Page 96 of The Woman By the Lake

Then he turned to the drive when he heard a car pulling in.

And he stopped smiling.

“You two, stay here,” he ordered as Lucille parked then got out.

“Who’s that?” he heard Nadia ask Ledge.

“Lucille. Bubbles’s girlfriend,” Ledger answered.

“Stay here,” Nadia said urgently.

Shit.

Riggs stopped, and she nearly ran into him because she was racing up the pier.

“Stay here,” he repeated when she made it to him.

“No,” she replied.

“Nadia.”

“No.”

“Please.”

“Absolutely not.”

They went into staredown.

“Heya! Doc?” Lucille called.

“Fuck,” he grunted, turned to his son, pointed at him and said, “Don’t move.”

Nadia dogging his steps, he strode up the slope to where Lucille was standing.

Her eyes were pinging back and forth between him and Nadia, and they didn’t stop, even when Riggs and Nadia stopped in front of her.

She finally looked to Riggs, thankfully, before she gave herself a stroke.

“I was worried I’d interrupt dinner,” she said.

“We ate earlier. What’s up?”

She looked pointedly at Nadia.

“Nadia, this is Lucille. Lucille, this is Nadia, my neighbor,” he introduced.

“Ahhhhhhhhhh…” Lucille let out, low and slow. “Your neighbor.”

He felt Nadia stiffen at his side.

“That’s what I said,” Riggs replied.

“Does Bubbles know all about your neighbor?” Lucille asked.

“Not to be rude, we just met, but why are you saying it that way?” Nadia asked.

“Darlin’, you looked in a mirror lately?” Lucille asked.

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