Page 65 of A Little Bit Engaged
Instead of speaking, Cara took a deep breath. And another. This wasn’t the first time she’d dealt with one of Caitlin’s temper tantrums. “The entire crew’s presence was requested, so I dressed up like Lyra after you said you couldn’t make it.”
Caitlin’s harrumph reminded Cara of their late grandmother Mae. “You shouldn’t have done that. Brody gave you way too much credit during his press conference. He made you sound like a saint. We can’t have people thinking you’re nice.”
“But I am nice.”
“No one needs to know that,” Caitlin spat. “Do you know how much the script you gave away is worth?”
“You mean, the script you gave me that I decided to give to the sick child who is one of your biggest fans?” Cara snapped. She was losing her temper and no longer cared. “No, I don’t.”
“Fine. Maybe it was a nice thing to do,” Caitlin admitted. “But you shouldn’t have been there.”
“Why are you evicting me from the condo?” Why are you doing any of this?
“I had no choice. You put me in a bad spot today by showing up at the hospital.”
As if Caitlin hadn’t been doing the same to Cara and Brody every day up until now. “How’s that?”
“I can’t let my cheating, pregnant twin sister continue to live in my condo rent free.”
“This isn’t fair,” Cara yelled. “I’ve been paying rent. And Loki never destroyed anything in the apartment. I can’t believe you dragged an innocent cat into this.”
“I’m sorry, but I won’t be made to look like a fool. That’s what people will call me, or worse, if I let you stay in the condo.”
Cara couldn’t believe the extent of Caitlin’s selfishness. “Except now I’m homeless.”
“You can find another place.”
“I have no money for a deposit. I also have a cat.” Cara’s anger spiraled. “This is unfair and wrong. You said I could live rent free for six months if I pretended to be engaged to Brody.”
“We’ll figure something out later, okay?”
“No, this is not okay. I need to figure out what I’m going to do now.”
“Cara—”
“Tell Mom and Dad the truth about Brody and me like you promised. Make sure they know I’m not pregnant so I can stay with them.”
A gasp sounded. “You’re coming to Los Angeles?”
She couldn’t tell whether Caitlin was excited or shocked. That lack of certainty hurt, but to be honest, it was nothing new. “Thanks to you, I have nowhere else to go.”
“I’ll talk to them after this is over. Until then, Brody will take care of you.”
Unbelievable. Caitlin would never stop unless someone forced her to. “You can’t keep treating Brody like a knight in shining armor who’ll come to the rescue.”
“Why not? He’s always been there for me. He always will be.” Caitlin’s certainty bristled. “Have your stuff out of the condo by tomorrow night. A real estate agent will be listing the place. That will make your engagement and pregnancy more believable.”
“As if what you’ve been saying isn’t enough?” Sarcasm poured from Cara’s voice.
“My film performed better than expected. That’s huge and such a relief, but we need to see this through.”
“Why? You got what you wanted.” Cara gritted her teeth. “But you’re ruining my reputation and my life for your acting career and boyfriend.”
“I’ll make this up to you.” Caitlin sounded calmer than she had at the beginning of the conversation. “You know I’ve never let you down.”
“Are you kidding me?” The condo. Not talking to their parents. Lying to the press. And that was only in the past week. Cara rubbed her throbbing forehead. She’d been nothing more than her sister’s underling and doormat for years. Her fault, yes, but what Caitlin kept asking wasn’t right, either. “Yes, you have.”
“Okay, maybe I have on occasion, but I will make this up to you. I have another interview to do. Gotta go.”
