“YOU CAN’T NOT SPEAK to me forever,” Claire said the next morning over coffee. She was stating what she hoped was true, rather than what she was sure of. It seemed very possible her sister could hold a grudge for a very long time.
Nicole looked up from her mug and raised her eyebrows. “Watch me.”
“We have to talk about what happened.”
Nicole returned her attention to the paper on the table and didn’t answer.
“Oh, that’s mature,” Claire told her. “I know you’re upset about me bailing Jesse out of jail. I agree what she did was wrong, but I can’t believe you were just going to leave her there.”
Nicole stood up and started to walk out of the kitchen. Claire trailed after her. “This is crazy. We’re all family.”
Nicole spun back to her. “We’re not a family. Not by any definition I care about. We share biology, nothing more. You have been living your life around the world, living in your bubble of being special. You don’t know anything about me or my life. Speaking of which, I’m going back to it, starting today. I’ll be at the bakery, running my business. Mine. Not yours. You are no longer welcome here. Not at the bakery or here in the house. If you’re so hot on staying in Seattle, there are many very nice hotels. Or you could stay with Jesse, seeing as the two of you are so close.”
Claire couldn’t believe it. “After all we’ve been through, you’re going to act like this?”
Nicole ignored her and walked up the stairs.
Claire didn’t know what to do. It was way too soon for Nicole to return to work. But how was she supposed to stop her? Nicole wanted to prove a point. Claire already knew how stubborn her sister could be.
“This is going to be a disaster,” she muttered.
“At least let me drive you,” she said fifteen minutes later as Nicole walked to the single-car garage behind her house.
“No.”
“You shouldn’t do this. You’re still recovering.”
Nicole ignored her and punched in the code that raised the garage door. She got into her small SUV and started the engine.
“You are the most stubborn, annoying person I know,” Claire yelled, then returned to her car. Fine, if Nicole was going to be a complete idiot, Claire wasn’t going to stop her, but she could stay close to make sure nothing bad happened.
Nicole pulled out of the garage and started down the street. Claire followed her all the way to the bakery and was relieved when they arrived.
One crisis averted and who knows how many hovering in their future.
Nicole parked and ignored Claire who pulled up next to her. They walked into the rear of the bakery, with Claire trailing behind. That gave her the perfect view of all the employees rushing over to hug Nicole.
“It’s been too long,” Maggie said. “I’ve missed you. Is it okay that you’re up and here so soon? You’ll take it easy, right?”
“You look good,” Sid told her. “I’m glad you’re back. It’s not the same without you.”
Phil gave her a big hug, then stepped back looking worried. “Was that too much? Did I hurt you?”
Nicole grinned at them. “It’s wonderful. I’ve missed you guys. It’s been awful, trapped at the house. I thought I’d go crazy.”
Claire felt herself getting mad, which was easier to deal with than the hurt inside. She’d been there to help take care of Nicole. Didn’t that count? Was her company so boring that it hadn’t been able to make up for the scintillating chitchat about cupcakes and bagels?
They all talked for a few minutes, with Claire feeling as if she was standing on the outside, looking in at a place where she didn’t belong.
Nicole glanced at her. “You can go now.”
Something bubbled up inside Claire. Something hot and angry, that made her willing to be stubborn and difficult.
“I don’t think so,” she said calmly. “We’re going to get this settled, once and for all.”
Nicole rolled her eyes. “Whatever. We can talk in my office.”
“We can talk right here,” Claire told her.
Everyone scattered.
“Is humiliating me your goal?” Nicole asked. “Because you’re doing a hell of a job.”
“You know exactly what my goal is, however much you try to avoid it. I want us to be sisters again.”
Nicole’s gaze narrowed. “Sisters don’t betray each other.”
“Sure they do. Sisters do everything everyone else does. It’s the nature of close relationships.”
“You’re an expert now?”
“More than I was. You’re pissed off because I bailed Jesse out of jail without talking to you first. Fine. You didn’t talk to me about putting her in jail in the first place.”
“It wasn’t your business.”
“She’s my sister.”
“She stole from me.”
“You’re still punishing her for Drew. You couldn’t do anything about that, so you’re looking for another way to get back at her.”
“Why the hell not?” Nicole demanded. “Should I be happy about what they did together? Should it fill me with pride? She screwed up everything.”
Claire got it. She finally got what was going on with Nicole.
“You’re the victim,” she said slowly, filling in the details as she talked. “I can’t believe it. You’re so tough on the surface, but underneath, you’re blaming everyone else for what’s going wrong. It’s true you were left with all kinds of crap here, but you did an amazing job. You took care of everything. But that’s not enough. I don’t know if you can’t accept your part, or if you’re not getting enough support or what.”
“Stop it!” Nicole yelled. “Don’t you dare think you can get inside my head. I don’t need any amateur psychology from a poor little princess who doesn’t know how to function in the real world.”
“At least I’m trying to make things better. I’m not running around, blaming everyone else.”
“No, you’re sneaking around, hiding from your manager because you’re not willing to face her like a grown-up.”
That shot hurt, Claire thought, but refused to acknowledge the zing.
“I did run,” she admitted, “but I also faced her. I keep showing up with you, time after time. You keep trying to get rid of me. Who’s the one with the problem? Want to blame me for that? Or maybe Drew. I think a lot of this is his fault. It sure can’t be yours.”
Nicole glared at her for several heartbeats, then turned. “I don’t need this or you. Get out. Just go away. I don’t want to see you again.”
She started to walk past Claire. Claire wasn’t going to let her just end the conversation. She grabbed her arm. “Not so fast.”
Nicole tried to pull free. Claire wasn’t going to let go. They each moved toward the large vat of dough. A second too late, Claire saw the puddle of what looked like oil on the cement floor.
They stepped in it at the same time and both went sliding. Claire released her sister, but it was too late. They went down, hard on the floor.
Claire crashed into the cement butt first. The jolt of impact made her teeth ache. She sat there for a second before rolling onto her knees, then starting to stand.
As she did, she turned her head. Nicole lay on her side. Her eyes were closed and she wasn’t moving.
NICOLE REFUSED to open her eyes. She didn’t want to know where she was, even though it was impossible to ignore the medics working on her. Words like transport and hospital made her wince.
Reluctantly she opened her eyes and saw two guys bent over her.
“You’re back,” one of them said. “Do you know where you are?”
Wished that she didn’t. “On the floor in my bakery. I know the day of the week and who’s president, if you need that information.”
“You didn’t hit your head, then.”
“Not on purpose.”
There were two agonizing points of pain. Her incision and her knee.
“She had surgery a few weeks ago,” Claire said from somewhere out of Nicole’s range of vision. “She shouldn’t have been here at all. It’s all my fault.”
There were tears in her voice, and anguish.
“We were arguing. She tried to walk away and I wouldn’t let her. She slipped on the oil.”
“Relax,” one of the medics told her. “Your sister will be fine. The incision didn’t tear, at least not on the outside. They’ll check her out internally at the hospital. Her knee’s pretty messed up, but that’s not fatal.”
He looked back at Nicole. “Ready to take a ride?”
“Not really.”
“I was only asking to be polite.”
They got her on a gurney. As she moved, pain shot through her leg. It was sharp enough to take her breath away. An IV dripped into her arm. She felt as if she’d been run over.
Once they were moving toward the ambulance, Claire rushed over and took her hand.
For once, she looked as bad as Nicole felt. She was crying and not in a pretty way. Her eyes were red, her mouth swollen.
“I’m sorry,” she said over and over again. “I’m sorry. I didn’t want anything bad to happen. I just hate that you’re mad at me. I love you. You’re my sister. I don’t want you to die.”
It was all a little dramatic, but kind of nice, in an over-the-top way. Nicole couldn’t remember the last time anyone had fussed over her. No, wait. She could. When she’d come home from the hospital and Claire had been waiting to take care of her. Claire, who led with her heart and not her head. Claire, who was holding her hand as if she was never going to let go.
“I’m not going to die,” Nicole told her. “And I don’t hate you. You just really piss me off, sometimes.”
“I know. You’re not easy yourself.”
“Not being easy is my best quality.”
They loaded her into the ambulance. Claire waved. “I’ll drive right behind them. I’ll be with you no matter what.”
Words that should have made Nicole want to run to the hills, but oddly, they didn’t. They actually made her feel kind of warm and fuzzy inside. Which made her wonder what those medics had put in her IV.
WYATT PUT HIS ARM around Claire. “Nicole is going to be fine.”
“You keep saying that,” Claire said with a sniff. “No offense, but I want to hear that from a paid professional. Then I’ll believe it.”
“She was awake and talking.” He was worried about Nicole, as well, but Claire seemed on the verge of losing it.
“What if she’s bleeding internally?”
“What if she’s not?”
Claire leaned against him. “Sure, use logic when I’m in a weakened condition. That’s hardly fair.”
He wrapped his other arm around her and pulled her close. “I do what I can.”
She felt good in his arms. Under other circumstances, he would have been thinking about that and maybe getting her back into bed. But these weren’t other circumstances and they had to talk about what happened.
“I can’t believe they’re going to have to operate on her knee and that she’s going to have another recovery,” Claire said into his shirt. “It’s so unfair. It should have been me.”
“You both fell. She got her knee busted up. It was an accident.”
“I know. I just wish-” she sighed “-that we weren’t fighting.”
He really wanted to be supportive. That’s what a decent guy would do. Support during this crisis. He wouldn’t be thinking about his own stuff and wanting to discuss it.
Even so, he found himself saying, “We have to talk about what happened.”
She looked up at him, her blue eyes filled with concern. “What are you talking about?”
“Us. Being together.”
“Oh. I’m fine with that.”
She was so damn calm. “I’m not. You should have told me you were a virgin.”
She smiled. “Oh, Wyatt, don’t worry. It was great. I was too embarrassed to tell you. I probably should have mentioned it, but I didn’t and everything worked out. You were very gentle.” She drew her eyebrows together. “Is that what you’re getting at or do you mean something else? Are you saying you wouldn’t have made love with me if you’d known?”
They were alone in the waiting room, but privacy didn’t make the conversation easier. “I don’t know.”
She leaned back. “Then I made the right decision.”
“By taking away my choice?”
“I don’t know if I should laugh or hit you with a chair,” she told him. “You’re saying I violated your rights or something?”
This is why men and women should never have emotional conversations, he thought grimly. “There are consequences that should have been anticipated.”
Her eyes flashed with annoyance. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Which is my point. You’re not experienced.”
“You weren’t complaining before.”
Now he was getting pissed. “I’m not making a statement about your performance,” he growled. “I’m talking about birth control. You aren’t on any, are you?”
He waited for her expression to change to shocked regret. Instead her eyes widened and then she smiled as if he’d just handed her the cure for global warming.
“I could be pregnant?” she breathed. “We could have a baby? I never thought about that. Is it possible? I don’t think my luck is that good.”
He couldn’t believe it. She was happy at the prospect?
She flung herself at him and laughed. “Oh, Wyatt, wouldn’t that be amazing? A baby. I’ve always wanted children. Could it really happen my first time? I guess it could. Wow.”
He grabbed her and shoved her away. “What’s wrong with you?” he demanded. “This isn’t good news.”
Her smile faded. “Why not?”
How the hell was he supposed to answer that?
“It’s a baby,” she said. “That would be a miracle. Of course there are logistics, but we’ll deal. This is amazing.”
He was beyond pissed. Shouldn’t she be upset and frantic? “You’re not getting it. This isn’t good news.”
“It is to me. I guess the odds of me being pregnant depend on where I am in my cycle.” She clapped her hands together. “But still, a baby. That would be totally cool. What a wonderful consequence.”
“Not for me,” he snapped. “I’m not interested in more children. I don’t do relationships, remember? If you think you’re going to trap me the way Shanna did, you’re in for a big disappointment.”
The happiness fled from her face. “Is that what you think of me?” she asked. “I’m not like that.”
“I don’t know you well enough to make that judgment.”
“I’m not interested in trapping you, or any man. I’m very comfortable being a single mother.”
“What do you know about raising a kid?”
“As much as you did when Amy was born. I’ll learn.”
She was so defiant, he thought, fighting frustration. Didn’t she understand what this could mean?
“With your travel schedule?”
“I’ll hire a nanny.”
Typical, he thought in disgust. “I’m not paying for that.”
“No one’s asking you to.” She glared at him. “I’m sorry you’re upset about this, Wyatt, but I refuse to be. I’ve always wanted children. Maybe this isn’t the way I would have chosen, but it’s still a miracle to me. I promise whatever happens, you won’t be inconvenienced, which is really what this is about. If I need help, I’ll hire it. Without asking for any money from you. I’m more than capable of paying for whatever I want.”
“If only,” he muttered.
She tilted her head. “You really don’t get it. I’m just some woman who plays the piano, right? This may surprise you, but I’m actually very good at what I do. Between concert dates and CD sales, last year I earned about two million dollars. It was a good year, but not my best. Money isn’t an issue for me. I’m sorry you’re upset about the chance that I might be pregnant, but I refuse to be.”
With that, she turned and walked away.
Wyatt stood alone in the waiting room, wondering if he could have screwed things up worse than he had. If there was a wrong way and a disastrous way, he’d obviously gone down the latter.
He shouldn’t have attacked her like that. What were the odds she was pregnant? He’d been a first-class jerk and he knew it. He’d reacted because of what had happened with Shanna. But Claire wasn’t anything like his ex-wife.
She was also rich, he thought, not happy about the news. He considered himself a confident guy, who didn’t worry about impressing the women in his life. Yes, he had a successful business and money wasn’t an issue for him, but damn, had she really made two million last year?
“HOW DO YOU FEEL?” Claire asked.
Nicole managed a smile. “I’ve been better. I’m glad I’m going to have an orthopedic surgeon, instead of the one I had last time. Otherwise he would think I was doing this because I had a crush on him.”
Claire shifted to the front of the chair she’d pulled up beside her sister’s hospital bed. “Would that be such a bad thing? A doctor. Our parents would be so proud.”
Nicole started to laugh, then pressed a hand to her midsection. “No. Don’t be funny. It hurts.”
Claire didn’t want to hear that. “Are you sure you’re okay? Nothing was ripped open when you fell?”
Nicole smiled. “There’s a visual designed to make me happy. Nothing ripped open. I’m sore because I pulled on the healing skin. There was a little oozing but nothing serious.”
“I wish it had been me.”
Nicole’s smile broadened. “Me, too.”
They looked at each other. “I’m sorry,” Claire said.
“Don’t apologize. We both fought. We were both reacting. I shouldn’t have yelled at you about Jesse. You were right. She’s your sister, too. I should have at least mentioned putting her in jail before I did it. Even though I’m so mad at her.”
“I know you are and you should be. You were right about consequences. I didn’t think that through. When Jesse called, I just reacted.”
“I’m not sure I would have done any different,” Nicole said.
Claire hoped that was true. She didn’t want her sister going back into surgery with the two of them still fighting.
“It’s probably good that you’re around with all that’s happening with Jesse,” Nicole admitted. “Someone needs to be the voice of reason.”
“I’m far from that,” Claire said, “but I want to help.” She clutched her sister’s hand more tightly. “I’m sorry I said you were a victim. You’re not. You’ve done so much on your own, with no one to support you. I totally respect that.”
Nicole blinked several times. “I don’t mean to play the victim. It’s just lately it seems like there’s always a surprise waiting around the corner and it’s rarely good.”
That made Claire think of other surprises.
“What?” Nicole asked. “You’re thinking about something. I can tell.”
Claire didn’t know if this was the time. “It’s nothing.”
“I’m trying to keep my mind off my impending surgery. Please, tell me.”
“Okay.” Claire sighed. “I had a big fight with Wyatt. When I was gone the other night, I was with him.”
“I sort of figured that.”
“He’s not happy about the virgin thing.”
“Did you tell him before or after?”
“After.”
Nicole winced. “Did he freak?”
“Pretty much. I don’t know what the big deal is, but he was all having a hissy fit.”
Nicole laughed. “I’ve never seen him have a hissy fit. That would have been fun.”
“I guess. He seemed okay with it at the time. But since then he’s had more than second thoughts.” She paused, remembering what he’d said, what she’d never considered. That there was a chance she was pregnant.
“We didn’t use any birth control. Now he’s worried there might be a baby.”
Nicole’s mouth dropped open. “Oh, wow. He didn’t use a condom? Are you serious? Am I going to have a talk with him when I get out of here. It’s bad enough he slept with my sister, but to not use protection? That is totally unacceptable.”
Nicole was being protective. Who would have thought? Claire smiled. “For me, a baby would be a good thing.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes, but Wyatt isn’t. He’s pretty angry. He started talking about how he wasn’t going to take responsibility and that I couldn’t trap him into marriage.” She still hurt when she thought about it. As if she would ever do that.
“Guys get weird about that stuff. Especially one who has been burned before.”
“Maybe. I don’t know. The thing is, I’m really excited about the thought of being pregnant. I’ve always wanted children. We argued about how that would happen. It was a mess.”
“I’m sorry he was a butthead.”
“Me, too.”
Nicole squeezed her hand. “Do you really want to be pregnant?”
Claire grinned. “It would be a miracle and yes.”
“Then I hope it happens for you. Hey, I’ll be an aunt.”
Another connection, Claire thought. Another tie. She wanted her life to be interwoven with those she loved.
“If I am pregnant, I’m going to have to work on my emotional health. I want to be a good mother.”
“There’s nothing wrong with your emotional health.”
“You said I was useless,” Claire reminded her. “I’m not holding that against you. I didn’t know how to exist in the real world.”
“Right. You didn’t. But you came here anyway. You drove on the freeway to get to me. You learned how to cook and run a washing machine. You’re great at the bakery, you’re babysitting. You’ve done all this without any help in a matter of weeks. Claire, I think you’re the most emotionally strong person I know.”
Claire didn’t know what to say. Her chest tightened, but this feeling had nothing to do with panic and everything to do with the affection filling her.
Nicole continued with, “Even now, you’re taking care of me. No one takes care of me.”
“I’m so amazing you should worship me,” Claire said with a laugh that was a little too close to a sob. “I want to take care of you.”
“I know. You’re a good person. A great sister and…” Nicole shrugged. “Okay. Here it is. Brace yourself. I love you.”
“I love you, too,” Claire told her, leaning close so they could hug. “I can’t believe you finally said it.”
“Me, either.”