Page 62 of Fatal Deception
“See what?” Audra demanded.
“You need someone bossy,” Franny said with complete sincerity. “And hot. Copeland fits the bill.”
“Bossy is obnoxious,” Rosalie muttered before Audra could think of something to say.
They were moving around her. Everyone was taking over, and Audra simply didn’t know what to do. It was like she was stuck in some vortex, some alternate reality, where she wasn’t the one holding everything together.
“You say that because you’re the bossy one in your relationship,” Franny retorted as she began to clear the table.
Rosalie scoffed.
“Duncan’s a marshmallow for you,” Audra addeed with just a hint of wistfulness, unable to stop herself. Then she grabbed the rest of the dirty dishes and walked over to the sink. She wasn’t going to be…helpless, frozen,vortexed. This was her life, her family, her ranch. She’d always been in charge of all those things.
Always.
“Oh, Duncan’s plenty bossy.” Rosalie wiggled her eyebrows until Franny and Audra were laughing, and it felt good. For her sister and cousin to be home. To be laughing.
But… She wasn’t in control, and she didn’t know what to do with that feeling. Except wrestling some of it back. She bumped Franny away from the sink. “You must be exhausted, rushing home. Why don’t you go unpack and rest?”
“It was hardly a rush or a sacrifice. I can go back and visit my parents anytime, Audra.” Franny bumped her right back out of the way. And then Rosalie slid in between them, like she was going to fight Audra off.
So Audra started in on her campaign to get Rosalie out of here. “I hope you know you don’t have to stay here, and Duncan certainly doesn’t need to help with my chores. Your house is just a stone’s throw away. Franny’s home and—”
“And you’ve got a detective cozied up in your bed?” Rosalie interrupted, arms crossed over her chest, expression somewhere between disapproving and assessing.
Audra wasn’t sure what was going to happen now that everyone was back. She’d try to get Copeland to leave too. She’d have to convince him that she was well taken care of now, and he didn’t need to be here twenty-four seven.
She didn’t want to.
Which made saying the rest hard, but she’d swallow her pride if it got her sister living her very nice life over worrying about Audra’s. “If it’ll get you to go home and stop putting yourself out for me, he can stay here.”
Rosalie rolled her eyes. “He can stay here, my butt. You couldn’t get him out of here at gunpoint. Or you would have by now.”
Audra opened her mouth to argue with Rosalie, but she couldn’t find the words. Because she was a little too scared that she was letting her personal feelings for Copeland undermineall the strength she’d built up these past few years, which had been scary enough on its own, but with her family back it felt…dangerous.
Everything was flying out of control, and Audra needed to find a way to center it all, anchor it all, before…
Beforesomething.
Maybe if she convinced everyone to leave her alone, she could accomplish something and feel more in control.
“I’m so glad you’re both back,” Audra said, forcing some cheer into her voice. “I wish you hadn’t closed out your trips early, but it’s good to have you home. And since you are, I just… I haven’t had a moment to myself in days. I… I just need some alone time. To think things through. Copeland’s been all up on this twenty-four-seven nonsense, and I haven’t had a moment to myself.”
She smiled hopefully at Franny, who kept her head bent and focused on washing the dishes. So she turned to Rosalie, who was scowling.
“How about this, just this once, for the slightest change, you try totalk it through, instead of isolating yourself and thinking through a problem without any help. I’m a private investigator, Audra. This is myjob. I’m your sister. This is my family.”
Maybe it was Karly firmly rejecting those terms—sister, family—that had Audra relenting. Because she liked to think she could maneuver Rosalie when she wanted to, but not when Rosalie sounded hurt. Not when there was someone who wanted to be her sister.
She let out a long breath. Maybe it was only fair to give Rosalie this, even if Audra wanted to handle it herself. Even if she wanted…
What the hell do you want, Audra?She felt like Copeland Beckett had swept into her life—on her own invitation—and jumbled it all up.
But Rosalie tugged on her arm, nudged her into a seat at the table. “I want to hear the whole story. The real story. Fromyourpoint of view.” Rosalie went to a drawer, pulled out a little notebook and a pen. “This might be Copeland’s case, but it’s mine now too.”
“And once we’re done with that,” Franny said, settling herself on Audra’s other side, “you can share the details on just what twenty-four seven with Copeland Beckett entails.”
“It entails Copeland Beckett in his underwear in her bed this morning,” Rosalie grumbled, clearly disgusted.