Chapter 9: Norfolk, Virginia - January 2014
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"He isn't answering any of my calls or texts. It's been days!" Caro snapped, her arms flying as she paced back and forth across the livingroom of Teylor's apartment.
Teylor sneaked a peak at his watch, weighing Caro's likely reaction to him suggesting that they order pizza against the rumbling of his stomach. In retrospect the decision to skip lunch and rush home was a poor one, but the last thing Teylor expected upon arriving home from a training exercise was to find Caro on his doorstep, frothing at the mouth over a fight with her brother. Unlike Green, Teylor didn't have leave over the holidays, instead spending the apparently eventful two weeks on the Nathan James.
"Probably doesn't have service in the Bahamas," Teylor replied, too distracted to realize his mistake until it was too late.
"The Bahamas?"
Teylor winced. He hadn't known it was possible for a human voice to reach such a pitch. "Yeah, Benz..."
"I should have known that Frankie was behind it," Caro muttered.
Ignoring her for the moment, Teylor continued. "As I was saying, Benz and Smith were planning a trip. Green joined them last minute. Kind of makes sense, if you think about it."
"What do you mean?"
"The guy just broke up with his long-time girlfriend. That can't be easy, even if he was the one doing it," Teylor replied, hoping he wasn't signing his own death warrant. "Bet the last thing he wanted to do on New Year's Eve was go to a party filled with people who knew Rebecca and explain over and over again why she wasn't there."
Caro's eyes narrowed, but her tone was much more even when she spoke. "Did you know what he planned?"
Teylor stared at her. "I've spent six months avoiding the topics of women, you in particular, anytime I'm around your brother, Caro. How exactly would Rebecca have come up?"
"Ugh." Instead of storming out of the apartment, as Teylor half expected, Caro collapsed on the couch, head dropping into her hands. Caro began laughing, the kind of half-hysterical laughter that too often led to tears. "Can you imagine how much of an idiot I felt like? Calling Rebecca to finalize plans for New Year's Eve, not knowing that she and Danny broke up three days before Christmas and he didn't say anything?"
"What did you say when you found out?"
"I asked if he had a piece on the side," Caro said finally, thankfully still looking at the floor so she didn't see Teylor wince. Green would not have taken the accusation well. "I was just so pissed, you know? Three months ago he has me down her helping him shop for engagement rings and then he breaks things off without a word. I have to find out from Rebecca."
Ah, so that explained Caro's random September trip down to Norfolk without Rebecca. Green was ring shopping. Or, at least, he had told his sister that he was. Teylor had not heard so much as a whiff of an impending engagement, surprising given Frankie's general inability to keep a secret.
Teylor gave Caro a considered look. With anyone else, he would have been baffled by the anger over something that was, frankly, none of her business, but with Caro it actually made sense. After years of her brother and best friend dating, Caro was firmly invested in her role as third wheel. Danny and Rebecca breaking up totally redefined a world that, previously, had been neatly compact.
Teylor picked up the phone. "Pepperoni or veggie?"
"What?" Caro's head shot up, her face befuddled, an expression he had never seen before.
Teylor fought a smile. "The deadline for delivery is in fifteen minutes and I'm starving."
Caro's eyes narrowed but, before she could speak, her own stomach rumbled. As the phone began ringing, she caved. "Everything. And get some garlic bread. And maybe a salad. All I've had for days is coffee and vending machine pretzels."
Ninety minutes later, the food having finally arrived, Teylor took a bite from his second slice of pizza. Caro sat back, far calmer than she had been, licking her fingers with a purr of contentment. "I really fucked this up, didn't I?"
Danny's advice floated through Teylor's mind. Just ignore Caroline when she gets in a mood. She doesn't care. Gives her time to cool down.
If only Green knew how wrong he was. Teylor picked up a slice of garlic bread. "Green doesn't want to fight with you any more than you want to fight with him. I'll bet you fifty bucks that the two of you have made up before he's back in Norfolk for twenty-four hours."