Chapter 16
Cal
This is complete garbage. Sutton’s engaged to the cheating loser who claimed he didn’t want marriage. I swear he only proposed to hold her back from a job that’s a great opportunity for her. She says he finally realized how much she meant to him. Right.
I slept on it, hoping to get a fresh perspective on things, and now I know what I need to do—book a flight back home. I need to see my little sister in person to talk sense into her.
After a quick shower and coffee, I sit on the sofa with my phone and search for some nonstop flights. I find one for next weekend, book it, and text Sutton that I’m coming out for a visit.
A few moments later, she texts: You don’t need to come out here. You just started a new job.
Me: I want to. An engagement is a big deal.
Sutton: Next week is Mom and Dad’s anniversary. It’ll be good if you’re here.
I scrub a hand over my face. I forgot about that.
The days leading up to the anniversary are hard on Dad.
Really, any reminder is enough to send him to a dark place.
A visit is long overdue, and hopefully it’ll be good for him to have both his kids home.
He’s become more of a recluse as he’s aged.
If Sutton didn’t take care of him, I’m not sure he would. That’s a whole other problem.
So my weekend mission is twofold—make sure Dad takes better care of himself (or find him care) and find a tactful way of convincing Sutton not to marry John. She’s too good for him.
The intercom buzzes. I wasn’t expecting anyone. I go over to it. “Yeah?”
“It’s Mackenzie.”
Shit. She hasn’t been here since our movie night during our brief fake-dating relationship. The apartment’s a mess. I’ve been busy with work and not quite myself. I didn’t bounce back like I normally do after things fizzled out between us.
I buzz her in. Then I do a quick cleanup, grabbing piles of mail, clothes, and leftover coffee mugs from around the living room. Mugs go in the kitchen.
She knocks on the door.
“Just a minute!” I pile everything else on the bedroom dresser and shut the door. Then I take my time walking to the front door, belatedly running a hand through my hair.
“Hi,” she says. “Hope you don’t mind me stopping by unannounced. I was wondering if Sutton’s okay. She didn’t tell me much about why she was turning down the job after accepting it.”
“She’s marrying that loser, who’s determined to keep her now that she wants to leave. I’m flying out next weekend to talk sense into her.”
“I’ll go with you.”
I stare at her blankly. “Why?”
She walks in. “I’d like to meet her in person. She’s more than an assistant. We’ve become very friendly. Maybe I could back you up since we’re friends now too.” She rubs her hands together, her eyes lighting up. “What’s the game plan?”
“This is a family matter. If you show up, it’ll just complicate things.”
“Sutton and I have a good relationship. I don’t think she’d mind meeting me. Even if she doesn’t take the promotion, she’ll still be our virtual assistant.”
“But then you’d be meeting my dad too. Sutton still lives at home.”
She settles on the sofa, so I join her. “And meeting your dad’s a bad thing?”
“Dad’s kind of a shut-in. He goes to work, comes home. That’s it. He used to be more social, but he sorta shut down after Mom died.”
“He sounds depressed.”
“He probably is. He’s also not the kind of guy to do anything about it.”
“Would he be mad if I was there?”
“No. But he might get the wrong idea. I haven’t brought a woman home since…in a long time.”
Her brows draw together. I brace myself for the probing questions, but all she says is, “I’ll make it clear I’m there for Sutton and you and I are just friends.”
I shift forward, resting my elbows on my knees, staring at the floor.
I’m not sure about Mackenzie getting involved in my family life.
It’s bad enough Sutton’s always singing her praises.
I don’t want Dad to get on board. How could I possibly explain our relationship?
“It’s complicated” leaves so much room for questions I don’t know how to answer.
“We are friends, right?” she asks, leaning down to meet my eyes. “We had ice cream together yesterday. Somebody told me that’s what friends do.” Her eyes sparkle playfully.
I cave. She’s impossible to resist. “Okay, fine. You can go under the friendship clause.”
“Ooh, a clause. How legal. So what’s the plan? You do have a plan, right?”
I sit back and think for a moment. “I’m going to pull John aside and convince him this isn’t what he really wants.”
She grimaces. “Sutton will never forgive you for ending her relationship for her.”
“You have a better idea?”
“You can talk to her about all the great potential for growth with this job, and then I can show her stock projections with some really pretty graphs.” She gestures a curve up with a finger.
I can’t help my smile. I love that she likes to make graphs and play with numbers. The first day I met Hailey, she told me Mackenzie was an accounting major and graduated with honors.
“Money won’t sway Sutton from the guy she thinks is the love of her life,” I say.
She points at me. “Exactly, she thinks he is, but how can he be when he cheats on her and didn’t propose until she was about to leave? If only there were a way to open her eyes to the cheating-loser reality.”
“I’ll play it by ear. You can be backup.”
“Deal.”
“One other thing. It might be a difficult time for Dad. It’s his wedding anniversary with Mom that weekend.”
“How long has it been since she died?”
I swallow over the lump in my throat. “Fifteen years.”
“Does he visit her grave that day?”
“He visits her grave every Sunday. They were high school sweethearts. He’s sort of lost without her.” My voice comes out like a croak. Dammit. Why is it so hard to say this stuff out loud?
She hugs me. I stiffen, but she keeps her arms tight around me. Slowly, I relax, the ache easing in my throat. “I’m sorry,” she says softly. “I can only imagine how hard that must be for everyone. If you think it’s best I don’t go—”
“You can go.”
She holds my shoulders and looks into my eyes. “Sure?”
“I’m sure.” Having Mackenzie at my side lightens the load. “Thank you.”
Her gaze drops to my mouth. Desire stirs, but before I can reach for her, she stands, turning for the door.
“You don’t have to leave,” I say.
“I do.” She grabs her coat and purse. “I’ll see you next weekend.”
“Yeah, okay.”
She slips out the door. I stare blankly for a long moment, wanting to close the distance between us, with no clue how to do that.
I should ask her. If that romance novel taught me anything, it’s that she’s got a lot of thoughts and feelings hidden in her head. She needs some prompting to give me the secret to making things right. We have chemistry; we have friendship. Isn’t that everything?
It hits me that maybe she wants me to go after her.
I push open the door and race down the stairs. When I get to the sidewalk, she’s gone. She must’ve run, and doesn’t that tell me everything I need to know?