Page 45 of Bargaining

“And you decided champagne and croquet might do the trick?”

“No, you’re right. It was a mistake.” Humor edged her voice. “That’s like posh people catnip. He’ll be here forever.”

“Reuben is a snake. He can’t be trusted.”

“Give me a break, Cole. You don’t trust anyone. You’re paranoid. I think you’ve got him all wrong, anyway. He’s harmless.”

Poor little Reuben.We’d walked away from him giving one of Charlotte’s feral nieces a piggyback ride. It was all part of his lovable idiot act. “Don’t be fooled. He wants to use you to manipulate me.”

Charlotte took a lump of clay from a big tub and dropped it onto a work surface. She worked it with flat palms, pressing down on alternate sides. “Not everyone is out to manipulate you.”

“No. Not everyone.”Just mostly everyone.

I braved the chaos to drift a little closer. “And your sister? How long is she staying for?”

She lifted the clay, folded it in half, and pressed it down again with her palms. “I don’t know.”

“You didn’t think to tell me? Any changes to your living situation need to go through me. I’m not running a guesthouse.”

Her hands froze in midair, and she turned to face me. Her eyes blazed. “People go mad, you know. If you leave them in isolation for too long. I’m not a hermit. It’s not unreasonable for me to spend time with my family and friends. Tiff needs me. We’re supposed to be a happy couple. Normal couples have their family and friends over and it’s not a big deal. Why are you here, anyway? I didn’t know you were coming. How long are you staying for?”

“I came to talk to you about the wedding. It’s booked. Next week.”

Her eyes grew large. “Next week?”

“Is that a problem?”

“You don’t think you could have given me more warning? I haven’t even got a dress.”

“Everything is taken care of. You just need to show up on time.”

“You’ve done everything? What if the dress doesn’t suit me?”

It would. I remembered the kind she liked from all those years ago. Besides, she’d look good in a bin bag. What did it matter? “It will.”

She stepped close enough that her earthy smell engulfed me. A speck of clay sat on the bridge of her nose. I longed to wipe it away. Any excuse to touch her. Heat coiled in my belly.

She folded her arms, annoyed. “You should have let me choose my own dress.”

“If you don’t like the one I chose, get another one.”

Her voice hardened. “You have to be in control of everything, don’t you?”

A wave of unwelcome excitement went through me to have her so close. My eyes dropped to her lips. So fucking plump and luscious. “No. I like to make your life simpler. I thought you’d be happier if I just got on with the arrangements.”

I wanted to kiss her. To lift her onto that work surface and fuck her, regardless of the mess in here. Bad idea. Really fucking bad idea. What was wrong with me that it turned me on so much when she was pissed off with me? Maybe because it was better than seeing her sad. At least if she was angry, she was plugged into the world. It was the numbness that hurt me. It reminded me too much of my mother.

She swiped two beige handprints down her apron. “Fine. You’re the one trying to impress people. I don’t care what the dress looks like.”

She picked the clay up again, kneading and flattening it. “I’ll see you at the church. I won’t keep you any longer.”

The sound of children’s laughter drifted from the garden. Did she expect me to walk away and leave her here with Reuben? No fucking way. He didn’t get to share air with her. The minute I left here, he’d move in on her.

I stepped close again. “You need to tell Reuben to leave. He’s not welcome in my home. If he shows up again, you don’t entertain him.”

Electricity crackled between us in the small space. She peered up at me.

“I’m not responsible for your brother’s behavior. It’s not my fault if he visitsyourhome.”