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The two bantered back and forth until Martina noticed Carrie’s face drain of color. She looked like she had seen a ghost.
“What are you doing with that box?”
Rob pulled the brown shoe box from under his arm. “We found it downstairs under the bed, and I figured Aleks would want it back.”
“That’s not Aleks’s box.”
“What?”
Barely audible, Carrie replied, “It’s mine.”
A small gasp escaped Martina’s mouth. At the same time Rob made a disgusted sound as he threw the box on the counter.
“What the hell, Carrie. Why do you have all that?”
“Why do you think?”
“Why is it downstairs and not in your room?”
“Mom would freak if she ever found that, so I put it downstairs. If she found it she would come to the same conclusion as you did. She’d roll her eyes and think it belonged to Aleks.”
“Ewww! This is too much information for me. I’ve got to get going.”
Rob turned and silently said his goodbye. They had done their real goodbye in the basement before they emerged into the sunlight. Martina shouldn’t expect anything more, but she wanted to reach out and take him in her arms.
“Later, Care.”
“Bye,” both girls said in unison.
Carrie continued to rinse out the glasses. She looked like a high school teenager the way her hair was piled messily on top of her head. She was usually so pristine and reserved.
Martina felt the need to explain. “I’m sorry, Carrie. I’m so sorry. You let me stay in your home and how do I repay you? I... I…”
“Defile my brother?”
The grin on Carrie’s face told Martina that she was teasing. She seemed to be taking this well.
“I’m not mad, Marty. I know that the ladies like my brother. I’ve been told he is irresistible.” Her body shuddered at the comment.
“He is very convincing, and if you must know it’s more like he defiled me.”
“I’m not surprised.” Carrie loaded the glasses into the dishwasher.
“Carrie, I think he might be the one.”
Carrie stopped what she was doing immediately and laid both palms on the granite surface. “Martina, I feel like I need to warn you. My brother isn’t the long-term kind of guy.”
“Oh goodness, no. Not ‘the one’. I mean the one, what we talked about last night, the only experience I have yet to indulge.”
“Really? Part of me is intrigued. The other is grossed out. I don’t know how much detail I can take.”
“I won’t get into that, but I will say he already managed to knock one fantasy off my list.”
“That’s good.” She let the comment register. “I think.” Carrie shut the dishwasher door and pushed the digital button. A small beep sounded. “I don’t want to see you get hurt. My brother isn’t as bad as Aleks, but he is weird about the whole ‘forever’ thing. Would you believe it if I told you he’s holding out for the girl who looks at him like our mo
ther looks at our father?”
“It’s not weird at all. Your brother may seem cocky but he is a gentleman. He’s attentive and unselfish. If you get what I’m saying.”
