by Dawn Brower
“I don’t know if I want to marry anyone. I don’t exactly have good examples to go by.” She stood and paced the room. “Daddy abandoned us when we were too little to know what was going on. He never looked back. Mother is a paragon of control, but not an exemplary role-model to live by. She’s so...hard.”
Claire agreed—in a lot of ways. Her mother was everything she didn’t want to be. If Claire ever had children they’d know they were loved, and she’d not control every aspect of their life. And if Matt ever told her he loved her... Well, in that fantasy her whole world would be perfect. She’d appreciate the gifts she had and not take one minute of them for granted.
“What does that have to do with marriage?”
“I don’t know how to be a wife. Hell, I don’t know how to be anything.” She ran her fingers through her hair. “I go to work and I learn. I’ve become one of the best in my field because that’s all I know. Anything else terrifies me.”
She crossed the room and pulled her sister into a hug. “Listen to me. You don’t have to be perfect. It’s all right if you make a mistake and stumble every now and then. It’s called being human. If you don’t want to marry Nolan, don’t. If you do...” She swallowed back the bile threatening to come up. “Then don’t let anything stand in your way.”
“Mother expects were going to announce our engagement tonight.”
Claire rolled her eyes. “Tell her to shove her announcement...”
“Claire,” she exclaimed, rolling her eyes. “I can’t say that.”
“Say what you want, but don’t let her control your life.”
It was ridiculous her mother expected them to bow down to her demands. They were grown ass adults. They could make their own decisions without seeking mommy’s approval. Reese was the baby and more susceptible to it, but that had to end.
“You’re right.” The corner of her mouth tilted up. “Let’s go to the sitting room. Who’s all here?”
She probably should go rescue Matt. Nolan was a jerk and was no doubt driving him crazy. “I guess Carter is coming later. Did mother invite anyone else?”
“I don’t think so. This is a small affair for once.”
They entered the sitting room to find Carter and Dane, his partner on the force, inside along with Matt and Nolan. Carter’s blond hair was tousled, and dark spots shined prominently under his brown eyes. “I thought you weren’t going to make it.” Claire pulled her brother into a hug.
“I tried, squirt, but the dragon was insistent.” He hugged her tight in his arms. “Work’s crazy though. I really can’t stay long.”
“Big case?” She stepped back and raised an eyebrow. “What’s it about.”
“Now, you know I can’t give you details.”
She did. But she also knew Carter. “You can tell me some things. Spill, you know you want to.”
“All I can tell you,” he said, his hand held up. “Is that some scumbag is preying on innocent women. I’m telling you that much because I want you to be careful. We can’t figure out where or when he’s going to attack.”
“There’s no pattern?” she frowned. There was usually something to go on.
“I didn’t say that.” His lips formed a firm line, and the muscle in his jaw twitched.“Please. Can you promise to be careful?”
That worried her; perhaps she should mention the weird note and gift she’d received. After a moment’s thought she dismissed it. Carter was overworked, and it was a stupid thing for her to have him look into. When things calmed down she’d bring it to his attention. If the person he was after was sending weird things to people, he’d have told her that much. It was something she’d have to watch for. Still, she must fit something in the pattern if he was warning her. She was aware that he couldn’t give her too many details, and that little bit was probably outside of the scope of his limitations. He could lose his job for saying that much to her. They wanted an air-tight case to catch the culprit.
“Fine. I will.”
“Good.” He turned away from her. Distraction covered his face. The case must be bothering him a lot.
She loved her brother. He always made things light and fun growing up. With him around, life in the Jackson household had been more bearable. When he left to go to school, the sunshine had left. They had no more bright spots. She’d not think about it since it was over and done with. She glanced across the room and noticed Matt sitting petulantly on the sofa. Funshine Bear was gone, and it appeared as if Grumpy Bear was back. She sighed. “I should check on Matt.”
This night was taking a turn for the worst. She shouldn’t have left him alone. Now she’d have to coax the jokester back to the light or the evening was going to be quite bad indeed.
CHAPTER NINE
Matt couldn’t believe she left him. As far as she was aware, his sight was still as nonexistent as it had been the day of his accident. Yet she thought it was a good idea to leave him alone with Nolan, the biggest asshole he’d ever met. He fumbled his way to the sofa and sat fuming while the moron had delivered a monologue of epic proportions. He wasn’t even sure what Nolan had been talking about. He’d tuned him out less than thirty seconds into it. Otherwise, he’d have had to punch him, and all his carefully laid plans would have been for naught.
He breathed a sigh of relief when Carter and Dane arrived. They at least could distract Nolan and he could sit in silence, ignoring them all. Shortly after that, Claire came in with Reese and he was left as the odd person out. The other person who was equally ignored was Dane Hunter. The man didn’t seem to mind though. He nursed a drink and sat in the corner, studying them all. Matt had to work extra hard to be unnoticeable after that. The detective noticed everything with his alert gaze, and he’d know in record time Matt could actually see if he’d not been careful. At least, until all his attention seemed to zero in on Reese. Dane brushed his fingers through his dark hair and kept his gaze pinned on her every move.
That’s good. Watch the pretty lady, Detective Hunter. Matt grinned as he observed him out of the corner of his eye. He sympathized with his situation. Claire kept all of his attention too most of the time. Speaking of which, he turned his whole head and found her talking to her brother again—something was going down. They each had serious expressions on their faces. He scowled at anything that appeared to be bothering her. He’d hoped to eradicate any problems by coming to her mother’s. Now he saw that it would be impossible to do any such thing.
Carter and Claire walked closer. He turned his head so she’d not know he was watching. Their conversation became easier to hear and her laughter filled the room.
“Have I told you I’m glad you’re here?” She said to her brother. “Coming to dinner at Mother’s is always trying.”
“I know,” Carter said. He brushed his hands over his face. Concern etched every one of his features. “But she is who she is, and I’ve learned to accept it. We’re not going to change her.”
Nolan turned and glared at the two of them. What did he have against Carter and why was he looking at Claire as if he hungered for her. Matt’s jaw clenched tight. He didn’t like how he stared at her and wanted to punch him in the face. He reminded himself he was supposed to be blind—at least for a few more hours. Then he’d come clean.
“Why did you bring him with you?” Nolan asked Carter, gesturing toward Dane. “He doesn’t belong here.”
“When the hell is this dinner? I’m starving and I have a lot of work to do.” Carter ignored Nolan’s question. “I think I’ll go check on it.”
“Go find Mother and get the details on the food.” Claire laughed as he headed to the kitchen. She turned toward Nolan and gave him a scathing look. Then she glanced at Dane and back at Nolan. “I know you don’t like your brother, but you have to get over that. Dane and Carter work together and if you’re going to be around you will have to see him from time to time.”
Whoa, Dane was related to that asshole? They hadn’t even acknowledged each other when he came in with Carter. Nola
n had turned his nose up at both of them. It was clear he believed both men were beneath him. What was going on there? They even had different last names. Matt’s curiosity was peaked.
“He is not my brother,” Nolan denied vehemently.
Claire rolled her eyes. “He’s your half-brother. As much as you’d like to deny that fact, you two share a father.”
That explained the different last names. Dane must have his mother’s name. Well, he supposed it could be either way or neither. Although, Nolan seemed to have a huge chip on his shoulder. Either he was pissed because he was the one denied his father’s love, or he was the legitimate one and hated the embarrassment of having a bastard brother. Matt would have to look into it. He liked to understand every inch of those who were around him. Nolan was a special case who deserved his full attention.
“My father’s indiscretions have nothing to do with me. I choose not to recognize them.” Nolan turned his nose up in the air. “Out of respect for my mother, they don’t exist.”
Matt chuckled. He couldn’t help it. The more Nolan spouted out of his mouth the more he hated him. He started to like Dane on principle. The man seemed decent enough. Hell, Matt started to feel sorry for him. He had a lot to deal with having Nolan as a brother. In his opinion, it should go the other way. Dane should be embarrassed to be related to that jerk.
“I’m done with this discussion. It’s clear you are as pig-headed as usual.” Claire turned away from him. He reached out and grabbed her arm. She jerked back to him. “Let me go, now.”
Matt almost stood and went to her side. He would have if she needed him to, but Claire had things well in hand. When Nolan didn’t release her, she lifted her knee and hit him hard enough for him to jerk backward.
“That wasn’t necessary,” he wheezed.
“When you don’t listen, it’s the only thing that is. You respond with actions.” She whirled around and headed over to Matt, leaving Nolan by himself on the other side of the room. She sat beside him and sighed.
“Claire?” Matt asked.
She leaned down and laid her head on his shoulder. “Why are some men jerks?”
He wanted to pull her into his arms and reassure her, but he wasn’t sure how she’d respond to it. He wasn’t ready to push anything. “All men have the capability of being jerks. I’ve been a huge one lately.”
She lifted her head and studied him. He tried not to squirm under her perusal. “Why are you running hot and cold today?”
He should have known she’d not let it go so easily. Maybe it was for the best to have it out. Although he’d have picked a different place and time to have it. “I don’t know.”
That probably wasn’t the answer she wanted, but it was the truth. Over the past several weeks he’d been an ass. He couldn’t seem to help himself. It was happening before he realized it had even started. She was his rock and managed to soothe him out of the worst of it. He’d been a fool to push her away so many times. At least he realized what a colossal mistake that was and rectified it before it’d become a permanence in his life he couldn’t fix. There was still a chance he could win her as his forever. He’d not make the same mistake ever again.
“That’s it?” She shook her head. “Not much of an explanation. What happened with Ren today? What’s this other doctor’s appointment?”
“He thinks I need to be shrinked.” Matt agreed with him. He did need therapy. There was something going on inside of him he didn’t fully understand. “Turns out I’m healed, and he has no explanation for my lack of sight.” Something had been blocking it. It was similar to hysterical blindness. What emotional upheaval caused him to not want to see, and what made it suddenly come back? How was he supposed to handle that? Would his sight disappear again?
She nibbled on her bottom lip. “That sounds—scary.”
Yeah, that was one way to put it. “Everything about my situation has been. I’ve decided to stop being angry. At least, as much as I’m able to. I might slip from time to time.”
“I’m glad. I don’t like Grumpy Bear.”
Matt chuckled lightly. “I don’t particularly like being him either.”
“So is Funshine Bear here for the time being?”
“I don’t know. He might disappear from time to time.” This Care Bear talk was a little weird, but it had been their thing. They would describe people in those terms every now and then. It’s why he’d always called her Cheer Bear. She’d had the best outlook at life and being around her brought him happiness.
She leaned over and kissed his cheek. “Don’t worry. I understand you’re going through a lot. Don’t push me away again.”
He wouldn’t. Matt had tried not to need her, and he did everything in him to stop loving her. It was a futile effort. Trying not to love her was the stupidest thing he’d ever done. He’d not make that mistake again. It’d set them back a lot, and he had a lot to do to make it up to her. It tore him apart to push her away. Maybe that was the upheaval that caused him to not see clearly—in more ways than one.
“I won’t do anything so foolhardy ever again.”
“Good.” The corner of her lip turned upward. “I have one other promise you have to agree to make.”
“Oh?” He raised an eyebrow, staring over her shoulder. “What’s that?”
“Don’t ever agree to come to one of my mother’s dinner parties without talking to me about it first. This has been an exhausting evening.”
That was an understatement. He’d regretted it the moment she’d abandoned him. He’d wanted to study his query, and part of it had disappeared on him. “I can absolutely promise I won’t come here without discussing it with you.”
“Not having fun?” She stuck her bottom lip out in a fake pout. If she knew he could see her... He tried not to laugh, but a small chuckle escaped anyway. “You left me.”
“You were being difficult and needed some alone time.”
He rolled his eyes. “I was not alone.” Nolan the prick was there to torture him. “I’ve definitely had better company.”
“I do apologize for that. Nolan is...” She paused and bit her lip. “He’s an entity all on his own. I don’t know if there are words to properly describe him.” At least he could safely say Claire didn’t like her sister’s significant other. They didn’t appear to get along at all. It gave him another reason to want to punch the man in the face for kissing her. Claire had probably not encouraged the action to begin with.
“He’s the reason you left your last job, isn’t he?” Matt didn’t know for certain, but he suspected there was history there. They acted too knowledgeable about each other, and there was an intimacy of familiarity between them. You can’t fake that kind of awareness. “He is quite presumptuous with you.”
“I don’t want to talk about it.” She glanced down. “I’ll explain another time, but for now let me keep it to myself.”
It was enough of an answer that he believed he was right. The details could wait until she was ready to share them. “All right.” He tilted his head so it was closer to her but he kept his gaze forward. “What’s the story between Nolan and Dane?”
“Nice change of the subject.” Claire laughed. “But it’s not too far off the one we were on.”
He grinned. “I’m curious. Sue me.”
“No thanks. I’d lose.” She turned and glanced in Dane’s direction. “Their father isn’t about to win any Father of the Year awards. He had a blazing affair with Dane’s mother—well, obviously—several years ago. It wasn’t evident until Moira moved to the same town as Nolan’s family when Dane was a teenager. They learned of each other’s existence when they attended the same high school.” She sighed. “Nolan is cruel and does everything he can to make Dane’s life miserable. I always felt sorry for him. They could have been close if...” She shook her head. “Nolan won’t have it.”
“I’d hate him if I were in Dane’s shoes.” He frowned. “How do I not know any of this? I grew up in Envill?”
“Nol
an and Dane didn’t go to Envill High,” She said. “Their father arranged for them both to go to the same private school. It’s a couple of towns over to the west. They both ended up settling here though out of some twisted quirk of fate.”
It all clicked into place. The older man had wanted the best for both his sons despite what it might do to them. No wonder Nolan had rejected his half-brother. He’d been the apple of his father’s eye, or so he’d thought. Then suddenly there was competition and he’d not liked it.
“Dinner is ready,” Carter announced. “Everyone to the table now so I can eat before I have to run.”
Discussion time would have to wait. The sooner they ate, the sooner they all could leave. Matt had learned a lot, and now he had to figure out how to use it.
CHAPTER TEN
Claire pulled the car into Matt’s driveway and put it in park. The evening hadn’t been as bad as she thought it would be, but that didn’t mean it had been great either. Her mother was, well, her mother. Claire didn’t expect anything more from her. She’d been a muted version of herself though. That did surprise her. She still threw out barbs that ripped through her barriers, but they’d been spoken less at her and directed more at her brother. What had Carter done to incite her ire? Claire didn’t want to dwell on it. Whatever it happened to be it was Carter’s business, and he’d deal with it how he usually did, by ignoring it altogether.
What was bothering her was what Carter had said to her. She’d not been aware women were being attacked in Envill or what the details of it entailed. When she got Matt settled, she fully intended to bring up an electronic version of Envill Post. She wanted to know what she should be cognizant of. He’d made her promise to be careful and she would be, but she couldn’t be completely without having some idea of what she should be watching out for. So she’d do what she did best: research the subject to death.
“Matt,” she said. “We’re at your place. Let’s get you inside so I can head home.”
His head jerked up. He’d fallen asleep and now stared around in confusion. “What?” He rubbed his hands over his face. “Where are we?”