by Jeannie Moon
“Stop,” Meg said. “Just tell us.”
Caroline knew she wasn’t going to get out of this so she gave them the basics. That was all. “I was out after work Friday and Mark was hitting on me. Josh ran interference and took me to dinner. Mark can draw whatever conclusion he wants.”
“Where were you on Friday?” asked Mom.
Caroline shrugged. “I don’t know. Some bar in Midtown.”
Her mother rolled her eyes. “Caroline, really. Bars?”
Now she was going to get a lecture about staying safe in the city and finding a husband and moving home and working in a smaller firm on the island. No way was it going to happen. She didn’t want to live in the suburbs yet. And as for finding a husband, she’d love it, but she’d be happy with a decent guy to date.
“Where did you eat?” Meg asked.
“We picked up a pizza and went back to his place.” She could see from Meg’s face that that was already too much information. She shouldn’t have said anything. Josh was out with Jason and Molly, but when he arrived, Meg was going to be all over him. Then Caroline thought about that for a second. Maybe it wasn’t a bad thing. He could use a hard time.
“You went to his loft?”
“Whose loft?” Her mother was lost.
“Josh’s loft,” Meg said with concern. Her and Jason’s marriage may have been rock solid, and the relationship with Josh was better than it was when they first got back together, but there was still a lot of tension because Josh had a relationship with his parents. Meg couldn’t get past how they tried to steal Molly from her, and even though Josh helped in getting the whole mess straightened out, Meg was still working on trusting him.
“Josh Campbell?” Mom asked. Meg nodded like she’d just tattled on Caroline for missing curfew.
“Oh,” her mom said. “Oh. Well, that’s okay.”
“What?” Meg had gone from smug to psychotic in a split second. “Josh is too much for her to handle.”
“Handle what?” Caroline heard herself say. “There’s no handling going on.” Not anymore at least.
Meg hopped off the stool and poured two glasses of wine. One for herself and one for their mother. None for Caroline. “It’s not a good idea.”
“What, us being friends?” Caroline was really getting pissed. Her life was being tossed around like a football. “Since when is this your decision, Meg?”
“I’m your big sister. I’m supposed to look out for you.”
“Looking out for me doesn’t include telling me how to run my life. Who I see is my business, not yours.”
“Do you understand what you’re doing?”
“Meg, there’s nothing to understand. It was fucking pizza! End of story.”
“Caroline!” her mother yelled. “Your language!”
“My language?” Caroline stood and went to grab her purse and jacket from the hook in the adjacent mudroom, then returned to her mother and sister. “Mom, in case you haven’t noticed, Meg curses like a fifteen-year-old boy.”
Putting on her jacket, Caroline took out her cell and threw her purse over her shoulder. “Here’s the deal... I’m leaving. When you two accept the fact that I’m an adult, who has her own mind, who can curse when she wants to, see who she wants to, I’ll come back.”
Meg leaned back against the island. “How are you going to get to the train? You don’t have a car.”
“Seriously?” she asked, holding up her cell phone. “You know, I do have one of these. It’s an amazing device. Watch. With minimal effort, I can call a cab.” Pressing the button, she continued. “Did you know there’s an app for that?”
Within seconds, her phone would make the call for her. Screw her sister.
“It’s a lovely service. They’ll send a car to take me to the train for a nominal fee.”
“When did you become so damn sarcastic? I’m only trying to help!”
“I guess you rubbed off on me, Meg.”
“Caroline, please,” her mother implored. “Don’t leave.”
“Sorry, Mom. I’ll call you.” Kissing her mother on the cheek, Caroline headed for the door. She didn’t expect to run into Jason, Molly, and Josh coming in from Molly’s soccer game.
“Aunt Caroline! We won!”
“Hey, sweetie. That’s great!”
“Where are you going?” Molly asked. “I want to show you the town I built with my Legos.”
“I have to go, Mol. I’m not...” She looked up at Josh. “I’m not feeling too well. I’m going to go home.”
“You feel fine,” Meg called out. “You’re running.”
Josh’s eyebrows shot up. “Why are you running?”
“Because I’ve had enough,” she said.
“What the hell happened?” Jason asked Meg whose hands were braced behind her as she leaned back into the counter.
“Did you know your brother had dinner with my sister on Friday?”
Jason grinned. “As a matter of fact, I did. They had pizza at the loft.”
And really great sex, Caroline thought.
“You didn’t tell me?” Now Meg was angry. She didn’t like being kept out of the loop.
Josh was watching her and it looked like he had something on his mind. “I don’t know what this has to do with you, Meg.”
Uh-oh. The whole room went quiet.
“Caroline is my sister. I love her and I don’t, I don’t... I’m not sure of you yet. I’m getting there, but...”
“Meg, you’re not being fair.” Crap, why did Caroline say anything? Why? There wasn’t anything she could do, which was why she was going to leave.
“Fair? I don’t have to be fair. When it comes to my family—”
Josh cut her off and stopped her cold. He had his hands firmly planted on his hips and his size made him intimidating; he towered over everyone in the room, including his brother. “You have some nerve, Meg. You tell me you don’t trust me. You try to run your sister’s life. Who do you think you are?”
Caroline watched, just watched the big man, the oldest of the four of them, tell her sister where she could take her attitude. His confidence and strength rolled off his wide shoulders. He was impressive. If you liked that sort of thing in a guy.
“Your sister is helping me decipher problems I’m having with a real estate project. Stuff that’s way over my head. She’s a life saver.”
“I know she’s smart, but there’s more to life than being smart. I’m trying to watch out for her.”
“What you need to do is respect her. She’s an engineer, a writer. She’s pretty amazing and more than able to handle herself.”
Oh God. Oh, God. He didn’t. Now she’d have to kill him.
“What the hell is he talking about?” Meg looked at Caroline.
Caroline, however, was looking at Josh. He’d just outed her and she could barely speak. “Why did you do that?”
“Do what?”
“Tell? About my writing. I trusted you and you blurted it out like it’s nothing. It’s personal.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. You’re talented.”
“Okay, so she has a hobby,” Meg said.
The noise in her head was thrumming. A constant din that was getting louder and louder. It filled her head with the voices. The arguing. The noise.
She wanted to scream.
Throwing her bag on the table, that’s exactly what she did.
“All of you shut up!”
It was just loud enough to make an impact, especially since Caroline never yelled. “None of you should talk. You all say things and make decisions for me like I’m not here.” She paced in a circle. “I am here. I’M RIGHT HERE!”
She’d never been so angry. Never been so hurt. And it wasn’t one person, it was everyone in the room, except the little girl who didn’t understand why her aunt h
ad gone crazy.
“Oh, honey,” her mother began, “we know you’re here. We just want what’s best for you.”
“When do I get to decide what’s best for me, Mom? When?” Her mother was trying to form an answer when Caroline turned on Meg. “And my writing isn’t a hobby, Meg. It’s what I want to do with my life.”
“Maybe if you focused on your job, on what you’re good at,” her sister spat out, “you wouldn’t be having problems at work!”
“You don’t know anything about what goes on at my job. Nothing. The firm is a nightmare. I might be good at it, but I’m in an impossible situation.” Caroline went over and gave Molly a strong hug. “I love you, Molly, and I’m sorry you had to see all of us angry; see you soon.” Her poor niece looked so confused.
Now Meg was standing next to Jason, who was rubbing her back, trying to calm her. Her mother sat at the kitchen island, her head down, wringing her hands.
Josh looked stunned and sad. Caroline didn’t care.
She grabbed her bag and started out of the house, taking out her phone as she walked. “I’m out. See you... whenever.”
Jason shook his head. “You’re not calling a cab. I’ll take you to the train.”
Josh pulled his keys from his pocket and his hand drifted to Caroline’s arm. “You stay. I’ll take her.”
Caroline was getting sick of being handled and pushed Josh’s hand away. “I’ll call a cab.”
“Don’t be stubborn.”
“Stubborn? Everyone seems to have an opinion of me today.”
Jason walked over and kissed Caroline’s cheek, understanding that he needed to back off. “Feel better. If you don’t want Josh to drive you, I will. Or I’ll call a car for you.”
“Thanks, Jason.”
She hugged Molly again and turned back to Josh. “I’m going. I’ll get my own ride.”
She got as far as the side door, and stopped, taking a breath to calm herself, and looking at Josh, who’d followed her. Who was stubborn?
He leaned in and ran his hand over her shoulder. “Don’t be pissed. I’m sorry.”
There was a shudder that let her know he could still own her, and there was no way she could allow it. No stinking way. “You had no right to talk about my writing. None.”
“Maybe not, but you need to stand up for what you believe in. Don’t expect people to take you seriously if you won’t talk about it.”
“You have no idea...”
“If you’re not even able to talk to your family about it, why should anyone care? I’m your friend and I had no idea...”
“We’re not friends, Josh.” Caroline stepped back because if she was too close to him, undoubtedly she was going to get all stupid again. “We’re just not.”
“Why?”
“It can’t... I just...” How was she going to say this? “I’m too emotional, and you don’t really want to be friends. I’m a responsibility.” It was happening again. She was getting stupid.
“You make me crazy. You know that, right?”
“Right back at you,” she said. “I’m going to leave. See you around.”
“Caroline...”
But Caroline ignored him as she tapped her phone and made her call.
***
She was a pain in the ass. Stubborn. So fucking stubborn.
When Josh walked back into the kitchen, everyone’s eyes turned to him. His brother looked confused. Meg looked like she was going to kill him, and Mrs. Rossi... well, she looked content. Maybe even a little happy.
Molly was holding her lynx-sized black cat. But she was looking at him, too. So was the damn cat.
“You really need to back off of her, Meg.”
“I can’t,” Meg said. “Why don’t you tell me what went on between you two? I really think you’re the reason she left.”
Christ almighty. She wouldn’t have told her family about the weekend, would she? Because if anyone in this room found out he’d slept with her there wouldn’t be any way to escape and he’d have some serious explaining to do.
As long as someone didn’t kill him. Then, Mrs. Rossi snapped at her older daughter. “Megan, stop.” That got Meg’s attention. “She didn’t leave because of you, Joshua. Meg was giving Caroline a hard time about you and her having dinner on Friday. It was very nice of you to look out for her.”
Look out for her? He hadn’t watched out for her, he’d done her every way he could think of without hurting her physically. The woman was like a drug and Josh had to get her out of his system.
Meg wanted him to stay away from Caroline and he got that. He wasn’t the type of guy to trust in a relationship with her sister. He’d earned his asshole reputation.
There wasn’t much he could do about that. In the long run, it was better if Caroline didn’t get involved with him. The more he thought about it, though, the more he realized he liked her way too much. She made him lose his mind, and the last thing he needed was a woman who drove him to distraction. Caroline, and his reaction to her, was a dangerous, dangerous thing.
He’d figured that out when they talked last night.
Something drew him to her. She wasn’t his usual type, and he wondered if that was part of it. She was different. She was sweet, natural, and smarter than anyone he ever met. She also didn’t take his crap.
An ache developed in his chest when he thought about the fact that he wouldn’t be able to bury himself in her, that he wouldn’t wake up wrapped around her, and that even talking to her would be difficult. But Josh knew this was safer. For him. For her. For everyone.
Meg was still seething, and he didn’t know if it was because of Caroline or her mother. It’s possible it was both, but seeing his sister-in-law slamming kitchen drawers, Josh was pretty sure it was about him.
“Meg, we had pizza on Friday. Did she tell you she was getting hit on by that guy from her office?”
Meg nodded, but didn’t look up as she examined different knives in the butcher-block holder.
“She’s having a tough time at the firm. If nothing else, I gave her a break.”
“A break?”
“Yeah, a break. Have you met her boss? He creeps her out and her one friend was pushing her to go out with him.” He ran his hands through his hair and paced around the kitchen. “She didn’t want to go, and my being there gave her an easy out. It looked like she had a date, so maybe the asshole will leave her alone.”
Jason had grabbed two beers from the fridge, took off the tops, and handed one bottle to Josh. He took a long pull and let the grainy taste of the brew slide down his throat.
“Should she be worried about him?” his brother asked.
“He’s already sabotaging her at work. The firm she works for is doing the consulting for that property Dad wants to buy and develop. She asked to be put on the project, but since she’s been turning this guy down, and he’s in charge, he picked someone else.”
“She told you this?” Meg had stopped playing with the knives. Always a good thing in his book.
“The other night. Over pizza.” Josh took another sip of his beer and leaned his hip into the wall. “She’s not helpless, Meg. Not by a long shot. And the writing thing? You guys have to cut her some slack there. Why shouldn’t she do what she loves to do?”
Meg kicked her foot lightly against the cabinet. “I know, but she’s so naïve about some things. She may never get published and if she’s spending all her time doing that, what kind of life is she having? She’s never had a serious boyfriend. Hell, I don’t think she’s ever had sex.”
She said it right as Josh took a drink, and he inhaled part of what was in his mouth, and ended up choking on it. Jesus. If they only knew. He was coughing, violently, trying to get the last of his beer out of his lungs, all while thinking of what he could say in response to that. Mrs. Rossi had moved to his side and while he
was bent forward with his hands on his knees, she patted his back. Always the mom.
The mom of the woman whose virginity he took. Shit. He was never going to forgive himself. Never.
“Are you okay, Josh?” She was so damned nice. She was always nice to him.
“Yeah. That was just a little too much information.” He didn’t let on how fucking pissed he was. Pissed on Caroline’s behalf. Even when she wasn’t there, they were talking about her like she was a misguided teenager. “Meg, I know you love your sister, but you have got to stop thinking she doesn’t know what she’s doing. And what you just said? That’s no one’s business but Caroline’s.”
“But...” she sputtered.
“Meg,” Mrs. Rossi said. “Joshua is right.” She was still the only one who called him Joshua. And for some reason she seemed to like him. Go figure.
“I just know Caroline,” Meg said. “She may be all analytical, but she’s as emotional as I am; she just doesn’t show it.”
Josh looked down and then trained his eyes on his sister-in-law. There was no doubt in his mind that Meg adored Caroline, but she didn’t understand her. And she showed her emotions; she showed them to him. “Well, she showed you today. You have to trust her, Meg. You just do.”
“Crap. Why do I always do this?” She walked to Jason, who folded her in his arms.
“You care about her, but Josh is right. You have to trust her. She didn’t go home with some random guy in a bar. She went home with Josh. Hell, he’s practically like a brother to her.”
That made Josh cringe a little. He’d been thinking about Caroline all day and his thoughts were anything but brotherly. No, his twitching dick wasn’t the result of brotherly thoughts at all. It was all about the other night and the hot sex scene she was writing when he startled her last night.
***
Caroline decided to walk the half mile from Penn Station to her apartment. It was a gorgeous day, sunny and a bit warm, and it was still early, barely four o’clock. So much for a day with her family.
Caroline wished she hadn’t run off, but once Josh walked in that pretty much sealed it for her. She was pissed at her sister, but she couldn’t bear to look at him. Not the way he treated her. She was such a wimp.
