Barking Up the Wrong Tree

by Jenn McKinlay

  “Hellcat, green, SRT, six-speed, V-8,” she said.

  “Holy crap!” Zach said. He gave a low whistle. “This I gotta see. Where are you?”

  “I’m driving to the bakery,” she said. “I’m parking it there for the night. Can you pick me up?”

  “On my way,” Zach said.

  He ended the call and Carly put her phone away. It was the first time it had been active since she’d left the party. She’d lost track of the time as she drove around town, trying to get her head together. A quick glance told her there were three voice mails and five text messages, all from James.

  The light turned green and she shut her phone off again and tossed it back into her bag. She continued on to the bakery, hoping Tom forgave her for borrowing his car, but given the circumstances she didn’t really care.

  A few minutes later she pulled into the small lot behind Making Whoopie. She switched off the car and waited for Zach to arrive. It wasn’t long before a pair of headlights flashed over her; she stepped out of the car, locking it and taking the keys with her. She’d have Zach deliver the keys to Tom later.

  Zach parked his pickup truck beside Carly. She opened the passenger door and climbed in, not giving Zach a chance to open the door for her. She handed him the keys to the Hellcat.

  “I’ll need you to deliver those to James’s cousin Tom for me,” she said. “He’s a nice guy and I’m pretty sure he won’t punch the messenger in the face.”

  “Especially if I give him a ride back to his car.” Zach looked past her at the Hellcat in all its beautiful sublime green glory. “You know there’s probably a warrant out for your arrest right now.”

  “Wouldn’t be the first time,” she joked.

  “Is it wrong that I have more respect for you than ever before?” he asked.

  “Probably,” she said.

  “Where to, my dear?” he asked.

  “Home,” Carly said. “I need to go eat my feelings.”

  When they arrived at her house, Jillian’s Jeep was in the driveway. She glanced at Zach and he shrugged.

  “I might have called the girls.”

  Carly reached over the console and hugged him. “Thanks.”

  The front door flew open before Carly was even out of the car. Jillian, followed by Mac, was racing toward her.

  “What happened?”

  “Did you really steal a car?”

  “Where is he? I am going to crush him.”

  “Let’s go inside,” Carly said. “I cannot stand to be in this dress for another second.”

  “Good thing, since it’s my dress,” Gina said. She was standing on the front steps with her arms crossed over her chest, looking highly irritated.

  “I’m sorry,” Carly said. “I should have asked before I borrowed it.” Her voice cracked and a tear slipped down her cheek.

  Gina dropped her arms and tipped her head to the side. In one step, she pulled Carly close and hugged her hard.

  “It’s okay,” she said. Her voice was gruff. “I don’t care about the stupid dress. I’m just glad you’re okay.”

  “Tears,” Zach said with a nod. “That’s my cue to leave. Call me if someone, and by someone I mean James, needs a beating, okay?”

  Carly pulled out of Gina’s arms and hugged Zach hard. “Thanks.”

  Zach hugged her back and kissed the top of her head. “Anytime, kid.”

  They watched him leave and then the friends stormed the kitchen, pulling all four tubs of ice cream out of the freezer as they sat down at the counter with spoons at the ready.

  “Start talking,” Mac said. She spooned up a mouthful of Maine blueberry before pushing the carton at Carly. “We have all night.”

  Chapter 32

  Carly shoved a scoop of mint chocolate chip into her mouth. The sweet mint cream and chocolate chips made her taste buds happy and for a few seconds she was pretty sure she could shake off her upset. Then she swallowed and the happiness went with it. She knew it would take every bite in the half gallon to make her feel better, but once the ice cream was gone so would be the happiness.

  She jammed her spoon into the ice cream and turned to Jillian. “Where are Ike and Saul?”

  Jillian and Mac exchanged a worried look, and Carly felt her heart plummet down into her shoes.

  “Did something happen to them?”

  “No, not exactly,” Jillian said.

  “They just got attached,” Mac said.

  “Meaning what?”

  “Show her,” Jillian said.

  “Follow me,” Gina said. “For the record, I tried to discourage this.”

  Bewildered, Carly followed Gina and Mac down the hallway and into her parents’ bedroom. Mac stepped up to the door and eased it open and peeked in before turning back to them and putting her index finger over her lips to indicate they should be quiet.

  One by one they tiptoed into the room. There, on a doggy bed, released from his wheelie harness, was Hot Wheels. He was lying on his side, snoring, and pressed back to back with him was Saul. And there, wedged between their noses with his beak tucked under his feathers, was Ike.

  “Ridiculously adorable, right?” Mac whispered. Neither the dogs nor the bird moved.

  Carly felt her heart expand in her chest. She fell for the man and her bird and dog fell for his dog. In any other scenario, this would be the perfect happy ending. Instead, it just indicated more pain. She didn’t know if she could take that.

  In unspoken agreement, they left the room in single file, closing the door behind them.

  Gina led the way back to the kitchen and handed Carly her spoon as if she knew her sister was going to need it. Carly dug out a scoop of raspberry cheesecake and shoved it in her mouth, hoping it would freeze the part of her heart that hurt right now.

  “Sorry,” Jillian said. “We didn’t plan for a sleepover, but Hot Wheels seemed to miss James, and Ike and Saul clearly missed you, so Mac brought Hot Wheels around the shop and the next thing we knew the three of them were homeboys and we figured they’d be happiest here.”

  “A bird and two dogs, isn’t that against the laws of nature?” Gina asked.

  “I think that’s more a bird and a cat,” Jillian said. “Those three are ridiculously cute.”

  “I suppose,” Carly said. “Too bad it’s doomed.”

  “All right,” Gina said. “We’ve been patient, really we have, but you have to tell us what happened between you and James before I go crazy.”

  “It’s a long story,” Carly said. She shoved more ice cream in her mouth to avoid answering in greater detail.

  “Put down the spoon,” Mac said. “You can start by telling us why Zach brought you home.”

  “Where’s Emma?” Carly stalled. “I don’t want to have to tell this story twice.”

  “She’s on her way,” Jillian said. “Don’t worry. We’ll catch her up to speed when she gets here.”

  Carly went to dig out a scoop of butter pecan, but Gina wrestled the spoon out of her hand. For such a petite thing, she was surprisingly strong. Carly glanced around the table to find her friends and her sister regarding her with expectant expressions. She wasn’t going to be able to put this off any longer.

  Then the doorbell sounded and Carly jumped off her stool, hoping to avoid the awkward conversation looming in front of her like a bout of indigestion.

  “That’ll be Emma,” Carly cried. “I’ll get it.”

  She hurried out of the kitchen before any of the others could beat her to it.

  “This conversation isn’t over!” Jillian called after her.

  Relief propelled Carly swiftly down the hall. It wasn’t that she minded sharing her latest relationship fiasco with her friends—that’s what friends were for—it was more that it was just so fresh and she was feeling so raw that she didn’t particularly want to relive ea
ch detail right now. She knew she’d be doing plenty of that in the weeks to come.

  She stopped in the foyer and took a deep breath, putting her everything-is-fine smile firmly in place. She didn’t want to upset Emma, since she was by far the most fragile of all Carly’s friends.

  She yanked open the door, and said, “Hi, Em—”

  “You were expecting someone else?”

  James stood in the doorway, arms crossed over his chest, his bow tie undone and hanging loosely about his open collar. His hair was standing on end and his mouth was compressed into a firm line. In short, he looked pissed.

  “Emma, actually,” Carly said. She began to close the door but James stuck his foot in the way.

  “Oh, no,” he said. “You don’t get to close the door on me until you tell me why you left. Nice exit by the way. I think Tom had a small heart attack when you spewed gravel and punched it out of the driveway.”

  “Tell Tom I’m sorry,” she said.

  She stared over his shoulder while she spoke. She refused to make eye contact in case the sight of him weakened her resolve and she did something crazy like throw herself in his arms because he looked just that good.

  “Carly, we need to talk about this,” he said.

  “Really? Now you want to talk?” She was furious.

  She went to close the door again and James stepped forward, blocking it with his shoulder.

  “I’m sorry,” he said. “I should have told you about Pops’s connection to Penmans. I didn’t know Preston would find out about your job offer and say something before I could.”

  “So, you were just going to let this big lie sit between us?” she cried. “For how long, James? Until I passed probation on my new job?”

  “I never lied to you,” he said.

  “Oh, my god, yes, you did!” she cried. “A lie of omission is still a lie.”

  “What was I supposed to say, Carly?” he asked.

  “How about ‘Hey, is it okay if I have Pops put in a good word for you at Penmans, because he happens to be on the board?’ You know, asking my permission first. But you didn’t, did you?”

  James put his hand behind his neck. “I was just trying to help.”

  “Bullshit,” she spat. “You were meddling in my life without my consent, and I know why. You’re trying to keep me here instead of letting me go back to New York, where I clearly belong. You had no right.”

  There was a gasp and Carly looked over James’s shoulder to see Emma standing on the porch. A glance back and she saw her squad all crammed in the doorway to the foyer, watching her with wide eyes.

  James took advantage of her distraction to come into the house. Emma slipped in behind him and shut the door.

  “Carly, I can explain,” he said.

  She held up her hands in a back off gesture. “Really, not necessary.”

  “Yes, it is,” he insisted. “There’s so much I need to tell you.”

  “Zach has Tom’s keys,” she said. “I parked his car at the bakery. It’s all locked up. Hot Wheels is here, so you’d better collect him. Apparently, our pets have formed a pack but I expect they’ll get over it. We all will.”

  “Carly, please, all I’m asking for is five minutes.”

  She didn’t want to give him five seconds, never mind five minutes. Just being this close to him made her long to forget everything she had learned and jump into his arms and the heck with it all, but she would hate herself for it just like she hated her heart for cartwheeling about her chest at the sight of him.

  “Five minutes and if at the end of it, you don’t believe me, then I’ll never bother you again,” he said.

  She glanced back at her friends. They were all staring at James as if they weren’t sure whether to hit him or hug him. Carly understood exactly how they felt. She glanced at Mac, the accountant, the one who could always be relied upon to weigh the pros and cons before making a decision. Mac blew out a breath and then jerked her head in the direction of the living room. It was obvious she thought Carly should at least hear James out. Fine.

  “Five minutes and not one second more,” Carly said.

  She felt her friends crowd into the foyer as if they thought they were coming, too. She shook her head no. Emma stomped her foot but they all stayed back. Carly gestured for James to go first and then she closed the door behind them.

  They were both silent. Carly refused to speak first. She was not going to make this easy on him. If he wanted to confess that he had manipulated her for whatever reason, then he was going to have to choke out the words all on his own.

  When James just stared at her, saying nothing, Carly got impatient. She glanced at the clock. “You only have four and a half minutes left.”

  “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you that Pops is on the board at Penmans and that I asked him to recommend you,” he said.

  She snorted. “It was a little bit more than just a ‘recommendation,’ wasn’t it?”

  “No,” he said. “It really wasn’t. Look, my family has connections, no doubt, everyone loves Pops, but they wouldn’t have offered you the job if you weren’t the best candidate.”

  “Even if that’s true, here’s the problem, I don’t believe you,” she said. “By not telling me, you’ve made what I thought was a victory into a sham, and instead of boosting my confidence, you’ve gutted it.”

  “I should have told you,” he said. He took a deep breath. “I get that now, but in my defense, you seemed so broken. You were struggling so hard to believe in yourself and your abilities, that I thought maybe I could fix you.”

  “Fix me?” Carly echoed. Her temper flared and her voice came out as a screech. “I’m sorry, did you just say ‘fix me’ like I have a flat tire or something?”

  “No . . . maybe? I mean, look at your life. So much of it is because of my family.”

  “How do you figure?” she asked.

  “You thought you were in love with my cousin when you lost your virginity to him on a bet for a pizza. How could that not mess with your head? Your relationship track record is all one-night stands, no commitments, never letting anyone get close enough to make you feel vulnerable,” he said. “And when your company downsized and you lost your job, it was another blow to your self-esteem.”

  Carly couldn’t argue that point.

  “If Preston hadn’t messed with your head,” he said. He paused and clenched his fists as if he really wanted the chance to punch his cousin one more time. “Hell, if I had warned you away from him more strongly the night I met you eleven years ago, I could have spared you so much hurt.”

  “You’re assuming I would have listened to you,” she said.

  “I should have said something more. I wish I’d made a bigger scene. I was there to chew him out about him and Heather and if I’d knocked him out like I wanted to—” He shook his head. “I just thought if I could get you a job here and you stayed in Maine then it would give you a do-over in both your personal and your professional life.”

  “Oh, my god, so I’m your charity case?”

  “No! Carly, it’s not like that, I swear. I think you’re amazing, and I have from the moment I set eyes on you eleven years ago, really, but I’m a physical therapist. I fix people, it’s what I do.”

  “So, this whole thing, starting up a relationship with me, dragging me to Pops’s birthday party, making me face down Preston, Preston Bradley of all people, getting me a new job as a buyer at Penmans, all of it, was your idea of ‘fixing me’? Tell me, was it because you care about me or was it because I just presented such an irresistible challenge, seeing as how I am so ‘broken’ and all?”

  He glared at her, clearly frustrated, and then took a deep, calming breath.

  “I know how it looks,” he said. He rubbed his hand through his hair and she felt her chest compress at the familiar gesture. “But I swear, I was just t
rying to help y—”

  “I’m sure you were,” she interrupted. “But you never asked me if I wanted help.”

  “Because you would have said no,” he protested.

  “Exactly,” she said. “And you should have respected that.”

  Anger unlike Carly had ever felt before pulsed through her. She had trusted him, she had fallen in love with him, and he had lied to her from the start. He opened his mouth to speak but she held up a hand, stopping him.

  “I trusted you,” she hissed. Then, without conscious thought, she shoved him, hard, throwing him off balance so that he landed on the couch in a heap. Carly loomed over him and spat, “And just so you know, I was never broken. Not until now!”

  With that, she stormed out of the room, pushed past her friends, and raced up the stairs to her bedroom, where she slammed the door so hard it rattled.

  Chapter 33

  James took Hot Wheels with him when he left. Ike was put in his cage in the kitchen with no argument from Gina but with much protesting and a little profanity from Ike. Carly could hear all of this happening from her bedroom, but she stayed on her bed, letting her pillow soak up the tears that spilled from her eyes in what felt like an endless waterfall.

  She hadn’t cried over a man since Preston, and looking back, she realized she hadn’t been crying over him at all, more like the idea of him. But these tears, these were real. This time Carly knew exactly what she had lost, and it hurt so freaking bad she kind of wished James’s sister had cut out her heart with a rusty spoon. She was certain it would hurt less.

  There was a soft knock at the door and Carly squeezed her eyes shut, wanting whoever it was to go away. She knew if she was one of the crew she’d be on the other side of the door, doing the gentle knocking, so she tried to rally, really she did.

  “Yeah?” she called. Her voice sounded as if it had been scraped raw and she cringed.

  The door was pushed open and a shock of red hair appeared. Gina. “Are you okay?”

  “Not really up for seeing anyone right now, okay?”