Bad Cruz(66)

“Your new business?” The words flew out before I could stop them.

She preened. “My blog. It’s really taking off.”

Sounded insta-great.

Gabriella continued, “And I think he knows I’m the real deal, so he is…like, I don’t know, anxious?”

The word you are looking for is uninterested, honey.

“Makes perfect sense,” Trinity said. “I see the way he looks at you. He cares for you so much.”

I wanted to throw up so much.

“Did Cruz tell you Gabriella and he were on a break?” My mother turned to face me, oblivious to the bomb she’d just dropped in the room. “You two seem to be friends these days. I hadn’t even realized you were close until you boarded the right ship.”

Trinity’s and Gabriella’s gazes snapped toward me so fast I was surprised their eyes didn’t roll out of their sockets. I picked up a bridal brochure and flipped through it, feeling their stares scorching a path into my internal organs, willing myself not to blush.

“He might’ve mentioned that,” I murmured, but only because I wanted it to be known, in case word ever got out that Cruz and I had shared a fling, that he was single at the time.

Homewrecker was one thing I hadn’t been accused of.

Yet.

“Poor thing must’ve been beside himself.” Trinity put a hand to her heart.

He did all right. Especially when my mouth was wrapped around his penis and he kept telling me I was the most beautiful girl in town—the town in which you also reside…

The saleswoman returned to the room with her sewing kit, smiling broadly.

“Miss Turner, please return to the riser. I’ll take your measurements again so I can fix the zipper situation.”

Trinity did as she was told. I felt Gabriella’s eyes lingering on me, narrowed and menacing, and pretended to study a bridal article about skid marks on wedding gowns.

“By the way…” Trinity raised her blonde braid up so the woman could press the measuring tape to her waist. “Any news from Rob?”

“He was waiting for us outside when we came home from the cruise. Bear was upset about it. I spoke to him afterwards, and he doesn’t really seem ready to give Rob a chance.”

“It’s not his choice, though, is it?” Mom patted a piece of used tissue to her nose. “He’s just a kid. He should do whatever you tell him to do. And you should tell him Rob is his father and he needs to suck it up.”

That grabbed my attention.

I pinned her with a look of disdain.

“Excuse me? Are you expecting me to throw the trust and bond I have with my son out the window to appease and abide by the whims of a man who, until less than a month ago, pretended we weren’t in existence? Crew that.” I left the S out intentionally.

“I expect you to do the sensible thing and let him help you out.” Mom squared her shoulders, a haughty look on her face.

“We did fine before him. Bear’ll meet him when he’s ready, and not a moment earlier.”

“You’re being stubborn,” my mother stated.

You’re being judgmental.

Her lips pressed into a tighter line. “Take the money.”

Take your nose out of my business.

But I couldn’t say that.

I didn’t have the balls.

“Listen, Nessy, I honestly think he’s a changed man. I mean, he is trying really hard. Got a job with his old man and everything,” Trinity cooed, still staring at herself in the mirror. “Wyatt told me he came to visit the Costellos last night. They had a big dinner and all. Cruz and Wyatt were there, too.”

“Yeah. Cruz told me. We talked about it,” Gabriella automatically said, making it known that she and Cruz were speaking.

Just piss on his leg, honey, why don’t you?

What bothered me more than my mother telling me to rush Bear into meeting Robert was the fact that Cruz seemed to become his buddy again right away. I felt so stupid for tumbling into bed with Cruz.

The two were probably comparing notes about me yesterday over beers.

“Look, I’m not saying Rob can’t see Bear or can’t live in this town. All I’m saying is that we’re taking it one day at a time and getting used to having him around again. That’s all.”

After Trinity had her measurements retaken, the three of us poured out of the store into the bright summer day. Gabriella air-kissed my sister on both cheeks and hugged my mother.

Mom laced her arm in Trinity’s and was about to guide her back to their car. Trinity put her hand on Mom’s elbow.

“Mom, get the car, will you? I have to talk to Nessy for a sec.”

Uh oh.

This couldn’t be good. Whenever my sister wanted to get me alone, it was because she wanted to chide me. More often than not, because of my manners and reputation. Last time that happened, she tried to force me to apologize to Tim Trapp for not going out with him.

I stood next to her like a punished child, awaiting the verdict after giving the dog a makeover.

When Mom was out of earshot, Trinity turned to me, a polite smile on her face. Like we weren’t two sisters with an unbreakable bond but strangers who’d happened to occupy the same house for twenty-three years before I moved out.

“Nessy, you know how much I love you.”