“This looks nice, Mom. Is it new?” Brooke asks, rubbing her fingers on the lace table covering.
“It is. I ordered it the last time we were here. It was finally delivered today. Isn’t it beautiful.”
Adelaide pats Brooke on the hand and from the corner of my eye I catch the look on Carrie’s face, as she tries to look bored but looks like an insolent child instead.
“So, Carrie,” Brooke sits back in her seat as I take her hand into mine, “do you want to explain to me why you’ve been putting all y
our food and drink in town onto my account? Didn’t you think I’d find out?”
“I did no such thing.” She looks toward her father. Her eyes look sad and just when I think her father is about to fall for her lies, he asks Brooke, “Was anything on it yours?”
“No. You know I’d rather pay at the time, so imagine my shock when I went into the tavern after my swim with Michael and was asked when I intended to pay the balance. I asked them about it and they informed me that you’d been running up tabs all over the island in my name!”
She’d been so angry at the time I thought she’d hunt her sister down and they’d have a full out brawl.
“I think we need to take a look at your accounts, Carrie,” Mitchell says. “Are they still unpaid?”
“Yes, they are,” I add. “Brooke was going to pay them, but I wouldn’t let her. I asked them to transfer everything back over to Carrie’s tab because Brooke could prove that she wasn’t even on the Island when the majority were charged.” I shrug and face Carrie. “She knew what she was doing when she did it, so Brooke isn’t paying anything to get you out of the mess.”
Carrie’s mouth twists into a snarl as she bursts, “You,” she spears a finger toward me, “stay out of this. It doesn’t concern you.”
“You’ve used my girlfriends name for credit around the island, so yes, it does involve me.” I slip my arm around Brooke’s waist and tug her closer.
“Girlfriend, right! And when do you plan on telling Brooke that you’re leaving on the same plane as your sister in a few days?”
Fuck!
“What?” Brooke gasps, moving out of my arms, her complexion suddenly pale.
“Carrie!” Mitchell roars and slams his hands down on the table, rising to his feet. “You have to stop this behavior toward your sister. You’re a grown woman.” His breathing is heavy and anger fills his face as he stares up at the sky before meeting her gaze. “You need to grow up, and stop this vindictive attitude, because if you don’t, then whatever money you have left is all you will have. I will cut off every monetary support I give you and it will not be so easily gained back.”
“Brooke,” he sighs and the exasperation for his eldest child is clearly written on his face, “can you make me a list of monies owed?”
“I already have that.”
“Good…Good.” He sits back down. “We’ll sort this mess out tomorrow.”
We all return to our food and I glance at Brooke beside me. Her smile is gone and it’s clear that she’s ignoring me as she plays around with the food on her plate. She pushes it away before standing up abruptly from the table, “I’m going to bed. It’s been a long day.”
Adelaide stares after her daughter while I’m torn as to what to do. I should run after her and explain, or would it be easier to leave her and put it down to the heat of the moment.
You’re an idiot!
“Excuse me, I need to make this right.” Getting to my feet, I nod at Mitchell who smiles, and then I throw a glare toward Carrie, who is still fuming in her seat. I ignore Sinclair completely.
45
Brooke
I’m upset with Michael but I’m really angry with my sister. She was in the wrong charging everything to me, and she was in the wrong trying to get back at me by telling me about Michael’s travel plans.
Slamming into my room, I take a deep breath but it doesn’t calm my temper. I’d been ready to fly across the dinner table and punch my sister and I left so quickly because I needed some space so I wouldn’t hit her. I’ve never been one for violence, but she’d make a priest sin, and not in a good way.
As for Michael, well, I’m not sure what I want...although, I’m hoping he’ll follow me up here so we can talk. It was a shock to hear that he was leaving. I felt betrayed that she knew before he’d even told me, but, deep down, I know that he would have told me in his own way. Perhaps, I should be angrier with him, but I know Michael, at least I’d like to think I do, and I know he wouldn’t intentionally hurt me. Especially not after he called me his girlfriend in front of my family.
Thinking about Michael, I slip out of my clothes and cover myself with a short babydoll nightdress before I move over to my window, letting the slight breeze cool my heated skin. The moonlight on the water is magical, and that’s when I hear my bedroom door open and gently close—the lock engaging.
“It’s only me,” Michael whispers but I already knew who it was.