“I don’t know.” Betheni lied the best of any of the sisters, but right now her talent for fabricating appeared to elude her. “She did say she was worried you’d be pissed, and she still wanted to be a party crasher.”
“Can you talk to Brad? Find out what the situation is? His sister-in-law runs the barn.”
“Okay, I can, but we’re not much for talking. We’ll just end up in bed together.”
“You two are such sluts.”
Betheni grinned. “Isn’t it fun?”
Izzy rolled her eyes. Like she should be lecturing anyone on sleeping with a guy for fun rather than with an eye to a future with the man. “I have bigger problems than the twins.”
“Oh, yeah? Cooper getting to you, is he?”
Well, there was that. “No, it’s just fun with Cooper. Just sex, sex, and more sex. My problem is Riley. Aunt Barb is gone for good. She isn’t coming back, and until I find a replacement, I’m now a nanny.”
Betheni laughed so hard, she bent over, holding her sides, as her entire body shook.
“I don’t think it’s that funny,” Izzy huffed, not in a mood to see the humor of the situation.
“Sorry.” Betheni straightened and rubbed her eyes.
Izzy opened her purse and pulled out some cash. “At least I have money now for the rent.”
“Oh, that. I, uh, have one other thing to tell you.”
“What?” Izzy rubbed her hands over her face. She wasn’t going to like this, she just knew it.
“Well, speaking of Brad, he’s offered to let me stay in the studio apartment over his garage. I told the landlord we’re moving. Since we were such good renters, he’s giving us until tomorrow to be out, and he won’t charge us.”
It was a conspiracy. Izzy dropped down onto the old sagging couch and put her head in her hands. “You’re deserting me too?”
“No, not really. You can move there with me. It’s free, and it’ll allow me to get back on my feet.”
“The two of us in a studio? One bed, right? One bathroom?”
“It has a hide-a-bed.”
Izzy shook her head. “No, if something happens between you and Brad, we’d be out on our asses. Not to mention we’d kill each other being in that close proximity without even walls between us.”
“Okay. Then stay with Cooper for now. Everything is falling into place as it should.” Betheni perked up, as if she had it all figured out.
“I can’t stay with Cooper.” Izzy rubbed her eyes, feeling a headache coming on. Moving in with Cooper was the last thing she would do. Talk about giving up her independence—that’d be the final nail in that coffin.
“Sure you can. Most nannies live in the house with the children.” Betheni covered her mouth with her hand in an obvious attempt to stifle her amusement.
“I am not a nanny.” Izzy glared at her, beyond irritated.
Betheni shrugged. “Don’t be such a stubborn bitch. If you don’t want to stay with Cooper, pay the rent or move in with me.”
“I can’t afford this place on my own.” Izzy couldn’t believe this was happening to her. She couldn’t live with Betheni in a one-room studio. One of them would have to die.
And Izzy didn’t want it to be her.
She’d already become too indebted to Cooper, as it was. She would not move into his house, even if he was okay with it. At least, she’d be staying at Cooper’s when he went on road trips.
Betheni glanced at her watch and threw on a jacket. “Hey, I have to go. I’m meeting Brad for lunch. Get packed. Brad’s helping us move stuff out tonight.” Betheni breezed out the door.
Izzy didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, but she did know that her control over the situation teetered on a dangerous precipice. Not only had her sisters mutinied, but they’d left her homeless for all intents and purposes. She’d never have done this to them. They were growing up and away from her, while she still wanted to be the big sister who took care of everything for them. Only they didn’t want that. They’d changed. She hadn’t.
Izzy sat down to eat her soup, but finally poured it down the garbage disposal without eating a bit of it.
Her choices dwindled with every breath she took. Despite the money Cooper had advanced her, she couldn’t afford this apartment on her own.
All those old feelings of helplessness from her teen years flooded back. Her life was spiraling out of control, and nothing she did worked to bring it back into her tight clutches. And what started the spiral happened to be the same thing that started it every damn time.
Her parents. The people who were supposed to love her, protect her, nurture her. Yeah, right. Not her parents.
She put her head in her hands and did something she rarely did. She cried. She cried until snot ran out her nose, her sobs turned to hiccups, and her makeup made her look like a member of KISS.
Such an incredible night had turned to shit in a matter of minutes.
Gathering her wits, Izzy wiped her eyes and nose and started packing. Not sure where the hell she was going but knowing she had to go somewhere.
Her body voted for Cooper’s house. Her head told her to put up with Betheni, and her heart held its tongue.
Several hours and a loaded car later, she pulled into Cooper’s driveway.
Saturday night after the game Cooper toweled off his body as he walked out of the showers into the locker room.
As tired as he was, his game should’ve been off. But he kicked major ass in this last preseason game and took no prisoners. He was one of the league’s top players, still at the top of his game, not that he gave a shit about statistics, and he’d proven that tonight.
He only had one thing left to prove. He wanted the Cup. That elusive silver cup which had eluded him while he suffered through the purgatory of his former team and their destructive ownership. The Sockeyes’ organization was everything the Giants hadn’t been. They were committed to winning. In any other city, he’d have been committed to staying, but not Seattle. Never Seattle. He couldn’t stay in this city for reasons that had nothing to with the weather and everything to do with being haunted by the past.