Page 60 of Sweet Caroline
Inhaling the sweet vanilla scent of Caroline’s hair, I stare out at the town lights, determined to focus on the present, not the past. There’s good right here in front of me—right here in my arms.
“I’m so sorry.” Her quiet voice drifts up from my chest.
“It’s… yeah. Thanks.” When I realize there’s another awkward conversation we need to have, I step back, squeezing her chilled hands. “There’s, uh, there’s something else I need to tell you. If we’re gonna do, uh,naked activities.”
“What?” Caution etches her features.
I clench my jaw. It’s a risk to tell her, but I can’t keep this secret any longer. Not if we’re gonna make this physical too. She needs to be able to trust me.
Honesty. Just tell her.
“Shit. Okay. Your dad told me not to say anything, but?—”
“You talked to my dad?” Caroline stiffens. “When? At the fundraiser?”
“Yeah.” My stomach is already halfway to bottoming out. I exhale slowly, trying to steady myself. “Look, I told you in the car that night you could trust me, and I meant it. I wanna be completely honest with you.”
“Please spit it out.” She searches my eyes. “Please. Just tell me what he said. Whatever it is, I?—”
“He threatened me, Caroline.”
“He what?”
“Well, he threatened my job, technically. Which is basically the same thing.”
“Oh my God. Why?”
“To make sure I stuck around. Played the doting boyfriend. Behaved myself.”
“Is that why you agreed to this?” Hurt flashes across her face. “I thought you were helping me. I thought youwantedtohelp me.”
“I did and I do,” I rush to clarify. “Even if he hadn’t said anything before you’d asked me, I still would’ve said yes.”
“I don’t get it. He threatened you into doing something you would’ve done anyway?”
“Uh, there’s more.” When her brows lift, I add, “A condition, I guess. He wants me gone after Election Day. I think his exact words wereout of her life.” I grimace at the memory—and how it feels to watch those words land.
The resigned regret in her eyes says it all; she doesn’t need to ask why. She digs through her purse for her phone. “This iswaytoo far.”
“Stop.” I cover her shaking fingers with my own, stilling her hand, and her gaze snaps to mine. “Don’t. You can’t tell him. I can’t risk my job.”
“But he can’t do this, Miles!” Her voice rises in pitch.
“I know.” I rub her arms. “But he did.”
Somehow, I convince her to breathe and let me explain. She looks numb listening to it all—numb and yet not surprised. My heart breaks a little for her; God knows how long this selfish prick has been meddling in her life. Someone who should have loved her unconditionally kept using her—manipulating her for his own benefit. Hell, she’d agreed to spend time with her repulsive ex just to avoid the possibility that her personal life could cost her dad votes. Based on, what, some bullshit idea about what women should or shouldn’t do with their own bodies? It dawns on me why she wants to break free and try new things—and why she got so emotional outside the restaurant earlier about that whole making-other-people-happy thing; I’d hit the nail on the head.
And now she’s quiet. Too quiet.
“Say something. Tell me what you’re thinking.”
She exhales hard. “I… Look, I know it probably doesn’t make sense to you why I’d evenwantto help my dad—especially after he’s done this.”
“Hey, that’s not for me to judge. Families are… messy sometimes.”
“It’s just complicated.” She swallows. “He’s my family. My blood.”
“I know.” Which is why it was such a dick move.
