Rule's Addiction (The House of Rule 3)

“Nada, baby sister.”

The two siblings smiled and embraced each other, the girl holding her coffee-cup out to her side. When they broke apart, the woman looked straight at Maria with a slight frown of question and then turned back to her brother with her eyebrows raised.

Maria watched as Garrett choked off laughter and then she couldn’t see his expression anymore as he slid behind her, putting his hands on her shoulders with pure possession. “Erin, this is Maria. Maria, my sister, Erin.”

“You’re the bitch?” Erin asked, as if stunned. “You don’t look like a bitch.”

Maria winced at the same time Garrett squeezed her shoulders. “She’s not a bitch. Are you ever going to learn to control your mouth?” he asked in a tone that held only a hint of remonstration toward his sister.

Maria smiled, took a breath and tried to diffuse the situation, if it even needed to be diffused. “I can be pretty bitchy.”

In return, a smile transformed Erin’s face, making her even prettier than she already was. “Then I guess I’m going to take care not to piss you off.”

Maria felt a jolt of pleasant surprise at the woman’s continued antics. “That might be best.”

Erin continued to smile while she looked at her brother again. “When did you get home?”

“Last night,” he answered.

His sister narrowed her eyes on him. “Have you seen mom yet?”

Maria felt Garrett flinch. “No, and I probably won’t.”

“That’s not nice, Garrett,” the girl said with censure, and then continued a bit dramatically, “You know she pines for her youngest son.”

“She needs to get a life,” Garrett said sharply, but not too unkindly.

His sister raised a single, wicked brow. “Haven’t you heard? She has a life now . . . or plans on getting one.”

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” Garrett bit out.

“She wants to start dating again.”

“Bullshit,” Garrett bit out, as if he had a say in the matter. The sound echoed through the hallway and Maria glanced around, seeing several faces watching them.

“It’s true,” Erin announced.

“That’s the most ridiculous shit I’ve ever heard.”

“Why?” Erin asked.

“Because she’s old—”

“She’s not old, Garrett. She’s fifty-four. Dad’s been gone for years now. What exactly did you mean when you said ‘she needs to get a life’? You think she should take up crossword puzzles or try to hike the Appalachian Trail? She probably could, you know. She’s wicked fit. I, for one, think she should find someone. If she set her mind to it, she could do it—” Erin snapped her fingers. “—just like that.”

While Garrett stood almost obnoxiously silent on the subject, Erin slanted her gaze toward Maria. “What do you think?”

“Me?” Maria swallowed, not wanting to get in the middle. “I haven’t even met your mother . . . but I’m sure she deserves happiness.”

Erin’s face lit with satisfaction as she looked at her brother. “See? I don’t give a flying flip what you and Damian and Nick think—”

Garrett interrupted the tangent his sister seemed to be on. “Is Damian in his office?”

“No, I think he went to get a haircut,” Erin answered distractedly and then frowned, telling her brother without words that she knew he’d purposely changed the subject.

“How about Nick?” he asked.

“California,” his sister replied succinctly.

“Silicon Valley?” he questioned.

“Yep—but I think he’ll be home soon,” Erin said.

“Does Courtney know that?” he asked in a tone that Maria couldn’t place.

“Why should she care? So she can take cover?” his sister asked, seeming almost confused by the conversation.

“Nothing, never mind—”

Erin interrupted her brother. “I don’t know why you think she’ll care, all he does is ride her ass about something or other. No wonder she wanted to work for you instead of him. Seriously, Garrett, his attitude with her is getting worse, not better. You should say something to him.”

Maria felt Garrett’s hands tense on her shoulders before he answered. “I’m sure . . . she can handle him.” As Garrett’s touch remained stiff and his words came out even more so, Maria realized that she wasn’t the only one who’d figured out that there were undertones to that particular relationship.

“You can be so cold,” his sister condemned, obvious disappointment in her voice. “I expect it from Nick, and certainly from Damian, but I thought that you’d side with Courtney on this.”

“On what, exactly?” Garrett bit out, obviously displeased with the direction of the conversation.

“He’s mean to her!” Erin snapped. “And there’s no reason for it. You’re never here. You have no idea what she’s going through putting up with his attitude. It’s bullshit is what it is—”

Maria felt Garrett’s hands release her as he stepped closer to Erin. “You don’t get it?” he questioned his sister in a low voice.

Erin’s eyes narrowed in total confusion. “Get what?”

Silence pulsed between the siblings and Maria had no difficulty reading the tension in Garrett’s expression. She could tell he was trying to decide how much to say to his little sister. She held her breath and waited.