Chapter Ten

Kate

December 29^th

 

No Sonya when I woke, but no shocker there. She’d turn to dust at 7:00AM.

Once again, there was a Have a good day text from Sam before I left for work. So thoughtful and sweet. Had he done the same for his ex, at least in the beginning?

In high school, he never had a tumultuous breakup like most kids nor did I ever hear a bitch-fest in the P.E. locker room, but I never knew the details of how those relationships worked. I didn’t want to know what I was missing.

My teenage pining was already inappropriate.

Despite having a feel for his romantic side now, I was still shocked when a delivery guy arrived with a single rose with a card for me.

Our reservation is at seven. Dress warm.

Sam

I blushed like a sixteen-year-old. Thankfully, my coworkers didn’t care. One was away from his desk getting coffee and the other two had ear buds in and eyes on their screens.

So we’d be outdoors…hmm…

I wanted to pester him with questions. He clearly wanted it to be a surprise.

I finally settled on, Are you picking me up?

6:15, he replied.

If I let him drive, I was giving up some control. I couldn’t run off if things got too intense. We’d both shown restraint so far, but I needed to admit it to myself. Last night held no risk. This night required a bit more trust—of him and of me.

Did I want to keep this platonic?

By quittin’ time, I was looking forward to our date.

I didn’t remember my fight with Sonya until I returned to the apartment and it was still quiet. I sighed. Was she waiting for me to make the first move?

Made lunch, turned on a movie, and there was a knock on the door. Leave it to Sam to get impatient. Grinning, I opened it to—

My brother.

“Hi.”

“Hey.” His face held none of its typical good humor. I stepped aside so he could wheel in. “We need to talk.”

“The fight was between me and Sonya.” I closed the door.

“Yeah, but over something I instigated.”

“When did you ask her?”

“On the plane home. I’d been thinking about it and put it out there.”

“What was the plan?”

“I was going to tell you after New Year’s, when things settled back to normal. Sonya didn’t mean to blurt that out.”

“I could tell.”

He sighed. “Did you mean what you said about kicking her out?”

“Maybe a little. She said something patronizing and I snapped. But there are practical concerns now. When do I need to find a new roommate or downsize? I assume you are looking for a bigger place.”

He nodded. “We’re shopping for condos.”

“Lease or buy?”

“Either.”

I released a breath that whistled a bit. “You’ve not even been together for a year. Nor have you been this serious about a girl before.”

Peter shrugged. “When you know you know. We love each other.”

“She’s seven years older than you. You have plenty of time to settle down!”

His eyes went hard. “Kate, I’m not asking permission. This is happening with or without you as long as Sonya wants it.”

Popping to my feet, I paced around the coffee table. “Were you in on the plan to push me at Sam?”

He shook his head. “I don’t have my woman’s matchmaking gene. But… I’ve never seen you look at a guy like you do at Cord.”

“So, since you have Sonya, I might as well go to California? Is that it?”

Pete ground his teeth. Slowly shook his head. “I’m not fighting with you about this.”

“But it makes it easier, doesn’t it? Sonya said, ‘I want you to be happy like we’re happy.’ No one bothered to ask what I wanted. Just shove Kate at the least attainable guy and deal with the consequences later.”

“Do you not like him?”

My arms swung out. “Not the point!”

“Kate, you’ll always be my sister. I can have a girlfriend and a sister in my life at the same time.”

I rubbed my forehead. “Of course you can.”

“Would you be upset if it wasn’t Sonya?”

“It’s a harder pill to swallow.”

His eyes followed my movement. “I love her for the same characteristics that make her your best friend.”

“I know that!”

“Moving in together does not equal moving on from you.”

I rolled my eyes.

“You think you’re being pushed out and you’re not.”

“I already have been. We’re no longer The Three Musketeers, Pete. You’re a couple and I’m the third wheel. It’s the nature of humans. It doesn’t matter whose intentions are what.”

A crease appeared between his brows. “I thought you were okay. We’ve never rubbed your nose in this.”

I sat again. “Little brother, I’ve never had reason to question your manners, but you’re coupley. All couples are. You can’t help it. You’re going to have chemistry and inside jokes and memories only the two of you have made. The only remedy for a third wheel is to bring a fourth person in, except Sonya’s pushing that to be a guy in California. Have you thought about what a relationship with Sam means for me? Either we try the difficulty of a long-distance thing, or I move to him. Because he’s not moving here. His mom and his kids’ mother live in California. So what happens to my relationship with you and Sonya if I’m two-thousand miles away?”

He pushed his wheelchair closer to my knee.

“I don’t know. I know what my intentions would be. Do you think I don’t need you anymore?”

“It feels like it.”

“Kate, you’re the only family I have left and I love you. I can make the woman I love happy because of all the tools you gave me to be where I am today. What did I say when you went to the reunion? It’s time you did something for yourself. You’re more than Pete Carson’s big sister, so if your heart moves you to California, then we have all this wonderful technology to keep in touch. And if it isn’t him, then put yourself out there in Nashville.” He grabbed my hand. “Sonya might’ve fumbled our news, but we do want you to be happy.”

“Why couldn’t things stay how they were?” I said quietly.

“So, can Sonya sleep in her bed again?”

“That’s up to her.”

He backed the chair up to turn toward the door. “Are you hanging out at home tonight?”

“Sam’s taking me to something.”

Pete grinned. “Good.”

“Shut it.” They had no idea what Sam’s pursuit had done to me since we first reconnected. I opened the door. “Drive safe.”

“Love you, Kate.”

“Love you, too, brat.” I kissed his cheek before he crossed the threshold, then shut the door when he was in the hall.

The effort to make peace was appreciated, but no one seemed to understand me.

That hurt.