Page 42 of A Little Bit Engaged
Cara: Didn’t Caitlin talk to you about what’s going on?
Her cell phone buzzed two minutes later, notifying her of a reply.
Mom: Yes, and she was hysterical. What you’ve done has broken her heart. Mine, too. I didn’t want to take sides, but I have no choice. I can’t believe you’d hurt your sister like this. Until you make this right, I have nothing else to say to you.
Cara wiped her face with trembling hands. This couldn’t be happening.
Clutching the cell phone so she wouldn’t drop it, she reread the text. The letters blurred through the tears she was holding back, so she squinted. That didn’t change what her mother had written.
Until you make this right, I have nothing else to say to you.
Confusion, anger, and betrayal threatened to overwhelm Cara. She didn’t want to believe Caitlin had failed to follow through on her promise to tell their parents the truth. Or that Mom would take Caitlin’s side without talking to Cara.
With a heavy heart, she returned to the list of messages. Her father’s text appeared next. He wouldn’t let himself be ruled by emotions the way Mom had. Cara tapped his name.
Dad: I thought better of you, Cara. What you’ve done is unforgivable. Your betrayal has hurt your sister immeasurably. Fix it. For Caitlin and your family’s sake.
Cara inhaled sharply. She stared at the ring on her finger before slumping in the back seat.
Why? Why was this happening?
She’d always done what others expected of her, been the daughter who compensated for her twin’s dramatics by never throwing a tantrum, acting out, or complaining. So what if that meant being shadowed by her sister all the time? Cara hadn’t cared. All she’d wanted to do was make her mom and dad proud by doing the right thing.
She’d tried. Hard.
In her job. With her sister. For them.
But none of that mattered to her parents.
Only Caitlin did.
Anger mixed with disappointment, the combination potent. Her throat burned, and a weight pressed against her chest. It felt as if Loki were sleeping on top of her. Only ten times heavier.
Cara blinked, not wanting to cry. She pressed her lips together, so she wouldn’t scream. But oh, how she wanted to do both.
Badly.
With trembling fingers, she typed a text to her sister.
Cara: Tell Mom and Dad the truth now. You promised.
She hit send, but that didn’t stop her hands from shaking. Balling them did no good. She stared at the floorboard, trying to control herself. It wasn’t easy.
Caitlin’s lie had flipped Cara’s world upside down by bringing Brody back into her life, putting her at risk to whatever crackpot was threatening her, and turning their parents against her.
Of course Mom and Dad would take Caitlin’s side. Cara should have realized they would, even though her heart hoped they wouldn’t. After decades of struggling to live from paycheck to paycheck, they no longer had to worry about money thanks to their rich and famous daughter. Cara was still paying off college loans. She gave birthday and Christmas presents, but that hadn’t been enough for her parents.
She wasn’t enough for them.
The truth gutted her.
Tears welled.
Keep it together.
Knowing Lex was in the front seat kept Cara from losing it.
Straightening, she rubbed away the moisture. She had to survive the meeting and tasting. When she was at the condo, she could take a shower and cry where no one would hear her. That had been her standard MO growing up. She guessed some things never changed.
