father so much pain. “He’s a cutie, isn’t he?”
Her father ignored the question. “I’m glad you have some good memories. I’m just sorry I didn’t notice how you were being affected back them.”
“Hey, I left Caleb at the altar.” Briony tried to bring a jovial tone to her voice, but the words came out serious. “I made a decision. I trusted myself. Well, no. My body made a decision and I had to go with it. But my body is part of me, so it sort of counts. And now, out here, I’m deciding all kinds of things.”
“Bri, there’s a reason I called. I—”
The doorbell interrupted him. “Dad, that’s . . . a friend at the door. Can we talk later?”
“It’s—”
She didn’t let him finish. “I’ll call you back. I promise.” She leaned close to the screen and kissed it. “I love you, Dad. Let’s have more talks like this.”
She closed the computer and almost skipped to the door. When she opened it, Nate took her in his arms, dipped her, and kissed her breathless. When he brought her back up, she told him, “I’ve never been dipped before!”
So he dipped her again.
* * *
Did those humans know what he’d done for them? No. If they did, they’d be feeding him sardine after sardine, along with turkey and ice cream. They’d be giving him a Mousie freshly filled with catnip every hour. They’d make Diogee live outside. They’d show Mac some real appreciation.
He couldn’t blame them, though. Not really. They mostly just didn’t have the intelligence to make the connection between how happy they were and Mac. They didn’t know what they owed him. He stood and stretched, arching his back. Time to go assist some other ungrateful humans. He trotted into the kitchen and leapt up next to Diogee’s treat jar. Once the dog had given him a boost up to the window, he slipped outside, dealt with the reek Diogee had left behind, then headed to The Gardens.
Before he got to Gib’s house, a smell pulled at his attention. Nate. He took another sniff. No, not Nate, but a human who had some of the same odor. He followed the scent trail and found a man, not Nate, but with a smell that reminded Mac of Nate, although the smell was overlaid with a fruity smell, like what David drank at breakfast. The man stood behind a tree, his body pressed up against the trunk. Mac expected him to start to climb, but he didn’t. He just stared.
Mac tried to decide what the man was looking at. A bird? A squirrel? No, it seemed like he was looking at a woman behind a glass window. Looking at her like she was prey. Mac had a lot to do, but he decided to stay there and watch the man. No one else was going to take care of it, so it was up to him. Mission accepted.
* * *
“Worth the wait?” Nate asked as Briony took her first bite of the Mama Shelter restaurant’s avocado toast.
“Mmm. Yes. Want to try?” She held the toast out to him.
He shook his head. “I’m one of the rare native Californians who doesn’t like avocado.”
“But it’s so creamy. And green,” Briony said. She took another bite.
“What have you been up to all day?” he asked.
“I stayed in bed for a long time. Thought about you.”
Her answer sent heat through him. He could see her there, in the tangled sheets. “What k
ind of thoughts?”
“I really wish Nate was here. . . .” Those dark blue eyes drifted halfway closed, grew dreamy, then she gave him a mischievous grin. “So he could fetch me a cup of coffee.”
“That hurts. I’m wounded. You’ve wounded me.”
“Aww, I’m sorry. I can’t tell you what I was really thinking, not out in public. But later I will,” she promised.
Another blast of that heat. “Did you manage to do anything other than lolling around, daydreaming about all the things I’m going to do to you?”
“Actually, I talked to my dad.”
Okay, that was like a splash of cold water. “Good conversation?” Nate asked.
“Good, but uncomfortable. I actually talked to him about how overprotective he and my mom were when I was a kid, and, like I told you, how it made me feel kind of inadequate. I even told him that I felt like they had to be so protective because they could see there was something wrong with me, something that kept me from being able to do things by myself.”
“I’m sure it didn’t have anything to do with you.”
“Now I can see that. But back then . . . It’s not like I ever thought it consciously. It’s just something I felt.”
“You know bryony is a plant, right? It’s an especially strong climber. They chose a good name for you, a strong name,” Nate added.
“I actually didn’t know that. Thanks.” She smiled. “It was amazing to actually talk to my dad about it. It was like throwing off a lead coat. I feel so light, like I could float away.”
He put his hand over hers. “Don’t. At least not yet.”
“Not yet,” she agreed. “I’m not ready yet.”
He wondered if he should bring up the idea of staying in touch when she was back in Wisconsin, maybe even visiting. He decided to wait a little. They still had some time.
“What about you? How was your sister?”
“My sister was wrecked. But Nathalie’s almost always wrecked over some guy. I told her she needed to be more picky. Which she does. She goes for guys who send very strong signals that they aren’t going to be there, like a guy who says up front he doesn’t want kids. Then when one of them breaks up with her she’s shocked.”
