Page 4 of Monsters, Vows, and Growls
I closed my eyes and leaned back in the chair, the weight of memories pressing down on me like a second skin. No. It wasn’tnothing. But Thorne was in one of his moods, and I didn't feel up to analyzing my feelings right then, so I let it go.
A quick glimpse at the clock told me it was nearing five; well, okay, it was four fifteen in the morning. I decided I had given Carol enough time to sleep like a baby after the stunt she pulled on me yesterday, and I picked up my phone.
"Hmm, hello?" A sleepy voice answered.
I didn’t waste time. “Rise and shine, puppet master. I figured if I’m awake replaying the trauma you inflicted on me, the least you can do is suffer with me.”
There was a beat of silence. Then a long sigh. “Patrick, it’s four-fifteen in the morning.”
“Exactly. You should be asleep. Like I would be, if I hadn’t spent the night designing a damn house based on a girl I haven’t seen in ten years becauseyoudecided to play matchmaker-slash-developer-slash-life meddler.”
She groaned. “Okay, first of all: rude. Second, you make it sound like I tricked you into a murder-suicide pact. You’re opening a restaurant. Not marrying her.”
“You set me up.”
“I arranged a meeting,” she said calmly. “Thatyouagreed to.”
“You didn’t tell me it was with Ella.”
“And would you have gone if I had?”
I wasn't sure how to reply to that one. Carol always had a way of twisting words to makemefeel like the villain. Which was annoying.
She didn’t fill the silence. She never did. She just waited until I sighed and pinched the bridge of my nose. “It’s not your place to get involved in my life like this.”
“The hell it isn’t.” Her voice sharpened, as any trace of sleepy haze vanished like mist. “Patrick, I’ve been your best friend since before you had teeth. Don’t pull the boundaries card with me now.”
“Carol—”
“No. You listen.” She was fully awake now, and I could hear her sitting up in bed, probably pushing her tangled curls out of her face like she always did when she was gearing up to deliver a verbal spanking. “Thorne has been a pain in the ass for years. Grouchy. Snappy. Restless. And don’t pretend you don’t know why.”
I opened my mouth, then closed it again.
“You pushed her away,” she said. “And since then, you haven’t had a real relationship. You haven’t let anyone get close. You’ve buried yourself in Cedar Hollow like it’s a mission from God, and sure, it’s a beautiful town. You’ve done something amazing. Butyou’re building a place for families, Patrick.Families. Not single shifter hermits with complicated emotional baggage.”
Thorne let out a low snort inside me.That’s rich, coming from the woman who can't commit.
I ignored him.
“I’m not saying you need to marry her,” Carol continued, her tone a little softer now. “But you deserve a family, too. You deserve to be happy.”
“You don’t know what’s best for me.”
“No,” she said. “But I know what happened the last time I didn’t interfere in your life. After the injury. When you needed someone to push you, and I didn’t. I let you spiral.”
“That was different?—”
“It wasn’t.” Her voice cracked. “I’ve been blessed with two best friends. And both of you are miserable. Ella pretends she’s fine, and you act like you’re married to your floor plans. I’m not saying you have to fix it, Patrick; I’m not even saying you can. But I am saying you owe it to both of you to try.”
I swallowed hard, and the silence turned thick between us.
“I’ll meet with her,” I muttered.
Carol sighed. “Don’t do it for me. Do it because the bear inside you hasn’t shut up since she walked back into your life.”
There was a long pause, and then?—
She’s got some nerve, Thorne grumbled, grudging admiration coloring his tone.She's still my favorite, though.
