Page 166 of Hidden Ties

“Why am I not surprised you’re not playing fair?” Giving him a snide look, Sage tried to take Tinsley from his arms.

He dodged her hands and moved around her, heading toward her living room.

“What time are you taking the girls back home?” Abruptly, he stopped, seeing a woman sitting on the couch. “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize Sage had company.”

“Glory isn’t company. My sister and the girls live here with me.”

Giving her a surprised look, Kent put the girls back on their feet before walking toward her sister.

“Hello.” He extended his hand. “I’m sorry to have interrupted your evening, but I really need to talk to Sage.”

Glory briefly shook his hand, looking back and forth between them before settling on him as she released his hand. “I don’t think my sister wants to talk to you.”

“I admit Sage is right to be upset with me.” Kent felt a surge of sympathy for the frail woman sitting next to an oxygen machine. There was no way to know if the girls resembled her or not; her face was a mask of burned scars. The pain she must have gone through had to have been horrendous. “I tried to call, but she didn’t answer.”

“I turned my phone off when I got home. I didn’t see your call, and I wouldn’t have answered if I had.”

“I think you should go,” Glory said.

Kent could hear the wheeze in her voice, despite her being on oxygen. He wasn’t a medical professional, but even he could see how seriously ill Sage’s sister was. If he hadn’t felt bad enough already, Glory added another level of guilt to his conscience. He couldn’t have the discussion with Sage he wanted to have with her sister within hearing distance. Kent didn’t want to make the sick woman upset by discussing this afternoon in front of her.

“I’ll leave.” Turning to Sage, he nodded his head toward the doorway. He still wanted a private word with her before he left.

Glaring at him, she started down the hallway.

He narrowed his eyes on her and asked, “Why are you limping?”

“None of your business.” Sage reached out to open the door. “Leave.”

His eyes were on the hand she was holding the door open with. “Come outside to the hallway for a second.”

“No.”

“Either you can explain why you’re limping and why your palm is raw, or you’ll have to call the cops to get me out of here,” he said in a hard tone.

“I’ll get my phone, then.”

“Do you really want the girls to see the police throw me out?”

“Fine,” she snapped, conceding.

“I’ll be back, Glory!” she called out.

Kent made Sage go through the door first, not chancing she would lock him out if he preceded her.

Shutting the door, she turned to him angrily. “I can’t believe your audacity to have the nerve to come here.”

He shrugged. “I’m a lawyer; that’s a professional requirement.”

Sage stared at him humorlessly. “You’ve never shown up at my door unexpectedly before. How did you figure out I found out about Livvy and you?”

“Mrs. Boward asked if you had brought me lunch. She was surprised you hadn’t. I’m sorry about what you must have heard. I didn’t mean to hurt you. I was going to tell you after—”

“You just can’t stop lying, can you?” Hatred filled her face. “You could have told me last night when I asked you about Livvy. You didn’t. Instead, I had to hear both of you talking about me. Listen to you”—Sage leaned sideways on the wall, turning her face away from him—“have sex with her,” she said brokenly. “I told you I was in love with you; all you had to do was be honest with me and tell me you were only using me to keep whatever you want to call you have going on with Livvy a secret from Garrett.”

“Sage, please …”

She held a hand up to stop him. “Don’t worry; if you came for damage control, I won’t say a word to Garrett or Gail about you two. They have three children; if they separate, it won’t be because of anything I said or did.”

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