From his back pocket, Arlo pulls out a business card, which he tosses onto my desk.
I glance at it. “What’s that?” I ask.
“The name of our lawyer. He knows you’ll be calling and he’s ready to work on annulment papers for you and Coraline.”
I pick up the card, pinching the slick paper between my fingers, and flick it back at Arlo. The corner of the card smacks him in the chest and then falls like a feather to the ground.
“Not happening.”
“What do you mean, not happening?” Arlo asks, fury lining his every word.
“It means, we’re staying married.”
“You don’t even know her.”
“I know her enough not to air her dirty laundry in front of her friends. I know enough to understand that she doesn’t want to be judged or chastised by her older brother. You’re supposed to protect her, not expose her faults.”
His brows shoot upward in shock as his fists clench at his sides. “You don’t know what I’ve been through with her. I’m protective for a reason.”
“You’re not being protective. You’re smothering her,” I say. “You’re not giving her a chance to prove herself, not that she needs to prove anything to anyone. But you certainly aren’t providing her the space to grow.”
“You have no goddamn clue what you’re talking about. Because you’ve been with her since Vegas, you think you’re the authority on who Coraline is? You have no fucking idea. There’s a reason I treat her the way that I do, because I almost lost her and she’s all I have left. I can’t lose her again.”
“Keep treating her the way you’re treating her and you’re bound to lose her either way.” The bell rings for school to start, so I say, “I’m not about to come between the two of you. Clearly you have some things to work on, but I’ll be damned if you embarrass her like that again. You’ll suffer far worse than that cut under your eye.”
My door pops open and Greer steps in, a worried look on her face. Hand to her heart, she heaves a sigh of relief and says, “Arlo, leave him alone.”
“Leave him alone?” Arlo repeats. “Is my wife really taking his side?”
“Yes, I am. Because you have been acting like a buffoon ever since the pool party. I love you dearly and I know you have good intentions, but you’re going about this the wrong way. Try to understand before you chastise. Your sister likes him. Figure out why.”
When Arlo turns back to me, I smile. “Listening to your wife would be in your best interest.”
“Fuck. You,” he says. He blows past Greer and heads out of the classroom.
“Sorry about that,” I say, feeling bad for Greer. Their home life can’t be comfortable right now.
“Why are you sorry? I should be the one apologizing. My husband is the one who’s currently unhinged.”
“Yeah, but it can’t be easy for you.”
She waves her hand dismissively. “Oh please, he’s the one suffering. I’m making him sleep on the couch, even though we have a guest room. What he did was uncalled for. Yes, I understand his actions go deeper than what’s at surface level, and it’s not my place to talk about Cora’s past, but he never should’ve said what he said. And he owes a lot of people apologies.”
“I can see he’s making the rounds,” I say sarcastically.
She chuckles. “Arlo is an interesting guy. He has a hard time admitting when he’s wrong. It takes him a bit to figure it out, but when he does, he’s wonderful at making it known how sorry he is. And maybe it’s so wonderful because he has to suck up his pride and admit to not knowing everything. Either way, give it some time, and if you can, encourage Cora to reach out to him.”
I scratch the side of my face. “I planned on broaching the subject this week. I didn’t want to push it, though, you know? She just started opening up. I don’t want her to shut back down.”
“Understandable.” Greer smiles shyly and then says, “I like you for her. And I know that’s weird to say, given the situation, but I think you’re a good guy, Pike.”
A pang of guilt hits me in the chest, because the situation is weird. Initially, I didn’t want anything to do with her because of Arlo, but then my pa’s threats forced me to open my eyes, set aside my reservations, and let her in.
Now that I have, I don’t want to let go.
“Thank you.”
“Just be careful with her,” Greer says. “She’s had a troubled past and has trust issues. The fact that she opened up to you and accepted your situation, is significant, and I’m not sure you know how much.”