Unexpectedly Yours (18 page)

Josh stepped next to her and when she glanced up she saw he was smiling, and then Kevin walked behind her on his way to the refrigerator and planted a brotherly kiss on her cheek. She felt his approval, his acceptance, and it meant everything to her. There was something easy about the way the evening was unfolding and if Josh did engineer this, she had to wonder why.

She also had to thank him.

***

Josh didn’t want Caroline to leave, but she was set on giving him time to hang out with Kevin. And while he couldn’t deny he wanted her to be with him for obvious reasons, he appreciated her willingness to step back and let him have time with his friend.

He walked her downstairs to wait with her until she was safely in a cab. He watched her and it was clear she was thinking, and Josh had to wonder what was going on inside her head. “Are you pissed?”

Caroline kissed his cheek. “Not even a little. What was the point of this, though?”

What did he hope to accomplish? This thing between them was supposed to be simple. Easy. But it had become a lot more complicated because he cared about her more than he ever expected. She was important to him. “I wanted you to have someone in your family on your side. I know it’s been tough with Meg and your mom, and I knew Kevin would be more open-minded.”

Caroline didn’t say anything as they stood together under the streetlight. The neighborhood was still busy and a number of people moved around them as Caroline took in one breath and then another. Josh thought she might be headed for a major freak-out, and he didn’t want to say anything to provoke her.

Josh watched her for... he didn’t know what for... until her eyes glistened. Shit. Tears. He messed up.

But without any warning, Caroline slid her arms around his waist and held him close. People were still around, still dodging them, and Josh pulled her in. His girl didn’t say anything; she just rested her head on his middle and cried. She cried and cried and Josh felt her emotion creep inside him.

“Thank you,” she whispered. “Thank you. You have no idea how much this means to me.”

Having been isolated when he was a kid because of his parents, and feeling the separation from his own siblings, Josh didn’t want Caroline to have any doubts about her own family. Her sister may have been as subtle as a tornado, but Josh knew that all Meg really wanted was for Caroline to be happy. However, he didn’t have any delusions about his sister-in-law. Letting her know that he and Caroline were trying out a relationship wasn’t going to go as well as it did with Kevin. And even though dinner had been pretty easy, Josh suspected he was going to have some explaining to do once Caroline went home.

Caroline was still holding him. Her head barely reached his chest and Josh thought about all the energy packed in that little body. She had more brains, more fight, than anyone he knew, but she was also vulnerable, and what he really wanted to do was keep her safe.

His relationship with the Rossis was complicated on the best day because of the way things had unfolded between the families all those years ago, but bridges had been rebuilt and now it looked like he and Caroline might have a chance at something special.

Josh wondered again if he had it in him. If he could be the man she needed him to be. He wasn’t cold and unfeeling, but he’d been honest when he told her he wasn’t a relationship guy. He had a few close friends, and women were pleasant companions, but when he looked at Caroline now he saw forever.

She was his forever. How was he supposed to deal with that?

There were a thousand reasons for him to run from her. A thousand more for her to run from him, but they were attracted to each other. Polar opposites, drawn together.

A cliché to be sure, but things became clichés for a reason, and that’s the only way he could think about his relationship with Caroline.

It happened for a reason.

She was the inexperienced one in the relationship, but only in one way. Josh had learned a lot from her in the short time they’d been together, but the most important thing she’d taught him was about having faith in someone. He never expected that. He thought he had everything all figured out.

Caroline had taught him different.

The cab stopped at the curb and he kissed her before she slipped inside. “Call me later,” she whispered.

“It might be late,” he said.

“That’s fine.” Caroline kissed him again. “Go on. You and Kevin should catch up.”

“Okay.” He leaned in and kissed her again. “I’m guessing you’ll want to know everything he says?”

“Well, duh,” she said, biting her lip.

Josh laughed and closed the door. He stood and watched as the cab pulled away and thought about what Kevin might say when he got back upstairs. He didn’t have long to wait.

Josh felt a slap on his back and Kevin handed him his keys and a jacket. “Let’s go grab a beer.”

“I have beer upstairs,” Josh said.

“Yeah, I know, but I need to get the images of you and my sister playing house out of my head, so we’re going down the block.”

Obviously, Kevin wasn’t as okay with Josh’s being with Caroline as he thought. There was no use in fighting it.

They walked quietly down the street to a small pub tucked between two trendy bistros. That was the nature of Josh’s neighborhood and it was what he liked best. He could have the upscale eatery if he wanted it, but on most occasions Josh liked to keep it simple.

They sat at the bar and Kevin ordered two domestic beers and pulled a bowl of pretzels sticks between them. For a long time, neither one of them spoke. The bar was almost empty except for a couple playing darts and an old man who was sitting at the end of the bar watching the Rangers skate to a win.

“It’s my little sister, man. Why are you messing with my little sister?” Kevin’s words hit Josh right in the chest. There was nothing hostile, but the worry rolling off his friend was palpable.

“It just happened. It’s not like I planned it.”

“Yeah, but couldn’t you have avoided it? You’re screwing around with her, aren’t you?”

Josh didn’t answer and took a pull on the bottle of beer.

“Are you going to answer me?”

Josh turned and faced him. “No, I’m not. She deserves her privacy, and honestly it’s none of your fucking business.”

“She’s my sister, Josh. My innocent baby sister.”

That was the crux of the issue. Caroline was the baby. Grown woman, engineer, none of that mattered as much as being the baby of the family. “She could be even more to me,” he said honestly. “She matters to me. A lot.”

There it was.

The silence settled between them, weighing everything down, and it was the last thing Josh wanted. Kevin was one of his oldest friends and what he thought was important. But Caroline didn’t deserve to be the topic of a bar discussion.

“Why don’t you ask her about us?” Josh proposed.

“Because I’m asking you,” Kevin said. “I’m asking you what’s going on with her. With the both of you.”

Josh knew he shouldn’t say too much, but he was torn. On one hand he wanted to be able to let things develop with Caroline in private. They had enough baggage without dealing with meddling family.

At the same time, he wanted Kevin to know what he knew. That Caroline was amazing and more able to make a decision about what she wanted than they would ever be. He just wasn’t sure where to draw the line.

“She doesn’t need anyone to tell her what to do. Not you, not me. She’s got it covered.”

“She’s been so sheltered,” Kevin said. “We all worry about her. She’s barely speaking to Mom and Meg.”

“I’m going to work on smoothing things out with your mom. But you have to back off and let Caroline call the shots here. Especially with Meg. Things have been pretty good, but Meg doesn’t know about us yet.”

“Meg’s going to flip a shit.”

“Caroline’s nervous about how your mom and sister are going to react. She doesn’t want to let on, but she is.”

“It’s all great that you want her to take control here, but what about you? Are you going to give her some space so she has time to decide what she wants? Who’s calling the shots between the two of you?”

Josh considered his friend. That was quite the gauntlet he’d just thrown down. It was nicely delivered, too. It almost didn’t sound like a threat, but Josh knew better.

“I’m not staying away. I can’t. You’re all going to have to get used to it.”

Kevin leaned forward on the bar. “That’s it then? That’s all you have to say?”

“Whether I stick around for the long haul has considerations. Caroline is the biggest one. Whatever she wants, I’ll do. She decides. Not me. Not you. Not Meg.”

Kevin nodded. “I can’t argue with that, even if I don’t like it. Meg is going to hate it. But if Caroline is okay with things, that’s the way it is.”

Josh rolled the bottle between the palms of his hands and exhaled, relieved that Kevin seemed resigned to whatever Caroline wanted. He probably knew he didn’t have a choice. The quiet sister wasn’t going to be quiet anymore.

“I won’t lie, I am worried about how things are going for her at that job,” Kevin said after taking a long pull on the bottle. “Meg said her boss is a prick.”

“He is,” Josh said. “I have that covered, but it won’t matter in a couple of weeks. She found out today she landed a better position at another firm.”

“That’s good. What are you doing in the meantime?”

“He knows I’m in the picture and that I’ll be watching out for her.”

“Will that be enough?” Kevin was intently staring at a point on the wall. He was concerned. So was Josh, but he had had it taken care of.

“Nothing will happen. She’s got a backbone of steel. She could handle most everything herself, but she has backup if she needs it.”

“I know how smart she is, but still.”

Josh figured Kevin and her family didn’t know the half of it, and they never would if they didn’t let her make some discoveries on her own. “It’s not just her brains, man. It’s everything.”

***

Caroline couldn’t sleep. She was sitting in her bed with her laptop, going back and forth between wondering if Josh was going to call and wondering what he was saying to her brother. On one hand Caroline was sorry she had left him, because she wanted nothing more than to be curled beside him right now.

She turned her focus back to her newest story and after a few lines it was time to pack it in. She was too tired. There was nothing even remotely close to a coherent sentence on the page and that was her first clue.

The buzzing phone startled her. Looking at the caller ID, she smiled, because she’d resigned herself to the probability that Josh was still with Kevin and wasn’t going to call. This was a nice surprise to see his name and picture on the screen.

“Hey, it’s me,” he said.

“Hi. I didn’t think I’d hear from you.”

“No? Look out your window.” Her window? Getting up from her warm bed, she peered out her bedroom window and saw her prince charming below in the street, bathed in the glow from the street light. He waved and Caroline fell a little bit further.

“What are you doing here?” she asked.

“I came to see you, beautiful. Let me up.”

“Oh, okay. Are you sure you want to come up? It’s kind of late.” Caroline was smiling as he folded his arms and narrowed his eyes.

“Let me in. You won’t be sorry.”

Feigning shock, she giggled. “Josh Campbell, is this a booty call?”

He laughed. “Only if you want it to be. Now buzz me in. It’s starting to rain.”

Hanging up, Caroline placed her hand over her heart, so happy she thought she might burst. When had this relationship gotten here? It had gone from zero to a hundred in a few weeks, but yet it felt completely right, completely okay that he was here in the middle of the night. Those who didn’t know them would say it
was
a booty call, but Caroline knew better. She pressed the button to let him into the building and waited until she heard his footsteps on the stairs before opening the door of the apartment.

Josh looked happy, rumpled, and completely sexy. “Why are you here?” she asked again, stretching her arms up and looping them around his neck.

There was a tick of silence that settled between them and then he took her hands from around his neck and held them. “I needed to be with you.”

“Is everything okay?”

Leaning in and dropping a sweet kiss on her lips, Josh smiled. “Everything’s fine. Perfect now that I’m here.”

If she could have written this moment herself, Caroline couldn’t have done better. She pulled him into the apartment and as they walked to her room, she could tell this wasn’t about heat or lust or desire. This wasn’t about sex. This visit was about the two of them.

About being together.

Finally, Caroline was having a romance.

Chapter 13

Josh liked that he and his brother were getting closer. They made a point of getting together for breakfast or lunch every week just to keep up with each other’s lives, and that was mending a lot of broken fences. This morning, as he was getting ready to leave Caroline’s apartment, his phone reminded him that he was meeting Jason at Junior’s, right off Broadway, in twenty minutes. If the subway gods were with him he might make it.

He wished he had time to go home and change for work because there was no doubt in his mind that Jason was going to question his casual clothes, but he’d overslept and jeans and a polo were all he had.

Caroline was already gone, having an early call at a job site, and that meant he would have to face a grilling from Tessa before he even got out of the apartment. Walking into the living room, he saw her at the breakfast bar, sipping her coffee and flipping through a magazine. Her eyes tilted in his direction a few times before she finally said something.

“If you hurt her, I will kill you.”

Josh, who had been trying not to make eye contact, turned to face her, and he couldn’t help but grin. It wasn’t a good thing to do, because it was going to piss her off, but he couldn’t stop himself. “That sounds like a line from a movie.”

“Don’t mess with me, Campbell. She’s my best friend and I will make your life a living hell if you do anything to make her unhappy.”

Josh didn’t know how he was supposed to respond to Tessa’s ultimatum. On one hand he admired her willingness to protect Caroline, but on the other hand he was pissed. She had no idea what Caroline meant to him. It was pissed that won out.

He took two steps toward her and shot his hip into the wall next to where she was sitting. “You know, I don’t know what everyone’s problem is, but trust me on this: first, Caroline can take care of herself. She doesn’t need protecting, but in the event she does, I’m there. She does not need protecting from me.”

“I don’t trust you.” Tessa folded her arms and stuck her nose right in the air. “Not at all. You’re too perfect.”

“I’m far from perfect, but I’m not stupid. She’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me and I have no intention of doing anything except making her happy. Now, is there anything else?”

“You’re not going to ditch her?”

He laughed. “Because you sniped at me? I don’t think so. You’d better figure out a way to get used to me, because I’m not going anywhere.” He stood and grabbed a biscotto from her plate. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to meet my brother for breakfast.”

He enjoyed leaving Tessa speechless because he had a feeling it didn’t happen too often. Just as he was about to open the door, she called to him. “Josh?”

Turning, he saw she was smiling. What the hell? “Good answer,” she said. “See you around.”

***

Josh walked into Junior’s, the landmark New York City restaurant, and saw his brother Jason seated at a table, reading something on his iPad and sipping coffee. He was only a few minutes late, but as expected, when Jason saw him, his eyebrows shot up and a shit-eating grin crossed his face.

“You’re dressed a little casual for the office today.”

Josh glanced down and shrugged. “Nothing important today. I can get away with it.” He couldn’t. He had a meeting at eleven with the engineers, so after he ate he was going back to his apartment to shower and change.

“Yeah, right.” His brother slipped the tablet back into his briefcase and opened his menu, examining it like he’d never been here. “I think I’m going to have pancakes today.”

“The pancakes are good here.” They’d slipped into small talk. Great. The waitress brought Josh some coffee and he was waiting for Jason to say what was on his mind because the silence was driving Josh nuts. Thanking the waitress for the much-needed caffeine, Josh looked over at his brother, who was still grinning. Grinning like a fucking idiot. “Crap, Jay. Just say it.”

“How’s Caroline?”

Damn.
He figured he would get shit for being out all night, but he had no idea Jason would be dead-on. How had he found out? Kevin? No. He wouldn’t have said anything. This was not what he expected. “You suck, bro.”

Perfect.
Way to sound like a fifteen-year-old.

“Why do I suck? You’re secretly dating my sister-in-law!”

“Obviously it’s not much of a secret. How did you find out?”

“Someone from my office saw you two all dressed up and eating in a diner.”

Josh ran his hand through his hair. “We actually went out to a nice restaurant, but... ah... never mind. It was a few weeks ago.”

Jason was still chuckling under his breath and Josh was getting more and more pissed off. “I should have just canceled on you.”

“Right.” Jason rolled his eyes. “’Cause I wouldn’t have found some other way to talk to you about this.”

“We’re going out to dinner with Mrs. Rossi tonight, to let her know we’re together. Caroline wanted to talk to her mom before Meg found out.”

“Oh, Meg already suspects. She’s known you liked Caroline since the day she stormed out of our house.” He sipped his coffee. “You’ve been dubbed
The Boyfriend.
’’

“The Boyfriend? Great.” Josh locked his hands behind his neck and blew out a breath.

The waitress came back and Josh and Jason ordered breakfasts large enough to feed a small army. “Did Meg say anything else?”

“Nah. She’s just wondering when you two are going to tell everyone. Now that I know dinner is tonight, we’ll definitely be there.”

“Be there?”

“Oh, yeah. Mom asked us to come, but we had plans. We’re canceling now because I really want to watch you squirm.”

Josh sat back and considered his younger brother. Jason and Meg had been married about six months, and the first two were no walk in the park. He remembered Jason saying they needed time to get used to each other. And now they were going to make a big joke out of what was going on between him and Caroline? Not a fucking chance.

“Don’t come,” he growled. “Just don’t.”

Jason froze and Josh guessed it wasn’t what he said, but how he said it. “Caroline is nervous enough about all the changes going on in her life and our relationship is part of that. It’s not a joke.”

“I didn’t mean...”

“I won’t have you and Meg making Caroline uncomfortable. We’re taking Mrs. Rossi out to dinner. The three of us. That’s it.”

Jason was about to argue and then Josh saw he’d reconsidered. Jason took a sip of his coffee and was obviously considering how to change his mind. “Meg wants to be there. It’s important that she and Caroline make peace with this.”

Another long silence settled over the table and Josh knew he owed Jason more than a bad attitude. He and his brother had been at odds for too long, and he wasn’t going to allow another rift to develop, not when things were finally improving between them. “She’s important to me, Jason. I don’t want anything to mess it up.”

His brother picked up the teaspoon that rested next to his coffee cup and twirled it in his fingers. “If it’s meant to be, nothing will. You might be surprised that you have more people in your corner than you thought.”

Josh laughed. “I know, but tell Meg to keep in mind Caroline has no patience for her right now, and if she pushes too hard, she might lose her sister altogether.” That was something that would kill Meg. His brother’s wife could be the most headstrong and difficult woman he knew, but she didn’t do anything halfway, especially for people she loved.

“I’ll pass it on for later.”

By the time their breakfast was delivered, the tension had ebbed a bit and the conversation went back to more neutral topics, like business. Josh was glad he could talk to his brother, because he was facing some tough decisions with Campbell Holdings. “I’m thinking about pulling out my investment and leaving the firm.”

That got his brother’s attention. “Are you serious?”

“Dead serious. I can’t work with Dad anymore.”

“If you pull out, will the company fold?”

“I don’t know how it would survive. There would be some legal wrangling to do, but the investors would be okay. Except Mom and Dad. They’d be broke.”

“Shit. That’s a big step for you. You’ve been fighting to save Grandpa’s legacy for years. What happened?”

“Dad is going to drive it into the ground anyway, and I don’t want my money and the other investors’ money to go with him. I can’t keep watching him steal and cheat.” He paused. “As it is I may have to call the FBI. Grandpa wouldn’t want that.”

“How much are we talking with your money?” Jason asked.

“Of mine?” Josh hated mentioning numbers out loud, but nothing he said would surprise Jason. “About three-quarters of a billion. Pocket money to you.”

“Pocket money, my ass. That’s some serious coin. You started with like a tenth of that.”

“Yup. I’m very good at growing money.” Josh winked and enjoyed the fact that his brother the billionaire was impressed.

Jason raised his coffee cup in salute. “Well, good luck, man. Let me know if you need help kicking the old man to the curb.”

Josh raised his own mug. “Will do.”

***

Caroline set her briefcase and hardhat on her desk and dropped into her chair. Her visit to her latest project was a disaster. The engineer in charge hadn’t followed protocol and there were water problems around the foundation of the new building. He had tried to pin it on her initial assessment of the site, and her foundation design, but the hydraulic engineer backed her up. It wasn’t her fault.

She didn’t know how she was going to spin this one to the higher-ups. The hydraulic engineer may have agreed with her, but Keith, the project’s lead, was one of the most senior engineers in the firm and he’d screwed up. Bad.

But as Caroline had been reminded over and over in this business, shit rolled downhill, and since she was at the bottom of the hill, she would probably catch the blame for this. Thank God she was giving her notice today.

She’d received her hard offer from the new firm and was set to start in four weeks. She’d leave her current position in two, and then Josh had a vacation planned for them. She couldn’t wait.

But that didn’t solve the problem she had right now.

She’d gone off the rails at the job site and that wasn’t going to help the situation. When Keith had chastised her about the survey she’d supposedly messed up, about the supposed design flaws, Caroline hadn’t held back. Oh sure, she should have been diplomatic. She should have held her tongue until they were in private. She should have found a way to defend herself without making Keith look like an incompetent blowhard in front to the construction foreman, the project manager, the architect, the hydraulic engineer and the building inspector.

But deep down, Caroline guessed she had nothing to lose, so her years of feeling put down and dismissed shot out like a bullet and no one was safe.

No, this day wasn’t going to end well. Keith arrived back at the office around the same time she had and had made a beeline for the director of engineering’s office. Yup. Chances were she was going to be fired by the end of the day. For a girl who’d never failed before this year, she sure was pretty good at it now. She could not wait to start fresh someplace new.

The employee dining room was empty when she walked in and Caroline relished the quiet while she made a cup of coffee and added some flavored creamer. The company prided itself on taking care of its employees. Her salary and benefits, the perks in the office were all terrific. The problem was her gender. In this firm, gender bias still found its way into the culture. It wasn’t practiced by everyone and it wasn’t all the time, but the fact that they allowed a guy like Mark Strickland to set the tone of the office was a problem for her.

He was a misogynist of the worst kind. The kind who could hide it well. But no matter what he did in public, his actions behind the scenes were all about fostering the boys-club environment. He was a disingenuous back-slapper. And she didn’t have any use for him whatsoever.

The reality of her situation had come to light about eight months ago. The firm had just landed a major restoration project and was looking for an engineer to lead the team. The job had a lot of geophysical challenges, including the fact that the building was near an active fault line, and Caroline’s experience was a good fit. She knew how to work with geologists, hydrologists and structural designers. She was excited about the project and the buzz around the office was that she could get the nod on this one.

And then the bottom fell out.

There was some gossip in the office suggesting that a new engineer, Shane, who had been there maybe a year, was going to get the appointment to lead the project. Caroline blew off the speculation because she knew he didn’t have the experience and the firm wouldn’t risk its reputation on someone so new. Shane was a nice guy and had great skills, but he was still green and had just passed his professional engineer exam. Not to mention he was a generalist. He could build you a great bridge, but the restoration project needed a specific skill set.

It was right around then that Mark hit on Caroline for the first time. He’d invited her to lunch to discuss the project and Caroline was thrilled. She kept looking for something in her job to be excited about, something to care about. It was her livelihood, and although her heart may have been in her writing, she wanted her career to be fulfilling. She didn’t have any delusions about being able to quit work to write full time, so she tried to make the best of it.

But when the business lunch got personal—when Mark’s hand covered hers, when he invited her to dinner so they could discuss her career without distractions—is when Caroline knew she was in trouble. She wasn’t seen as an equal. She would always be a girl to them.

When she told him no he seemed to take it okay, but lunch was over. And, she soon found out, so was all the forward movement in her career.

Shane got the lead position on the restoration, and an office, and an engineering intern of his own. What she discovered later is what had Caroline reeling. She had an early call at a job site one day and had forgotten a file on her desk. She stopped at the office around six-thirty that morning to pick up what she needed and saw Shane, along with Mark and a few other higher-ups, arriving at the gym housed in their building.