Page 9 of A Little Bit Engaged
She bowed her head, causing her hair to fall forward and hide her face, but her voice told him all he needed to know. She was disappointed in him.
Brody had hurt her, even though she wouldn’t tell him that. He wished she would. He wanted Cara to scream or shout, to do something emotional like her sister would. Instead, she sat calmly, twirling a strand of hair with her index finger. She did that whenever she was thinking about something. But thinking and analyzing—two of Cara’s strengths—wouldn’t change anything. He felt like the worst friend ever.
Her eyebrows drew together. “Why didn’t Caitlin say you were together and secretly planning a wedding? She could have said a friend or a member of her entourage was getting married. No one would have known the truth.”
“That would have been better.”
“Yes, except…” Cara sighed. “None of those mirror the plot of Caitlin’s movie as well as her lie about us.”
“We’re trapped.”
“Only if we agree.”
He’d agreed to help Caitlin before he caught his flight, but he needed Cara to pull this off. “We can’t leave Caitlin to handle this mess on her own. I’m not about to watch her spiral until she decides fixing things isn’t worth it.”
Cara’s face paled. “My sister wouldn’t do that again. She promised…”
“I don’t want to take that chance, and I know you don’t either.”
Seeing Caitlin hospitalized ten years ago for a psych evaluation had been bad enough. Maybe they’d given into her demands too much since then. Coddled her. Let her get away with stuff others wouldn’t. But the alternative…
He blew out a breath. “That means we’re stuck. For now.”
A beat passed. And another. “I love Caitlin, but this could just be another one of her elaborate schemes.”
“Maybe.” But Caitlin’s fear had been real.
“Her anxiety has seemed better.”
“There’s no guarantee that will continue.”
“But what she’s claiming could hurt you. It could also cause problems with my job search and call into question my character since I volunteer with children.” Cara’s tone was thoughtful, not upset.
Brody understood why she felt that way, except… “True, but Caitlin’s always been fragile emotionally. I’m willing to do whatever it takes to help her out of this mess. Are you?”
CHAPTER THREE
Silence stretched the inches between Brody and Cara into miles. He wanted to bridge the gap, but he didn’t know how. She’d once been his best friend, closer to him than Caitlin had ever been, before life and distance separated them.
He hadn’t seen Cara since last year’s Oscars, knew little about what she’d been doing other than searching for a new job the past ten months. When he’d been struggling financially, trying to make it in show business, she’d sent him money to buy food and pay bills. He hadn’t been around to support her when she’d been laid off, hadn’t given her any money when she probably needed some, yet here he was, asking for a favor.
A big one.
Loki jumped off his lap and lumbered across the hardwood floor. The heater kicked on, blowing hot air out of a register. A siren sounded outside.
Still no answer from Cara.
“I’m sorry for showing up and dropping this on you. You’ll never know how sorry.” He owed her more than an apology, but this was a start. “Caitlin and I should have told you the truth about us breaking up when it happened.”
Brody wanted to reach out to Cara, but her erect posture with her hands clasped in her lap told him not to. He didn’t want to screw up more, so he dug his fingers into the couch cushion.
“We were selfish, caught up in something we hadn’t thought through. We didn’t think we were hurting anyone, just staying private, but now Caitlin needs us.”
Cara stared at the bay window, though the blinds were closed. Her stillness and tilted head reminded him of when they were younger. He used to find her in the tree house resting her elbows on the ledge, gazing at the Sacramento foothills in the distance.
He wished he could read her mind, but Cara, unlike Caitlin, kept her emotions hidden.
“Why was my sister at a bridal salon?” Cara asked in a matter-of-fact tone.
