Page 83 of Bad Influence
“That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve heard today,” I say. Picking up my coffee, I take a sip so I can pretend to ignore her. Iwant to say that Caroline’s presence is not affecting me, even if it’s a lie. I haven’t changed. I’ve just adjusted slightly to make room for her.
I’m not an idiot. I’m not going to close the door on the first day of sunshine.
“If you don’t have plans to celebrate her new job, can I take her to the club?” Eve asks.
She’s moving around the shop, adjusting the frames of art works, the basic tattoo designs, the tall fake tree in the corner which she said adds ‘character’ to the place even though I told her to never put it there.
“Caroline makes the decisions about what she wants to do,” I say.
Eve arches a brow as she leans across the counter. “Really? So I can take her to the club where drunk men will hit on her?”
My fingers tighten around my pencil and I dig a little too hard on the paper, ripping it. Eve smirks knowingly. I rip the page out of the sketchbook and ball it up, throwing it in the trash.
“Caroline can take care of herself,” I reply.
She did stab my brother.
It’s a good thing my brother is on the other side of the country or I would’ve stabbed him a little, too. I knew the marriage was a compromise for Caroline, something she agreed to because she wanted her parents approval. Beckett probably went along with it because of our father’s manipulations. If he truly had any feelings for Caroline, he wouldn’t have cheated on her.
“It’s good to see you two getting along,” Eve says.
“We always got along.”
“Not that first day,” Eve says with a laugh. “Caroline looked like she wanted to stab you.”
I’m sure she did. My eyes shift behind Eve when a cab pulls up to the front of the shop. The door opens and out stepsCaroline, in her butter yellow dress and white blazer, the sun making her brown hair glow.
I straighten immediately, walking to the door just as she reaches to open it.
“Why didn’t you call me? I would’ve come to pick you up,” I say, as soon as she looks up at me.
“That’s why I didn’t call you,” Caroline says. “Aiden helped me hail a cab.”
“You took a cab over the bridge?” Eve asks. “Babe, you’re never going to be a real New Yorker if you do that. It takes far too long and it’s far too expensive.”
“Why did Aiden help you hail a cab?” I ask.
Caroline looks from Eve to me. I don’t like how casually she said Aiden’s name, as if she’s known him for a long time. At least I never had to see her with my brother. It would’ve driven me to the edge of madness. Just thinking about it is bad enough.
“He was leaving for a lunch meeting so he helped me,” Caroline explains.
“When do you start work?”
“How do you know I got the job?”
“Because you’re brilliant and Aiden Fairchild would be an idiot not to hire you,” I reply easily.
Caroline props a hand on her hip, brows arched. “You’ve never seen me practice law.”
“What does that have to do with it?”
Eve steps in, pulling Caroline into an excited hug. “Oh my gosh, I was just telling Killian we should go to a club to celebrate you getting the job.”
“I’ve never been to a club,” Caroline says.
“I’ll be popping your club cherry? I take the honor very seriously.”
I roll my eyes at her dramatics, walking behind the counter to gather my sketchbook. I’d been working on something for Caroline’s tattoo, but it’s not clicking yet. It needs to be something that will suit her. Can’t let Eve have all her firsts.
