Chapter 5 Clara #2
My shoulders lifted. “That’s me. Big Balls Clara.” What the fuck am I saying right now? “Okay, I’m going to go die now. Goodbye.”
Without a second glance back, I shoved my cart forward.
I was too mortified to bother getting the rest of the groceries.
Instead, I abandoned my cart and made a beeline for the exit.
There was a supermarket in the next town over, and I could get what I needed without shoving my foot in my mouth.
I left behind everything—the snacks, the flowers, whatever dignity I had left—parked neatly in the frozen food aisle.
I wasn’t used to being so flustered, but there was something about the intensity in Wes’s stare that knocked me off-kilter. I had no idea what it was, but I also had zero intention of finding out.
My parents’ house was a quaint little Cape Cod on the outskirts of Star Harbor.
Once all my siblings, plus their partners, showed up, it was downright small.
Selene and her daughter, Winnie, were getting settled while Selene’s boyfriend, Austin, shook hands with my dad.
The two of them, plus Hayes, started talking about sports.
Elodie showed up with Cal and his teenage son, Levi.
Kit was solo and sitting on top of the counter—like she always did—as my mom stirred the pot on the stove.
Everyone seemed to slot into place like puzzle pieces—partners, kids, routines. The only piece that didn’t quite fit anywhere was me.
The house was loud and chaotic, but something about seeing everyone together made my chest feel too tight. There was barely enough room at the table as we all sat elbow to elbow, talking over one another and passing food around.
I loved them. God, I loved them. But squeezed between all that happiness and forward momentum, I felt like I was slowly disappearing.
I mostly stayed quiet, soaking in the chatter and feeling like an outsider. It was so clear that everyone’s lives were moving forward and I was living at home with my parents without a clue as to how I was going to afford to go out on my own.
When a knock sounded at the door, we all quieted and turned. My dad stood, walking toward the entrance and pulling the door open. My mouth popped open when I saw Wes standing outside the door with a bouquet of flowers in his hand.
My bouquet.
The air whooshed out of my lungs. Of all the people to show up holding the evidence of my grocery store meltdown, it had to be him.
“Well,” my dad said. “This is a surprise. Come in.”
Hayes stood, eyeballing his best friend.
Wes took a step inside. “I didn’t mean to interrupt.
I happened to see Clara at the store today, and she left these.
” His eyes flicked to mine, and I could feel the heat rising on my cheeks.
There was something unreadable in his gaze—amusement, maybe, or curiosity.
Whatever it was, it saw straight through me.
His attention moved to my mother. “I believe they’re for you, Mrs. Darling.”
“Oh, well . . .” Mom fussed as she stood and crossed the room to meet him. “Thank you, Weston.”
His lips pressed together and he nodded. “I didn’t mean to interrupt. I’ll be going.”
“Wait.” Hayes hesitated. “Stay.” My brother’s voice held that rough edge of concern I’d been hearing more and more lately whenever he talked about Wes.
Wes’s jaw clenched as the curious eyes of my family tracked him. “You have a good night.”
Before any of us could interject, Wes was gone. The door closed behind him, and the house seemed to exhale, noise slowly filling the space he’d left. I couldn’t stop staring at the spot where he’d been.
My mother was still swooning over the flowers when she returned to the table. “Such a shame.” She sighed. I wasn’t sure if she meant the accident, his loneliness, or the fact that he’d just walked out of a Darling family dinner like the walls were closing in.
“That’s the first time I’ve seen Wes in weeks,” Elodie noted.
Austin nodded. “He hasn’t been on the jobsite at all lately. I’m really worried about him.”
Our eyes moved to Hayes as though he held the answers to his best friend’s finicky temperament. “Don’t look at me,” he grumbled. “He’s been a prick lately.”
“Don’t say that!” my mother chided. “He’s been through a lot. That man has lost so much. He’s suffering.”
The pity laced into her words didn’t sit right with me. Sure, Wes had been through the wringer, but he was more than capable. He’d been an elite soldier, for fuck’s sake. Turning him into some tragic cautionary tale felt wrong. Wes Vaughn was a lot of things, but helpless wasn’t one of them.
“He’s refusing care,” Hayes said. “Doesn’t want it, but he needs help.
He’s been missing appointments and not taking care of himself.
I don’t know if it’s depression or spite.
” Hayes dragged a hand through his hair.
“Whatever it is, he doesn’t want my help.
But whether he likes it or not, he does need someone.
At least for the time being. He’s fired the last three live-in care nurses, so the company doesn’t want to send another.
All the research I’ve done says this is normal, but . . . I’m just really worried about him.”
The raw fear in my big brother’s voice did something to me. I knew that tone. It was the same way I’d sounded talking about my career to my friends—half frustrated, half terrified. Completely unsure of what to do.
I straightened in my chair. “I’ll do it.”
All eyes turned to me, but I ignored the stares.
If there was one thing I knew how to do, it was step into chaos and make it look beautiful. I couldn’t fix my own life, but maybe I could help steady his.
“What?” I shrugged, desperately trying to hide my nerves. “I’ve known Wes my entire life . . . it’ll be fine.” My pulse was drumming hard enough that I could feel it in my ears. Fine was doing a lot of heavy lifting in that sentence.
Selene, ever the voice of reason, looked around the table. “Doesn’t Wes have to agree to this? He’s a grown man.”
“It could be nice, though.” My mother tried, and failed, to hide the glee in her voice at the prospect of not having me in the house. “Clara could help him get back on his feet—foot—oh, you know what I mean.”
“I can talk to him.” Cal’s confident voice helped calm my nerves. “Reason with him and explain that it’s only temporary. Healing takes time, and I think Clara would be a perfect fit.”
Temporary. Such an easy word to say when it wasn’t your entire life currently stuck on pause. Cal’s reassuring smile did nothing to ease the tightness in my stomach.
I’d just agreed to move in with my brother’s best friend . . . and he had no idea it was coming. Somewhere between a grocery store aisle and my parents’ dining room table, I’d gone and upended both our lives. And there was no graceful way to back out now.