“Actually, Catarina and Melinda, Luke’s new sister in-law, are cousins. And no, they don’t still hang out. She’s apparently living in France now doing her modeling or fashion… thing,” I said, not remembering the details of her career. All that mattered to me was that she was halfway around the world.
“Wow,” Brooklyn replied. “They don’t talk or anything?”
I shrugged. “Not that I know of.”
“That’s deep. I know you were ready to flip out on him,” she assumed.
I recalled my feelings from that night. While, yes, there was a certain level of anger that I felt, it had nothing to do with Luke withholding this information. Considering the circumstances, I could see how something like that would be difficult to bring up. The rage I felt was toward Catarina. Her years of torture were something I’d never forget because they affected me so deeply, molded who I became as an adult to a certain degree. But then finding out that someone I hated so much on a very basic level, had owned such a huge part of Luke’s heart was hard to digest. In response to Brooklyn’s statement, I simply said, “No, not really,” and left it at that.
She didn’t respond right away, just watched me. “You’re so much better with stuff like this than I am. I need to take a page from your book, I guess. You know I fly off the handle at the drop of a hat.”
I smiled, but kept my comment to myself. Besides, she’d just said it all herself. She had two settings, off and on. And when she was on? All I can say is get out of her way.
I looked at my watch and yawned, prompting Brooklyn to roll her eyes. “Are you kidding me, Lissy? We’ve been out for all of about forty-five minutes. I guarantee you’d be all wide-eyed and bushy-tailed if we were at that stupid artsy-fartsy crap you were tryna drag me to.”
When she appeared to be genuinely upset, I burst out laughing. “I can’t help it. I took my medicine a couple hours ago and you know it makes me sleepy.
She huffed, but didn’t protest after that. “Ok, but if I take you home, you have to promise we’re gonna hang out again before my classes start back up. Once my program gets going, you know I’m gonna be M.I.A. I mean, I know you got you a husband and all, but I’mma need your word,” she teased.
I held my hand in the air when I promised her. “You got it.”
She was satisfied with that, so we stood from the table and walked back toward the car.
“So, you’re really happy?” she asked.
I placed my hand on the door handle and nodded. “I really am.”
She searched my face for sincerity, and once she found it, she nodded and climbed inside her car.
I was actually glad our plans for the evening had changed. It gave me a chance to vent and also spend time with my baby sister, something I needed more than I realized. So far, she was the only one I’d opened up to about Cat and Luke, and I planned to keep it that way. In the very least she validated my feelings, letting me know I wasn’t tripping for feeling some type of way about Cat in particular being Luke’s ex. It wasn’t petty. I wasn’t overreacting. My emotional response made sense to Brooklyn, and that mattered.
Chapter Nineteen
Luke
Matt checked his phone beside me while we sat waiting for Nick to show up. Already it’d been half an hour and I wouldn’t stay out later than planned just because he couldn’t get here on time. Honestly, I didn’t feel like doing this at all. I would’ve preferred to just be at home.
I glanced over at Matt and did a double-take as he slid on a pair of black-framed glasses. When I cracked a smile, he did too.
“Are you having glasses envy right now?” he asked. “They’re sweet, right?” He removed the frames from his face to look them over before easing them back on.
“May I ask why you’re wearing those?”
Matt set his phone down to explain. “They’re a camera! Ordered ‘em off a website I heard about on this online forum I’m a part of. I figured since I had a little money to blow with that advance, I may as well invest it in my craft.”
I shook my head at him and he went on.
“When I get home, I’ll have hours of video footage to go over. I’m gonna coin this view ‘The Matt Cam’,” he said with pride, seemingly unaware of the strange look I’d just given him. Then again, he’d probably seen it and just didn’t care a whole lot about what I thought.
Matt nodded toward the door and I looked that way as Nick came through the entrance, but instead of letting the door close behind him, he held it for Mel.
…and Cat?
What the hell?
I recalled the phone conversation Matt and I had and shot him a look. “I thought it was just supposed to be us.”
He looked just as confused as I did when he shrugged. “It was. That’s what Nick told me, anyway.”
My eyes went back to our oldest brother, who most of the time acted like the youngest. This had his shady intentions written all over it.
“Happy birthday, bro,” Nick said as he approached, landing a heavy hand on my shoulder when he did.
He read the look on my face and questioned me with his eyes. When he took the seat beside me, I leaned in to ask what he thought he was doing.
In response, he actually looked at me like I was the crazy one. “What’d I do?”
“Cat? Why’s she here?” I scoffed. “You said it was just supposed to be the three of us; me, you, and Matt. Technically, Mel shouldn’t even be here.”
“Relax, man,” he answered under his breath. In true form, Nick blew off my concerns and moved on to another topic. If a problem didn’t affect him directly, it was minor in his eyes. “Drinks are one me tonight,” he announced loudly to our group of five.
For the first time since she walked in, I allowed myself to glance over at Cat. It wasn’t a surprise that she was already watching me. When our eyes locked, she gave a tight smile, but swiftly shifted her gaze elsewhere.
The evening out was just supposed to be us guys, but leave it to Nick. Part of me wondered if he hadn’t done this on purpose. The only thing that stopped me from believing this was the case was the fact that inviting Cat here to rattle me wouldn’t benefit him in any way. Such a plan would’ve required more effort and energy than he’d ever put into something that he wouldn’t get something out of. So, in conclusion, I realized he was just being thoughtless as usual.
Matt cleared his throat beside me and I had a feeling he was just as uncomfortable as I was with this situation. Don’t get me wrong, Matt was no angel, but he was the most honest guy I knew. Never once had I known him to play games with a woman’s heart or anyone else’s for that matter. He’s straight forward, almost to a fault. He didn’t believe in gameplay, which was one of the biggest differences between him and Nick. If I had to guess, he knew like I knew, this was a bad situation.
My gut wretched at the thought of Lissette thinking I was only out with my brothers tonight. For one, I hadn’t bothered to tell her that Cat was even still in town, not after I saw how upset she was after the reception. It seemed pointless to bring Cat up again when her being here in Lindmore was so insignificant. I considered leaving. Just getting up and walking away from the table, but then I didn’t want to make a scene. It wouldn’t go unnoticed that I ran at the first sight of my ex and I didn’t want my brothers, or her, to read anything into that. Did I want to leave? Hell, yeah. However, I’d rock the boat less if I just stayed put and endured this dinner.
There was an eerie silence at our table as we all looked over our menus. My thoughts were focused on surviving this night with minimal awkwardness, a feat I believed to be impossible. Our waitress came and left after taking our drink orders. Nick, Mel, and Cat talked among themselves while we waited for the beverages to come back, but Matt and I were both quiet until he leaned in to say something in a low voice.
“You cool?”
I nodded to his question, but didn’t speak. The drinks came back and I grabbed a beer before anyone else could get their hands on one. I needed to clear
my head a little and that should do the trick.
“Do anything special on your actual birthday, Luke?” Mel asked.
“Stayed in with the wife,” I replied. “She made me a cake and had a gift for me. So, yeah, it was a good day.”
Cat cleared her throat and let her eyes shift down to the bottle in her hand. Without hesitation, she tipped it into the air and took a drink. A long one. Mel glanced up at her, too.
“Aww, ain’t that sweet,” Nick said with an air of condescension in his tone.
Clearly, he didn’t realize that he was already treading on this ice. I eyed him, but Matt cut in when he saw the look I gave. “Who’s up for some pool?” he asked, nodding his head toward the table on the other side of the bar.
“I’ll play. Just be forewarned; I’m a little rusty,” Cat said with a laugh.
“Promise I’ll take it easy on ya’,” Matt replied as he stood from his seat. Mel and Cat did the same, distancing themselves from our table. Casually, Cat reached behind her to tug her tank top down until it touched the waistband of her low-rise jeans, but before she did, I caught a glimpse of ‘Lucca’ tattooed at the small of her back—something she’d done years ago.
“This is nice, right?” Nick said, wearing a huge grin on his face. “The crew back together again: Me, you, Matt, Mel, Cat.” The look of nostalgia on his face made me sick to my stomach. Was he really so clueless?
I shot him a look that could kill. Now that it was just the two of us at our table, I didn’t have to keep my voice down.
“Nice? What the hell were you thinking bring her here?”
Nick gave a shrug, completely oblivious. “Mel asked at the last minute if she could come, and I may or may not be in the doghouse for coming in late last weekend,” he added under his breath. “So, I said it was cool. Then she invited Cat. What’s the big deal?”
“What’s the big—” I paused to keep from raising my voice. “The big deal is that Cat and I aren’t together anymore, dickhead. And I don’t know if you’ve forgotten this or not, but I’m married now and—”
Before I could even finish, Nick waved me off. “Dude, your ‘marriage’ doesn’t even count!” he whispered. “You married that girl for the same reason I agreed to do this ridiculous documentary: the money.” I cringed when the words left his mouth. Granted, that had something to do with me agreeing to Matt’s terms in the beginning, but once I met Lissette, really got to know her, there was an instant connection. One that I knew went way past any dollar amount that may or may not be paid out in the future.
“You don’t even know that girl,” Nick went on. “Hell, I don’t even remember what her name is!” His arm went around my shoulder and I shrugged it off, looking at him from the corner of my eye.
“You’re such a bastard, I swear.”
“I’m working on being a better person,” he lied, dismissing my comment. “But just hear me out; Cat’s only here until she remembers that her work is more important than anything here in Lindmore, anyway. You know how she does. May as well ride this one out while it lasts.” A sickening smile crossed his face. “I say you capitalize on this moment, bro; consider my bringing her here tonight a birthday gift.”
I couldn’t believe what he was suggesting, but then I reminded myself of how he’d behaved the night before his wedding. Fidelity wasn’t something that held value with Nick, so I shouldn’t have been surprised.
“Hit that one last time before she goes back to France. For old time’s sake,” he continued. “It’s not like any of us would ever tell L… Liss… whatever the hell her name is. My point is, you’re looking at this all wrong. I mean, yeah, wifey has the ring on her finger, but… dude, you and Cat go too far back to act like you’re not still feeling her.”
At the sound of his words, my eyes went to Cat, found her on the other side of the bar leaned over the pool table with the cue gliding between her fingers. Her painted red lips parted when the sound of her distant laughter filled the air, a sound that once had the power to make even the worst of times seem just a little bit easier to bear. A second later, as if she felt me watching, her eyes found mine. Whatever had once curved the corners of her lips into a smile had slipped away. Her thoughts seemed to become heavier in an instant, burdened down by whatever thoughts or memories bombarded her when she saw my face. It didn’t offend me, because I understood it. The feeling was mutual. There was this ghost of a life that we’d shared still lingering between us, leaving me to feel as if I was in limbo between now and then. Reality and fiction. Having her here made everything foggy, unsure of what was real; the present or the past. I hated it. Maybe she did, too.
“I’m not interested in Cat,” I said to my brother, holding her gaze for the few seconds she thought I was worth her attention before focusing in on her shot again. “You may find this hard to believe, given the short amount of time that’s passed,” I said, acknowledging the seven weeks that had breezed by since meeting Lissette. “But I’m happy where I am. With Lissette.”
The look on Nick’s face was a mixture of disbelief and amusement, like he was listening to a child explain why they believed Santa Claus and the Tooth Fairy were real. My feelings for Lissette were no different in his eyes—make believe.
He shrugged and finished his first beer. “Well, suit yourself, but I think you’re missing out on something special,” he said suggestively before elaborating. “I mean seriously? Have you seen that rack, dude? I don’t know how that gene missed Mel, but I swear… if they weren’t family, I’d bang Cat myself.” That snake-like grin crossed my brother’s lips again as he moved in the direction of the rest of our group, his eyes locked on Cat as he did, no doubt. I believe he expected me to follow, but I didn’t. Instead I sat there watching as they were served another round of drinks, shots this time. Cat grabbed two off the waitress’s tray before she could get too far away, downing them both before the others could even toss back their first.
Alone at the table, I sent a text to Lissette, missing the simplicity of our life just in the short amount of time that had passed since I left her at the apartment. With her at the symposium, I wasn’t expecting the quick response that came to my ‘I love you’ message, but smiled all the same when she replied, ‘Love you, too. Have fun with your brothers :)’.
That’s right; she did think I was only out with them tonight. It wasn’t that it hadn’t crossed my mind that, at some point tonight, I should let her know Cat had tagged along, too, but I had no clue how that was supposed to come up. For starters, I hadn’t even made it known that Cat had stuck around here in Lindmore after Nick and Mel’s wedding. My reason? Avoiding that hurt look I’d seen on Lissette’s face when she had to relive all the pain and drama from the past that seemed to be associated with the mention of Cat’s name. I wouldn’t have her worrying about Cat again.
I stared at the text for a few seconds longer and then moved to the bar, taking an empty stool at the corner near the dart board. The bartender slid me another beer when I asked for one, but I honestly didn’t have plans to drink it. I didn’t need any help clouding up my head. Life had done a thorough enough job of that already. The thought hit me then that I should just leave and head home. Granted, Lissette probably wouldn’t be back for a couple hours, but I’d just hang out at the apartment and wait for her to come back. She’d been asking me to do a few things around the place anyway—change one of the bulbs in the bathroom, take care of the squeaky hinge on the linen closet. Now was as good a time as any to get it done. As far as I was concerned, I’d already celebrated my birthday anyway. With her.
I’d just braced my hand on the edge of the dark, lacquered finish of the bar when a lengthy leg cloaked in dark denim swung over the stool beside me, red painted toes peeking from the front of her black high-heels. Cat blinked at me twice, wearing a faint smile as she wet her lips. I tried not to let my eyes drift there when she did.
“So, is this as awkward for you as it is for me?” she asked. “Nick said he’d told you I was co
ming, but clearly, judging by that look on your face when I walked in, that wasn’t true.”
My lips pressed into a firm line when I shook my head. “Nah… that was just Nick being Nick.”
“Nice,” she said, laughing a bit.
I nodded and eased back into the comfortable position I’d held on the stool before Cat showed up and I temporarily delayed my plan to escape.
She was wearing an inquisitive smirk. “What exactly was his angle if you don’t mind my asking?” she finally inquired. “I mean, honestly, I thought your wife would be here and we’d all just be hanging out. I had no idea this was an ambush.”
I shrugged. It was hard to tell if Nick was just being his typical thoughtless self, or if he was being more vindictive than usual when it came to my relationship with Lissette. Either way, I wasn’t about to let Cat know how unstable things were when it came to Lissette and my family. It wasn’t any of her business. For that reason, I didn’t give an answer. Instead, I focused in on something else she said.
“Wait… you thought Lissette was going to be here and the six of us were all just going to hang out?”
She heard the air of cynicism in my tone and her cheeks flushed red. “I mean… I know that sounds presumptuous, but you know I’m ever the optimist,” she said with a smile. “I don’t know, I thought maybe it was possible that you two had talked and you apologized for me like I asked you to and,” she shrugged again. “And…” her voice trailed off at the exact moment her expression let on that she realized how ridiculous that idea was. Her lips turned up into a smile again and her posture relaxed.
The bartender offered me another drink, which I declined because I hadn’t even touched my last, but Cat happily accepted it. This made her second beer, on top of two shots. I didn’t say anything, though. It wasn’t my business.
“So, your mom. How’s she?” I asked.
Cat let out a heavy breath before sipping her drink. It was then that I linked the two together, the drinking and her mother’s health. For that reason, her response didn’t come as a surprise to me.
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