Chapter 7
Lara
There was a commotion outside the store windows, which drew my attention. I looked up from the paperwork I was working on at the front counter and saw several photographers snapping pictures. A group of young women were shouting and pointing.
“What do you think that’s all about?” Kali said, standing beside me.
“I don’t know. Which celebrities are pregnant right now?”
I was proud of the success of my store. It had attracted the attention of many of the elite, including Hollywood celebrities. It wasn’t the first time one of them had tried to sneak in unnoticed.
“You think they are coming in here?” Kali asked, both of us watching the door and waiting.
“I don’t know.”
There were plenty of boutique shops up and down the street. Mission Bay was famous for the shopping available. It was a clean, pleasant experience, and people liked the variety of goods that were offered here. It was one of the main reasons I had chosen the space.
We didn’t have to wonder much longer. The door was pushed open, the bells chiming softly.
“Brian?”
He pushed back the hat he had pulled down over his head and smiled. “Hey, sis.”
“Hey! What are you doing here?”
“I wanted to check in with you, see how you’re doing. I figured in the middle of the afternoon it would be slow down here. I didn’t mean to cause a commotion,” he said sheepishly.
I laughed. “Yeah, right. You cause a commotion wherever you go, and you love it, you attention whore,” I said, walking over to hug him.
He chuckled. “Well, it isn’t so bad having panties with phone numbers written on them thrown at you.”
I rolled my eyes. “Anyway, what are you doing here? If you tell me you are shopping for baby clothes for some girl you knocked up, I will hurt you,” I threatened. “And don’t even think about asking for a discount.”
“No. Definitely not. Absolutely not,” he reiterated. He looked a little uneasy. “Can we talk a minute?”
I raised my eyebrows, instantly aware something was wrong with my big brother. “Sure. Kali, I trust you can handle this?”
“I got it. I’ll just throw pacifiers at any photographer who won’t go away. This is great free publicity by the way. Thanks for bringing in your fan club, Brian,” she teased and then winked at him.
He grinned back at her.
I chose to ignore the blatant flirting taking place. “Good plan. Holler if you need me.”
Brian followed me back to the office. I shut the door behind him and gestured for him to have a seat.
“Spill,” I said in a serious voice.
“Mason Chambers.”
I refused to show him any kind of response. Inside my chest, my heart was pounding and my stomach was doing crazy backflips. I wasn’t ready to tell Brian about the baby thing. Not yet. I knew he would lecture me and tell me I was wrong.
“What about him?” I choked out, knowing he could see the guilt on my face no matter how hard I tried to play innocent.
“Why did he call me, needling me for information about you without directly asking?” His eyes were accusing, and I could see him reading my body language.
“What?” I asked, shocked by the question.
“Don’t play dumb. Did you two run into each other or what? What’s going on, Lara?”
I cleared my throat. “I don’t know. Nothing. I don’t know why he called you.”
Deep down, I was raging. How dare Mason call Brian. I didn’t think I had to remind him of the whole HIPAA thing. He couldn’t be that big of a moron. What college did he go to?
“Lara, I don’t want you messing with him. I didn’t like it back then, and I don’t like it now,” he said firmly.
I started to laugh. He was trying to parent me. “Brian, newsflash: You aren’t my dad. You have never been my dad. I am a grown woman. I can date who I want.”
He stood and shook his head. “Not him. He is off-limits. I thought I made that all very clear twenty years ago.”
“What are you talking about? Made what clear?”
He groaned. “You and Brian. I warned him I would beat his ass if he touched you. He was warned. If I have to knock the guy out, I will.”
“You did what?” I screeched.
“I told him to stay away from you. You were sixteen, Lara. He was eighteen and headed off to college. Your welcome. I saved you a broken heart.”
My mouth fell open as I stared at him. I felt as if I had stumbled into a time machine. Everything was so much clearer now. I wanted to kick Brian and then Mason and then slam both of their heads together.
“You jackass!” I shouted before I shoved him in the chest.
“What? You owe me a thank you. Mason was a player. Still is a player from what I hear. I saved you from a lot of trouble with a guy who didn’t know then and still doesn’t know how to settle down.”
I was shaking my head. I couldn’t comprehend it all. It was a cosmic joke. Goddamn, that bitch Fate was seriously fucking with me.
“Brian, get out. Leave now before I kick your ass,” I growled.
“Knock it off,” he grumbled. “Big brothers are supposed to protect their little sisters from their asshole friends. Guy are notorious for going after friends’ sisters. The rule is not to touch, but sometimes that rule has to be explained in vivid detail.”
“Get out, Brian!”
“Relax, Lara. It was for your own good.”
I yanked open the office door and pointed toward the front of the store. “Go.”
“Fine. I’ll go. I’ll see you this weekend.”
“No. I don’t want to see you.”
“Lara, you are being ridiculous. Mason was a long time ago. I was only trying to protect you.”
“Brian, I’m a big girl. I don’t need protecting,” I said in exasperation.
He sighed. “Yes, you do. I failed you with Mitchel. I don’t want you to make that same mistake again. No more losers.”
I took a deep breath, trying to reign in my anger and hurt. “I need a few days to process everything. You kind of dropped a bombshell on me.”
“I’m sorry. I am. I’ll see you this weekend.”
I watched him walk to the front of the store before closing the office door and bursting into tears. So much was clear to me now. I couldn’t believe my own brother had been responsible for hurting me so badly all those years ago. I had to wonder if things could have been different between Mason and me if Brian hadn’t butted his big, fat nose in. Damn him!
There was a soft knock on the door, and then Kali pushed it open.
“What was that all about?” she asked.
I wiped my tears away. “I don’t know. Brian is an asshole.”
She smiled. “But a handsome asshole.”
“He ruined my life.”
She started giggling. “Hon, I seriously doubt that. For one, your life isn’t ruined. It’s going pretty well. And, for two, I think Mitchel owns the ruining-the-life thing.”
“I hate men,” I grumbled.
“Impossible. They are the ones with the good stuff.” She winked.
“Dildos.”
She laughed uncontrollably. “Good point. Babies.”
“Sperm donors. I think I prefer my men anonymous and out of sight,” I shot back.
“I’m sorry. It sucks you have had miserable luck. I hope it gets better. You deserve some good luck,” she said, putting her hand on my arm.
I told her what Brian did twenty years ago.
“I can’t believe he did that,” I whispered. “Why would he have done that?”
“I’m sure he thought he was doing the right thing. He wanted to protect his little sister. It’s kind of sweet and chivalrous.”
“It explains so much.” I moaned. “All those years I thought Mason dumped me because of something I did or because I wasn’t pretty enough. Why wouldn’t he have told me what Brian did?”
“Maybe he was afraid of Brian. Brian is kind of a scary-looking dude. Maybe Mason respected Brian enough to do as he asked,” she offered.
I shook my head. “He could have told me! Seriously! All he had to say was we can’t be together because your brother will kill me if we are. Then I could have dealt with Brian. I could have had some say in the matter. It isn’t fair that those two assholes decided what was best for me as if I were some silly little girl who couldn’t make her own decisions. What century are we living in?” I shrieked.
“Aw, hon, that was a long time ago. It’s hard to say what would have happened. There’s no point in playing the what-if game. You have the opportunity to pursue him now if you want. Don’t hold this against Brian. I don’t think he did it to be mean. He loves you,” she said with sympathy in her voice. “Water under the bridge and all that. He’s your brother. He’s all the family you have left. You’ll want to keep him around.”
The door chimed, and she left the office to help the customer. I took a minute to compose myself, still in disbelief over what Brian had admitted. For so long I had hated Mason. I had created this image of him, and now I had learned it wasn’t true. My mind whirred as I tried to imagine what life would have been like had Mason and I been allowed to stay together.
I could admit that the chance we would have gotten married and lived happily ever after was slim, but that would have been our choice. For now, I was holding Brian accountable for my current misery. It made me feel better to blame someone else for my failed marriage even if I knew it wasn’t his fault.
Life had been kicking my ass these past few months. It was time I fought back. I had thought that by painting my home and changing my wardrobe I was showing life who was boss, but no. There was always another twist waiting to mess with my head.
I walked out front and greeted the two women browsing the racks of clothes.
“Better?” Kali asked.
“Yes, thank you. I guess it was more of a shock than anything. I’m still mad at Brian, but I do love my life, even if it hasn’t turned out as I planned. I am going to make it better. That’s all I can do.”
“Good. You’re doing great. And by the way, I love the outfit!” she exclaimed.
I giggled. “You should. You picked it out.”
“I have excellent taste,” she teased.
“Yes, you do. Thank you.”
We got back to work, cleaning up and straightening the shelves. Brian’s entrance had brought in some unexpected clientele, which was always a great thing, but I liked the store to be neat and orderly. A mob generally didn’t leave things in such a state.
The entire time, I thought about Mason. What had he said when Brian had told him to stay away? Did he fight for me or was he relieved? For so long I had played out various scenarios in my head about what I would say if I ever saw Mason again. It usually ended with me slapping him and stomping away. Thankfully, years had given me wisdom and maturity. I had spent a long time hating the guy, and it may not have even been his fault. What if he had wanted to be with me?
No. I wasn’t going to do that. Like Kali said, my life was good. I had hit a rough patch, but I wasn’t going to have any regrets.