by Terri Marie
“Come on in! Dinner’s almost done,” announced Brian. “We’re making manicottis.”
Tyler felt so much love for them, especially when he spotted all the sauce splattered down the front of their clothes. He gave Brian a hug, and then kissed the cheek Renee offered.
“How was work?” she asked. Renee was still smiling, so there was no way he was going to ruin their dinner.
“I have some funny news to share.” Tyler began to chuckle. “Vinnie thought it’d be a good idea to ask Carrie Oliver to come here and live with him for a bit, until she finds a new job.” His laughter began to grow.
“Are you kidding me?” Renee joined in on the humor. “Vincent…living with a female…I’m sorry, but I can’t picture it.”
“But she’s really nice,” offered Brian. “I don’t think it’ll be a bad thing. Besides, they’re just friends and it’s only temporary.”
“Oh, Son. Your uncle Vinnie still has a lot to learn about women, especially when it comes to living with one that he barely knows.” Tyler knew he’d messed up the second the words left his mouth.
“Excuse me?” Renee had stopped smiling.
“Honey, what I meant is that Vinnie is used to one night stands, not hanging around for the next day or sharing his space.” Tyler couldn’t dig himself out fast enough.
“So you think this is a good topic to discuss in front of Brian?” She looked sternly at him. “Set the table, Tyler.”
Brian grinned at him, Renee scowled…I must have a lot to learn too, thought Tyler as he quickly began doing as he was told.
Dinner was amazing. Renee’s spirits remained high, and after they ate and cleaned up the kitchen, Brian turned on the television. Tyler was grateful that they’d missed the news. Seeing her filled with such contentment made withholding this information even harder for him. Tomorrow was Saturday. Yes, he’d wait and tell her in the morning.
Just before midnight, they turned off the television and everyone headed upstairs to bed. Renee didn’t scoot away from him and face the wall tonight, and Tyler couldn’t be happier. She faced him, wrapping her arms around him, while resting her cheek on his chest. He held her close and kissed the top of her head. He wished more than anything that he could call her his wife, but the time just wasn’t right yet. Tyler needed to wait for Robert to be gone, for her mind to be free of anything that tainted it.
“I’m so glad you’re feeling better, Baby,” he whispered while running his fingers through her dark, soft hair.
“It’s amazing how much better you feel when the answers you seek come to you.” She held him closer and nuzzled her face into his neck.
“Yeah? I’m just glad to know you’re happy.” He brushed his lips against hers.
“I heard about Robert trying to get labeled as a psychotic patient. It was in the paper this morning. At first it bothered me, but then it didn’t.”
“Really? I thought you’d be super upset by his latest stunt.” Tyler should have felt better but he didn’t. His temples began to throb. He immediately felt a sense of impending doom.
“I finally have my answers, Tyler. I don’t have to let Robert control me anymore.”
“How is that? Can you explain it to me, Honey?” he whispered, trying to keep the fear out of his voice.
“When he gets sent back to Marquette, which will happen, I’m going to go see him.” He could feel her excitement growing.
“….What?” Tyler had to remind himself not to overreact. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“Well, I’m going,” she informed him firmly.
“I’ll go with you, Honey.” This way he could keep an eye on her. Hopefully by then she’d change her mind.
“No. I need to go alone. This fight with Robert started with me, and it’s going to end with me.” She rose up on her elbow and stared at him.
“I love you, Renee, but you’ll go see that son of a bitch by yourself, when pigs fly…” He returned her stare.
“Well, Mr. Montclair. You better learn to duck while you walk. Those pigs can hurt when they hit you.” With that, Renee tossed the blankets off of herself, grabbed her robe, and stormed out of the bedroom.
Nothing is easy about a woman, thought Tyler. Nothing.
∞ ∞ ∞ ∞
Vincent could have slept in today if Carrie wouldn’t have started raising such racket at seven in the morning. The smell of coffee was definitely teasing his senses, but was a cup of joe really worth giving up his solitude? If he just stayed in bed all day, maybe she’d get bored and go out somewhere. Maybe she’d get lost, he thought. Music began to play loudly. Opera. That’s it. I’m going to kill her. Vincent stormed out of his bedroom in his boxers.
“Carrie. It’s early and I’m trying to get some sleep. I’m going to turn the music down now.” Vincent spoke as if he were talking to a small child. He went to the sound system, and with a closed fist, he pounded at the button until the screeching woman finally shut up. He stalked back to his bedroom and slammed his door shut.
Vincent tried to go back to sleep, but he could hear the woman dragging boxes across the floor, dropping things, talking to herself…This was useless. He got out of bed, threw on a clean pair of jeans and walked out to the kitchen. He went directly to the cupboard and grabbed a mug out of the cupboard. She immediately began talking.
“I got some of my boxes unpacked already. I’d make some breakfast but it doesn’t look like you keep much food in the house.” She opened the refrigerator as if to prove her point.
“Yeah, well, I’m not home much. I can give you some money to go shopping if you’d like, but I’m not very fond of grocery stores. I eat out most of the time.” Vincent took a long drink of the black coffee. It wasn’t hot anymore, but it’d serve its purpose, until he could get the hell out of here.
“You mean you don’t have staff to take care of these things?” she laughed.
“I have a maid who comes in twice a week. That’s it. I do my own laundry, except for dry cleaning, and I even drive my own car.” Vincent rolled his eyes and headed for the bathroom. “I’m going to hop in the shower and wake up some.” He turned on the light and his jaw nearly hit the ground. Normally he slept on the first floor and used this bathroom so he didn’t have to run up and down the steps, but her crap was scattered from wall to wall. Her lavender rug even graced his tile floor.
“Carrie,” he said calmly as he walked back out to the kitchen. “I think your bathroom threw up in mine. Do you really need all of that crap right now?”
“Crap? It’s not crap, Vinnie. Those are my things. I’m sorry I’m not a guy who doesn’t give a damn about looking decent, but yes, I need my things right now.” Carrie folded her arms in front of her chest.
Just as he was getting ready to turn back around, he spotted her gun, sitting on the table. “Do you really think it’s a great idea to leave your gun lying around?” He felt his temper hit the roof. “Lock it up some place! Brian comes over here sometimes. He’s a kid for God sakes!”
“My gun safe is right there. I needed help carrying it up the stairs. I didn’t want to risk doing it myself and scratching up the banister or your wall.” Her glare could have set him on fire.
“Let me help you, then.” Vincent walked over to the safe, lifted it, carried it up the stairs, and sat it down in the bedroom farthest away from his. “You can sleep in here. And, look at this!” He said sarcastically, as he flipped on the bathroom light switch. “You can even have this bathroom! Take all of your little things, and put them in this one. Don’t forget your purple rug!”
“It’s not purple…”
Without even thinking, Vincent walked down the stairs, grabbed a shirt from his bedroom, snatched his keys and phone up off the table, and stormed right out the door. He drove away from his house as fast as he could. Before he even made it to the end of the street, his phone rang.
“What?!” he answered.
“Vinnie, I understand that you’re not a morning person like I a
m, but I need to return this truck.” Carrie’s voice made her sound like an injured animal. “And I’m pretty hungry.”
He hung up the phone without saying a word and made a U-turn in the middle of the street. He threw the car into park when he pulled up to the curb. Vincent had to talk to Tyler so he could regain some kind of composure.
“Tyler. Tell me I don’t suck at this. Tell me!” Vincent was breathing heavily into the phone.
“You mean Carrie? You want me to tell you that you’re not going to suck at dealing with your new roommate? Oh, Brother…you’re soooo gonna suck at that. Have a great day, Vin!”
“She’s impossible, Tyler…” He spat.
“No, Vinnie, she’s a really nice woman. You’re just not used to living with a female. I’m having my own female problems over here.”
“With Renee? I find that hard to believe.” Vincent would do anything to live with a woman like her.
“She thinks she’s going to go see Robert once he’s in prison. By herself I might add.”
“Okay, so I’ll take Miss Purple Rug over Renee right now. Good luck with that, Ty. Don’t let her do it,” warned Vincent.
“I’ll stop her, but I might get hit by a pig.”
“I don’t even wanna know…” Vincent hung up and watched as Carrie came walking down the driveway.
Chapter 10
Carrie was afraid to say anything to Vincent. He’d always come across as a very sweet, well-mannered guy, but now he was behaving more like a tyrant. His scowl made her want to ask a complete stranger for help returning the U-Haul. She didn’t know how far she’d have to go to drop the truck off, but walking ten miles or so to get back here, would be better than listening to his sarcastic remarks the whole time. If he thought she’d just sit there and take it, he had a whole hell of a lot to learn. As she approached the car, he lowered the passenger side window.
“Do you know where I can return this thing?” Carrie asked, while pointing at the truck in the driveway.
“Yes. I’ll pull forward and you can follow me.” Vincent rolled up the window without giving her a second to respond.
Oh this is just going to go from bad to worse, she thought as she turned and walked to the truck door. Climbing up inside, she started the engine and watched as Vincent pulled forward. She hated driving this big thing. She put the brake on when she reached the end of the driveway. Vincent’s car was nowhere in sight. Suddenly, she heard the impatient sound of someone beeping their horn. Once she backed out, she saw his car up the street at the stop sign. It irritated her that he was being so demanding.
Vincent led her to a gas station that also rented out U-Hauls. She went to a gas pump first and filled the tank up, and then parked it on the side of the lot. She watched as Vincent stared at her, while tapping his fingers on the steering wheel. She stuffed her receipt in her pocket and climbed into Vincent’s car. Her stomach growled loudly.
“What do you want to eat, Carrie?” Vincent impatiently asked. “And where’s your car? Did you even bring it?”
“I sold it. It was a piece of junk.” Carrie didn’t want to tell him that that’s how she afforded the U-Haul rental. With the leftover money from the sale, she’d hired two men to help her load the truck, but he didn’t need to know any of that. Besides, what’s a little white lie between friends? She was sure he viewed her, just like other guys did, as nothing more than an incompetent female, so she needed all the help she could get.
“I’ll go to a drive-through and get you some breakfast to go. I have to meet with Elissa, so I’ve got to get you back to the house.” Vincent drove into a fast-food parking lot.
“Elissa? Who is that?” Carrie couldn’t imagine any female tolerating him. “I don’t want to eat here, Vinnie. Places like this turn my stomach. Look, I know you don’t want to be anywhere near me, but I’m really not a bad person. How about if we go get this Elissa, and we can all sit down to a nice breakfast. I promise not to say anything to make it sound like we’re romantically connected.” She certainly hadn’t expected to spend her time with Vincent Montclair, feeling like a third wheel.
Vincent pulled up into the driveway of his house.
Carrie knew this was a hint for her to get out. “Well, have a nice day Vincent. If there’s anything you want me to do for you while you’re out, just let me know. I’ll try to find a job as fast as possible.” She felt her eyes burn and before she could turn her head, a tear leaked out from the corner of her eye.
“I don’t dislike you, Carrie. I’m just a single guy who has never lived with a female before. I’m also very irritated by a few situations in my life right now, and the stress gets the best of me. Elissa is my secretary, and I love her and her boys. And no, before you ask, it’s never been a romantic thing, but more like a brotherly thing. Her history is a sad story, and the bottom line is that she needs to take her two kids and move out of her parents’ house and into a place of her own. Today we’re going shopping to fix all of that. Would you like to come along? Elissa doesn’t have many friends, so maybe she’ll connect with you.” Vincent swallowed hard. “And one more thing. I’m sorry for being such a jackass.”
“Really? You wouldn’t mind if I rode along?” Carrie kept her hand on the car door handle just in case.
“Do you need anything from inside the house before we go? If not, we’ll pick up Elissa and the boys, and go to a nice breakfast buffet.” Vincent reached over and squeezed her hand.
“I don’t need anything,” Carrie said softly as she wiped the tear away with her free hand. “But I have something to say to you, and please don’t take this the wrong way. If you ever treat me like that again, I’ll kick your ass.”
Vincent stared at her with wide eyes, while he put the car in reverse. Once he was on the main road, he called Elissa and said they were on their way over. Carrie could faintly hear some objections on the other end of the phone, but it didn’t take Vincent long to help make up her mind.
“We’re already on our way, Elissa. Did you decide if you want a house or an apartment?” he asked. “Well, we can hash it out after I pick you up. I’ll see you in ten minutes. Get the boys ready.” He hung up and shook his head. “This isn’t going to be easy.”
“You’d think she would jump at your offer.” Carrie didn’t know Elissa, but Vincent was being very generous.
“She’s full of pride. Her parents are doing everything they can, to keep her from getting ahead in life, including taking all of her money.” Vincent’s face held an angry expression.
∞ ∞ ∞ ∞
Pulling up to Elissa’s house, Vincent waited for her to come outside with the boys. When she did, his heart sunk. She was carrying her purse, tightly against her chest, and calling for the boys to hurry up. All three of them were out in the front yard when a middle-aged man and woman came storming out behind her.
“You better be taking those damn kids with you, or it’ll be extra to watch them on the weekends!” Vincent could only assume that this was Elissa’s mother.
She walked up to the driver’s side window. “I can’t let you buy me a place to live, Vinnie. You have no idea what I’ll have to go through if you do. When I told them we might be moving, they called us all kinds of names. It’s just not worth it anymore.” Elissa’s cheeks turned red when she saw the woman in the front passenger seat.
“Elissa, this is my friend, Carrie. You and the boys climb in and let’s go get some food.” Vincent smiled, but he really wanted to hop out of the car and have a little chit chat with the two loudmouths in the yard.
“Okay. We can’t be gone too long though.” Elissa went to her car and grabbed the kid’s car seats. Her parents were scowling at her from the front porch.
“Wow, what a bunch of—” mumbled Carrie.
“We’ll end this for her today,” whispered Vincent.
Once they left the house, he picked up his phone and called Sean. “I need your help, Bro. Meet us at Delilah’s.” Vincent hung up and smiled over his shoulder a
t Miles and Noah. “I hope you guys have hungry bellies!” He looked at the excitement on their faces, and wondered if that was an emotion they ever got to express.
∞ ∞ ∞ ∞
Sean had been dozing on the couch when Vincent called him. It wasn’t often that he got summoned by one of his brothers, so when it happened, he dropped what he was doing. But he must admit, he’d never been asked to run to a diner before. Whatever the circumstances were, he knew in his gut that it wouldn’t be good news. Hopefully Vincent wasn’t wearing his attorney’s hat today and Robert’s ass was still locked up.
He spotted his brother’s car in the lot, so he walked in and surveyed the restaurant. Soon he saw a hand waving at him from across the room. Sean walked over to the table and ordered a cup of coffee.
“Grab yourself a plate, Sean. The food’s really good here.” Vincent encouraged him.
Sean said hello to everyone, then he obliged his brother and made his way to the buffet, without question. He saw the look in his Vincent’s eyes, letting him know that they’d talk in private, so he didn’t inquire.
Sean hadn’t seen Miles and Noah in a while, so he was amazed by how big they’d gotten. They were still sweet kids. Elissa was being awful quiet, and he couldn’t help but think this meeting had something to do with her. Carrie was there, but she wasn’t acting like anything was wrong.
When everyone was done eating, Vincent whispered something to Carrie, before motioning for Sean to follow him. They stepped outside and waited for the crowd at the door to thin out some.
“Sean, I need some help with Elissa. You have to help me buy a house and car for her today, and then we’re going to get her moved. She can’t stay with her parents any longer. They’re a real piece of work, and if you ask me, I believe they’re abusive.”
