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I was starting to hate that line. There was no need for everyone to make things work for me. I was putting this family in a weird position over a major holiday. Maybe Iwould end up checking into some motels in the area while we were out today. There was no reason to keep this up.
Leah was at the bottom of the stairs, her dark brown hair pulled back into a messy bun. She was already bundled up with her purse slung over her shoulder, and when she saw both me and her brother, she only rolled her eyes before storming out the front door.
“I can stay—”
“Stop. Don’t let her get to you. It’ll be better if you come with us than if you stay here with our parents, trust me.”
Austin had a point. I couldn’t imagine the grilling I would have gotten had I stayed behind. I could handle a cold shoulder for a few hours. Hell, even a few snarky remarks couldn’t get under my skin.
Leah stood next to the passenger door of Austin’s SUV, and as soon as he unlocked the door she climbed in and glared at the two of us. It didn’t bother me. If she wanted to sit next to her brother, that was fine. The back was okay. It was a stupid thing to get into a fight over.
The drive to the shopping district was short. Austin and Leah’s family lived relatively close to downtown. We found parking in a parking garage, paid to keep it there for a few hours and then headed out onto the crowded street to find a place to eat. Even after spending the last few years in New York, I wasn’t used to seeing so many people outand about. Then again, I often made sure to avoid places I knew would be crowded.
Keeping up with her tantrum, Leah marched ahead of us until she came to the entrance of a little diner. She pulled the door wide and slipped inside without waiting for either of us. Most of our relationship had been that way. When she set her mind on what she wanted, there was no talking her into something different.
So many red flags. I’d ignored every one of them.
By the time me and Austin made it into the restaurant, Leah had already found a spot at the bar. At least she wasn’t being completely cruel and had picked a spot where all three of us could sit. She was studying the menu when Austin took the seat next to her.
“In the mood for something greasy this morning?”
She hummed before flipping over the menu. “Don’t know. I just know they have mimosas here, and that’s all I really care about.” She slammed the menu on the counter, and I couldn’t help but notice her left hand was missing the ring.
That slithery, gross feeling was back in my stomach. She’d been so excited the day I’d proposed and had rushed to tell her friends at school. The ring hadn’t been inexpensive either. It wasn’t any of my business, but part of mewondered what she’d done with it after the big blowup. It wasn’t mine anymore.
The waiter came to the end of the bar with his ticket pad in hand. Leah didn’t even give him a chance to introduce himself. “Can I get two over-easy eggs, some toast, a side of hash browns, and a mimosa, please?” At least the guy took it in great stride, giving her a soft smile and quickly writing things down.
“What about you, gentlemen?”
I hadn’t even looked at the menu and rushed to decide while Austin ordered eggs benedict. His idea sounded really good, so when the waiter turned to me, I copied him and added a cup of coffee.
At least the rest of the meal seemed to go off without a hitch. Leah sort of kept to herself, but by the time she ordered the third mimosa, Austin was nudging her and reminding her about what had happened when she’d had too much to drink the other night. She glared at him, clearly not amused by his concern before promptly ordering a fourth. By the time we left the small diner, she was swaying a little, and we hadn’t even started any shopping yet.
The chilly morning air seemed to sober her up a little, and before long she was maneuvering in and out of stores like a well-seasoned shopper. It was like she’d spent her lifetraining for this moment. It didn’t matter that most places were packed shoulder to shoulder with people; she moved and dodged like no one was in front of her. Austin and I struggled to keep up with her in most places, she had the audacity to act irritated when she went to hand off bags when neither of us were right there with her.
Leah was a woman on a mission. At least she knew what she wanted and what stores to get it from. It didn’t leave much room for me to do any shopping, and on more than one occasion, I had to put something back that I was considering because she was ready to leave. Part of me knew she was doing it intentionally, anything to prevent me from trying to win her family over again.
This wasn’t the Leah I loved. She wasn’t vindictive or cruel. While I’d hurt her pretty badly, that still didn’t excuse her behavior. While Austin had a few more years to heal, he was being much kinder, and in my mind, what I’d done to him had been much crueler.
It took hours. By the time we’d finished shopping it was almost dinnertime, my feet were numb from the amount of walking we’d done. Not to mention how freaking cold it was outside. Every time we stepped out of a store onto the snow-covered sidewalks I couldn’t wait until we entered the next building. Not because I wanted to dodge more people, but because the second we were inside I didn’t haveto deal with the biting wind that was enough to knock the breath out of me.
I managed to buy something small for everyone, including Leah. She’d probably hate it at this point, but I’d do anything to show her how sorry I was. I never meant to drag her along for so long because she deserved so much better than that.
Chapter 11
Austin
We pulled through a drive-through on our way back to the house. I’d called ahead, and Mom said she hadn’t planned anything special, and the three of us were all too exhausted to try cooking anything on our own. Fast food it was.
The downside of living on the west coast was that they didn’t have some of my favorite places from my childhood, so I always tried to get it when I was home. Leah groaned when I pulled up to the familiar white and blue building.
“White Castle? Really, Austin?”
“What, we don’t have them in California, and it’s been a year since I’ve gotten my fix.”
My sister rolled her eyes, as we went ahead and ordered a bunch of the mini slider-style burgers, fries, and a few of their other side items to take back to the house. The car smelled absolutely heavenly the entire way, but I was more distracted by the man sitting in the back seat.
Jeremy was so rigid, like he couldn’t relax and just enjoy the trip. Not that I could blame him. Any time he’d let his guard down around Leah during the day, she’d practically bitten his head off. I’d tried my best to keep the peace between them.
