Chapter Text
After a grueling twelve-hour shift, Carina had looked forward to lazily lounging at home with a glass of wine. Another rare occurrence for her. Instead, she was wrestling a sluggish and whiny, Mutt into a hastily purchased dog carrier. The dog went willingly enough, but Carina swore he narrowed his eyes as she placed him in the car. Then proceeded to howl his displeasure.
“Don’t give me that look, cucciolo (puppy),” Carina eyed him through the rearview mirror. “It’s for your own good.”
He had tons to say, but she carried him into the clinic anyway, still barking his protest.
The woman at the front desk looked up and smiled.
“Oh my,” she said. “He’s got quite the voice.”
“Sorry, and yes, he does. I’m Carina, I have a last-minute appointment.”
The woman’s smile widened at Carina’s accent, and her friendly eyes shined bright in recognition of her name. “Hello, Carina, how lovely to meet you. I’m Katherine. We didn’t actually get the name of your dog when you called.”
“I call him Mutt,” Carina said with a shrug. “I’m not keeping him, so I haven’t named him.”
If Katherine thought it odd, she didn’t show it as she handed Carina a form to fill out and took Mutt to a patient room.
“Oh, look at you, handsome,” Katherine softly murmured to Mutt, who tentatively peeked his head out of the crate, looking pissed. “What do you know about this little guy?”
“Not much. He’s a stray, but I don’t think anyone lets him inside or has gotten him checked out.”
“Aw,” Katherine bravely scooped up Mutt and cradled him to her chest. “Don’t you have the sweetest mama?”
“Oh no, I’m not his owner,” Carina clarified. “He hangs around behind the condo I’m staying in. I just wanted to make sure he’s taken care of.”
“So a good dog mom with a big heart.” Katherine continued to love up on Mutt, who’d lost his defensiveness and seemed to be enjoying the attention.
“This precious boy needs a real name,” Katherine said. “That’s the first step in making him yours.”
Carina chuckled. “But he’s not mine.” Just saying it made Carina a tiny bit sad. “I’m a doctor. I work long shifts that always turn into more, so I’d be a terrible pet owner. Plus, I’m only here until the end of the ski season, and then I’ll be gone.”
This seemed to startle Katherine. And a funny look crossed her face. “Where to?”
“I take assignments all over the world. My friend, back home in Italy, wants my help at a clinic she’s starting, and maybe South America next.”
Katherine paused. “Putting yourself on the front lines to take care of other people. Your parents must be so proud.”
Her mom might’ve been proud of her, sure. Then she had to go and cease to exist. And her dad was something all right, but proud probably wasn’t it. But then again, if she’d had a parent like Katherine, Carina probably wouldn’t be traveling around all over. She’d want a relationship with her family. She’d want to put down roots and live close.
You’re living close to your brother . . .
At the thought of Andrea, Carina was hit by the usual colliding mix of emotions. She reminded herself that she didn’t have a relationship with him because of her tough call to get him help–a decision that drove a wedge between them. Their connection took a hit and neither dared to make the first move in repairing it.
Carina reminded herself that she didn’t want to cause any more problems. She wouldn’t be the one to bring her brother stress. But then again, he hadn’t tried to keep her around. More than happy to see her jet off. Despite their friendly relationship over time, their conversations never went beyond small talk. Kept at arm’s length.
“I’m not close to my family.”
“Oh, I’m so sorry.” Katherine felt bad for asking, but that didn’t stop her from asking more. “Well then, certainly, the woman in your life is proud.”
“Um–”
Carina's jaw dropped as she stared warily at the older woman. People usually assumed she was straight or at a bare minimum tried to stay gender-neutral; this was the first time a stranger pegged her so smoothly. Not that she had a woman in her life. Maya was not hers.
“Oh, dear,” Katherine tutted while Mutt retched the contents of his tummy all over the table.
“What’s wrong with him?” Carina’s heart leaped into her throat.
Once he was done, Mutt did a big stretch, licked his muzzle, and finished with a full body shake, trudging over to Carina for pets.
“He probably got into something he shouldn’t have. Happens with all pets.” Katherine leaned across the table and patted Carina’s hand. “You don’t need to worry. Our vet here is one of the best.”
Carina hugged Mutt tightly. “Thank you.”
Katherine smiled. “You’re a good dog Mom, Carina. I'm sure I'll see you again soon."
“What does that mean?” Carina asked in alarm, confused, just as the vet stepped in to greet her politely.
__________
Maya spent the day in the back office at Bishop Sports. She’d purposely waited until the store was busy to let herself into the stock room. She wanted to do a quick inventory check against what was in the system. Because so far, according to Emmett’s investigation, Kate had dipped her fingers into just about every corner of the business.
Emmett highly insinuated that Maya get the authorities involved to nail Kate’s ass, but she didn’t want to freak her parents out or Mason. Not until Emmett finished his audit. Maya wanted to dot her i’s and cross her t’s before breaking her family’s hearts.
But after her date the previous night, her mission at the store was more than just the inventory check. Maya wanted to ask Mason what the hell he’d been thinking befriending her pretend girlfriend. Luckily, her brother came to her, poking his head into the storage room.
“What are you doing poking around back here?” he asked.
Maya leaned against a wall of shelving.
“Seems to me you’re the one poking around.”
Mason blinked and stepped fully into the room, leaning against the shelf opposite her. “You’ve got something to say?”
Maya bit back her snark, knowing from experience that accusing her brother directly would make him defensive. Despite her efforts to create space, he stuck by her side, unwavering, even though she’d always been a domineering presence. Like their dad. His divorce had taken Mason by surprise, causing pain, but he still managed to support his parents and daughter. And, of course, Maya.
That’s why he meddled, Maya reminded herself. Because he loved her, in his annoying, brotherly way. So she crossed her arms and stared at him, quirking an eyebrow haughtily. Mason hated it.
And in three, two, one–
“Fine,” he caved. “Clearly Carina told you about our coincidental meet-up.”
Coincidental, her ass. “I don’t know how you figured out where she would be and at what time, but that wasn’t a coincidence, Mason.”
He shrugged. “So what if one of our regulars happens to work with her, and conveniently shared a good time for me to volunteer? It’s not my fault you won’t tell us anything about your girlfriend. Like the fact that she’s not your girlfriend.”
Never underestimate the depths that a smug younger brother would stoop to.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Mason grinned, knowing he had her cornered. “She’s obviously single, Maya.”
“Or she isn’t into gossiping about her love life.”
“Is that the story you’re sticking to?”
Damn. She could deny, deny, deny, but her brother called bullshit and wasn’t backing down. Maybe he could help her find a way out of the mess she never should've started.
“Okay,” Maya started. “So hypothetically, let’s say I do have a pretend girlfriend.”
“Uh-huh . . .” Mason crossed his arms.
“What if I wanted to make things real?”
Mason rolled his eyes. “Let me guess,” he said. “You’re asking for a friend.”
“Sure,” Maya agreed. “Let’s go with that.”
Mason looked at her for a beat. “Is your friend asking for advice on how to get laid, or is she genuinely ready to move on? Because, no offense, you haven’t had more than a casual hookup, and you have a way of being effortlessly charming when you want something, and I don’t want anyone to get hurt.”
“I’m asking for a friend, remember?”
“Is your friend an idiot?” Mason countered.
Maya sighed. “Forget it. Forget I said anything.”
The door opened, nearly hitting Mason in the face. Katherine Bishop came in then, bouncing with joy.
“Guess who I met earlier during my volunteer shift at the humane society!” She trilled happily.
Maya turned and thunked her head against the steel shelving.
“Don’t worry, dear. I didn’t tell her who I was.”
“What?!”
Straight out of a nightmare, Amelia manifested out of thin air behind Maya’s mom. “What did I miss?”
“Oh my god,” Maya sighed. “And you’re here why?”
Her mom gasped. “What kind of way is that to speak to your friend?”
Behind Katherine’s back, Amelia stuck out her tongue at Maya. In turn, Maya very discreetly gave her the middle finger.
“And I invited Amelia here,” her mom said. “Because we have all that leftover food from Sloan’s surprise birthday lunch. Amelia worked a bunch of shifts and I bet she hasn’t eaten a good meal.”
Amelia looked over at her sheepishly, a look that let Maya know she’d recently had a decent meal.
“Come help me, Mason.” And with that, Maya’s mom and brother were gone.
Amelia plopped into one of the chairs in the corner and rubbed her hands over her face.
“Long few days?” Maya asked.
“You could say that.”
Maya dropped into another chair. “Want to tell me what’s going on?”
“Nope.”
“Okay, glad we could clear that up.”
Amelia laughed cheerfully. “What do you know about your pretend girlfriend’s best friend?” She winked. Or at least what Maya assumed was a wink. To her, it looked like Amelia just blinked.
“How do you know about Carina?”
“I have my ways.”
Maya groaned, grabbed a soft-looking package from the shelf, and squeezed it for dear life.
“She’s smart, feisty and sassy and . . . “ Maya buried her face in her hands. “Gorgeous.”
“Your pretend girlfriend or her best friend?” Amelia joked.
“Shut the fuck up,” Maya groaned and threw the package at her.
“What’s the problem?”
“She doesn’t like me.”
Amelia snickered. “Oh, you're serious.”
Maya shrugged. “I’m so screwed.”
“Come on. Stevie Wonder can see the sparks happening between you two. Just tell her how you feel.”
“Are you kidding? It’s not that simple.”
“Maya don’t be a dummy. Be honest about your feelings.”
“I’ll just mess it up. Besides neither of us is sticking around for long.”
Amelia felt an ache to see Maya so scared. She considered Maya her family and only wanted what was best for her. No matter how hurt she was at Maya disappearing on her, she’d always root for her best friend—for her sister.
“Maya, it’s okay,” Amelia told her gently. “Liz would want you to move on. To be happy with someone new.”
Having a heartfelt conversation in a dusty storage room after years of silence wasn’t ideal but here they were. “You have to let go of the guilt, Maya. I’ve forgiven you. We’ve forgiven you. Forgive yourself. You can't let regret haunt you, Bishop. You had doubts, but I know you loved her. Liz knew too. And she would want you to stop blaming yourself.”
Maya closed her eyes and breathed, letting it out shakily. A strange wave of emotions coursed through her. A sense of reassurance pulsed strong as she and Amelia made teary eye contact. But despite the blessing she needed to heal, Maya resisted the thought.
“I miss her too,” Amelia continued, sensing Maya’s hesitation. “And I know she’d tell your ass to stop sulking and go get the girl.”
Maya laughed mirthlessly.
“Carina’s special, just take it slow. One step at a time. You can figure out the rest later.”
Maya shook her head. Stubborn. “Pretend girlfriend, remember?”
Amelia grunted, rolling her eyes. “You’re such a dumbass.”
“I know.”