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Bronwyn shot me an annoyed look. “You’re in an awful mood.”
“Yeah. It’s always so great to have some stranger’s crotch staring me squarely in my face,” I muttered with a disgusted shake of my head.
“Ace!” Bronwyn chastised crossly.
“Bronwyn?” I shot back, my left eyebrow shooting up sardonically. “Look around, for Christ’s sake.” I didn’t bother trying to camouflage my growly mood. If Bronwyn didn’t like my disposition, then she shouldn’t have tricked me into tagging along.
“I am.” She glanced at someone across the aisle from me wearing an apologetic expression. It was probably the guy who’d just presented me with a birds-eye view of his junk. “But you don’t have to be rude about it,” she said under her breath.
“Yes, I do.” I inhaled deeply and resigned myself to wait without speaking until it was our turn to deplane. Purchasing the tickets last minute precluded first class and in coach, people were packed in like sardines and impatient to deplane.
Twenty minutes later, we were finally walking through the airport in stilted silence. After retrieving Bronwyn’s bags, we found Kat was waiting at the curb with her old Chevy minivan. That thing had seen better days.
Kat’s surprise at seeing Bronwyn was evident in her wide-eyed assessment of the other woman as we approached. She quickly tried to erase it from her face. “Hi, I’m Kat, Chase’s sister,” she announced with fake enthusiasm as Bronwyn threw open the front passenger door to climb in, leaving me to hoist her luggage inside through the sliding side door.
“Nice to finally meet you, Kat! I’m Bronwyn, Ace’s girlfriend.” Bronwyn was way too happy for my peace of mind. “I’ll never get used to the backward way your cars are in America.”
“Most of the world drives on the right, Bronwyn. We’ve had this discussion,” I added flatly.
“Well, lovie, I still find it silly.”
Kat glanced over the seat, trying to catch my gaze. Clearly, she was skeptical of the logic behind bringing Bronwyn into such a volatile situation. I had no way to explain how I was railroaded at the airport with just minutes to spare before the flight closed.
With one hand, I slung the last bag onto the seat and then climbed in behind it. There were fast food wrappers, trash, a broken iPod, and toys scattered around. It looked like it hadn’t been cleaned out in months.
“Jesus. Remind me to buy you a new van, Kat.” The words were out before I realized they might come off as insulting. “This is trashed.”
“It’s fine. It’s not that old, just dirty. That’s what happens when you have three boys.” She brushed it off.
“It looks like a nuclear wasteland.”
“I guess it does,” she said, putting the van in gear and gingerly pulling out into the steady stream of cars leaving the airport with new arrivals.
“Three kids?” Bronwyn asked astonished. Once again I was annoyed. She was so disingenuous I had to bite back a sharp retort. “I’d never want three kids.”
“How is Remi?” I couldn’t help asking; wondering if Kat felt insulted by Bronwyn’s carelessly thrown statement. “Is she home with Teagan and Jensen?” Just uttering his name pissed me off, but I wanted to know if I should expect to come face-to-face with Jensen.
“Yes. She has been tired and lethargic. Teagan is keeping a close eye on her.”
I ran a hand through my hair and nodded, though no one could see it.
“Poor little thing,” Bronwyn said. “I can’t imagine how hard this is.”
I bit my tongue again. Resentment roared like a lion inside me. Half a day ago she was preaching to me that I should drop Teagan on her ass and turn my back on Remi, and now she was putting on this concerned act for my sister. I found myself wondering if I really knew Bronwyn or if she was just a master at acting. She said the appropriate thing, but with little feeling behind it. Maybe she’d had an agenda the whole time I’d known her, and now that it was being challenged her true colors were showing.
I couldn’t speak because if I did hateful words would flow, so I listened to Bronwyn question Kat and gush about me in silence during the ride. I wondered if I should check out of my hotel and get one closer to Teagan’s house, or drop Bronwyn at the hotel and get her a room before checking on Remi.
Kat broke into my thoughts. “Chase, should I take you to the hotel for now? I know you’re probably anxious to see Remi, but it’s getting late…”
Her words dropped off but I got the message loud and clear. Jensen was at the house, Bronwyn was with me, and no one needed another complication.
“Um, I think you should take us back to the hotel, and then you should go home.”
“What?” Kat asked surprised.
“I just think that things are sensitive right now and it would be easier with fewer people involved in the immediate situation.”
“But, I came to help out, Chase. How will you get around?”
