Chapter 6

An Offer You Can't Refuse

Chip watched the elevator doors close, his displeased sister disappearing from sight. He had not been able to help himself. Upsetting Muffy had been the last thing he wanted to do. If he had to put a label on it, regret was not exactly what he was feeling at the moment. He had meant every single word. And as much as he wished she would listen to him for a change, he knew she would not. Muffy was stubborn, unyielding, traits she got from the big guy. She did not yet realize that reality was not whatever she wanted it to be, nor did she understand just how little control she had over it. Not in her current predicament. He supposed what he was feeling was an overwhelming pity for her. That must be it.

Maybe there was hope. Muffy had youth on her side. There was time for her to get wise, possibly even devise an exit strategy. And if she failed to do that, she would still have him, her brother, for support when everything fell apart. That was more of an advantage than he ever had when he left Taltech, Omega Psi Phi, and the big guy's influence in the rearview of a Jacksonville-bound Greyhound. The only things he had during that scary and unpredictable time had been his wits, his will, and her.

He returned to his apartment to find her standing at the pass thru. Catherine was holding open the top flap of the picnic basket, inspecting its contents. She paused long enough to shoot him a questioning look.

"Steer clear of the quiches with the brown bits," he said, pointing toward the basket. "Those have bacon. Go for the greenish ones. Artichoke and broccoli rabe—meat-free but somehow still amazing. Oh, and Muffy won't tell, so don't worry."

He crossed into the kitchen and switched off the old radio, which was now in the middle of an ad for something called Certified Pre-Owned of Elwood.

"I knew we couldn't have been that loud," was her answer as she began unpacking the food onto the bar. "Your building just has really thin walls. I heard you yelling at your sister, by the way."

Chip was busy pouring coffee into the mugs he had abandoned on the counter earlier.

"Yeah, because her father is the Devil and she refuses to see it. Get this—he put her under house arrest and took her phone."

"For…?"

Catherine sounded only mildly interested as she considered a chocolate croissant in one hand and a cranberry-orange muffin in the other, ultimately opting for the muffin.

"I don't know, for breaking some school rule or something," he said as he stirred in some soy creamer he kept on hand for Catherine.

He handed the mug over to her and began dividing up the coveted fruit salad between the two of them.

"Good. Because if you'd said 'for no reason whatsoever,' I might have actually come close to thinking he's a monster."

"He is a monster."

"Sounds to me like he's a dad just being a dad."

"No offense, but you don't know him. Like, at all."

"Well, he's her father. If he wants to punish her for doing something wrong, I say let him. You know how spoiled Muffy is. She probably already thinks she's being treated unfairly. She doesn't need you in her head, reinforcing it."

"I'm not the bad guy," he said defensively. "It just seems kind of excessive, that's all."

"You want to talk excessive? My dad grounded Francine for two weeks. For swearing. And once when I was sixteen, I came home from a party drunk off my ass. He made me deep clean the entire apartment the next day while I was hungover."

"Damn. No wonder you were all skittish about the Champagne."

He was referring to the New Year's Eve bash his parents had thrown six years ago. He and Catherine had hidden away from the crowd in the mansion's library most of the night, catching up before he was due back at Taltech in the coming days. Chip managed to sneak a couple of flutes from one of the tables. She had been hesitant at first, but she tried a couple of sips once he assured her she could cover it up with the mouthwash he kept in his bathroom.

He did not remember if the Champagne had been good. That had been before his brief stint as a sommelier, before he knew the difference between quality and trash. What he remembered was the simple thrill of sneaking away with the drinks. No one cared about the binge drinking on Fraternity Row, and at eighteen, he had not thought one tiny glass of bubbly at a party would bother his parents. However, they likely would have objected to their son encouraging a high school girl to drink in their home, especially with said girl's parents so close by. That act of sneakiness had been the highlight of an otherwise boring night, better than the fuzziness that filled his head once he had downed his portion along with the remainder of Catherine's. It had been the highlight, that is, until the unexpected kiss they had shared just after the stroke of midnight, which had been so sweet and thrilling his lips seemed to burn whenever he thought of the moment. The first few days back at school had been an exceptionally frustrating transition.

"I definitely learned to be more careful from that day on," Catherine said, picking at her muffin. "I thought I was going to die before I got everything done. So do you think my dad is the Devil?"

"Nah, he's cool."

"So it's just your father?"

"Bingo. You're so smart, Cat."

Catherine was not amused.

"I bet you and your dad had a nice talk about it when it was over, probably even made dinner together?"

"Cheese lasagna," she said.

"That wasn't what it was like for me. I hung up on him once, and what did I get? I got called an ingrate. He humiliated me on the front lawn of O.P.P. and then cut my lifeline. He didn't care that something might be bothering me—he didn't even ask. He only cared that I was blowing his money. There was no nice talk afterward, and the only thing I remember having for dinner that night was barbecue potato chips and Corona. I'm not trying to get into Muffy's head. I'm telling her stuff I wish I'd known at her age. I don't know what I'll do if he breaks her heart."

Too briefly, she caressed the nape of his neck, her hand hot from cradling her coffee mug, and planted a kiss on his cheek.

"You know how sorry I am for what happened, but it's been years. Couldn't you at least try talking to him?"

"Sure, I could try. I just don't want to. There's nothing I want to know about him, and he doesn't care about what I do. Besides, I'm not here to make nice."

"You had a choice, you know. It's not like you couldn't have gone to Portland instead. Just saying."

Before today, Chip doubted he would have admitted it so readily, but what Muffy had said regarding Catherine's ban on dating male friends left him feeling emboldened. And he could still feel her warm handprint on the back of his neck. He went for it.

"It was a choice between here and Portland, and you're not in Portland."

Catherine seemed taken aback, but something flashed in her expression that gave Chip the impression that she was deeply touched.

"I can't tell if that's the sweetest thing you've ever said or the saddest."

"Meant it as a compliment," he said with a shrug. "But I've got something that will make you happy for sure—the solution to your little dilemma."

Catherine had texted him the night before, asking if she could drive up and talk after his shift was over. They had met at a quaint all-night diner near his apartment. A mismatched duo, Chip was decked out in his usual vest and tie, while Catherine was still wearing dusty boots, denim, and flannel.

He had mostly listened as Catherine raved about how exciting her day had been. Rudy, the owner of the ranch and rescue where she worked, had given her quite a tempting offer. It turned out that the live-in caretaker, Shannon or something, had eloped with her boyfriend who was in the army or whatever, which now made Shannon a military wife. She would be moving out that weekend, leaving a vacancy in the spacious living quarters over the stables. Rudy needed to fill the vacancy as soon as possible, and rather than search desperately for and put his faith in someone he did not know, he had offered the position and the apartment to Catherine.

"'Who knows what kind of yahoo I'd be getting off the street? I'd rather have someone I know I can trust. That's you, Cathy.' I swear, Chip, those were his exact words! Can you believe it?"

"Damn straight," Chip had said, smiling over his coffee mug. "Rudy knows what's up."

"That's not all. I'd be on call, but I wouldn't have to pay rent. I'd only have to add a day to my schedule, plus Rudy said he'd make sure I'd get time off for Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, and High Holidays. And I'd get a raise."

Despite the late hour, Catherine had looked radiant with joy. She was not yet comfortable with PDA, so he reached for her hand under the table and squeezed it. If anyone deserved this upswing of luck, it was her. He took a long sip from his mug, wondering if she needed help with the move when—

"I won't be able to accept, of course, but it was nice to know he thought of me first. I have the best boss ever."

He nearly choked on his coffee.

"You're not going to take it?" he sputtered. "What the hell, Cat?"

"It's a great deal, but I already have an apartment with two roommates who depend on me for a third of the rent."

"So? Angi and Tami can find another roommate. Unless you three made a BFF blood oath, I don't see the problem."

"It would be a hassle. Rudy wants an answer Monday, and I'd have to move in A-S-A-P. That's not enough time for Angi and Tami to interview for a new roommate. I don't want them to feel pressured to take just anybody. Really, I'm satisfied with knowing Rudy thinks that highly of me. I feel honored."

"You could feel honored and have a free apartment."

"I know, but my hands are kind of tied on this one…"

Chip could not believe Catherine was just going pass this up. And for what? Because she did not want to inconvenience others? That was just insane.

Wired from the coffee, he thought about it after Catherine had fallen asleep, long after they had given Jimmy's niece a dozen burning questions to ask at breakfast time.

He got up to take the prescription antihistamine he had almost forgotten, hoping it might counter the caffeine, when the answer to the problem presented itself. Catherine probably could have come up with this one, but she had likely been too hung up on being honored and honor bound to think of it. Not that he hated that about her. She had been the sole person he had trusted with all his secrets after he left Florida. He just thought that if there was a time for her to be a little selfish, it was now. He could not wait to tell her in the morning.

"Okay. Let's hear it," she said.

"You take the offer."

"Oh, wow, thanks for the advice…"

"Hear me out, okay? Accept the job. Tell the girls you're moving but agree to pay your share until they find a suitable replacement. Let them know that you want them to them to feel comfortable with their decision, but they can't drag their feet. You've been friends since first grade; they should be happy to do that for you."

Catherine thought about this, a skeptical look on her face.

"I don't know… Then I'd be paying for nothing."

"No, you really wouldn't. If you stay, you'll keep paying rent anyway. Things stay the same for you. You'll have the same job, only now maybe Rudy's a little disappointed in you because you declined. But if you go, you get to have it both ways: you get job you want and the perks you deserve, plus you get to be all honorable and…stuff. Don't think of it as paying rent. Think of it as investing in your future. This isn't just a great deal; it's the opportunity of a lifetime, Cat. Who knows what doors this could open? If you keep building cred with the top dog at the ranch…maybe there could be a seat on the board of directors in your future. Hell, you could be in charge of the place someday. Tell me all that isn't worth a couple months rent?"

Catherine chuckled.

"There's no denying you're a Crosswire," she said. "That sales pitch was almost perfect."

"I'm willing to take that hit if it means you'll say yes to Rudy."

"You make it sound so…doable. I'll think about it."

"You only have two more days. Think hard."

When Chip left her side to freshen his coffee, he was not able to see the gleam that was now in Catherine's eyes, nor did he know that his remark about his willingness to take a hit had given her a spark of inspiration. Catherine was thinking hard, and not just about the job.

To be continued…