by Mia Carson
“I don’t see why not,” she said with a firm nod. “It's not like Ashford is going to know the difference.”
“Perfect,” he said and scooted his chair closer to the table. “Then, ladies first.”
She smirked, and they started the assignment. The questions went back and forth as each jotted down answers for the other, and they quickly filled out the first few pages of the packet. Each of them would have to take the answers home and type up an actual report, but that wouldn’t take too long and she was good to give him long enough answers to satisfy an overly curious professor. He did the same, the best he could, and soon, they reached the end of what would be due the following Monday.
Reider set his pen down and stretched his hand. “That went well enough, I think,” he said and covered his mouth as he yawned.
“Not sleeping well?” she asked.
Reider opened his mouth to explain exactly why when he noticed the bags under her eyes, too, and wondered what they were from. He thought about asking her why she wasn’t sleeping but remembered they weren’t friends and weren’t supposed to get along. Hell, they weren’t supposed to be around each other at all. He shifted in his chair and rubbed at his twitching eye.
“No,” he answered quietly. “It’s my cousin. He’s been depressed lately, and it’s hard to handle. Not sure what to do with him.”
He gulped the rest of his coffee quickly —cold now—and wanted to kick himself for saying that much to her. She didn’t need to know what was going on in his life, but he’d told her without so much as a worry as to whom she might tell in turn. This meeting might have gone well, but he expected a snarky remark, something to mock him. Instead, she ran her finger over the rim of her mug and sagged in her chair.
“I understand a thing or two about being depressed,” she murmured quietly, not meeting his gaze. “Wondering what it’s all supposed to mean. Being trapped with no clear way out.”
Reider’s anger spiked. She had to be talking about her brothers trying to marry her off, and his hands curled into fists on the table. “Sorry.”
“For what?” she asked without looking up.
“For whatever you’re going through.”
She laughed, and Reider wished it sounded happy instead of bitter so he could learn that sound. “We’re in a truce. Doesn’t mean you have to be nice to me.”
“No, but you were nice to me so I thought I would return the favor.”
“Thank you,” she said. Her gaze locked on his, and he froze. The blood in his veins ran hot, and his heart threatened to pound out of his chest. The amber depths of her eyes dragged him in deeper, and his dreams rushed to the forefront of his mind. Kissing Johanna in the coffeehouse would be a terrible idea. They might be far away from their usual haunts, but that didn’t mean someone who knew the families wouldn’t spread the word. Meeting in public was risky enough.
He cleared his throat after a long minute and shook his head. “No problem. Guess we should set this up for next week. Wednesday work for you?” He pulled out his cell to set a reminder when he saw the rest of the week on his calendar and cursed. “The charity event.”
“What charity event?”
“This Saturday. I’m assuming you’re going,” he said, and her jaw clenched.
“Damn it, forgot about it ‘til now.” She leaned back in her chair, glaring out the window. “That might throw a damper on things a bit.”
“They can’t know we’re working together,” he insisted. “Hell, they can’t even know we have a class together. How are we going to make it through an entire night without anyone figuring out what’s going on?”
“You’re saying you can’t pretend for one night like you still hate me?” she asked and raised a brow.
His eye twitched. “I never said I hated you,” he muttered. “That would be this ridiculous family feud of ours.”
Her eyes lightened and she held up her hands. “You’re right, sorry. Forgot what it does to us.” She chewed on her pen cap for a moment before she said, “We’ll have to lie, is all, if anyone asks about our classes or what not. Really, it should be fine.” Reider’s jaw clenched, and he muttered under his breath. “What did you say?”
“I said I can’t lie to save my life, so you better hope no one does ask us anything or we’re screwed.”
“You can’t lie, really? Not for anything?” He shook his head, and she laughed. “How did you make it through your childhood?”
“Not all of us are as good at lying as a Chadwick,” he rambled without thinking, repeating the old phrase his family had used for decades to describe hers. He wanted to take it back immediately when her whole body stiffened. The truce was over for today. She gathered up her things roughly. “Wait,” he said, but she held up her hand.
“Just don’t, alright? We’ll clearly be fine at the charity event. Won’t be hard to ignore a Marquette like I usually do. Thanks for the reminder.” She stormed off, and Reider rested his elbows on the table, his head in hands.
If he hadn’t opened his mouth and said that, what might have happened? He could no longer deny he was attracted to her fierce beauty and smart-mouth attitude, but as he so kindly reminded her, their families were still at odds with each other and probably always would be. There was no forgetting that fact and no getting around it, but ignoring her was no longer an option, not when he was drawn to every small movement she made. When her lips closed around the pen cap, his gut clenched, and he pictured those lips on his as they were in his dreams. As she shifted in her seat, he wished he could be the chair and feel those hips cradled in his.
Get a hold of yourself. You can’t have her, so let it go, he told himself and packed up his things. It’s one class, and it’s a few hours a week. You can handle this.
But as he stood and turned, he saw Johanna on the sidewalk, talking with her friend. The various tones of brown in her hair changed as she shook her head and the sun played off it. That woman was everything he wanted—attractive, full of fire, and had an attitude that could rival his own. If only her last name was different.
If only our families could get over this damn feud, he thought bitterly and stomped out the door. If he turned right, he would see her again, but he kept his gaze forward and focused on his jeep. As he threw his bag in, his cell went off and he groaned when he saw Micah’s name pop up.
“Micah, what do you need?” he asked, climbing in behind the wheel.
A few cars ahead of him, Johanna climbed into the driver’s side of her car and revved the engine. She sped away, and he smirked, watching the taillights disappear around the corner. Woman had a lead foot like him, too.
“Did you hear me?”
He frowned and stuck the key in the ignition. “No, sorry, what’s up?”
“Your mom wanted to know when you’d be back,” he repeated. “And she also wanted to know if you were secretly on a date and lying to them.”
Reider’s hand slipped off the wheel so hard he caught his head on it and cursed.
“What did you do? You alright?” Micah asked.
“Yeah, freaking fantastic,” he griped. “No, no date. I’ll be home soon.”
“You sure there’s not something going on?”
“If you want to ask something, just ask it,” he snapped, rubbing his forehead.
Micah sighed and muttered, “You’ve been off all week, that’s all. Different. Like you’re hiding something or someone. I just want to make sure my cousin’s not getting into something he shouldn’t.”
Reider stiffened. “Now who’s acting like the babysitter? I’m fine, really. I’ll be home soon, and stop grilling me about my personal life. That is none of your business.”
“It is if it affects the family,” he said quietly and hung up.
He stared at his cell and cursed his cousin for being so damn nosy. Had he followed him after all? Reider glanced quickly up and down the street, but he didn’t recognize anyone or any of the cars, and Micah hadn’t driven since the accident. He played i
t off as his cousin being lonely and needing to distract himself by digging into Reider’s life.
But the whole drive home, Reider couldn’t shake the feeling that Micah was hiding something from his cousin, something Reider felt was going to bite him in the ass if he weren’t careful.
Johanna was barely through the door before Frank and Frederick stalked out of the living room and blocked her from running upstairs. “Mind if I put my stuff down?” she muttered as Frank reached for her tote. “What the hell are you doing?”
“Where were you?” he asked, digging through her school papers.
“I texted Mom and told her exactly where I was,” she snapped. “Give me my bag.”
Frank stepped away from her and shook his head as Frederick crossed his arms over his chest. “You were studying with Melody the whole time? Where? We didn’t see you anywhere around town.”
On the outside, she glared at her brothers and crossed her arms, but in her mind, she freaked out, trying to remember if she’d written anything down in the packet of papers that might give Reider away. She wanted to snatch the bag back, but they’d know she’d hidden something and that would start an argument she was in no mood to have.
“We went to a different coffeehouse outside of town,” she said calmly. “Heard they have killer danishes.”
“Really? You expect us to believe you drove all that way for a danish?”
She glared harder at Frederick and straightened, nearly as tall as he was, and she smirked when he glowered at her. “Yes, I do, because it’s the truth.”
Frank pulled out her notebook and flipped through it roughly before he shoved it back and took out the packet of papers. Thankfully, he didn’t even look at those and shoved them back in, bending them all out of whack. “Nothing,” he muttered and handed her tote back.
She yanked it out of his hand and slung it over her shoulder. “Is my inspection over? Can I return to my cell, warden?” she quipped and waited for them to move.
Fredrick and Frank exchanged a glance before they stepped to the side. Johanna walked to the stairs. “If we find out you’re trying to date someone on the side,” Frank warned, “the guy will be sorry he ever touched you.”
She paused before whipping around. “How dare you? You are not Dad, so stop trying to sell me off like a damn cow! I have a life, and it’s mine, not yours. I’ll date whoever the hell I want.”
“No, you can’t, not when you’re a Chadwick,” Frank sniffed. “You’ll date who we approve of, and you’ll marry someone we approve of. Anyone else is not allowed near you.” He moved closer and raised a brow. “Did you see a guy today? Is that why you drove so far away?”
“No, I did not,” she snapped. “I studied with Melody, like I said, so drop it and leave me the hell alone.”
“We will, until Saturday night at the charity event. Your dress is upstairs. Mom said to try it on and make sure it fits,” he added with a smirk.
“And when are you two going to marry your sorry asses off?”
Frank’s face fell. He moved closer until he was barely an inch from her face. “Whenever we damn well please. Maybe after I finish sowing some wild oats—which reminds me, you better not be sleeping around, either.”
“And what if I am? You worried it’ll drive your precious friends away?” she sneered. “Too bad you’ll never know.”
She tried to turn, but he reached out and grabbed her arm. “Do what you want, but if you have a bastard, you’ll ruin this family name and Dad will kick you out. I suggest you keep your damn legs closed,” he whispered and let her go.
Johanna’s hand closed into a fist, ready to deck him, but Lucy, their mom, called out from the kitchen before she entered the hall. Frank and Frederick immediately put smiles on their faces and asked her when dinner would be ready, leaving Johanna to pull herself together quickly.
“There’s my precious girl,” Lucy said and took Johanna’s hand. “Do your mom a favor and try that dress on before dinner. I want to make sure we don’t need to alter it at all.”
“I’m sure it fits fine, Mom,” she said, forcing the smile to stay on her face as Frank and Frederick shot her a warning look behind Lucy’s back.
“Let me see it. The boys tell me there are some suitors interested in you,” she said proudly and cupped Johanna’s cheek. “Go on. Your dad wants to see it, too.”
Johanna gave in and said she’d be back down in a few minutes. Izzy’s door was open, but she wasn’t in her room and Johanna wondered if she were in the kitchen, listening to another lecture from their dad about school. Johanna closed her door and threw her tote across the room with a frustrated cry. Her books and pens scattered everywhere, but she didn’t care. With her back to the door, she slid down it to the floor, holding her face in her hands as a few hot tears pricked her eyes.
This was her life, and it was never going to change. She didn’t have a plan for her life, but she knew she wanted nothing to do with the family business. She wanted freedom, pure freedom. Without meaning to, her thoughts drifted to Reider and how easily they’d spent the afternoon together despite who they were. In those few hours, it was like their last names didn’t exist. Even when he made the joke about Chadwicks, she hadn’t really been mad, but it gave her an excuse to stop the strange friendliness they had together. To get out of there before anything else happened.
She would never have the chance to know what he was really like because of her name and her brothers. She was trapped, and despite what Izzy wished for—a white knight riding in to save her—there were no knights. This wasn’t a damn fairy tale, and no one was coming to save Johanna before the sun set.
5
Saturday morning hit Johanna like a sucker punch to the gut, and she rolled out of bed a mess. The day before had been terrible, sitting next to Reider during class and dealing with his looks ranging from worry to confusion to annoyance until she wanted to leave so he’d stop staring at her. She knew she looked awful—no makeup and wearing jeans and an old hoodie. Most of the previous day was spent locked in her room as tears fell unbidden from her eyes, and she faked being sick so her mom would leave her be.
Her life flashed before her, and she stared at her reflection now, grumbling about the circles around her eyes and the paleness of her skin.
“Johanna? Are you awake?” her mom called as she knocked on the door. “Really, it is time to get up. We have a lot to do today to get you ready.”
Johanna groaned and shoved her hair out of her face as she opened her bedroom door. “I don’t think we need to do the whole ritual like normal, right? It’s a charity event. I’m not speaking at it or anything. I’ll fix my hair, and we’ll be good to go.”
Lucy laughed as she bustled into the room, already primped and ready for the day. “Nonsense. Get dressed. We have an appointment at the salon, and I don’t want to be late.”
“The salon? Really? Mom, I have a ton of homework to work on this weekend,” she lied, hoping her mom would reconsider if it meant not doing well in her classes, but when Lucy replied, Johanna’s jaw clenched and she reached for something to throw against the wall, barely stopping herself in time.
“School is just school. You might find your future husband tonight, and that’s what you really need… what this family needs.”
“When are you going to lean on the other two to find wives?” she argued.
“They each have a date tonight, and from what Frank says, they’re hopeful that these two women will fit right in.”
Johanna frowned. “They said that about the last few, too. I don’t see them sticking around.”
Lucy shrugged, not meeting her eyes. “Things didn’t work out. Now, hurry up and get dressed.”
“Mom, really, if I’m being pushed to find a freaking mate then they should be, too. They’re inheriting the business,” she said loudly when her mom whirled around and glared at her.
“I hoped, by now, you would understand your duty to this family.”
“We’re not roy
alty! Jesus, Mom, this is ridiculous. Why do we have to do this? Why?” she snapped, falling down on her bed. She didn’t move when her mom told her to get ready. “No, not until you tell me.”
Lucy stared at her daughter, the perfect picture of a woman of the elite social class, and pursed her lips. “You are going tonight because it is your job as a Chadwick to maintain our relations with other wealthy families in this state,” she said firmly. “Not to mention that we have to show we are still giving back to our community so they will continue to support us.”
“They already respect us. You’re not blind, I know you see it,” she said, but Lucy shook her head.
“You never stop trying to gain people’s favor,” she explained haughtily. “You can’t or you lose ground, and before you know it, everyone is siding with the Marquettes.”
Johanna swallowed hard at the mention of the name and pictured Reider, wondering briefly what he’d be wearing at the event. “But still, I don’t understand why I have to be there, all dolled up.”
“Two of our friends are running for Congress in the coming election. We need to impress them so we stay on their good sides and they on ours, should they win,” she told me and walked briskly to the closet. As she pulled open the door, she continued her lecture on Johanna playing her part and doing what was expected of her without any more questions.
Johanna watched her throw a sweater and slacks onto the bed before she strode to the door. “You have fifteen minutes to be downstairs, ready to go,” Lucy said. “I suggest you dress quickly and put on some make-up.”
“Why, if it’s going to be done at the salon?” she mumbled.
“Do not mumble, and you look like a damn raccoon. Izzy said you went out of the house like that yesterday. You will not do so again. I will not have you be an embarrassment to this family.”
Lucy slammed the door behind her, and Johanna groaned and glared at the ceiling. Once upon a time, she had enjoyed being pampered and spending time with her mom, who was always so busy running the social side of their family’s business. Now, it was pointless tedium, and Johanna wanted nothing to do with it. She wanted to look like a raccoon so the twins’ friends would steer clear of her and she’d be able to date who she wanted.