Page 21 of A Little Bit Engaged
Regret burned, scorching a path from his brain to his feet. Brody hated that she was correct. Stardom had changed him. Pretending to date Caitlin after they’d broken up. Now doing the same with Cara. That wasn’t him. Or rather, it didn’t used to be. “Not that much. I’m still the same Brody Simmons you grew up with.”
But those parts had been buried deep inside him. Maybe being with Cara for however long this lasted would bring them out. He missed that guy.
As they approached the front door, her steps slowed. “We’re doing this.”
Her voice was stronger than he expected. If she was nervous, she was doing a good job hiding it. Definite progress and just in time.
“We are.” With a deep breath, Brody prepared to go public in his new role. He opened the front door. “After you, my love.”
CHAPTER SIX
My love? Stepping inside the Bay View House, Cara grimaced. Babe or even snookum would be better than that. Except she’d told Brody to pick what he wanted, so she had only herself to blame for this one. She took a breath.
The air smelled like fresh flowers and lemons. The pleasant scents didn’t calm Cara’s frazzled nerves. So what if she was standing in a room-sized entryway on a gleaming hardwood floor that led to a grand staircase? She felt as if she were teetering on the edge of a sulfur-emitting volcanic crevasse. Her insides trembled worse than the Chihuahua that lived on the second floor with Mrs. Smith.
Brody leaned over a vase of white roses sitting on a table and sniffed. “I see why you like this place.”
What was up with him?
He was acting too calm. Hugging her. Holding her hand. Using endearments without a second thought. Planning a wedding that wouldn’t happen. Nothing seemed to faze him, but what he said made her curious. “Why is that?”
“The fresh flowers, the natural light, the colors, and the décor remind me of you.”
His tone was sincere, but that didn’t mean Brody wasn’t acting himself. Finding out he and Caitlin had pretended to be a couple for longer than they’d been together made Cara question where the actor ended and the real man began. She wasn’t sure she could tell anymore.
The realization hurt her brain and also her heart. Everything she thought she knew about him might be wrong. She dragged her upper teeth over her lower lip.
“Thanks,” she said. “Although fresh flowers don’t last long in the condo. Loki goes ninja cat on them.”
“You spoil that cat.”
“Of course I do.” Worry and impatience made her fidget. Her foot kept wanting to tap, but she feared the sound would echo. Drawing attention to herself was the last thing she wanted. Now or ever. She would happily leave the spotlight to Brody and Caitlin. “He’s all I’ve got.”
Brody made a face. “That’s not true. You have me and your family.”
“It’s not the same when you no longer live close.” Cara wiped her sweaty palms on her black maxi skirt. The color seemed appropriate given her twin’s lies. The only luck she’d had the last few months was bad.
Okay, not one hundred percent true. She enjoyed her job and volunteering at the library. She also loved Loki, the way he rubbed against her and his purring, but feeding him on time didn’t give her the same sense of accomplishment as procuring a one-of-a-kind edition for a university’s rare book collection. She missed speaking at conferences and seeing her research in print. Her job had given her validation and made her feel important. Cara’s life had been near perfect except for a lack of dates, but she’d been working on that. Now…
She glanced at the ring. Part of her wished she were engaged, that this ring wouldn’t be sold to someone else, and that she’d be saying “I do” for real.
Uh-oh. That was a dangerous line of thinking. If she let herself get wrapped up in a fantasy, she would never survive this with her heart intact. No sense in getting attached to the ring or to having Brody here. Neither would be a permanent fixture in her life.
But both would help her.
Cara always paid her own way, including her college education, and never accepted a handout—other than renting her sister’s condo. The job at the bookstore kept her from going into debt. The ring would allow her to replenish her savings while she continued to search for a new job and help the kids at the library.
A win-win.
So why did she feel so conflicted?
Because being here under false pretenses was messing with her head.
She’d once been the girl most likely to succeed and valedictorian of her high school class. She was also a Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society member. Pretending to be engaged to anyone—let alone Brody—was not something she should be doing. Her rational, logical brain kept shouting “does not compute.”
The click, click, click of heels against the hardwood floor filled the air. A pretty woman with dark skin, black hair, and amber eyes approached. She wore an above-the-knee green skirt with a coordinating blouse. Stylish, but not flashy. Exactly what Cara thought someone who put on weddings for a living would wear.
“Good morning. Welcome to the Bay View House.” The woman exuded warmth as if she were greeting old friends. “I’m Sariah Foley. May I help you?”
