Chapter Sixteen
Brian squintedthrough the windshield of Cait’s Toyota and cursed her wiper blades. They were well past the point of needing to be replaced, and he could barely see through the smears and streaks as he made his way down the mountainous road.
Was this car even safe to drive? He tested the brakes and even though the tires felt slippery, the car was controllable.
Good thing Cait was behind the wheel of his Outback with the all-wheel drive. He kept it maintained and had just gotten new brakes and tires, and everything was aligned.
Cait, meanwhile, never paid attention to her car. She claimed she didn’t have to because it was a Toyota, and she only went short distances in the city, so why bother?
The tires were probably bald by now, and who knew whether they were inflated to the correct pressure or not.
Unlike most couples, he and Cait did everything separate. She had her own checking account which he deposited money into for household expenses and spending money for her, and she took care of her own car payments and maintenance.
In return, he never bugged her to make his dentist appointments or run errands for him. She did her thing. He did his.
Now that Connor was married to Nadine, he could tell his buddy thought he was strange, living with Cait as if they were roommates.
Maybe part of being in love was taking care of her things as if they were his own. He would have to make a note of this new thought and go through the Toyota from headlamp to taillight and make sure it was safe for his wife to drive.
Brian checked the time as he got onto the interstate. By now, Cait should have delivered the dogs and would be on her way home. He should have asked her to text him when she was finished, which was another new thought.
He made a note to himself. Being in love meant reporting in so as not to cause worry.
No more separate lives like ships passing in the night. For whatever reason, Cait wanted to give him a chance to be her lover, and even though he had not the slightest clue how to make her happy, he could copy her brother Connor and his buddies, Larry and Rob.
Monkey see, monkey do.
That was what Alana always told him when he couldn’t figure out a social situation. Watch what others do and do likewise, and no one would know the difference.
Which meant he owed Cait flowers. Maybe he should have coffee with her and give her the flowers.
Or surprise her with a box of chocolates.
Brian twisted the ideas around in his mind, trying to visualize Cait’s happy response.
Her eyes would light up first and she’d gasp, putting her hand over her chest. She’d blink at him and a smile would brighten her face. She would even blush if she thought he was staring at her, and then she’d bounce on her toes as she realized the flowers were for her, and not something to pass on to one of her sisters.
That happened too many times to count. Cait was always answering the door to flower delivery men only to place all sorts of flower arrangements on the dining table for either Jenna or Melisa. She would say that she was a married woman and no longer in the market, and Brian would take it as meaning he didn’t have to do anything.
Whenever he asked, she’d tell him she didn’t need flowers. So he took her at her word and did nothing.
Except if he did nothing for her, she would not feel loved. And logically, if she didn’t feel loved, she might find another man to give her those feelings. He slapped his forehead and sighed, wondering why women like Cait needed to be loved.
Love wasn’t logical, and as far as he could tell, it was undefined. It meant whatever a person wanted it to mean. People said and did a lot of things in the name of love. They, other than himself, searched for love, but always complained they couldn’t find it—which made them unhappy.
Cait was unhappy.
And if Brian wanted Cait to be happy and not wrap herself around another man, he’d better figure it out quickly.
Flowers? Candlelight dinner? Dancing? What would Cait like? Problem was, he had no clue. She was always surrounded by her family and in the middle of all their events. She never told him she needed anything.
Brian thought on these things as he drove. He was almost back to San Francisco when he realized he should go for the obvious. Flowers. Monkey see. Monkey do.
She’d be so surprised when she walked into their house and spotted the huge bouquet, thinking they were for Jenna, Melisa, or her mother.
She’d pretend not to stare at them, hang up her coat and walk by them as if they were nothing, and make sly remarks about secret admirers or in the case of her sisters, fiancés planning a surprise.
He’d saunter into the dining room and pretend to be shocked at the flowers—how large they were and how expensive they were, and ask Cait who they were for.
