Unraveled (Jersey Girls Book 1)

by Lisa-Marie Cabrelli

  48

  Claire & Satish

  The cops had been kind when they removed a drunk and screaming Nick from her disheveled store. They’d taken statements from everyone, including the breathless ladies, who had seemed thrilled to be involved in such exciting drama. Claire had refused hospital treatment from the paramedics, content with their on-site treatment and the cup of tea that a furious Tod had brought from upstairs.

  Satish’s sister, Nandita, sat daintily on a stool at the bar, looking bewildered and frightened. Claire had remembered the photo on Satish’s desk as soon as she saw them together. He had checked on Claire constantly throughout the hour the police were there, sending her reassuring smiles and standing with his hand on her shoulder when he was close enough.

  Now, with the cops and the Hoboken ladies gone, everyone was standing around, looking awkward. Maureen started to wipe up prosecco and pick up fallen glasses.

  Sally made her way over to Nandita. “You’re Satish’s sister?” Nandita nodded. She had tears in her eyes and looked as shaken as Claire felt. “Why don’t you come upstairs and Tod will make us all a cup of tea? It will make you feel better.” Nandita nodded again and lifted herself from the stool to follow. “Maureen, let’s go,” Sally called. Maureen turned to protest, but Sally sent her a look so fierce that she dropped her dishcloth and trotted after her like a puppy.

  Satish closed the door after them and turned to Claire, who was perched on the fainting couch, which the paramedics had pulled from the dressing room. He walked toward her and knelt in front of her to gently take her cold, shaking hands in his own. She looked down into his eyes, and the concern she saw reflected from the deep brown pools brought tears to her own.

  She couldn’t believe he was here—actually here, in the flesh. The last few moments they had spent together had been horrible, but she had never stopped wanting him and aching for his company. She was so relieved that he was here that she couldn’t stop the tears; they burst forth, streaming down her face. Satish reached into his pocket for his trusty handkerchief and lifted it to wipe the tears from her burning cheeks. He released her hand then and touched the bruises on her neck.

  “Does it hurt?” he asked gently.

  “Satish, what are you doing here?” Claire whispered, her voice sounding raspy and foreign, even to herself.

  “I made a mistake, Claire—a terrible mistake.” He dropped his hand from her neck and grasped her own again.

  “Have you married her?” she asked, provoking a fresh onslaught of tears.

  “No, I haven’t married anyone. I need to tell you something, and I understand if you never want to see me again, but please listen to what I have to say. Please let me apologize for my behavior and how I have treated you.” Claire nodded, taking his handkerchief out of his hand and blowing her nose noisily. Satish smiled.

  He settled further onto his knees and took Claire’s chin in his hands. “I was raised to believe that obligation and duty came before my own needs and wants. I didn’t know that there was any other way, until I met you. When we kissed in Brazil, it was like a bolt of lightning. I knew that, for the first time, another’s needs would come before my own—not because of duty or obligation, but because I wanted them to. I went back to India, though, and everything fell apart. My father drilled all my upbringing back into me, and Nandita needed me, and I…I got confused.” Satish stopped and produced another crisp, white handkerchief. He patted at his damp brow as Claire watched, waiting.

  “I thought that putting us first was just a symptom of my own selfishness. I wanted you so badly, and it felt wrong for me to have exactly what I wanted while letting my family down. Nandita has shown me that my good intentions have not produced the desired effect, though. I just kept doing what my father asked without considering the position and feelings of anyone else involved. I thought that I was doing my duty—I thought that I was being selfless. The marriage is off. It should have never been on to begin with”

  Claire had been angry and she hadn’t truly understood the depth of Satish’s struggle. She had thought him weak. Now, as she watched him try to explain himself, however, she realized that there was nothing in Satish but kindness. He had been trying so hard to do what was right, but had failed miserably, thanks to years of conditioning and bullying by his father. She took both of his hands in her own and gave him an encouraging smile.

  “I am so sorry, Claire. I was awful to you, and you don’t deserve such treatment. I fear that you may be too good for me. Look what you have done here.” He looked around the shop with obvious admiration. “I love you, Claire. You are the most wonderful woman I have ever met, and I can’t stand my life without you in it. Will you come back to me? Can you forgive me?”

  She looked down at Satish kneeling before her and knew that this was right. No matter what had happened between them—no matter how confused they had both been—this was right. “Of course I can forgive you, Satish. Of course I can.” She reached forward and cupped his face with her shaking hands. “I love you. I haven’t stopped thinking about you or wanting you in my arms since the day you walked out of that restaurant. We are meant to be together.”

  Satish’s eyes filled with tears as he pulled her wet face toward his. His kiss was deep and lingering and filled with promise. Claire moved her arms around his neck and drew him even closer. When the kiss ended, they rested their foreheads together, breathing each other’s breath and mingling their tears.

  Satish sat back on his heels then and pushed to his feet. He lifted Claire to her feet, too, and took her into his arms. “I know that you don’t need anyone to take care of you, Claire, but Nick has scared me so badly,” he whispered into her hair. “Will you let me take care of you? Will you let me spend my life trying to make you happy? Will you marry me?”

  Claire pushed back from his arms and look at him, grinning, her face lit with joy.

  “Of course I will marry you, Satish.” She nodded to the dress form in the center of the room. “And I already have the dress!”

  49

  Lit Chicks

  I hope you enjoyed Claire and Satish’s story. You can read more of their story and catch up on the rest of the Hoboken crew in, Unstoppable, the next book in the Jersey Girl’s series.

  If you’d like to get access to the VIP Vault which holds exclusive short stories and bonuses. If you’d like free book offers and the chance to be an ARC reader. You can join Lisa-Marie’s Lit Chicks here:

  Next up, Unstoppable and Mousy Maureen…

  When Mousy Maureen gets dumped... again, she is convinced that she is destined to live a small boring life as a corporate hack. Then she meets Brad, a wealthy, charming, sexy entrepreneur turned art investor. When Brad invites the group to The Bahamas, Maureen decides it’s time to take life into her own hands. She packs her new wardrobe and her guide to “Make Every Man Want You” and heads off to paradise.

  Will Maureen succeed in transforming from Mousy Maureen to Magnificent Mo? Will Brad be her happily ever after? Or will Paradise have surprises even Mo couldn’t have foreseen?

  Read the preview chapters on the next page…

  50

  Unstoppable - Dumped!

  “You’re breaking up with me?” Maureen put the drink passed to her by Phil only moments before gently on the table.

  Phil sat sideways on the lounge chair next to her, resting his elbows and forearms on his knees. His face flushed. “Well, were we actually an item?” he asked hopefully.

  Oh no, she was not letting him off the hook that easily. “Were we actually an item, Phil? Seriously?” She turned in her neighboring lounge chair, mirrored his stance, and stared at him hard. “I have been coming here nearly every day after work for like two months.” She picked up her drink, ignored the bendy straw, and took a big gulp, making the ice clink. “I have stayed over here the last two Fridays. For God’s sake, Phil, I hosted your last luau!”

  That had been a horrible day.

  She looked past his head at t
he tacky surroundings and sighed in dismay. They sat under a porch overhang draped in lights—not the pretty, subtle, white fairy lights she adored, but gigantic, garish, colorful bulbs. In every corner, there was a big metal tub with “Joe’s Feed Store” or “Budweiser” or some other commercial platitude stamped across the front. On the weekends, the tubs were packed with ice and Coors Light.

  The view out to the pool could have been quite lovely, as Phil’s garden was lush and obviously well-tended, but the three monstrous grass tiki huts with fluorescent beer signs were a jolt to the senses. If she didn’t already know the pool was a sparkling clear blue, since she'd cleaned it plenty of times, she wouldn’t have been able to tell; every inch of its surface was covered in toys, from a floating basketball net to a blue plastic whale and even a blow-up doll.

  Phil was a thirty-year-old bachelor. He had always been a bachelor, but he was also kind and a good conversationalist. Even if he wasn’t traditionally handsome, she had to admit that, once you got to know him, he had kind of a scruffy charm.

  “You’re right, Maureen. I’m sorry,” Phil said, hanging his head sheepishly. “I’m sorry to do this to you, I am, but… I don’t know." He picked at the lint on the lounge cushion, avoiding her eyes. "I don’t think I’m the boyfriend type. I feel like I haven’t been working enough during the week, and you know I don’t want to let Satish down. Also, I miss the guys. I mean, I skipped poker last week. I know you didn’t ask me to, but I felt bad, since you were already here and I had forgotten to tell you.”

  Maureen had a mean thought: this entire situation was Satish’s fault. She was glad she hadn’t said it out loud—it would have given Phil plenty of reason to break up with her.

  They both worked for the same company, Telco. Satish was their boss, and to be honest, if he didn’t work at Telco, Maureen wasn’t sure she would still be around. There had been some trouble with an evil, misogynistic, manipulative employee, Nick, a few months ago. It was Satish who had gathered the evidence to get the guy fired and save Maureen’s job.

  The fact that she was even dating Phil was all Satish’s fault. He had dragged in his trusty sidekick to help him with the Nick situation and Maureen had been impressed with Phil’s loyalty and his willingness to help others. In fact, she had so much gratitude for him that, when he expressed interest in her, she’d kind of felt obligated to stick around.

  And look where she was now. She was sitting in a plastic lounger with a red slushy drink, trying to figure out how she could possibly go wrong with a messy, homely, mama’s boy like Phil.

  “It’s hard to listen to you complain about work, too,” Phil continued. “I mean, Satish is doing his best to find you a position that is a match for you, but you have to remember you are new to the department and you have to pay your dues.”

  Now Maureen was worried. Was she complaining about work? Did it seem like she was complaining? She jumped in to explain. “I’m sorry if it sounded like I was complaining, Phil. Honestly, I am. But I have only told you how I feel about work, so I hope you haven’t told anyone else. You know I’m bored—I have nothing to do.” She felt a little flustered. Did she seem ungrateful? She looked down at her fingers and blushed—a habit she was trying to control. “I’m sorry if it came out sounding ungrateful.”

  Phil must have sensed a quick exit from this conversation because he stood and picked up her drink. “Well, to be honest, Maureen, it does seem a little ungrateful after everything Satish has done for you. I know you don’t mean it, but I would rather not be around the negativity. You’re a sweet kid, though, so hopefully we can still pal around at work." He paused for a second and then added, "You know you are always invited to the luaus.”

  The luaus. Oh, thank God she wouldn’t have to miss the luaus. “Okay, Phil, thanks,” Maureen whispered as she gathered her things. “I’ll see you around.”

  51

  Unstoppable - Reckoning

  Okay, Phil, thanks? I’ll see you around?

  Maureen pounded on her steering wheel, furious with herself. Seriously? It was times like these that she knew she had more than earned her nickname of Mousy Maureen. She never spoke out, never stood up for herself, and why was she always apologizing? Well, she decided, things were going to change. After all, you couldn’t get dumped by the most ineligible bachelor in the company and not realize it was time for a reckoning.

  Her friend, Sally, had teased her endlessly about Phil, and she’d been right: she wasn’t with Phil because she chose him, but because she thought he had chosen her. She had stuck with him for all these months, even suffering through one of his mindless, drunken, embarrassing luaus in an effort to convince herself, and everyone else, that they were a real couple. Well, she’d had enough. She pulled around the corner, out of sight from Phil’s house, and dialed her best friend, Claire. She needed a pep talk.

  “Remind me again why I was dating Phil?” Maureen asked as soon as she heard Claire’s voice.

  “Why you were dating Phil?” Claire replied, “Uh-oh.”

  “Yeah, uh-oh! Even worse, I just thanked him for breaking up with me!”

  “Oh, Maureen.” She could hear Claire trying to suppress a laugh, so she tried to see the funny side. It just made her feel like crying.

  “Why am I such a mouse, Claire? Why can’t I be a strong, confident woman like you or Sally?”

  “Trust me, Maureen, you are strong,” Claire said. “Listen, I wouldn’t even be where I am today without your strength. Saving us from that horrible Nick situation was all down to you. Unfortunately, you give all your strength to other people and don’t save enough for yourself." She paused. "What happened with Phil?”

  Maureen could hear the sewing machine buzzing in the background and realized she had caught Claire during a work session. Thanks to her incredible talent, her friend was the owner and creator of the most fabulous boutique in Hoboken. Once she got into her creativity zone, it was hard to tear her attention away from whatever beautiful fabric she had under her needle. It was a miracle she had even answered her phone.

  Claire was wrong, though: her success was not all down to Maureen. They had teamed up to fight the sexual predator, Nick, and she had leaned on Claire equally during the “Nick the Dick” scandal. Now she was her closest confidant.

  Maureen hadn’t had many friends growing up. Shyness combined with a big, fat brain that caused any words out of her mouth to make her sound like a know-it-all, were not character traits admired in the halls of Hell called Middle School. No one had given her much of a chance to come out of her shell, and in a small school where people stuck around, your reputation traveled with you from year to year.

  She had been Mousy Maureen since the fifth grade. Nothing had changed much in college. She had gone to an all-girls school, so she’d felt a little freer out from under the glare and judgment of hormonal teenage boys, but she’d still retained her wallflower tendencies. While around Claire and Sally though, she felt confident and accepted. It was only in their presence that she felt free to be herself: Mousy Maureen with a sprinkle of wit, spark, and snark.

  She rolled down her window, trying to let in some of the dull August breeze. “Ugh. Basically, Phil said he preferred being a bachelor. He also said I complain too much about work. Do I complain too much about work?”

  “I don’t think so, but then again, I hardly listen when you start talking about work, anyway. I get enough of that from Satish.”

  Claire was Satish’s girlfriend—no, fiancée. Maureen smiled as she thought about her favorite couple. They were almost impossible to be around—not in the “why don’t they get a room,” sickening kind of way, but in the “why can’t I have that” kind of way. They adored each other and everyone knew it, although Satish was still trying to figure out the emotions in public part. He was and had always been a reserved, introspective guy; it was fun watching him struggle between his natural habit of keeping his emotions buttoned up and his discovery that some feelings make you just want to scream to the
world.

  “Well, he said I talk about work too much and that I am negative, but I’m just so bored, Claire.” Maureen was getting hot, so she shoved her arm out the window and tried to wave some of the air into the car. “That day we settled with Telco and I got my promotion and all that cash, I was more excited about the job than I was about the money. So far, though, it has been a total dud. Maybe that is all I talk about. Maybe I’m boring and maybe that’s why Phil broke up with me.”

  “You’re not boring, Maureen, and something will happen with your job—I know it will. Could it be that they are just trying to find you the right thing? Why don’t you demand an assignment from Satish?”

  “Demand, Claire? I can’t demand anything from Satish—he’s my boss!” Maureen gave up and started the car, so she could turn on the air-conditioning. So much for being discreet.

  “Satish is your boss, but he is also your friend. He would understand how you feel. Maybe he doesn’t always catch on to subtle cues, but if you come right out and tell him you are bored and demand something interesting to do, he will have to pay attention to you. Don’t be Mousy Maureen, be Magnificent Mo!”

  Maureen laughed out loud—mostly with nervousness. "What do you mean, Magnificent Mo?"

  Claire sighed, and she heard the clack of the machine coming to a stop. "It's all there for you, Maureen. You have everything you need to get everything you want. You just need to be more confident. If you think of yourself as Magnificent Mo, a braver version of yourself, maybe that would help." The machine started up again. "I don't know, maybe that's bad advice. I just hate to see you so frustrated."