The Crazy Girl's Handbook

by DelSheree Gladden

  Chapter Sixteen

  We stopped outside my sister’s house, this time Roman unafraid to hold my hand. Sammy stopped next to us while Evan and Colby barreled into the house. “We should probably head home,” Roman said, drawing a frown from Sammy.

  “You’re leaving me to face my sister alone?” I wanted to go hide at his house, but I supposed that wasn’t a very adult thing to do.

  Roman gave me a resigned smile. “I think you might have a better chance of talking to her if I’m not around.” Even though I knew it was true, I didn’t let go of his hand. Roman’s grip tightened. “If you need to get away from her for a while, though, you know where I am.”

  “Me too,” Sammy offered.

  Leaning down, I pulled Sammy into a one-armed hug and squeezed him tightly. “Thank you, buddy. I’m a little tired out, so I think I’m going to take a nap, but I’ll come see you soon, okay?”

  “For dinner?” Sammy asked. Roman laughed and grabbed him away from me, slinging him over his shoulder, much to his son’s delight. He tickled him for a few seconds before setting him back down and taking his hand.

  Looking back to me, Roman said, “Seriously, any time.” He must have been feeling brave, because he leaned down then and kissed me. It was short and sweet, probably just as much do to with Sammy’s presence as the fact that Lydia was probably watching us from a window somewhere. I sighed when he pulled back and turned Sammy toward their house.

  It took me a few seconds to gather enough strength to go inside. Surprisingly, I wasn’t accosted the second I stepped through the door. Lydia was in the kitchen still banging around, and James had occupied himself in the den watching TV. He looked up when I walked into the room and saw Thor still on his leash. “Do you mind?” I asked. “I can’t get the leash off with one hand.”

  “Of course.” He stood and walked over to me with a smile. He had the leash disconnected a few seconds later and Thor raced off to find the boys. “You look pretty tired out. Do you want to come sit down?”

  “I need to talk to Lydia,” I said with a sigh.

  James gave me a cautionary look. “Uh, you might want to let her cool down for a bit.”

  “She was watching us through a window or something, wasn’t she?”

  Nodding, James shook his head. “She saw the hand holding and kissing and wasn’t very happy.”

  “And you don’t know what’s got her so worked up?” I asked.

  James shook his head. “Sorry. I know it was something that happened this week, but I don’t know what. I was really busy at work and came home late almost every night.” He put an arm around my shoulder and squeezed. “I’ve got Rocky IV on in the den if you want to come watch it with me. She’ll probably be cooled down enough to talk to by the time it’s over.”

  “As much as I love watching Stallone get punched in the face eight hundred times because he’s never heard of blocking, I think I’ll go lay down for a while.”

  Chuckling, James nodded and returned to his show. I shuffled back to the guest room and laid down. I thought I might have trouble falling asleep with everything swimming around in my head, but I was out a few minutes after my head hit the pillow and didn’t wake up until Lydia was calling everyone to dinner. I didn’t really feel like getting up, but if I wanted Lydia to be in a semi-good mood when I confronted her, coming when called to dinner would only improve my chances.

  Surprisingly, the meal was relatively normal. The boys talking nonstop about a variety of topics helped. Lydia loved her boys and they could distract her from just about anything. James, who was normally on the quieter side, did what he could to keep the conversation upbeat as well. We had always gotten along really well. He had three sisters of his own, and seemed to quickly adopt me as one of his soon after he and Lydia started dating. I threw him a thankful smile when he drew the boys away from the dining room after dinner so I could talk to Lydia.

  “Here, let me help with those,” I said. I reached for the dishes still left on the table, but Lydia gestured at my splinted hand.

  “It shouldn’t get wet, remember?” She took the plates from me and turned away. “Besides, I’m just rinsing them to put them in the dishwasher.”

  “Well, I can help you clear the table, anyway.” I was limited to cups and silverware, as some of the larger plates were a little awkward to pick up.

  Lydia didn’t object this time and we cleared the table together. I stood nearby as she rinsed dishes and set them in the dishwasher racks. I was sure she knew why I was hanging around, but she didn’t prompt me or give me an easy opening. Sighing, I knew I’d have to take the first step if I wanted an answer.

  “I need to know why you’re so upset with Roman.” Lydia froze, but said nothing. When she went back to rinsing dishes, I pressed a little more. “Look, I know it seems like we’ve rushed things, and maybe you weren’t prepared for that, but isn’t this a good thing, Lydia? How long have you been pushing me to open up and have a real relationship with someone?”

  Dropping the silverware she’d been rinsing in the bottom of the sink, she set her hands on the counter. “Yes, but with someone worthy of that kind of trust,” she snapped.

  Shocked by her response, I didn’t know what to say. “Lydia, what are you talking about? You do trust Roman, and so do I.”

  “I used to.” She snatched the silverware back up from the bottom of the sink and continued rinsing them. She was jamming them one by one into the silverware caddy in the dishwasher before I came up with a response.

  “What did he do to make you not trust him anymore?”

  Exasperated, Lydia spun around to face me. “The past two weeks with Jen, for starters!”

  I would freely admit I’d been angry with him for how he let Jen’s aggression trump Sammy’s needs that first week, but we had talked things out and he’d recognized how letting her bully him into fights had been hurting Sammy. I felt the need to defend him, but Lydia already knew all that. “I don’t understand. You know he’s working to correct things with Jen and protect Sammy. There has to be something else.”

  “Protect Sammy by letting her weasel her way back into their lives? And lying to you about it?” Lydia spat. “I’m sorry, Greenly, but I won’t stand by and let Roman Carpenter break your heart. I just won’t.”

  “What are you talking about?” I finally yelled. James’s head peered around the corner, gaze bouncing between the two of us. I gestured for him to stay, because if Lydia didn’t have a good explanation for the accusations she’d just thrown down, he might have to step in.

  Irritated even more by my bringing James into this, Lydia threw the towel she was holding onto the counter and parked both hands on her hips. “Wednesday night, do you know where Jen was?”

  “At her hotel, I’m guessing, or out doing whatever she wanted. How the hell would I know?”

  A mixture of superiority and crushing disappointment played on Lydia’s features. “She was at Roman’s. All night.”

  “What?” I demanded. “No she wasn’t. She left at seven, and Sammy called me right after she left.”

  “Then why was her car still there?” Lydia glared at me, but her bottom lip was trembling. She was furious with Roman, not just for my sake, but because she felt like he’d lied to her, too.

  Her words twisted my insides as insecurity pushed at me, but everything else said she was wrong. Roman wouldn’t do that. Even if she had stayed for some reason, it wasn’t so they could have sex or rekindle their relationship. He was done with her. He was in love with me. I simply couldn’t believe it, and part of me was angry that she had.

  Reaching forward, my good hand clasped around her wrist and I started dragging her behind me. She was shrieking for me to let go of her. James only raised an eyebrow as we passed. “We’ll be back,” I told him, and kept moving. He didn’t try to stop me.

  All of Lydia’s struggling and demands died away as soon as I dragged her out the front door. She wasn’t about to l
et her neighbors see her being hauled around the neighborhood like a child throwing a tantrum. Thank goodness, too, because I seriously doubted I could stop her from getting away from me with only one hand. I think she knew I’d keep walking if she did, though.

  Roman was quite surprised to open the door a few minutes later to find me and my captive. Done putting up with Lydia’s fits for the day, I put the question to him bluntly. “Why was Jen’s car here all night on Wednesday?”

  While Lydia had the good graces to looked embarrassed at the admission she’d been spying on Roman’s house for my sake—and in a way, hers too—Roman only raised his brows in surprise. “Because her rental car wouldn’t start. She called a cab to take her to her hotel and the rental company picked up the car the next morning.”

  Feeling vindicated, I dropped Lydia’s hand and glared at her. “Are you happy now? You’ve been horrible to him for days, because instead of simply asking him what was going on, you jumped to conclusions.”

  “I was just trying to protect you,” Lydia whined.

  “Well, stop it. I am a grown woman, Lydia. I don’t need you hovering over my shoulder every second. Now go home.” My voice was firm without being mean, something I had learned from her, and she recognized it.

  A small bloom of panic rose in her expression. “But, your hand, you need help for a few days!”

  Turning away from my sister, I looked at Roman squarely and asked, “How would you feel about a houseguest?”

  “Greenly!” Lydia hissed.

  For a second, Roman didn’t seem to know what to do. Lydia had been his friend for five years. She watched his son after school and they had each over for dinner all the time. I was just a girl he’d known for a few weeks. An apologetic expression crept onto his face. “Lydia, I’m sorry, but you could have just asked about the car. Greenly probably does need help for a few days, even if she doesn’t want to admit it, and if she doesn’t want to stay with you right now…”

  Instead of storming off like a child as she’d done earlier, Lydia squared her shoulders and ignored me while addressing Roman. “I’m sorry. I should have just come to you from the beginning. I’ll send James over with Greenly’s things later this evening.” Then she turned around and walked off with her eyes fixed anywhere but in my direction.

  Roman sighed, and then started laughing quietly. “I’d say Sammy put you up to this just so he could have you around more often, but I know your sister all too well.”

  Feeling suddenly guilty, I said, “I’m sorry. I really shouldn’t have dragged you into this. You guys were friends way before I stumbled into your life.”

  Sliding his arms around my waist, Roman shook his head. “I’m disappointed she didn’t trust me enough to just ask about the car. I didn’t think she’d be keeping track like that and get upset. I should have, knowing how protective she is of you, but it never crossed my mind.”

  “This is in no way your fault. I love my sister, but she has got to figure out how to give me a little breathing room when it comes to my love life.” My hopes that finding someone Lydia approved of, and I actually found myself attracted to, would finally cool her jets, but it seemed to have only made her worse.

  Roman’s thumb brushed along my cheek, pushing at my frown. “Well, on the bright side, Sammy is going to be ecstatic.”

  “And you?” I asked as the thought hit me that I’d really left him with little choice.

  The cheeky, boyish smile I knew would be the death of me, spread slowly across Roman’s lips. “Me? I guess you could say I’m not against the idea.” He pulled me into the house and closed the door behind us. A moment later, he called out, “Sammy, guess who decided to come have a sleepover?”

  A frenzy of movement and stomping feet brought Sammy running from his room. “Greenly!” He rushed over to throw his arms around me and started off on everything we could do together.

  “Hold up there,” Roman said. “It’s a school night, remember? You can watch one movie before bed, then if you ask Greenly very nicely she might be willing to read you a story. It’s off to bed after that. No arguments.”

  Sammy pouted for a moment before conceding. “Can Greenly take me to school in the morning?” he begged.

  He looked to me for an answer, but I wasn’t sure what to say. I knew I wouldn’t be able to drive him, and while I didn’t mind walking with him, I couldn’t remember how far away the boys’ school was from here. I’d only been there a few times for plays and music programs.

  “I think that might be a little far to walk,” Roman said.

  “Oh yeah, Greenly can’t drive with her broken hand. I forgot.”

  Roman ruffled his son’s hair with a smile. “How about Greenly rides with us to school? She might even be willing to come with me to pick you up after school.”

  Sammy’s eyes lit up. “You’re going to pick me up instead of Miss Lydia?”

  “I thought I might work from home tomorrow and keep Greenly company. Maybe we can all go to dinner after I finish my work.” He turned to me and said, “If you feel up to it.”

  I nodded wordlessly, surprised he was so willing to upend his day like that. When Sammy scampered off to select the movie he wanted to watch, I turned to Roman apologetically. “You don’t have to do all that. You could just drop me off at my apartment in the morning so you can go to work. I really will be fine. I was planning to email my professors and boss to let them know what happened. I’m sure the new weekend librarian will be happy for a few extra hours while I figure out how to function with a broken hand.”

  Roman shook his head. “After everything with Jen the past few weeks, I had been contemplating working from home this week so I could spend more time with Sammy. We’re not terribly busy right now, so it’s not a big deal. Now, I have even more of a reason.” He smiled and drew me closer. “I kind of like taking care of you.”

  A blush crept up from my neck to spread over my face. He must have been amazed by just how much taking care of I seemed to need lately. I swore I wasn’t usually this much of a mess. Things had just been crazy lately.

  “I think I love watching you blush almost as much as I love taking care of you,” Roman said with a chuckle.

  Before I could come up with something to say that would most likely not have been in any way witty, Sammy called out that the movie was ready and we should hurry up. Roman kissed my red cheek, then led me over to a waiting Sammy. I expected Sammy to snuggle up next to me when I sat down. What I didn’t expect was to be hit with such a strong sense of home that I worried I’d made a big mistake.

  I hadn’t been thinking when I pretty much invited myself to stay at Roman’s. During her tirade, Lydia said she was trying to keep Roman from breaking my heart. I already knew I couldn’t abandon Sammy. Roman, well there was no point now in denying to myself how much I was already in love with him. It was pretty much out in the open by that point. This was perfection in my mind, but it was all so new, so fragile. The letters and prowler crept into my mind, along with half a dozen other reasons this could all fall to pieces. I knew right then that if it did, if things with Roman didn’t work out, the last few whole pieces of my heart would be forever broken.