Page 15 of A Little Bit Engaged
“Did your publicist have any suggestions?” Cara asked.
“To pretend to be engaged. She seems to think that would be the best solution. If people think we’re engaged instead of just having sex behind your sister’s back…”
Cara’s face burned. She stared at the ceiling.
“Lying never ends well.” Three years ago, she’d lied to Caitlin about not having a crush on Brody. Her sister and her best friend started dating after that. Cara still wondered what might have happened if she’d told her sister the truth about her feelings for Brody. She’d had a chance last night to come clean, even though she was over her crush now, but she couldn’t say anything with Brody listening. Maybe she wasn’t that different from Caitlin.
Closing her eyes, Cara cringed. “Is there another option?”
“Other than going public about Caitlin’s lies and how she’s engaged to a not-yet-divorced man, no.”
That news would ruin Caitlin’s good-girl image, add to the bad-movie woes, and probably push her over the edge.
Ugh. Cara’s stomach churned. This was a no-win situation.
She should have never been dragged into this. Brody, either. Her anger flared.
“My sister is an adult. Her anxiety issues aren’t her fault, but they shouldn’t stop her from taking responsibility for her actions.” Cara peeked out the window again. More people seemed to have gathered. Talk about insanity. “Okay, I’ll admit not paying rent for six months would be huge for me, but why should we bail out Caitlin one more time? Sacrifice our reputations to save hers?”
“Other than to make sure she doesn’t do something stupid and hurt herself?”
Cara frowned. “You know what I mean.”
“I do. And I understand.” He plopped onto the couch. “I’m tired of feeling like I owe her for my career.”
“Pretending to date her for the past two-plus years should wipe out any debt.”
A hint of a smile appeared on his face. “She added interest.”
That made Cara laugh. “If I accept her free-rent offer, I’m afraid she’ll end up using it against me. She’ll keep dragging me into more of her messes.”
“Then use the money from the ring so that doesn’t happen,” he suggested earnestly. “There will be more than enough money for your rent and the library programs.”
That was good to know, but she didn’t want him to be stuck doing whatever Caitlin said. “What about you?”
A beat passed. “She went too far this time.”
“Yes.” But Cara didn’t know what Brody was getting at. “But that’s Caitlin for you.”
“No more.” He spoke firmly. “Once this is over, we’ll…I’ll…draw the line with Caitlin. Tell her we won’t fix her problems anymore.”
What he said shocked Cara, but she had doubts whether he was serious. “You’ve been coming to her rescue for years. Will you be able to tell Caitlin you’re done saving her?”
“I…” He inhaled and then exhaled slowly. “I have to unless I want to spend the rest of my life at Caitlin’s beck and call. I don’t want that.”
Cara never expected to hear him say those words. But when she saw the determined set of his jaw, something inside her loosened. “It’s about time you said that.”
“Past time.” He stared at her. “So, are we doing this?”
Her heart slammed against her chest. She couldn’t answer. Not yet. “I’m no actress. And I look nothing like someone you’d date.”
Saying the words left a gritty taste in her mouth. She’d appreciated him calling her beautiful, but he was being nice. Cara O’Neal might be cute, but she was nothing like the stunning Cait Neal. The only thing they’d shared physically was their mother’s womb. Oh, and some DNA.
He grimaced. “Cara—”
“I want to go on record saying this is one hundred percent likely to blow up in our faces, but if you’re serious about this being the last time, then I’m in.”
She’d never wanted to be center stage. The only fame she sought was to be an expert in her field—a job that dealt with musty old books. Researching and tracking down first or limited editions. Authenticating and repairing pages, covers, and spines as needed was what she’d trained for and been good at. Or had until being laid off.
