She took advantage of that because she was always willing to go there. I wasn't shaming her. I just hated how she used it to hurt me. Rowan was the third guy I had started to date that she made a move on. I wondered if he'd been telling me the truth the other night, that it had never gone further than what I saw. I would always have to wonder.
“Get out of my head, Rowan,” I said to the ceiling.
The ceiling had nothing to say in return.
Chapter Six
Rowan
“Colbie, are you okay?” I asked.
Colbie let out a very deep sigh, but then my sixteen-year-old sister was the master of sighs, usually dramatic and overblown. “Yes, I'm okay. Why are you asking?”
“Why do you think I'm asking?” I returned, tapping the credit card screen at the gas station as I held the phone in one hand and waited for the receipt to print for the gas I’d just gotten.
Another sigh filtered through the phone line. “Because Mom and Dad don't like my new boyfriend.”
She was spot-on. Our mother had, in fact, shared her worries about my sister's new boyfriend with me just the other day. That wasn't the only reason I was calling my sister, but part of it. I wasn't going to tell her she was right, though. “Why don't they like your new boyfriend?” Even though I knew what my parents thought, I wanted to hear my sister’s perception of the situation.
“Dad thinks he's controlling, and Mom had a talk with me the other night.”
I chuckled because I, too, had been subjected to my mother's talks when I was a teenager. I didn’t miss those even though I adored my mother. “What was this talk about? Fill me in.”
Even though I was also worried about my sister's new boyfriend because my parents weren't stupid, I was going to stay connected to her because it wouldn't help a thing to alienate her from all of us.
“She talked to me about birth control and scheduled an appointment with my doctor. She wants to make sure I'm on the pill or something.” The affront in Colbie’s tone rang through the line.
I had to grit my teeth at that. Obviously, with my sister being sixteen years old, it was possible she was sexually active, but I fucking did not want to think about that. Nor did I want to think about any guy who wanted to have sex with her because I might have to punch him right in the face. I suppose it was good I was in Alaska and over four thousand miles away from Stolen Hearts Valley. I took a breath, marshaling my composure as I tucked the receipt in my pocket and climbed in my SUV.
“Okay, she had the birth control talk. I'm familiar with that,” I said, keeping my tone level and casual even though I didn't feel that way at all inside. “What else?”
“Oh, Lord, she talked to me about consent and my body and loving myself and gave me this whole talk about red flags in relationships. Larry is not an asshole. He just really likes me. I'm special. That's what he told me. He’s the first guy who ever told me that.”
Alarms were blaring in my brain. “Tell me what he said. Exactly. And, of course, you’re special.”
“Yeah, I'm your little sister. Jesus. Plus, I was an accident way after Mom thought she couldn't have kids anymore, so you’re too old to be annoyed with me.”
I laughed softly. “True story. Anyway, back to Larry. What did he say?”
“He said he can't help himself. I’m really special to him, so he has to make sure I'm okay. That's why Dad thinks he's controlling. He likes me to share my location with him, so we're on that app.”
Anger rolled through me. My spidey sense was tingling, big time. “Oh, yeah? What app?”
“You know, the one we share. I tracked your drive all the way to Alaska.”
Oh, thank fuck. It was the same app, and we were already connected.
“All right, what else?”
“He worries about my friends because he doesn't want anyone to take advantage of me.”
“Like your girlfriends?”
“No, my guy friends,” Colbie explained.
“Even Trent?” I prompted. Trent was one of Colbie’s best friends and had been since they were little. They were practically brother and sister, and I'd seen them together many times. There was no there there. They were truly just friends.
“Jealousy can be weird, so be careful about that,” I added, trying to keep my tone casual. Jesus, who the fuck was Larry, and what was I going to do about him? He was new to town. Even my mother admitted he was handsome.
Colbie sighed. Again. “I know. It's not jealousy. He's just protective.”
“What does Trent think of him?” I asked. I hoped that might elicit some sort of reaction from my sister.
“I don't know,” she said, her tone careful.
“You still hanging out with Trent?”
“Uh, some.”
Ah, fuck. I was not feeling good about this, but there was nothing for me to do, even if I was there. It wasn't like I could barge in and tell my sister who she could and couldn't date.
“You just remember someone who really cares about you also cares about the people who matter to you,” I finally said, thinking that was pretty lame, but it was all I could think of.
My sister called me out. “Nice try, Rowan. Obviously, I know that. Anyway, what's up with you? How's Alaska?”
“It's good. I like it so far.”
“Are you coming home for Thanksgiving?” she asked as I drove toward home. Thanksgiving was weeks away.
“I'm not sure. It's either Thanksgiving or Christmas. I need to talk to my boss about which holiday I can take off, but I'll talk to Mom and Dad first. How's that sound?”
“Good. I miss you,” she said.
“I miss you too. So, tell me. How's Mom?”
My sister went quiet for a moment, her voice soft when she replied, “I think she's okay. You know, they don't talk to me about her medical stuff. I just know when she's had chemo because she's exhausted afterward.”
My stomach twisted, and worry churned. “All right. Stay in touch now. Okay?”
“Always,” she retorted.
“Mom around?”
“Yeah, she's cooking dinner. You called me on my cell,” she pointed out.
“I don't suppose you’d hand it over to her,” I countered dryly.
“No, I have other things to do with my phone, and I’m all the way upstairs. Call the house phone.”
I chuckled. “Love ya, sis. Talk soon.”
I waited to call my parents’ house number until I pulled into my driveway. Even though both of my parents used cell phones, they still relied on the house phone for regular calls. I could picture it mounted on the kitchen wall in my mind's eye. It rang twice before my mother answered while I walked up the stairs to my apartment.
“Hey, Rowan.”
“Hey, Mom. How's it going?”
“Good, good. You?”
“I’m fine. I talked to Colbie. I don't have a good feeling about this guy.” I tucked the phone against one shoulder as I walked into my apartment and closed the door behind me, immediately crossing the room to check the thermostat.