Page 7 of A Little Bit Engaged
“Tell us the truth, Cait.” Auntie Shark sounded mean, almost hateful. “Have you and Brody been lying to your fans? Are you secretly planning a wedding?”
Cara leaned closer to the screen, blocking his view. “Caitlin’s face is so pale. I haven’t seen her this stressed since high school. She looks like she might pass out.”
“Fainting would have been good. Saying we were getting married would have been the best solution.”
Friends, fans, and foes would have understood them not wanting to make a spectacle out of a wedding. A lie, maybe, but what was one more?
“Pause the video,” Cara said.
Brody did.
“I don’t get it.” Lines creased Cara’s forehead, matching the confusion in her gaze. Brody knew she hated not understanding something. “If you’re marrying Caitlin, why are you here with an engagement ring asking me to marry you?”
“Watch.” He hit play. “Three, two, one…”
Tears shot from Caitlin’s eyes like water exploding from a broken fire hydrant.
Brody felt a pang. He should have been there.
“We’re not getting married,” Caitlin hiccupped between sobs. Streams of mascara-stained tears flowed down her cheeks. “Brody and I… We aren’t engaged. We broke up.”
Cara’s lips parted, her eyes widened, and then she blinked several times. Her face tightened into a pained expression that made him feel like a jerk. “Why did you break up? Is Caitlin okay? Did you hurt her?”
“Keep watching.”
Auntie Shark patted Caitlin’s arm. “I’m so sorry.”
Caitlin swiped her hand across her face. The move made a bigger mess of her makeup. She appeared oh-so-human, not the perfectly put together actress that girls and teens idolized.
Auntie Shark extended a tissue. “Take your time, dear.”
“Thank you.” Caitlin dabbed her face slowly as if trying to think of what to say next. If only she hadn’t rushed… “I didn’t want our fans to find out this way, but I suppose there isn’t a good time to tell them.”
“Tell them what?” Auntie Shark sounded giddy.
Caitlin stared straight at the camera. Her vulnerability clawed at him. “About Brody.”
“What about him?”
“He’s… He’s getting married.”
“Huh?” Cara muttered.
“What?” Auntie Shark’s mouth gaped. “Who is he marrying?”
Caitlin’s slight pause told Brody she was making this up as she went. “My twin sister.”
“No!” Auntie Shark and Cara shouted at the same time.
The horror in that one word twisted his heart. He’d experienced the same shock, disbelief, and…hurt. He knew the question—Why, Caitlin?—was echoing in Cara’s head the way it had resounded in his. He patted her hand. Not much support, but this was all he could give her. They were in this together, or they would be if she agreed to be his temporary fiancée.
“You can’t be serious.” Auntie Shark appeared shocked.
“I’m afraid so.” Caitlin sniffled. “They’ve been secretly dating. I don’t know how long this has been going on, but they attended the Academy Awards together last year when I was sick. Maybe it started then. I’m trying to be happy for them. I was at the bridal salon to try on bridesmaid dresses, but it’s…hard. The two people I love most in this world betrayed me in the worst possible way.” She wiped her eyes with a tissue before she straightened. “And you know, it’s so bizarre how life is imitating art.”
“What do you mean?” Auntie Shark’s tone was sympathetic, but her eyes gleamed with dollar signs. No doubt this exclusive, juicy morsel had thrilled her.
“My new film Trouble in Tulle is about a jilted bride whose groom runs off with her best friend. Everyone should see the movie when it opens this weekend.” Caitlin perked up for a moment, but then, as if on cue, more tears flooded her cheeks. “My sister is…was…my best friend.”
