Page 48 of A Little Bit Engaged
“The world revolves around Caitlin. Everyone else plays a supporting role, including me.”
“I’ve felt that way around your sister. Her world is Caitlin-centric. But I never thought she’d go this far.”
“I don’t believe it.” And Cara couldn’t. She studied Brody to make sure it was him standing next to her.
Confusion clouded his gaze. “What?”
“You’re not defending Caitlin. You’re finally willing to admit she’s not perfect.”
“No one is perfect, especially not Caitlin. The position your sister has put you in is horrible. I want to believe she has a logical explanation for her actions, because she’s been a friend forever, but no matter how I look at this, I can’t see any valid reason for what she’s said and done.”
Caitlin was his Achilles’ heel and had been for years, so what he said stunned Cara. But it also gave her courage to speak out. “I’m relieved she’s having you do the honorable thing after cheating, but I’m afraid Caitlin’s lies will ruin me. Maybe not forever, but near term.”
“It’ll blow over.”
He sounded so certain when Cara’s entire life was being held up by a single rusty, bent nail—one that was fatigued and about to break in two.
“In Hollywood, unplanned pregnancies are no big deal, but that’s not my world.” She tried to keep her voice steady. Difficult to do when her emotions were spinning out of control. “I’m trying to find a job. What am I supposed to do or say now that people think I’m pregnant? I have an interview tomorrow. Pretending to be getting married is one thing, but if they think I’m pregnant and will need maternity leave, that could be a fatal strike against me. I need to find a full-time job with benefits. I haven’t had medical insurance for months.”
“You have the ring, and you have me.” He didn’t hesitate speaking. “I’ll help you out until you find the job you want.”
She shook her head. “The ring is enough. I don’t want to take more of your money.”
“Consider it a loan. You can pay me when you get a job.”
“If I can find one. The two things I had going for me were my work ethic and reputation. Now…”
“If you’re this upset, why did you stop me from contacting Caitlin in the car?” He pulled out his phone. “I’ll call her.”
“I texted her earlier, but it’s too late to have her backtrack now.” The one thing Caitlin hadn’t stripped away from Cara was her logical thought process. “Everyone at the Bay View House assumed I suffered a bout of morning sickness. If I’m suddenly not pregnant, people will ask questions. Ones that might be difficult to answer and lead to more lies.”
“But you’re not pregnant.”
“And we’re not engaged.” Her tone was harsher than she intended. “The less we say until this is over, the better.”
Even if not talking about it to her parents affected her relationship with them.
Her chest tightened. Except that bridge had probably been burned.
Cara could no longer laugh off feeling like an outsider in her family or at how messed up the dynamics had become. Her sister had been the one to provide drama, but she’d also supplied her mom and dad a luxurious lifestyle they’d once dreamed about. Cara was happy they no longer struggled and worried over money. She would never want them to return to living paycheck to paycheck. But knowing they’d taken Caitlin’s side over the supposed breakup without even talking to Cara showed her how far she’d been pushed out. When this ruse was over, she feared nothing would be left to salvage of her relationship with her parents. That their need for financial security had caused them to turn their backs on her.
For Caitlin.
Whose needs and desires didn’t trump Cara’s.
But no one else in their family seemed to understand that.
Or care.
“I hate doing nothing to stop this.” Brody paced between the living area and kitchen. “The gossip is going to get worse.”
“Probably already has.” Not wanting to think about her family any longer, Cara touched her stomach—not exactly bikini-ready. No doubt, memes about her baby bump were being posted on social media. Though maybe the threats would go away now that a baby, albeit a phantom one, was involved. “A good thing we’ve got the A-Team watching over us. We’ll be fine.”
She sounded more confident than she felt, but she wanted to appear strong and in control, even if her insides twisted and trembled. Brody seemed worried about her and was acting…off. Not nervous, different.
“Only one is former Delta so I wouldn’t let them hear you call them the A-Team,” Brody joked. “But I get your point. If you think you can make it through this without—”
“Throwing up again?”
