Page 75 of Rainshadow Road

Alice made a little snorting sound of disbelief. Which Lucy didn’t blame her for, since she knew that Alice didn’t understand what she’d meant.

The mantel clock measured out a generous half minute before Alice spoke. “I’m going to invite you to the wedding. It’s up to you whether or not you want to come. If you want a relationship with me, that’s up to you too. I’d like for things to go back to normal. I’m sorry for everything that’s happened to you, but none of it’s my fault and I’m not going to spend the rest of my life paying for it.”

This, Lucy realized, was what her sister had come to say.

Alice stood. “I have to go now. By the way, Mom and Dad want to meet Sam. They want to take you out to dinner tomorrow night, or have something brought in.”

“Oh, great,” Lucy said wearily. “Sam will love that.” Leaning her head back against the sofa, she asked, “Do you want him to show you out? I’ll call for him.”

“Don’t bother,” Alice said, her heels clacking loudly on the wood floor.

Lucy was still and silent for a few minutes. Gradually she became aware that Sam was standing beside her, his face unreadable.

“How much did you hear?” she asked dully.

“Enough to know that she’s a narcissistic bitch.”

“She’s miserable,” Lucy muttered.

“She got what she wanted.”

“She always does. But it never makes her happy.” Sighing, Lucy rubbed the sore back of her neck. “My parents are coming tomorrow.”

“I heard.”

“You don’t have to go to dinner with us. They can pick me up and take me somewhere, and you can finally have some privacy.”

“I’ll go with you. I want to.”

“That’s more than I can say. I’m pretty sure they’re going to pressure me into making up with Alice, and they’ll want me to attend the wedding. If I do go, it’ll be awful. If I don’t, I’ll look like the jealous, bitter older sister. As usual, there’s no winning in my family. Except for Alice. She gets to win.”

“Not forever,” Sam said. “And not if winning means marrying Pearson. It’s a match made in hell.”

“I agree.” Lucy leaned her head against the back of the sofa, contemplating Sam. A bittersweet smile curved her lips. “I need to get back to my glasswork. It’s the only thing that will help me to stop thinking about Alice and Kevin and my parents.”

“What can I do?” Sam asked quietly.

Lucy found herself looking up into his blue-green eyes and thinking that in the neatly organized inventory of all her plans and hopes, Sam Nolan didn’t fit at all. He was a complication she hadn’t counted on.

But despite Sam’s self-admitted flaws, he was an honest, caring man. God knew she’d had too few of those in her life. The problem was thatforeverdid not apply to a relationship with a man like Sam. He’d been nothing but clear about that.

Instead of focusing on what she couldn’t have with him… maybe she should try to discover what was possible. She’d never had a relationship based on friendship and pleasure without the entanglement of emotions. Could she do that? What would she gain from it?

A chance to feel alive, and let go. A chance to have some pure, unadulterated fun before she went on with the next part of her life.

Making the decision, Lucy looked at him resolutely. He had asked what he could do for her, and she had the answer.

“Have sex with me,” she said.

Eighteen

Sam stared at her for so long, and with such a flabbergasted expression, that Lucy began to feel somewhat indignant.

“You look like you just swallowed one of Renfield’s heartworm pills,” she said.

Tearing his gaze away, Sam raked a hand through his hair, leaving some of the dark brown locks standing on end. He began to pace around the room, each step infused with agitation. “Today’s not a good day to joke about that stuff.”

“Dog medication?”

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