Page 63 of Love In Translation

Fletch half turned his phone to show Seb Carrie’s face, and Seb rolled his eyes. His best friend wasn’t one of Carrie’s fans. He had no idea why.

“Why haven’t you told Rheo where you are and when you will be back?” Carrie demanded, with her usual in-your-face verve.

That was his business, and he didn’t answer to Carrie, as he informed her. He took her off the video call and put the phone to his ear to ensure their conversation stayed private.

“Oh, bullshit, Fletch! She’s my cousin. She’s not a woman you can pick up and discard at the drop of a hat. You’ve spent the last six weeks with her. She’s entitled to a little courtesy from you.”

Her words held enough truth that shame, close to the surface whenever he thought about Rheo, swamped him. Carrie was right. Not contacting Rheo and ignoring her was a dick move. But Carrie didn’t understand that Rheo was very different from anyone he’d met before. He couldn’t just take little bites out of her, he wanted to gulp and devour. He wantedeverything.

But everything was impossible.

“Well?” Carrie demanded.

“I’m not discussing my relationship with Rheo with you, Carrie,” Fletch told her, lowering his voice. If he couldn’t talk to Rheo, then he had no right discussing her with Carrie.

“Fair enough,” Carrie conceded. “But can I tell you something about my cousin, Fletch?”

He didn’t need any insights from Carrie. He’d messed up; he didn’t need her sticking her nose in. Carrie, being bold and pushy, didn’t wait for an answer to her question.

“She’s got this huge brain, Fletch, but she’s sensitive, far more than you’d believe. She thinks she’s a hard-ass like Paddy, but she’s not. She’s so much nicer than our grandmother. When Rheo gives someone her time and attention, she becomes emotionally invested.”

“We never—” Fletch said, stopping abruptly.

“Yeah, maybe she thought she could handle a fuck buddy situation. But she can’t. Her feelings get involved. She would never have slept with you unless she felt something!”

And how was he supposed to know that? And why was this his fault?

Carrie answered his questions. “She’s lonely, Fletch. She might not accept that, might not even know she is, but she’s always been lonely, from the time she was little. She thinks she doesn’t need people, but shedoes. Unfortunately, she’s always chosen romantic relationships she can easily walk away from, men who don’t touch her emotionally.”

Fletch frowned, caught in an emotional squall. “What do you want me to do, Carrie? What can I do?”

She might not recognize it, but his was a genuine appeal for help. He couldn’t have a relationship with Rheo, but he didn’t want to let her go. He definitely didn’t want to hurt her. Not sure which way to jump, he’d left Gilmartin, hoping the problem would resolve itself.

Another dick move.

“If you don’t see this going anywhere,tellher. If you think it can,tellher. Do not ignore her texts, dick biscuit.”

He winced. Carrie disconnected and Fletch lowered his phone, staring at the blank screen. He now had two Whitlock women pissed off with him.Excellent.

He met Seb’s eyes and grimaced.

“Maybe I shouldn’t come to Gilmartin with you,” Seb said, rubbing the back of his neck.

Seb was as allergic to emotional scenes as Fletch was, but he wasn’t going to let his friend back out now. “Youarecoming to Gilmartin with me, and we are going to hike and climb and spend time on the lake. Or does being around Carrie scare you that much?”

Seb shocked him by nodding. “She does,” he replied.

And Fletch, knowing how tough Seb was, wondered what the hell Carrie had done to him.

Abi placed the steaming casserole on the kitchen table and dropped a kiss on Rheo’s head. “I’m going to leave you now. You guys need to catch up.”

Rheo spun around in her seat and sent her adon’t leave melook. Abi had saved her life today when Rheo sent her a frantic text, informing her that her parents had arrived and that her fridge and pantry were empty. Abi arrived with dinner, bags of produce, and enough wine to float a battleship. Or, at the very least, a small canoe.

“Join us, Abs,” Rheo implored. With Abi there, she wouldn’t feel left out when their conversation turned to whether Yosemite was better than Yellowstone, or Huntington Beach was a better surf spot than Cocoa Beach.

Her parents and Carrie chimed in, asking her to stay. Abi wrinkled her nose and shook her head. “I’ll join you another time.”

Rheo walked Abi to her car and, in the driveway, hugged her again. “Thank you so much, Abs. I’m so grateful to have you in my life.”

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