Page 51 of Bad Girls Don't Marry Marines (Rock Canyon, Idaho 3)

After telling himself not to push her, he’d done it anyway.

Nice move, asshole.

OUTSIDE, VAL PULLED on her coat and tried to draw back the tears that had unwittingly formed as she headed back toward the hotel.

Why wouldn’t I want that?

Thinking about her marriage and the emptiness of it, his question haunted her. She’d never loved Cole, had never loved anyone but her family, but like Justin, she’d seen Stephanie and Jared Brown. They had married right out of high school and were still in love twelve years later. Some people thought marrying young was a mistake, but the Browns were proof that at any age, if love is real, it’s right.

So what was the matter with her? Why was love so elusive? Everyone else she knew had no problem falling in love—though they didn’t always stay that way—but she couldn’t even experience the first part. If she couldn’t love someone, how could she expect to keep them happy?

Marrying anyone for convenience or advancement was out of the question; it wasn’t worth her independence. If she couldn’t have children or love like everyone else, then what was the point in getting involved? In her mind, it was just better to avoid relationships and their entanglements.

She walked back into her hotel room and saw a missed call on her cell from Ellie, another from Caroline, and ten from her father. Picking up the phone, she dialed Ellie.

“Yellow!”

“Is that really how you answer your phone?” Val asked as she removed her jacket.

“Well, if it isn’t my wonderful big sister. Your dog is still alive, in case you were wondering,” Ellie said.

“I was, and thank you. How’s everything else going? Are you trashing my house?”

“No, I am not. I met a guy, though,” Ellie said, singing the last bit.

“Yeah, and I’m sure he’s a real winner too,” Val said acidly.

The line was quiet for a minute before Ellie exploded, “You know what? I am so sick of you acting like your shit doesn’t stink, Valerie! It wasn’t like Dad never bitched and moaned about you when you were off at school. Don’t think he didn’t complain about your topless photos, the gambling club, or the belly-button piercing I know you still have. You were allowed to get into trouble and make mistakes, so why do you give me such a bad time?”

The attack surprised Val but didn’t stop her own temper from flaring. “Because the difference between you and me is I might have made mistakes, but I was never reckless. You get drunk with no ride home, you aren’t even attending half your classes in school—”

“So what? You went to college and you’re a fucking dog groomer. Maybe I don’t want to waste time and money on something I’m not even sure I want.”

“What money? You don’t have any money, Eleanor, and if you don’t fucking wake up, Dad’s going to cut you off. Why do you think I fucking agreed to come down here in the first place? Because I thought I was pretty clear about how I felt about spending a weekend with a bunch of strangers. Huh?” Elle didn’t answer, so Val continued. “I came down here because Dad said if I didn’t, he was going to disinherit you and probably kick you out for good. That means no more designer clothes, no more partying whenever you wa—”

“Do you think I care? Let him cut me off. I’ll just get a job.”

“Yeah, because it’s that easy. You have no job experience and you’re twenty-one years old. You’ll be competing against teenagers for crappy minimum-wage jobs.”

“Dad was just bluffing. He wouldn’t really do that.”

“That’s what I said, but he seemed serious to me, which is why I did this.”

“Well, whatever. I can take care of myself.”

Why was she trying to save her again? Maybe you should have just let him disinherit the spoiled brat.

“So what are you going to do, Eleanor? Waitress at Jensen’s? ’Cause I can see that happening.”

“Who knows, maybe I’ll strip! Better money, and guys have to pay to grab my ass.”

Val wanted to hit something. When Caroline, had left home, she would call often and try to put a cheery spin on the way her life was going, but every once in a while she’d slip up. She’d spent a year stripping and hated every minute of it, though she had laughed it off to Val once: “Ah, Vali, don’t worry about me. I can take on the world and come through without a scratch.”

“You are acting like a fucking idiot. I’m down here trying to make sure you don’t lose everything and you’re—”

“Well, no one fucking asked you to! Maybe your problem is you forgot what it was like to be free of responsibility and live for yourself. So there you go, you are officially off the hook. I’ll make things right with Daddy and you’ll no longer have to save me,” Ellie screamed into the phone.

“You know what? Good! Because I am sick of rescuing a spoiled, selfish—”

---