The Other Marlowe Girl (Marlowe Girls) (4 page)

“It’s not his company yet, and even if it were, it wouldn’t matter. He’s a member of the bar. Ethics are important.”

“Luke, you’re not kids anymore. If he’s late to work,
 
treat him like you would treat anyone else,” Tiffany said.
 

“I do, and he’s mad at me for it.”

Her eyes trailed to where I sat on the couch, back to her husband. “I know what you would tell me about that.”

“I’m sorry, 
anjel.
”
 

“Don’t be. You’d be right.”

So I was the poster child for the irresponsible younger sibling. Of course.

“Oh, Luke?” she said.

“Yeah?”

“I’ll be late today. Don’t treat me like you would treat anyone else.”

“You’re in accounting. That’s not my problem.”

I shook my head. “You work for Luke now? What happened to your job?”

She laughed. “Luke felt that I was overworked and underpaid, and that it was cheaper for his firm to hire me than to contract out to accounting firms. So I’m running the accounting department now.”

“The accounting department as in you?”

“No, I hired people.”

“Wow.”

She shrugged. “It worked out. I can take Lucí to work this way if I need to, and when she gets bad, I leave her with her dad.”

My perfect big sister 
would 
have worked out the perfect situation. 
 

“I have to get to work. 
Someone 
should be on time,” Luke said. He kissed Tiffany the same way he did in Cancun. It made me sick. They’d been married for years. This was not the way married life in the real world went. Or maybe it just wasn’t the way married life in 
my 
world went. 
 

I stood to go to the kitchen, and about the same time, they decided to come up for air.

“Oh my God!” Luke groaned. “Tiffany.”

“Kammy, get dressed now!”

I looked down to see what her problem with my attire was now and realized I was sporting a sequin thong. I ran to the arm chair, grabbed my skirt and pulled it over me. “I’m sorry! I forgot I was letting it dry.”

“I’m leaving. You take care of this,” Luke said to my sister.

As soon as he was out the door, Tiffany said, “Sit down. We need to talk.” She sat down in the armchair next to the couch.

“What?” I asked as I returned to my place on the couch.

“Why did Mom kick you out?”

“For being out too late.”

She nodded. “Because you were at a bar.”

“No, because I was doing some modeling for Nigel for a thousand dollars.”

“Why would Mom have kicked you out for that?”

I pursed my lips. “I have—
had
 a curfew.”
 

“As ridiculous as that is, I can almost understand.” She wasn’t even looking at me. “Are you working at the moment?”

“No.” 
 

“I suggest you get a job, because you have two weeks to get out.”

“How am I supposed to get a job 
and 
come up with rent money in two weeks?”
 

She shrugged. “You’ve been living at home. You should have savings.”

“I’m paying Emmett’s debt.”

“Why?”

I sighed. “Because it’s in my name.” I didn’t mention it was to
 
a very big, very mean, very violent drug dealer.
 

“That’s not my problem. Don’t walk around the house naked. And, Kammy, I’m not going to say anything to anyone else, but Enrique is a nice guy. Don’t hurt him. He doesn’t deserve it, and it would just complicate things for me.” 
 

“And you’ve been 
so 
nice.” 
 

“You’re right. I should be nicer. I’m sorry.” Her face softened. 

I was surprised by how easily she agreed to this. True, she hadn’t been nice, but I kind of knew I didn’t deserve it either. But my sister had always been a sweetheart. It was the best thing about her until she met her husband.

 I bit my lip as I searched for the right way to say this. “I liked you better before you met him,” I said as non-confrontationally as possible, but I thought she should know she was changing.

“That’s because I never asked you to take responsibility for anything you said or did before I met him. Ever. I’m sure you did like me better.”

“Take responsibility? What do you mean?”

“Like pay for the damage your party caused? Fix the problems you create. You’ve apologized to me for one thing ever and that was when I was thirteen.”

What was I supposed to apologize for? Marrying Emmett? She never cared about him and I did. “Okay, Tiffany.” I rolled my eyes at her, and any softness in her face disappeared.

“I’ve got to get Lucí up and get her ready. You really should work on finding a job today.” She crossed to the stairs.

“Okay.” 

Chapter 5

My cell rang. I took the phone from the couch. Enrique. “How did you get my number?” I asked.

“I called myself from your phone after I saved my number.”

This guy was as shady as me. I knew I should be angry about him getting my number without asking, but I couldn’t be mad. It was kind of cute. I walked into the kitchen so Tiffany wouldn’t hear me. “Don’t be late for work. Luke’s already mad.”

“I don’t care about that. I went to Cosmos before work today to reconnect your battery, but your car has been vandalized.”

“What do you mean vandalized?”

“Well, lots of parts are missing, and there is a note on the seat that says, ‘Take it out of what you owe me.’ Kammy, I don’t know what the story is, but you’re going to have to get the police involved.”

“I really can’t do that.”

“I was afraid you would say that. We’ll talk more tonight, but you’re going to have to tell me everything.”

And that’s why girls like me don’t get guys like this.

That night I realized, I had no way to get ready for my date with Enrique because all of my clothes were still at my parents’, and with the car being vandalized, I didn’t have a chance to go collect my things. So I went upstairs to my sister’s room. Her closet was the same size as the bedroom in my last apartment. I was half a foot taller than my sister and thinner, so I wasn’t sure I would find anything that would work, but this was still the best option. 

“Stay back,” I heard from behind me. I turned to find Luke cautiously rounding the corner, clutching a golf club. I didn’t expect to see him there, so it took me a minute to realize it was Luke. Screaming, I dropped the lacey a-line JCrew in my hand.

He stared me in the eye. “Tiffany!”

She came to stand beside him. “Kammy. The guest room door was open. We thought you were out.”

He turned his head toward her. “I’m not comfortable with this.”

Before Tiffany could answer, I asked, “Why, Luke?” I knew he didn’t like me, but he had married my sister. He could make an effort to be nice. “I will be out of your house as soon as possible.”
 

 “Luke,” Tiffany scolded.

 “Because you married my wife’s ex-boyfriend, and your
 
relationship started before he was her ex.” He’d rested the end of the golf club on the carpet and turned it slightly in his hand.
 

I laughed. “Luke, you don’t have to worry about that happening again.”

“I’m not. I’m worried about what my wife might worry about.”

“Luke—” Tiffany started.

He turned to my sister, and the contempt in his face disappeared. “
Chica, 
you are way too important to me for me to handle this any other way.”
 

“I’m not worried about it, though,” she said.

“Because this is the way I handle things.” 
 

I sighed. “I just needed to borrow clothes. I couldn’t go pick up my stuff, because my car got destroyed last night. I get that
 
I married your ex-boyfriend, who you were ready to break up with. But I was your sister for twenty years before the affair. I didn’t do it to hurt you, okay? He wasn’t your type. At all. I loved him, and he said he loved me. Seriously, I think I got the worst end of that deal, so can we just move on?”
 

“Kammy, I’m s—”

“No,” Luke’s voice was sharp and louder than usual. “You don’t apologize to her.”

“But I—”

“Tiffany, you’re not the one that should be apologizing. If you’re going to do it, you don’t do it when I’m around to have to listen to it.”

“I’m going to start dinner before your mom drops Lucí off. Kammy, you can take whatever you need, but you have to know we aren’t the same size.”

“You buy your dresses too long. They’ll still fit me. I was going to mention that actually. You’re not old yet. You should buy some clothes that fit you better.”

“My clothes fit.” 

“They do. I meant in a hotter kind of way.”

She laughed. “I’m an accountant and a mom. I can’t look like J Lo.”

“Umm… you have lots of inches to spare before you get to J Lo,” I said.

Tiffany looked to Luke.
 

He smiled and shrugged. “You dress conservatively. I like that. I like that your smile was the first thing I noticed about you and is probably the first thing other people notice, too. But you do have inches to spare.”

Her eyes traced back to me. She hesitated for a moment then said, “Do you want to go shopping this weekend?”

“Sure.” This was the first time in years she’d tried to have anything to do with me. “I have something to do tonight. I’m going to get ready.”

Enrique showed up at 6:30 sharp, but he was opening the door as he knocked.

“Enrique, you’re in time for dinner,” Luke chuckled.

“I’m not hanging around tonight,” Enrique’s eyes scanned me up and down. “You’re overdressed.”

All I had to change into was yesterday’s clothes, which was still a skirt.

“What did you have in mind?” I tucked a strand of hair back in my clip.

“Dinner, but we’re on a motorcycle,” he said.

“Oh.”

“Oh?”

“You didn’t strike me as the motorcycle type.” I smiled.
 

“Is that a good thing or a bad thing?”

“I like bikers, but I’m not wearing enough hairspray for a helmet.” 

It caught me off guard, the way Enrique was being so obvious. I was under the impression he didn’t want anyone to know about this. About me. I couldn’t say I blamed him. His brother did have a low opinion of me.

Enrique looked at Luke. “I need your keys.” That really surprised me. Not only was he not hiding this, he was going to tell Luke.

“You know where they are. No drinking if you’re driving my car, and don’t stay out all night.”

“
Sí, Papá.”
 

“Don’t be a smartass.”

“
Sí, Papá.”
 

Luke glared at him.

“Are you ready, 
princessa
?” Enrique asked.
 

“Yeah.”

He grabbed Luke’s keys off a nail behind the door and took my hand.

“Enrique?” Luke called.

“
Sí?”
 

“Think with the right body part.”

“Lucas.”

“Don’t Lucas me. Just use your head.” 
 

Enrique dropped my hand and turned to face his brother. “Luke, if you have a problem with what I’m doing, tell me later.”

“Count on it.”

Once we were in the car he said, “I’m sorry about my brother.”

“It’s okay. It’s not like he’s ever hidden how much he hates me.”

“I don’t think Luke hates you.”

“Really?”

Enrique shook his head. “He takes things that happen to Tiffany personally. I can’t really blame the guy for that. I’d never seen him so happy before he came back from Cancun with that brunette on his arm.”

If Luke was right to hate me, why was Enrique here? “This isn’t going to work.”

“What’s not going to work?”

“Whatever we’re doing.”

“Why not?”

I looked straight ahead at the road. “Your brother already hates me, and you think he’s right to. I’m not saying either one of you is wrong. But I think it’s better to start over with someone who hasn’t had a preview of my sordid past.”

He flicked his eyes at me before looking at the road again. “Hold up, 
chica. 
I didn’t say Luke was right to hate you. I actually don’t think he does. I said I couldn’t blame him for getting so upset about things that happen to Tiffany. He did marry her. It’s almost a contractual obligation to take her side. If you’re going to bail on me, you’re going to have to find a better excuse than that.”
 

“It’s not an excuse. It’s the truth. First impressions matter and you had negative information about me before you met me. Whatever happens from here doesn’t matter. I’ll always be the naked girl handcuffed to a stripper.”

He laughed. “Luke left that part out.” 
 

My face heated up. 
Open mouth and insert foot.
 “Enrique, you seem like a nice guy, but there is too much baggage for this to go any further. Take me back to my sister’s, please.”
 

“No.”

I turned to face him. “Why not?”

“Because you already knew I knew who you were before you agreed to this. It didn’t bother you last night. If you’re not interested, you’re going to have to admit it. You’re not playing the victim. Sorry, 
chica.”
 

“I hate that.”
 
 

“You hate what?”

“When you call me 
chica. 
It’s so annoying.”
 
 

He smiled. “My apologies, 
chica
.”
 

“Arrg. Why are you so determined?” 
 

“I don’t know. You’re interesting.”

I crossed my arms. “I guess I’ve been called worse.”

“Luke’s called you worse.”

 “Thanks.”

“Kammy, get over it.” He laughed.

That caught me off guard. I wasn’t used to guys—especially guys who were trying to date me—talking to me like that. “What?”