by Marie Harte
“Oh, please. You might not have said anything, but you were just as passive-aggressive as you accuse me of being.”
“How’s that?”
Melissa stood and pointed an accusing finger at her. “You never included me in anything growing up. Mom had to make you invite me anywhere.”
“Yeah, because you stole my boyfriends and my friends!”
“See? You admit it. And when you could have helped me get a modeling contract, you didn’t. You kept me away from anything that might have given me a better life.”
“For fuck’s sake, I had no control over that.” She looked to Carrie for backup.
Carrie shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe you could have introduced her to Marcel or something.”
“Bull.” Bree saw red as she glared back at Melissa. “You’re too short, and that’s not me being passive-aggressive.”
“Short women model all the time.”
“But not for Marcel or the others I modeled for. If you wanted to do what I was doing, you should have gotten a contract on your own.”
“I couldn’t. John was heartsick missing you. And Mom asked me to stay around.”
“She did?” He was?
“So, for them, I stayed. And I took boring business classes.”
“And you’re a boring CEO.” Boring rich CEO.
“Who makes more than you.” Melissa gave Bree a smug smile.
Carrie cleared her throat. “For the record, Melissa, that’s a pretty self-satisfied tone you’re using.”
“I’m not done.”
Bree sighed. “What else are you going to blame on me? The fact that the sun set today? That your last relationship failed? And for the record, I’d never even met the guy.”
“No, none of that is on you. That’s all on me.” Melissa sounded bitter about that. “But once again, I came to dinner to be with Mom and John, and you were there. This time with a hunk of a fireman. Have you ever had a rough patch in your life? Ever had a tough time getting something you wanted? Jesus, I’ll bet when you get sick, you vomit rainbows and shit unicorns. You can do no wrong. Nothing bad ever happens to you.”
Bree knew she’d lived a charmed life. But how was that her fault? “But none of my good fortune had to do with you. I never stepped over you to get anywhere.” Now hurt, Bree shot back. “I wanted a sister so bad. From the first time I met you two, I loved Charlie and I loved you. We had good times before you turned on me and never told me why. How can I fix what’s broken if I don’t know what’s wrong?”
Melissa frowned. “I never thought you’d care.”
“Maybe if you’d talked to me, like you’re talking to me now, we could have salvaged our relationship. I would have worked harder to include you.” Though thinking back on it, perhaps Bree had held back a bit with Melissa. Even in high school, her stepsister had been popular with Bree’s friends. Had she, without realizing it, kept Melissa at a distance?
“Well, here I am, Saint Bree. Why don’t you, Carrie, and I be a new set of BFFs?” Melissa asked, her voice sickeningly sweet.
Bree turned to Carrie, wondering what her friend would say. Surely, she could see the venom beneath Melissa’s stupid request.
Carrie just watched them, saying nothing.
Bree turned back to her stepsister. “If I thought you really wanted to be friends, I would. But you can’t even apologize for being a shitty sister all these years. Everything is always about you. You can’t do anything in our family without clamoring for attention. And it’s just pathetic.”
Melissa’s cheeks flushed. “Fuck. You.”
“Oh, yeah.” Bree gave a hollow laugh. “You really want to make peace and be friendly. That ‘fuck you’ says it all.” She turned to Carrie once more. “Well? You’re the mediator here.”
Carrie looked sad but firm. “I’m glad you two got all that off your chests. But you’re nowhere near to finishing this.”
“Finishing what? The Melissa pity hour?” Bree snorted. When Carrie crossed the room and sat next to Melissa, Bree couldn’t believe it. “Oh my God. Don’t tell me you’re falling for her shit?”
“Come on, Bree. You know I love you. Let’s sit down and talk this out.”
“Great. Now I get a lecture from the lawyer.”
Carrie’s eyes narrowed.
“No thanks. Fine. Have your girl’s night with your new best friend. I guess I’ll talk to you whenever.” Hurt, angry, and unsure of how she’d lost her best friend to her manipulative stepsister, she slammed out of Carrie’s apartment and headed back home.
And if she cried a little on the way and wished she had Tex to talk to, that was no one’s business but her own.
***
Carrie sighed.
Melissa patted her on the shoulder. “That could have gone better.”
“Ya think?” Carrie glared at Melissa. Now that Bree had gone, she wouldn’t tiptoe around Melissa any longer. She’d tried to be impartial, hoping it would help her doofus of a best friend mend fences. Bree had been so happy lately. It had seemed the perfect time to heal old wounds.
Melissa glared back, her brown eyes sparkling and so darned pretty. “What did I do?”
“Please. You gave her your bitch-goddess-does-no-wrong impression.”
“To a T.” Melissa looked pleased with herself.
“Stop being such a selfish bitch.”
Melissa blinked.
“I tried to help you two meet in the middle. And you used tonight to get back at a girl who stole your middle school boyfriend? Get over yourself.”
“How’s that?” Melissa glared. “I said the truth.”
“Melissa, I’ve known Bree for years. She tells me everything.” Or at least she used to. Carrie could only hope this bad patch proved a mere bump in the road. “I can honestly tell you she had no idea why you stopped being friends—sisters—so long ago. She used to tell me how much she wished you guys could get along.”
Oddly, the stepsisters were more alike than they knew. Neither had close friends, were devoted to their careers, and loved their parents. They both wanted a closer relationship but would do nothing to fix the problems of the past.
And now that Carrie had developed…feelings…she needed this to work, damn it. Stupid Melissa! Stupid Bree! Argh. If her hair hadn’t been so wonderfully styled earlier by Giorgio, she’d have yanked at it in frustration.
The hard veneer faded from Melissa’s gaze. “She really wanted us to get along?”
Carrie sighed. “Before tonight, yeah. If she stole friends or guys paid attention to her, I doubt it was her fault. She’s gorgeous and oblivious. It’s one of the things I like most about her. Despite what you said, she’s real.”
“Maybe.” Melissa bit her lip. “But Carrie, she did used to shut me out. And it hurt.”
“Then why not say that instead of saying… What was it? That she vomits unicorns and shits rainbows?”
“No, other way around.”
“Still gross.”
They smiled at each other. And that tension between them rose again, pushing Carrie to let Melissa get closer.
Instead, Carrie leaned back, crossed her arms over her chest, and scowled. “You fucked this up.”
Melissa tried to look uncaring. Her face crumpled. “Crap. I know. I have been working really hard on not being the Melissa I used to be. But tonight, it was like everything came rushing back. Once again, Bree is the amazing one and I’m the bad one, and nothing I do really matters. I want to be nicer and apologize and not be so nasty.” Melissa sniffled, and her eyes welled. “I just don’t know how.”
“Geez, Melissa. You were the one who wanted to talk to her.” Not that Carrie had been against it, but she’d thought it best if they’d kept her out of it. But for Melissa to reach out to Bree meant someone had to make the first move. Carrie had tried to help. S
he couldn’t understand why it had gone so wrong.
Melissa groaned. “I’m sorry.”
“Sorry has two syllables, not four.”
Melissa snickered and wiped her eyes, those shimmery brown orbs that sparkled in the light.
Carrie cleared her head. “Look, let me talk to her again. I’ll make her see reason.”
“Not if she cuts you out of her life too.”
“Me?” Carrie snorted. “Honey, you are out of your mind if you think Bree can hold out against all this.” She waved at her body. “I am sincerely amazing and smarter than both of you put together. You two need me.”
“We do, huh?” Melissa twirled a lock of her hair, her gaze soft and surprisingly needy with a vulnerability that hit Carrie right in the heart.
“Oh, and way to go sitting in Bree’s spot.” Which Carrie had asked her not to do. “Classy way to rile things up before they got started.” Carrie deliberately moved to the seat nearby. And ignored Melissa’s pout since her mask of strength was back in place.
“Okay, I was being a bitch.” At Carrie’s look, she amended, “Am still being a bitch. But she gets me so mad, acting all clueless.”
“She didn’t used to get you mad. Maybe you should remember those times, when you two got along. And that’s all I’m going to say about that. Now it’s time for Firefly.”
“Is this a rom-com?”
“Oh my God. You need help. It’s only the best cancelled science-fiction series on TV ever.”
“What?”
“Shut up and watch. And then we’re going to work on your people skills. Because they need a lot of work.” And I need a miracle to make my best friend not hate me.
“Yes, ma’am.” Melissa gave a mock salute with one finger.
“I’ll ignore the gesture, but the sentiment… First intelligent thing you’ve said all night.”
Chapter Eighteen
Sunday morning, after leaving the station for the first of his next ninety-six hours off, Tex ran next to Bree at a slower pace than he was used to, but he loved watching her body move. Even clothed.
Tall and toned with curves in the right places, Bree looked amazing in shorts and a T-shirt as they jogged part of the Lake Union Loop, passing fellow runners and outdoor enthusiasts. The weather had warmed. The sun overhead shone brightly through spots of fluffy, white clouds, and birds chirped while squirrels raced up and down trees.
“It’s so nice out,” he said, confused, because Seattle liked to tease glimpses of the sun before whisking it away behind clouds and rain that came and went all day long.
“I mean, how hard is it to just save a small amount of time for your best friend?” Bree groused and picked up a little speed.
He kept pace, not liking all the attention she earned as they ran on the popular trail. He’d felt jealousy before but never so deeply.
“Right?” she asked, breathing harder.
“Huh? Oh, ah, right.” He nodded. “Why did Carrie ask her over?”
“She’s playing peacemaker. And taking sides,” Bree bit off and sprinted ahead.
Tex wondered if he should let her win, enjoying watching the back of her. Then his competitive nature kicked in, and he caught up with her.
She glared at him.
He smiled back and increased his speed.
She swore at him and ran faster.
They dodged a few fellow runners and walking groups before she started to slow. Tex kept pace, loving the burn of muscle, and finally stopped to walk with her when she moved to the side and bent over, breathing heavily.
“I hate you,” she wheezed while he stretched his neck and took in a nice breath, letting it out easily.
“Many do. It’s not easy to be this beautiful.” He posed with his left leg behind him and flexed his calf.
Two women running by whistled.
He laughed.
Bree shot him the finger.
He laughed harder.
When she stood and started jogging again, slowly, he fell in step next to her.
“It’s my job to be fit. Don’t worry. I bet you’re better than me at other things.” At the look she shot him, he bit back more laughter and said, “Okay, you’re better than me at everything. Let me have this. And weight lifting.” He paused. “And maybe drinking. I’m pretty sure I can drink more than you.”
She clamped her lips tight, but he saw the grin.
“And I’m funnier,” he just had to say.
“Shut it, Roger.” She chuckled. “You’re such a pain.”
“It’s like you’re channeling my brothers.”
They headed toward her car, having completed their run. The lake mirrored the sky, boaters enjoying the nice weather as well. Sailboats, paddlers, and a few motorized boats traveled the light waves while more people parked and came out to enjoy Lake Union and the sunny skies.
“Didn’t you say your brothers were coming soon?” she asked as they headed to his truck.
“Yeah. I think they’ll be here next week. I sent Wyatt a few messages, but he hasn’t returned them. The ass.”
She smiled. “I can’t wait to meet him.”
Tex considered her for a moment, and his smile left him.
“What?”
“I don’t want them liking you too much.”
She frowned. “Why not?”
“Because Wyatt’s an easy guy to like,” he growled. “At least Oliver’s married.”
Her frown cleared. “Well, now. Who’s feeling jealous?”
“I am.” He wanted to take her in his arms and kiss her in front of all the jackasses looking too hard at her in that thin tee and those short shorts. But she’d get mad, accuse him of acting like an idiot, and then he’d be in the doghouse. And he’d been doing so well, lately.
She watched him, nodded, then waited by the passenger side of the truck.
When he unlocked it for her and held it open, she winked. “Good.”
“Good?” Man, he planned to make her eat those words later on.
“Now you know how I feel when we go somewhere and the women are eating you alive with their grubby little stares.”
“What about the men?”
“Them too.”
“Oh, well, that’s flattering.” He couldn’t help laughing. “I meant, how the hell do you think I feel when I see men gawking at you? You’re gorgeous and mine, and I can’t tell anyone about it.” The light moment turned dark, fast.
She sighed. “It sucks.”
“You don’t like it either?”
“No.” She shrugged. “But what do you want to do? Tell everyone we’re dating?”
Everyone meant Battalion Chief John Gilchrist.
“I do, except, I think, maybe…”
“Exactly. We’re still new. We need to take it slowly.”
“I agree.”
“I mean, we’re being smart, right? We spend time at your place or mine a lot. But when we go out, we usually go to places where most of your friends don’t go. Or we go out on a Sunday morning, when most people are still in bed.”
Or in church. Dang. He’d say a few prayers later for missing.
“Yeah. We’re being smart.” He started the truck and headed for his place. Bree had packed a bag and planned to spend the day with him. Just the two of them being together.
Tex didn’t know how it had happened, but he enjoyed their downtime. Whereas before it had been all about getting down with a woman in bed, with Bree, he wanted to do things with her. Not just to her.
Today she’d promised to teach him how to make a six-tiered hazelnut chocolate cake. He couldn’t wait. And if they had extra frosting, he had plans to show her how inventive he could be with leftovers.
“Tell me about your brothers,” she said as he drove.
Immediately killing the n
eed between his legs.
“Buzzkill,” he murmured.
She grinned.
“I told you about them.”
“Not details.”
They’d swapped a lot of stories about her family and his firefighter brethren but not so much about his family in Texas.
“Fine. I’m the youngest of four. There’s Liam, who’s thirty-four. He’s married to Nat. She’s the lawyer who reminds me of Carrie. Their boy is Jonah. He’s four.” Tex loved that kid. “He’s my mini-me. Got a mouth on him.”
“I’ll bet.”
“Next is Oliver. He’s a year younger than Liam and married to Sierra. They’re plannin’ on a baby in another six months. Just married too. Can you believe they had sex before saying I do?”
“The shock. The horror.”
He laughed. “Maybe you are funnier than me.”
“No maybe about it.” She stuck her tongue at him.
“Promises, promises.”
“And there goes our conversation. Right into the gutter.”
“Then there’s Wyatt,” Tex said, doing his best to ignore thoughts of Bree’s tongue when talking about his family. “He’s only two years older than me. He’s pretty bossy; probably why he’s still single.” Tex paused. “Wyatt and I are closest.” He didn’t mention his brother’s drinking problem, because that was Wyatt’s to share or not share. “I love my family.”
“And your mom and dad?”
“You mean Peter and Sara Ann McGovern? The patriarch and matriarch of the McGovern Ranch?”
“Oh, like, a real ranch? With cowboys and horses and everything?”
He glanced to see her eyes wide. “Yeah. Now how sexy am I? A real cowboy for you, darlin’.” Shoot. He’d left his hat at home.
“A cowboy in Seattle. Not as sexy as you think.”
“That hurts.”
She jabbed him in the side and grinned when he started. “Oh, ticklish.”
“Don’t even try it,” he snarled. “I’m driving.” He hated getting poked.