“He checks out girls. I’ve caught him on several occasions.”
“And do you like it?”
“I don’t care.” I sipped my water. “It’s a normal reaction.”
“To be honest, I don’t know if Colin would care, but I do. I love my brother, and you make him happy. I want you to continue to make him happy.” A few tears welled in her eyes and I knew they had nothing to do with her being afraid of me leaving Colin.
“Do you want to talk?”
“Did Colin tell you what happened?”
“No…” I wondered if he wanted it to stay that way, or if his silence was to protect his sister’s privacy.
“I figured he hadn’t, but you might as well know.”
“Okay.” I braced myself.
“My sister thinks I slept with her husband.”
“What?” I slammed my water down on the bar. “Why would she think that?”
“He tried to come on to me when he was drunk, and I made the stupid mistake of telling her.” She rested her elbows on the bar. “He defended himself by telling her I was the one trying to seduce him. She believed him that I started it—but she didn’t believe it was only an attempt.”
“Is that why your parents are so weird with you?”
“They don’t believe I slept with him, but they think I hit on him. Kim isn’t even talking to me, although she talks to him.”
“That’s awful.”
“It is. Isn’t it?” She polished off her drink. “Sometimes life is out of our control. You have to enjoy the moments when you can actually slow it down.”
Wow. I couldn’t imagine what Carly was going through. I thought my relationship with my parents sucked, but her parents believed she tried to steal her sister’s husband. How little did they think of her?
“Colin didn’t believe it, did he?”
She shook her head. “No. He sided with me. He never liked the guy. That’s why I was here this summer. I needed to get away before school started.”
“That’s why he didn’t tell me about your visit.”
“Yeah. I don’t think he wanted to explain. I’m sure it’s hard for him to be stuck in the middle.”
“It’s harder for you.” I made her another cosmo. I held up the bottle of vodka, wordlessly asking her if she wanted it strong. She nodded. I slid the drink over to her. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s not your fault. Why are you apologizing? I just wish I could go back in time and stop myself from telling her.”
“You told her the truth.”
“Yeah, sometimes the truth is worse than the lies.”
“I guess so.” I promised myself I’d call my parents. Maybe I was being dumb about cutting them off. They treated me better than Carly’s treated hers. But something bothered me about her statement. “No. I think you did the right thing.”
“Yeah?”
“He would have done it again, and then what would have happened when you tried to explain? It’s better to have gotten it out there.”
“Thanks. I appreciate that. Colin says exactly the same thing.”
“I always knew Colin was smart.”
Chapter Twenty
I’m one of those people who loves eggnog. I don’t just like it; I love it. It’s not the holidays without it. Although I’ll happily drink it nonalcoholic, I love mine with Southern Comfort. Colin can’t stand the stuff. That’s how I knew he was trying to make me happy when he filled up a glass and put it to his lips.
I placed a hand on his arm. “You don’t have to drink it.”
“I know I don’t.” He took a seat on the love seat.
“Then why are you?”
“I’m trying to figure out what makes you like it so much.”
“No.” I settled down next to him. “You’re trying to kiss up to me.”
“And why would I do that?”
“I don’t know. I’m trying to figure it out.”
He set aside his nearly untouched cup and pulled my feet onto his lap, starting in on a foot massage.
“Okay, now you’re scaring me.” I closed my eyes, my feet very happy with the attention after wearing heels all night during our holiday party. The party was the first event we’d hosted together, and I thought it had gone pretty well, despite how rushed everything was. Colin had made it home about ten minutes before the guests arrived.
“What? Can’t I just want to give you a foot rub?”
“No.”
He laughed. “Should I tell you?”
“Yes.”
“Come home with me for the holidays.”
My eyes opened. “No.”
“Wow, that was fast. Not even going to pretend to think about it?”
“I need to spend it with my parents, and you need to make things right.” I nodded over to where Carly slept curled up on the couch. The last of our party guests had left about an hour before, and we’d cleaned up all the essentials and were taking a break.
“Can’t you do both? Our parents are only a few hours apart. Christmas Eve with one, Christmas with the other?”
I shook my head.
“Please.”
“Why do you want it so much?”
“My parents want to see you again. They barely met you at my cousin’s wedding. I talk about you constantly, and they want to know you better.”
“Talk about me constantly? Do you tell them that my bartending is temporary?” The words spilled out without a filter.
“Yes, because it is.”
I’d held in my frustration all night, but I couldn’t anymore. On no less than three occasions he’d described my bartending as a stepping stone to something better. I wondered if he had a clue how condescending it came off.
“Why do you have to tell everyone that? It’s like you have to explain away my pitiful career.”
“You want people to think you plan to bartend for the rest of your life?”
“Why not? There’s nothing wrong with it.”
His hands stilled on my feet. “You have a college degree, Maddy. You’re going to use it eventually.”
“Maybe, maybe not.” I moved to sitting.
“Are you trying to pick a fight?”
“No. I just wish you weren’t embarrassed of me.”
“Embarrassed by you? Wasn’t I inviting you home for Christmas?” He put an arm around me. “Generally, you don’t ask someone to come home if you’re embarrassed of them.”