by Melinda Metz
“She picks the wrong guys, and they’re always leaving her. Like your dad left your mom. Maybe that’s somehow the way she thinks relationships should be.” Briony shook her head. “Sorry. That was way too psychobabble. How’d she react to what you said?”
“She got mad. That’s typical. But if it helps her to vent, I can deal.” He picked up a wing and dipped it in the Korean BBQ sauce. That was his idea of an appetizer.
“What about Eliza? Did anything new happen with her?” She stole one of his wings. “We’ve haven’t even been apart a whole day, but I have so many questions.”
“Seems like everything’s okay for now. Archie was at bingo this afternoon. There were no new incidents or anything. But I still have to figure out what’s going on.”
“You will.” She sounded absolutely certain.
“Oh, and I got another offer on the place. Somebody must want the space for loft apartments or something. This one real estate company keeps coming, even though I’ve told them no so many times.”
“Are you ever tempted?”
“No. There’s no way. Selling would mean breaking up a family. That’s what the residents are to each other. They might not always like each other, but if one of them needs something, they all come out,” Nate answered.
“What if the people were out of the equation?”
He was surprised. He thought she got how special The Gardens was. “Can’t separate it like that.”
She nodded. “You’re right. I guess I just wondered because you were kind of thrust into taking over running the place. Was that something you had in mind for yourself? Or did you have other things you wanted to do?”
“When I was a kid, I had the usual kid ideas. You know about my dreams of wrestling. I also wanted to be an astronaut. I wanted to be a firefighter. A forest ranger,” he answered.
“Forest ranger. I can see that. You love plants. A forest, that’s a lot of plants clumped together.” She smiled. “Do you like how scientific I made that sound?”
“I don’t think we ever talked about plants.”
“A little. You told me you put in the plants in the lobby. And that day we were hanging out in the community center kitchen, you were going over one of the plants, examining it for . . . something. Watching your hands, wow. I think right that second I knew I wanted them to be touching me.”
Before he could reply, the waiter came over with their en-trées. Damn. “How hungry are you?” he asked.
She stood up and reached for his hand. “Very, very hungry. Starving.”
He pulled out his wallet and tossed enough cash to cover the meal and a big tip on the table, then he took her offered hand and they hurried out of the restaurant and down the few blocks to where he’d parked the car. And as soon as they were inside, they were on each other. They only pulled apart when a couple teenagers pounded on the windshield and hooted. “Maybe we should take this home,” Nate said.
“Yeah.” She was panting a little and that made him want to kiss her again right there, but he got the key in the ignition and got them on the road. At least they weren’t too far away, and the LA parking gods were on his side. Someone was pulling out of a parking spot right across from the Storybook Court courtyard just as he was coming down the street. He figured he could have Briony on the bed in less than two minutes if they walked fast, which they did.
But when her bungalow came into sight, she froze. “You know what. I realized I am actually hungry.” She grabbed his arm, hard, fingers digging in. “Hungry, hungry. My stomach is going grrrr. Let’s go get—”
A man in a blue-and-white-checked shirt and rolled-up chinos walked across the small front yard of her cousin’s place. He looked like he’d just stepped off a yacht, with his short side-parted blond hair. Not that Nate would actually know. He’d never been on one. “Briony?” the man called.
Nate looked at her. Her face had gone slack with what looked like shock. “Who’s that?” Nate asked. It was obviously someone she didn’t want to see. He wrapped his arm around her and felt her trembling.
“That?” Briony repeated, as if she didn’t understand English. “That’s, that’s . . .”
The man walked down the sidewalk toward them.
“What are you doing here?” Briony exclaimed.
“I needed to talk to you, face-to-face,” he said.
“That’s up to her,” Nate told him.
The man kept coming. He didn’t take his eyes off Briony. There was nothing threatening in his posture, but she was obviously scared.
When he reached them, Nate felt his body tense, preparing to move quickly if he needed to. “I’m so glad to see you, Bri. I’ve been worried. I hope you know how much I care about you,” the man said.
What the hell?? Nate shot another glance at Briony. Her breathing was coming fast. “Do you want to talk to this guy?” he asked.
“I—I—” she stammered.
“I still love you, even after what happened. I know you love me, too,” the man said. “Lots of people get cold feet before the wedding.” He smiled gently. “I wish you’d talked to me, instead of leaving me standing at the altar.” He shrugged. “But it’s going to be okay. We’ll work it out.”
At the altar. Leaving him at the altar? “Who are you?” This time Nate asked the man directly, but it was Briony who answered.
“His name is Caleb Weber. He is—He used to be my fiancé.”
CHAPTER 13
Mac stretched up on his back feet and dug his claws into the rough material of his scratching post. Ahh. Yesss. He scratched and scratched until the piece of claw that had been annoying him came off. He admired the sharp new tip that had been underneath. He flexed his paws. There was one other claw that needed work. He was about to return to scratching when he caught a fresh whiff of Briony’s scent.
Something was wrong. She didn’t have that wonderful happy smell anymore. There was something in her odor that made his muscles feel tight. He wasn’t sure he’d be able to eat even a sardine, even though a few moments ago he’d have been able to gobble up a whole can and ask for more.
He ran down the stairs and into the living room. Briony was sitting on the couch next to someone Mac had never smelled before. He took a sniff. Briony’s odor was so strong that it took him a moment to discover the man’s. It was mild. Mac didn’t pick up any anger or sadness. Nothing bad. Just the faint odor of coffee, the belts David wore, and the stuff Jamie put in her mouth and spat out every morning. Mac kept waiting for her to figure out that if she had to keep spitting out the harsh-smelling liquid she shouldn’t put it in her mouth in the first place. He’d tried to help her out by breaking the bottle, but as many times as he whacked it off the bathroom counter, it wouldn’t even crack.
Did this man have anything to do with the change in Briony’s smell? He wasn’t sure. But he was sure Briony needed him. He leapt into her lap, and she immediately sank her fingers into his fur. Her body was vibrating, the way Mac’s did when he purred. But even if she could purr, she wouldn’t be purring now.
He gave a little hiss of frustration. He needed to figure out what was wrong. Then he was going to have to get back to work.
* * *
Briony ran her fingers through MacGyver’s soft, soft fur, trying to calm herself. Everything felt wobbly, like in the church, like when she was walking down the aisle toward Caleb.
“Are you all right?” Caleb asked. His tone was soothing, like she was an animal he was trying to tame. He’d been talking since she brought him inside, but she hadn’t been able to take in anything, still deeply shocked that he was there. “Do you need some water?”
She nodded. She didn’t care about the water, but if she could have a few moments alone maybe she’d be able to pull herself together. What must Nate be thinking? He’d asked if she was okay, and she’d managed to tell him that she was. Then he walked away.
Mac gave her a little mew. It sounded like a question. She looked down and saw him staring up at her. He closed his go
lden eyes in a slow blink, then looked at her again. “What am I supposed to do, Mac?” she asked. “And there I am, asking advice from the cat again.”
“What was that?” Caleb asked, bringing her a glass of water. He’d taken the time to put in ice, but not too much, just the way she liked it. How could he be acting like this? So, so . . . considerate. He wasn’t angry, or upset, or anything. Just usual Caleb, even though nothing about this situation was usual.
When she took the glass from him, her hand spasmed. She would have sloshed water all over herself if Caleb hadn’t thought to only fill the glass halfway. She carefully put it down on the coffee table. She’d never be able to bring it all the way to her mouth.
She had to give Caleb an explanation. He deserved it. And he’d come all this way, all the way across the country. As she tried to formulate the words, her heart, already racing, started slamming against her ribs, as if it wanted to escape from her chest. She swallowed, swallowed again. “I can’t.” The words came out on a wheeze. She staggered to her feet, Mac leaping to the floor. Caleb stood, reached for her.
“No.” She backed away from him. “Panic attack. You stay here, Caleb. Make—” She stopped for breath. “Yourself at home. Talk tomorrow.” She rushed toward the door and heard Caleb coming after her. She whirled to face him. “No! Making it worse. Going to friend’s.” She had to stop for breath again. “Back tomorrow.”
He held his hands up in surrender. “Okay. Okay,” he said softly. “Are you going to be able to make it by yourself? Is it far?”
“No. S’okay.” She felt a little better as soon as she was outside the house, with Caleb out of sight. She could make it to Ruby’s, even though the sidewalk felt like it was rippling. Not far, not far, not far, she thought. Step, step, step, step. The journey to Ruby’s door felt endless, but it probably took less than three minutes. She knocked, then let her palm rest against the smooth wood, bracing herself.
She stumbled a little when Ruby swung the door open. “You’re here. Everything’s okay. You’re safe,” her friend murmured as she led Briony to the kitchen, sat her down, then grabbed a dish towel. She wet it, wrung it out, and handed it over.
Briony’s breathing started to slow as soon as she pressed the cloth to the back of her neck. “I’m sorry,” she began.
“Don’t talk,” Ruby told her. “Not yet.”
Ruby was right. Even though she wasn’t panting anymore, she was still close to hyperventilating. She tried to keep her attention on the cold spot on her neck, the way she’d done the first time, and gradually the world became steady, her breathing became steady. She slid the cloth, now lukewarm, away from her neck and looked at Ruby. “I’m sorry I keep doing this to you.”
“Don’t,” Ruby ordered. “What happened?”
“Nate knows. About what I did,” Briony told her.
“The wedding?”
Briony nodded.
“You decided to tell him? I thought you were going to have a little vacation fun, leave it at that.”
“I didn’t tell him. I wasn’t going to ever tell him,” Briony answered. “But Caleb showed up on the doorstep.”
Ruby’s eyes widened. “Caleb? The fiancé?”
“Nate just walked off. No,” Briony corrected herself. “He made sure it was okay to leave me alone with Caleb, then he walked off.”
“Wait.” Ruby’s voice sharpened. “Why did he think it might not be okay to leave you alone with him? Was he acting threatening or something?”
“No! No. You’d realize that’s impossible if you’d ever met Caleb. He just said we needed to talk face-to-face. And he’s right. I owe him that. But I was too freaked out, and I basically bolted. I think I said ‘make yourself at home.’ ” Briony laughed, and even to her ears it sounded borderline hysterical. “I did tell him I’d be back tomorrow and we’d talk then.”
“Wow. Wow, wow, wow,” Ruby said. “And again wow.”
“I know.” Briony dropped her head into her hands. “What am I going to do?” she mumbled through her fingers. “And don’t say I told you not to give me advice. This is a desperate situation.”
“You don’t need advice.” Briony moaned. “Just do what you said you were going to do,” Ruby continued. “Tomorrow, go over there and talk to him.”
Briony raised her head and looked at Ruby. “You’re right. I just have to figure out what to say. I don’t think I can go with ‘you’re perfect, just not perfect for me.’ It’s not enough. I have to really explain, and I’m still figuring it out myself. I’m actually not sure why he’s not perfect for me. It’s a gut feeling, not a brain feeling. Which is why I passed out instead of having a reasonable conversation weeks before the wedding.”
“It’s a lot to process. It’s barely been any time.”
“And yet I’ve managed to have sex with another man since then. Nate must think I’m a sociopath.”
“Sounds like there’s someone else you need to talk to,” Ruby said.
“Yeah. I have to talk to Nate, too. No more running away for me,” Briony answered. “Tomorrow will be a fun, fun day.”
“I’ll make pancakes for you in the morning. Any shape you want.”
“I’ve only known you for a week and you already feel like such a good friend. Probably because you’ve helped me deal with a billion crises since I arrived. While I’ve done nothing for you.” She’d really been taking advantage of Ruby’s kindness.
“I can see you about to go into a guilt spiral. Don’t. You’re a little messed up, but I like you.”
“Why?” Now that she was thinking about it, Ruby had to see her as a huge, sticky ball of neediness. A huge, wheezing, shaking, sticky ball of neediness.
“Can’t explain it.” Ruby smiled. “It’s a gut thing, not a brain thing.”
Briony found herself smiling back, then she gave a huge yawn.
“You’ve got to be exhausted. Let me get you a nightshirt. It’ll be a lot shorter on you than me, but it’ll work. I have one with ponies, of course, and one with cowgirls, and one with both ponies and cowgirls.”
“Thanks.” Briony stood up and found her legs—and the floor—were steady.
“I have a few spare toothbrushes, too. Kid sized, but one’ll work. Riley is notorious for forgetting her toothbrush,” Ruby said. “Come on.” Briony followed her out of the kitchen. “You do know that you talked at least as much about how Nate was feeling as you did about Caleb.”
“No, I didn’t,” Briony protested. She’d come over here completely thrown by the sight of Caleb.
“The first thing you said was that Nate found out, not that Caleb had shown up.” Ruby stopped at the bathroom.
“I did?”
“You did.” Ruby gathered a towel, washcloth, and toothbrush and put them on top of the hamper, then waved Briony on down the hall. “I wonder what that means?” she asked over her shoulder.
It means Nate somehow got under my skin way too fast, Briony thought.
* * *
Nate wandered around the grounds, unable to sit still, even though, as always, he had a mound of work waiting on his desk. Although he should be thinking about who was behind the sabotage at The Gardens or how to reassure Eliza about her grandfather’s well-being, or how his mother was doing, or how his sister was doing, his brain refused. He couldn’t think about anything but Briony.
She’d left that guy Caleb at the altar? And she’d been rolling around in the sheets with him how soon after? Not that long. It’s not like Caleb would have waited months to come after her.
And Nate? After going out with her a few times, he’d been thinking about long-distance romance. He was an idiot. He obviously didn’t even know her. He’d never have thought she was the kind of person who could be so heartless.
As he walked past the community center for the second time, he noticed the light was on in the kitchen. Had it been on the last time he went by? He wasn’t sure. Because all he could think about was Briony. He had to stop. She wasn’t worth it. Caleb
could have her. Although why he’d want her after what she did was incomprehensible. Maybe he didn’t. Maybe he just wanted to make her face up to what she’d done.
Nate veered over to the side door to the kitchen. He slid his key into the lock, then realized the door was already open. He briefly considered calling security to back him up, which was the logical thing to do with what had been happening, but he stepped inside without bothering.
And found LeeAnne pouring batter into one of five cake pans arranged on the kitchen island. “I thought you were out with Briony tonight. Meaning tonight and tomorrow morning.” She grinned at him. “I like her. She’s actually managed to pry you away from here, and Hope told me she was great with the residents at Family Night. That says something about a person.”
He’d thought so, too. Wrong. “Why are you here so late?” he asked, not wanting to get into a conversation about Briony. He’d wasted enough time thinking about her. He should have remembered bryony wasn’t just an extremely strong plant. It was also poisonous.
“Making a cake for Hope’s birthday.”
“Big cake.” LeeAnne always made cakes for staff birthdays, but this one looked especially elaborate.
“She has a lot of favorite flavors. This is going to have a layer of peach, a layer of strawberry, a layer of lemon, and two layers of chocolate, with whipped cream frosting. Actually, whipped cream might be Hope’s favorite flavor. I’ve seen her eat it straight.”
“I’m sure she’ll love it.”
“She deserves it. She’s a good kid. Works hard here, and at school. You should give her a raise.”
“Already in the works,” Nate answered.
“You’re a good boss.” LeeAnne gave him an approving nod. “So why are you lurking around here? Why aren’t you out having fun?”
“Too much on my mind.”
“The treadmill?”
“Among other things.”
“Archie could have hit up instead of down,” LeeAnne answered. “It’s possible. I had a friend who fractured a shoulder falling off a treadmill that wasn’t going all that fast. Maybe that’s what happened to Archie and he made up the story about it speeding up because he was embarrassed.”
