Count on Me (Petal, Georgia) (20 page)

Caroline held up a hand for a moment to stay him. “Don’t. Right here and right now, what’s it going to be? Is this a Royal and Caroline type thing or are you going back to her? I need to know.”

“
You
. Fuck. I choose you. Over and over. She’ll get dressed, and I’ll walk her to her car and get this straightened out.”

Caroline stepped back into the bedroom. “Oh, yes, this will get straightened out. But I’ll be doing the straightening. If you come into this room before I say come in, I will walk out of here and out on you. This has gone on too long. It needs to be clear.”

He nodded. “All right.”

She turned back, kicking the door closed and taking in Anne, who was quickly getting dressed.

Anne kept her head down, her hair covering her face. “I’m sorry. Jesus. I knew this was a mistake. I knew it before I came over here.”

Caroline leaned back, blocking Anne’s only exit from the room.

“If you knew it was a mistake, why are you in my boyfriend’s bed naked?”

“I was here long before you were.”

“Yeah, and you were gone long before I was here too. Don’t you have any pride?”

“What the heck are you talking about?”

“You’ve been a dreadful bitch the whole time I’ve been back in town and dating Royal. I get it. He’s awesome. Smart and handsome. Funny. Sexy. He opens doors and uses his manners and brings me coffee in the morning because he wants to take care of me. I get it. You don’t have that in your life and it sucks. I got it. It sucks because you had him. He loved you and wanted forever from you, and
you
didn’t want that back. To your credit though, you were finally honest and put your foot down and let go so he could find what he wanted and needed with someone who wanted those things too. Not you, if you recall.”

Anne zipped her pants up and sat to put her socks on. “You’re mad and you should be. He’s with you. I knew it was a bad idea before I even came over here.”

“So why did you? He’s gone. You let him go. You can’t undo that.”

“Why not?”

Caroline huffed. “A few reasons. To start with, because I’m not going to let you, silly. Royal is a fantastic catch. But he’s mine. You know it too. He’s moved on. Which is another big one. Like before I’d even come to town.” Caroline raised a shoulder. “Lastly, you don’t even want him.

“See the first few reasons are fine. I mean, they suck for you, but not for me. But it’s the last that pisses me off so much. You come in here with this half-assed plan that Lucy Ricardo could be proud of
and you don’t even want him
. You just don’t want to lose him in your life. And I’ve been trying to give you the time and space to get yourself together. But I have to tell you, between you and me? You’re being a selfish bitch.”

Anne gasped.

“What? Do you have something to say? Because you know I’m right. He’s a good guy. The best I’ve met and he’s a good friend to you. He cares about you and puts you first, and I’m over here waiting for you to finally get yourself handled so you don’t keep pushing him away.
He’s
miserable when you do that. I’m staying out of the way, but this is where I will step in and say no. This is not a game I’ll be playing. He’s not yours anymore. Not this way. You have essentially had a platonic marriage since you two broke up. No sex, but he’s been your husband. Flirting and helping you out and still putting you first, even when you two dated other people. No more.

“But he’s your friend. He loves you and as far as I can tell, being loved by Royal Watson is pretty fucking awesome. He’s not a toy you discard and then suddenly want back when someone else recognizes his value. But you’re playing with him and that’s gross.”

Anne crossed her arms over her chest. “Who are you to judge? You don’t know any of us.”

“I’m someone who loves Royal. And if you loved him you wouldn’t be yanking on his chain this way. You don’t want him. Not really. Don’t keep this up.

“I don’t have an issue with anyone else in your group. Though there again you’re being a selfish bitch. I’m inclined to be forgiving because I know what it means to feel alone, or that you’re losing someone who understands you so well. I know what that feels like. But you don’t have to lose him. I’m not standing in between you in any other way but this one.” Caroline pointed at the bed. “I haven’t gotten in between you and Royal, and I don’t care to. But I will absolutely get in between you when you’re in his bed. You get me?”

“You want to be around the group? You never come to any of our events.”

“No. I’m rarely invited because you are there, and everyone is tiptoeing around you and how you feel. If freezing me out is what you’re aiming at, you’re pretty good at it. Your friends are always nice to me, but the only times I’m around them is when you aren’t around. And you generally are. So yeah, you don’t get to use that one.”

“You’re a super bitch.”

“I should have a big B on every sweater and shirt I own.” Caroline nodded.

“I’m a super bitch too.”

“Yeah, I’ve heard. I’ve only seen the unpleasant side of that though. That’s the lazy bitch game. Easy enough if you substitute meanness for bitchiness.”

Anne sighed. “I’ve been a dick to you.”

“Yeah, you have.”

“I’m sorry. I haven’t given you a chance and I’ve cockblocked you with my friends and family too. But for Christ’s sake, do you have to be so perfect?”

“What?”

“Look at you! You’re petite and gorgeous and super smart and accomplished. I can’t compete with that.”

“But you
aren’t
competing with that. Royal already loves you. There’s no competition there. Also, yeah, this from a nearly five-eight Amazon with great hair.”

Anne did a decent hair flip. “I do have great hair. So do you, but you need a trim.”

“Yes, I have an appointment early next week with a new stylist.”

“Not at my salon you don’t. I have the new client roster and you’re not on it for next week.”

“As if I’d let you near me with scissors. Are you fucking insane?”

“You have a foul mouth.”

“I do.”

“Great, add it to the face and the body and the letters behind your name.”

“Wow, I’m really a great catch.” Caroline snickered.

“Everything okay?” Royal called out from the hall.

Anne spoke up first. “Your girlfriend and I are having a discussion, Royal. No one is bleeding. But a beer when she’s finished with me would be good.”

“Are you okay, Caro?”

Nicely played, Caroline thought. She called back, “Right as rain.”

“He really digs you.” Anne snorted. “Also, even if I hated you, I’d never butcher hair. That shit gets out quick in a town like Petal. I have a reputation to protect at the very least. Cancel your other appointment. I’ll get you in with Tate. She’s almost as good as I am with scissors.”

“I’ll need to think on that. But for the rest, do we understand one another?”

“Look, you don’t know me, and that’s my fault. But I’m actually an okay person. I think we could sort of be friends, maybe.”

“Don’t flatter me so.”

Anne laughed. “I do like that you’re bitchy. At first you were so nice and avoided being crass and stuff. I wondered if you were strong or cowed. I should have known Royal wouldn’t have gone for anyone who was the latter.”

“Partly I did it because it made you even more aggravated. When I didn’t rise to the bait and respond back in kind. Really, I just come off looking nice while you look like you ate a whole bowl of sour grapes.”

“That’s brilliantly devious. Since it appears you’re a long-run sort of addition to our group, I suppose you should hang out with us more. On Sunday we do a big meal at my sister’s house. You should come with Royal.”

“We have plans, but in the future? I’d love to be included.”

“All right. Well you should come along on Wednesday night. No bowling this coming week, but we get together, drink beer and eat too much while we talk over movies to agitate my brother Nathan.”

“All right. I think I can do that. Thanks.”

“So, you’re in love with him.”

Caroline nodded. “I am.”

“All right. Well, be careful with him.”

“Yeah, I can manage that.”

Royal, feeling very smug about how smart the comment about the chocolate cake and then all sorts of itchy to watch her eat it while he fucked her, keyed off the truck, and they headed inside.

He allowed her to pause to put her stuff down before he began to tug her toward his bedroom. First he’d get her naked and then he’d make her come. Then he could relax, they could have cake and champagne and way more sex.

Only to walk into his bedroom and find his ex naked in his bed.

Caroline was
pissed off
. He got off, just a little, okay a lot, with the way she’d taken control and staked her claim on him.

Spike remained at the far end of the hallway. He didn’t blame the cat at all. Royal wanted to run and hide too. But he stayed close. Pretending he wasn’t eavesdropping when he totally was.

Caroline could have ripped Anne to shreds. It was her job, after all, and one she was obviously very good at. But she didn’t.

Oh she didn’t exactly go easy on Anne. No, Caroline held a mirror right up to her and made her take a long, honest look at herself.

She wasn’t petty, or cruel.

But she marked her territory in no uncertain terms, and he liked that a whole lot. He planned to tell her exactly that as soon as he got the chance. Caroline had told Anne he was Caroline’s man.

And then she’d given Anne just the smallest of openings, and thank goodness Anne had come to her senses and took it, making a genuine overture of friendship.

It would take Caroline a while before she truly trusted Anne. Or hell, maybe everyone else too because of how everyone had been holding their breath to see what Anne was going to do.

Finally Caroline opened the door and he didn’t spare a glance for Anne, instead moving to Caroline. “Everything all right?”

“Yeah. I think so. How about I go get beers while you two talk.”

He pulled Caroline up to her tiptoes to kiss her before she moved down the hall, talking to Spike, who followed her.

Anne put a hand out to stay his words. “Before you say anything, let me first tell you I am so sorry. I was such a dick to Caroline, who probably needed a friend more than she needed me to be a bitch.”

He leaned against the doorjamb. Things had shifted between them, but he still cared about her.

“And I was a dick to you too. Putting you between us all the time. Playing with your feelings about me. I’m truly sorry for that too. Because you were never anything but honest and forthright with me. You still are. Maybe I was testing to see if you’d choose because I just wanted someone to look at me like that. But the thing is, it’s so special because she looks back at you the same way. You two click, and I got scared and sad and mean. I felt like she was stealing you away. That’s not the case, I know.”

“You’re important to me. I love you. I always will. But she’s someone to me now. My future, I think. It’s early days yet, yes. But whatever anyone thinks, it’s different. I know it. She knows it. I don’t want anyone getting hurt. Her feelings matter and I’m putting them first. You had no right to do this tonight. I’m really angry you’d try to cause a rift between me and Caroline. It’s fucking shitty. I didn’t resent you. All those years when I worked so hard to make you love me and you just never quite could. Not enough. And I
never
resented you. I understood what it was. And when we finally broke up, and you said, essentially, that you couldn’t commit yourself to me permanently. And at last I was like,
okay then, so this is never going to happen
. Our relationship didn’t change that much except the sex we were having was with other people. We stayed friends. We stayed connected to one another’s lives and I truly appreciate that. But this was so rude of you. Cruel and hurtful. Imagine if I had said,
oh my God, I love Anne, it’s over, Caroline.
Huh? Imagine I’d said that and how she would have felt. And for what? The outcome of this stunt could have done her damage, and I don’t know, it makes me feel like I have to be extra protective around you now. She didn’t change how I felt about you. But
you
changed the way I feel about you.”

“Ouch.”

“I know your parents were shit at being parents. And they’re shit at being married. And they’re shit at being human beings too. I know growing up like that gave you some pretty strong ideas about marriage, and I respect that. But I want a wife and I want kids and I want to go camping and go to daddy/daughter dances and all that stuff. I wanted that with you once. But then I didn’t. And fine, you didn’t want that. I respect your opinion and your choice not to commit to anyone. I need reciprocity here. I let go. Because that’s what you wanted. And now I’ve found someone who might be the person I make babies and go camping with. I need you to understand that. And I need you to respect and accept that.”

She nodded. “You’re right. I was mean and she didn’t deserve it. You didn’t deserve it either. I’m sorry.”