Chapter 5 #2
Scarlett didn’t even bat an eye, which surprised me.
“He just…he always catches me at my worst. And I hate it. It makes me feel like I don’t know what I’m doing even though I’m good at it.
I’m not egotistical, I’m not an asshole.
I know I have room for growth, but I’m damn good at my job, and he only sees the worst.”
“What happened?” Ivy asked. We took a seat outside of Cage Free, the local diner, and I tied Lucky up where he would be comfortable. There was already a doggy bowl full of water, and I smiled at how happy my precious boy looked.
Scarlett glanced over her shoulder and leaned forward to whisper. “I just had to deal with this stupid thing with the resort guest, and I ended up with coffee all over my shirt. And then when I went to go change, I hadn’t realized that Hudson was in the room.”
My lips twitched. “So you flashed your boss?”
“No. Maybe. I don’t know if he was looking.
But as soon as I ran away, which I’m not proud of, he didn’t even dare to follow.
And then, I was trying to work on four projects at once, because two of my people had called in sick, and when I bent over to keep a small child from knocking over one of our precious vases, another kid ran me into a wall, meaning the vase fell anyway. ”
I cringed. “Oh no.”
“Oh yes. Hudson, of course, caught it, and me.” She rolled her eyes. “Because of course Hudson Cage can do everything. The vase was fine, and I didn’t hit the floor. And the parents were all apologetic. Not to me, mind you, but to the precious Cage.”
“Did he say anything about it?”
“Of course not. He grunted, glared at me, and stomped away. I cannot wait for Isabella to take over.”
“It sounds like I need to,” a familiar voice said as she walked up.
“Oh. Hi. Pretend you didn’t hear any of that. And I’m totally professional.” Scarlett’s face turned the color of her namesake.
Isabella just shook her head before taking her seat.
“First, sorry I couldn’t show up for the walk.
I had three online meetings in a row, because for some reason the love of my life and I decided to live in two places, so traveling is trying to break me.
However, I might’ve heard some of it. I’ll take over for Hudson soon.
I wasn’t planning on doing it for a while because I thought you two had it covered, but I can. If there’s a problem.”
Scarlett shook her head and began to play with her napkin. “No, no, it’s fine. I was overreacting. Plus, as soon as I stood up and tried to talk with the family, my boyfriend walked in and apparently had seen Hudson’s hands on me, and well, it was another scene. I’m sorry. Your brother’s great.”
“Are you okay?” Isabella asked, voicing the same question Ivy and I clearly had.
“Oh, I’m fine.” Scarlett smiled brightly. “Promise. Ronan has always growled about the Cages more than I do.” She winced again. “Sorry.”
“It’s okay. I’m just now learning how to be a Cage, and I don’t know Hudson that well. I’m still learning about these new brothers of mine. So I don’t know why he growls like he does, or why it seems like the Cages that grew up here during the summers seem to know more than they’re saying.”
“Hudson was always pretty doom and gloom when we were younger,” Ivy put in. “At least, in that broody sort of way.” Her lips pressed into a line.
“And he was deployed a few times,” I added. “Though I was really too young to know what that meant at the time.”
Hudson was a full decade older than me, and Dorian was eight years older than me, so it wasn’t as if I could throw stones at my own crushes. But it had never been Hudson for me. No it had been my brother’s best friend instead.
“He changed when he got back, but it’s not like we really knew him.”
Ivy continued. “I think you’re always going to be different when you come back. I hope he at least told some of you what happened over there,” Ivy said on a whisper.
“And now I feel like an asshole for even complaining about him,” Scarlett said with a sigh. “My twin would be so disappointed.”
Isabella’s eyes widened. “I forgot you have a twin.”
“Luna lives down in Denver, so I only get to see her when we make plans. Though we talk every day on the phone. I miss her being here.”
“You’ll have to introduce me sometime. It’s nice getting to know more people in Cage Lake.”
“Honestly the two of you would get along so well. I’ll make it happen.” Scarlett immediately picked up her phone, and when Isabella’s vibrated, I knew there was now a new group chat in effect.
“You are efficient. So if my brother has said anything different, I’ll beat him up for you,” Isabella said with a wink.
I grinned as our favorite waitress came and took our orders. It was a quick lunch, and a beautiful afternoon. Yes, it was cold, considering it was winter, but they had the heat lamps out, and everything oddly felt good.
And just like that, guilt settled in.
Because I wasn’t supposed to feel good.
How could I?
After a few bites of my sandwich, I set it to the side and listened to the others as they spoke about the ongoings and stressors of Cage Lake.
Isabella gave me a concerned look when I shook my head infinitesimally, hoping the others hadn’t noticed. Lucky put his head on my thigh, and I rubbed his fur, trying to feel connected to the real world, rather than the dreams that kept trying to set me under.
“Wellesley, shouldn’t you be at work?”
The hair on the back of my neck rose, as I swallowed hard and looked at the man who kept invading my dreams.
Dorian had a to-go cup of coffee in his hand, not one from the specialty coffee shop, but mine. Because apparently, he wanted plain coffee today. I didn’t want to think about the fact that maybe he had gone to my own bakery to check on me. No, that wasn’t it. He just liked coffee.
“I do take one day off a week. Apparently if I work seven days a week, people glare at me.”
“As we should,” Ivy put in. “Hello, Dorian.”
At the dryness in her tone I blinked, focusing on Dorian’s face. That’s when I realized that he hadn’t looked at anyone else. Not even his sister. What on earth was that about?
“Ivy. Scarlett. Isabella. So I guess we’re all playing hooky today?”
“I should ask you the same thing, brother of mine,” Isabella teased, though I saw the concern in her gaze as she studied her brother’s face.
They might not have grown up together, might not know each other, but they were blood, nonetheless.
I didn’t know how that family dynamic worked, how they were figuring out this new phase of their life.
But I knew Isabella was trying. And Dorian had done his best before the flight…
Only I didn’t know how he fit himself into the family now.
He’d hidden himself away from Cage Lake for the past year and I’d heard he’d done the same within his family, but I didn’t know the connections they’d made along the way.
If any. How was one supposed to create familiar relationships in such a short time after finding out your father’s life had been a lie, breaking the rest of the family along with him?
“Like you I’m taking a break from the house.”
“That’s not the work I meant,” Isabella said softly.
“It’s fine.” He shrugged. “My managers know what they’re doing.”
“At least one Cage believes that their managers can handle things,” Scarlett put in, and I knew she was trying to help Dorian, because the awkwardness had settled in. Of course, with the way that Dorian’s brow rose, maybe it wasn’t the greatest thing to say.
He cleared his throat and then looked straight at me once again. That feeling that I couldn’t quite name settled over me, and I wasn’t sure what I wanted him to say. What I needed him to say.
“I’m headed back to the house since the place won’t fix itself sadly. But if you need anything, Wellesley, you let me know.”
“Sure. Um. You too.”
And with that, Dorian left, and I tried not to watch him and failed. The way that he filled those jeans nearly broke me, but not as much as the way that he tried to hide his limp.
“So…” Isabella drawled. “What was that?”
Sadly my two best friends didn’t speak up for me, so I just cleared my throat.
“It’s not like that. He’s just trying to fill my brother’s place. You know, in that overprotective stance. Seriously. Not like that.”
Except the more I tried to deny it, the more I knew they didn’t believe me.
Oh, how I wanted to believe them.
But Dorian was not for me. He never had been, and frankly, he never would be.