Waves of Reckoning (The Montclair Brothers) (9 page)

“Did I catch you in the middle of something?” Carrie looked at the time and instantly felt bad.

“I was just getting out of the shower,” he laughed.

“You know, I’m moving the contents of a one bedroom apartment. Do you have enough space to store everything, and do you have a spare bedroom for me?” Carrie felt like an idiot for making assumptions.

“I have plenty of room. Just come on down. Are you heading out tomorrow?”

If Carrie didn’t know better, she’d think he sounded a little excited. That made her feel more at ease.

“Depending on how long it takes me to load everything up, I should be there late afternoon’ish.” She hoped that wouldn’t be a problem.

“I can have some guys come by to help you unload the truck. Do you have anyone helping you there?”

“I’m not a weakling. Thanks for the offer though. It might not be a very attractive sight, watching me sweat like a pig while hoisting boxes, but I’m pretty dang strong…for a girl.” Carrie worked out often, knowing that when shit hit the fan on the streets, she had to be depended upon to hold her own.

“Well, we’ll see. Call me when you get into town. I’ll bring home some Chinese takeout or something.”

Carrie hadn’t had good Chinese food in quite a while. There weren’t any decent places close by, and it wasn’t like she could splurge right now. Bread, peanut butter, jelly, and bologna were the only things on the Menu at the Oliver house these days. Ramen noodles was the closest thing she came to eating Chinese food.

She let herself fall down onto the mattress. Carrie had disassembled her bed the night before, when she thought she was leaving for a job in Southfield. It’d been a real pain to take apart, because it was old, but it’d belonged to her grandmother. Her sheets were even packed, but at least she had a blanket. It was pretty worn out, but it was soft and she’d had it for years. When it started to look like Swiss cheese, she’d think about discarding it, but then again, it was her favorite.

As she lay there in her dark apartment, she made a mental list of everything she’d have to do in the morning. She’d already taken care of this last month’s rent, so hopefully she’d be getting a check for her security deposit. Oh, and she couldn’t forget to call the cable company to disconnect service, and get her mail forwarded to Vincent’s. He hadn’t texted her with his address yet. Maybe he was going to chicken out. Maybe she’d drive to his house and he’d greet her at the door to say he didn’t want a house guest after all. What if she got lost? What if she couldn’t reach him? She’d feel like a fool if she had to go to Montclair Pharmaceuticals and ask him for a key in front of everyone.

Her stomach was tightening. She picked her phone up off the floor and called him back.

“Vincent?” she asked, without giving him time to answer.

“Carrie?” She could tell he’d been in a deep sleep.

“Are you sure it’s okay if I come there? I don’t have your address yet and how will I get in?” She hurried to the kitchen to look for a pen and something to write on.

“Yes, you can come here. Call me when you get to town and I’ll meet you at the house. If you get twisted around, I’ll come and get you. I need to get some sleep, though. I have an early meeting with a client.”

Now she really did feel like an idiot. “I’m sorry, Vincent. I’m just nervous.” Her eyes began to sting.

“As soon as you hang up, I’ll text you the address. It’s not that easy to get to, so don’t be surprised if you don’t find it. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.” Vincent yawned.

She said goodnight and then waited. Finally, the text came through. This was either going to be the best move of her life, or the worst thing she’d ever done. One thing that Carrie hated was unknowns, and right now, her life was full of them.

Chapter 9

Vincent strolled into Tyler’s office at six the next evening. His brother looked as wired as he felt; both men looked like they hadn’t slept in a couple of days.

“You look like shit,” said Tyler as Vincent plopped down on the sofa.

“Back at ya. How’s Renee?” Vincent kicked his shoes off and stretched out on the cushions.

“Not that great. I mean, the symptoms of the panic attack are gone, but she’s lost in her own world. She won’t talk to me about it.” Tyler reached up and loosened his tie. “I think my presence is just irritating her.”

“I understand, Bro. I’m lying in my own bed of worms right now. Carrie’s moving in today.” Vincent stared up at the ceiling. He’d kept their conversation to himself all day.

“Oliver? Why is she moving in with you?” Tyler let out a small laugh.

“She’s really nice, and you can’t tell me we don’t owe the woman for protecting us. Due to cutbacks, she’s lost her job. None of the local precincts are hiring, and she’ll lose her apartment soon. Carrie has no place to go. It’s my way of paying her back…” Vincent was proud of his answer.

“So now you look like shit
and
you’re
full
of shit. Don’t give me the civil duty line. You want her to come to Southfield, and move in with you, because you like her.” Tyler stared at him with a smirk.

“I thought she’d be here by now. She was supposed to call me when she got into town, but I haven’t heard anything.” Vincent checked his watch.

“Why haven’t you called her? I have her number around here somewhere.” He began digging around in his desk when Vincent stopped him.

“Oh, trust me. I have her number. That woman has no problem calling me, regardless of the time. I think I may have stepped on a hornet’s nest.” Vincent sighed and then sat up on the sofa.

“She’s a woman, Vinnie. Get used to it. You’ve escaped attachment for all your life, and now you’re going to jump into the fire by having her move in with you. You thought that’d be a good idea? Good job!” Tyler said sarcastically, as he gave Vincent a thumbs up.

“I’m not getting attached to anyone, Ty. She’s just a friend who I’m helping out. Really, it doesn’t matter if she’s a female or not.” Vincent was getting irritated.

“Yeah, okay. Whatever you say, Vinnie.” Tyler didn’t hide his smile. “Go on home and make sure she didn’t get lost on the back roads. I’m out of here within the next fifteen minutes myself. Let me know how it goes. This is gonna be better than watching a movie.” He winked at Vincent before turning his attention back to his laptop.

Vincent picked his shoes up off the floor and walked to his office in his socks. After locking his desk, he slipped his shoes back on and headed for the door. There was nothing more he could do but wait. If she didn’t show up before he went to bed, well, she’d just have to find a room somewhere for the night. Vincent knew he’d never be that cold the moment the thought entered his head. He checked his phone for any missed calls or messages, but there weren’t any. He tossed the idea around in his head a thousand times before dialing Carrie’s number.

“Vincent, I was going to call you in about a half-hour.” He could hear the truck motor over the phone.

“You’re close to town then?” He felt his throat tighten.

“Yep! To save time, you can meet me somewhere and lead me to your house.” Vincent thought she sounded way too chipper and demanding.

“I’m at Montclair Pharmaceuticals. You know where that’s at, so just come here. I’m in the parking lot, but stay out on the street, and I’ll see you. You wouldn’t have too much fun trying to manipulate a moving van through here.” Vincent looked at the clock and wanted to groan. He’d had a very long day, and he certainly didn’t feel like sitting in his car for the next half hour.

“Okay. I’ll see you in thirty.” Carrie hung up the phone, sounding like she was having the time of her life.

What the hell
, he thought, as he leaned back and closed his eyes. Tyler was right; he shouldn’t have jumped into this fire. Vincent sighed.
What is this frenzied woman going to do
?
Wake me up every ten minutes to ask me something
?

“Mr. Montclair,” the voice was accompanied by a gentle tapping on his window. It was the guard.

Vincent lowered his window. He immediately saw the large U-Haul out on the street, flashing its lights.

“Thank you, Justin.” Vincent rolled his eyes but returned the light display. He pulled out of the parking lot and waved at Carrie to follow him. Even with the sun setting, he could see her huge smile.
God
…he thought, as his mood plummeted.

Vincent parked out on the street so Carrie could back the truck up to the garage door. It certainly beat dealing with the steps out front. He walked towards the house, just as Carrie was jumping down from the driver’s seat. When she landed, her jacket swayed and her sidearm was clearly visible. He hated guns, so she was going to have to keep it away from him.

“I love your house, Vinnie! Thank you for letting me stay here for a bit.” Carrie threw her arms around him. She smelled of cardboard, sweat, and more sweat. He patted her back and stepped away.

“I’m going to call a couple of guys I know and see if they want to make a few bucks. They can unload the truck into the garage, and then tomorrow we can unpack whatever you need from the boxes. The things you aren’t going to use right now, we can leave alone.” He took his phone out of his pocket.

“We don’t need any help, Vinnie. I loaded this all up by myself in just a couple of hours. With the two of us, that time will be cut in half!” She smiled, went around to the back of the truck, jumped up on the bumper and opened the door.

Vincent peered inside.
Shit
, he thought. Wall to wall boxes and furniture…”We should really call my guys and have them help us out. They’ll have this thing emptied in no time.” He was trying to keep his voice calm.

“Go change out of that suit, mister, and let’s get on this!” Carrie climbed up into the back of the truck and lifted a box. “Here, take this one. I’ll hand you stuff and you can set it in the garage. Once the truck’s emptied, I’ll go through them in the morning.”

Vincent took the box from her and carried it into the garage, sitting it on the floor. From what he could see, he wouldn’t be able to park his car in there for a while. “Let me change real quick.” He turned his back so she wouldn’t see his temper rising.

Throwing on some jeans and a t-shirt, Vincent walked back through the garage to the truck. Carrie lifted another box as soon as she saw him.

“Let’s hurry up, Slow Poke!” She laughed, but he didn’t see one grain of humor in this situation.

“Why did you pack the boxes so full? They’re heavy, Carrie. What do you have in here, bowling balls?” he groaned.

“You’re totally out of shape, Vinnie. I’m going to have to get you to the gym!”

Vincent wanted to fold her up inside of one of these boxes and lock it in his trunk. This is what he got for trying to be a nice guy.

After almost two hours of unloading the truck and stacking boxes in the garage, while she made her little comments, Vincent was more than done…with her. “We’ll return the truck tomorrow.” Without waiting for her to respond, he went inside the house, tossed his keys onto the kitchen table, and then headed for the shower. He definitely had to cool off before he lost it. He should have run this bright idea past his brothers first, instead of jumping the gun. Now he’d have to suffer the consequences.
Two weeks
, Vincent mumbled. He could definitely find her a job before then. Suddenly he felt a cool draft inside of the shower.

“Vinnie? Sorry to bother you. I was going to order some food. Where’s a good pizzeria around here?” Carrie asked as she opened the bathroom door and stuck half her body through it.

Hell
, thought Vincent.
The pizzeria is in hell. Right where I’ve been banished to.

∞ ∞ ∞ ∞

Tyler felt instant relief when he walked into his house and saw Renee and Brian chatting away while making dinner. He sat his briefcase down on the floor and quietly closed the door. She was smiling while sharing a story with Brian, and he was laughing. He’d give anything to keep those smiles on their faces forever, but with the news he had to share, anger and worry would soon take the place of their joy.

“Come on in! Dinner’s almost done,” announced Brian. “We’re making manicottis.”

Tyler felt so much love for them, especially when he spotted all the sauce splattered down the front of their clothes. He gave Brian a hug, and then kissed the cheek Renee offered.

“How was work?” she asked. Renee was still smiling, so there was no way he was going to ruin their dinner.

“I have some funny news to share.” Tyler began to chuckle. “Vinnie thought it’d be a good idea to ask Carrie Oliver to come here and live with him for a bit, until she finds a new job.” His laughter began to grow.

“Are you kidding me?” Renee joined in on the humor. “Vincent…living with a female…I’m sorry, but I can’t picture it.”

“But she’s really nice,” offered Brian. “I don’t think it’ll be a bad thing. Besides, they’re just friends and it’s only temporary.”

“Oh, Son. Your uncle Vinnie still has a lot to learn about women, especially when it comes to living with one that he barely knows.” Tyler knew he’d messed up the second the words left his mouth.

“Excuse me?” Renee had stopped smiling.