Chapter 19
1042 Words
CHAPTER 19
Okay. This was getting ridiculous.
She had to go down there and talk to him. Sara’s party was today, and she was supposed to spend the morning helping Jenna decorate. It would be better if she at least talked to Lucas before they had to interact in front of people. Especially when those people were family members who knew them both too well.
A quick look in the mirror reassured her that her lack of sleep wasn’t that obvious (thank you, make-up), and she’d hardly cried at all the last two days, so her red eyes had calmed right down. She’d practised what she planned to say to Lucas with Marcie last night, so she wouldn’t have to worry about finding the right words in the moment. Plus, she looked damn good in her favourite jeans and a filmy blouse that was subtly sexy but not too obvious. The fabric clung nicely in all the right places, designed to make him extremely sorry about his poor choices and remind him exactly what he was missing out on.
She had the higher ground here. He was the one who’d decided to date someone else and then lie about it. He’d made his bed, and now he could lie in it. Literally. Because hers was no longer available to him.
And with that, she was ready. Time to go downstairs and end this… situation… face to face, like a grown-up.
Shannon took a deep breath and headed towards the coffee shop.
It was the yelling that tipped her off. Something wasn’t quite right. What the hell is Lauren doing here? As far as she knew, Lauren hadn’t been back to Rivers End since the day she’d walked out on Isaac and Sara. Shannon stood outside the open door, listening. No way was she going to make nice with her ex-sister-in-law. She’d just stand outside until Lucas’s visitor left, thank you very much.
She couldn’t help it if she could hear every word they said.
“Lauren, what the hell are you doing here? Does Isaac know you’re in town?” He was aware that his voice was raised. But what was she thinking, trying to have this conversation—any conversation—in the middle of a dripping room?
“Of course not, why would he? It would only upset him. I came to see you, Lucas. We were in town looking at the country club. Brad’s a member, and God only knows why, but he wants to have the wedding here this spring. Something about his parents not wanting to travel.”
“What does that have to do with me?” He was about two seconds from exploding, and every minute he wasted talking to his sister risked more damage to the shop. He was only listening with half an ear as it was, bustling around trying to move anything important out of the direct spray of water.
“You’re my only real family. I want you to give me away.”
Is she really that cold? “I’m not your only family. You have a daughter, in case you’ve forgotten.”
“Come on, Lucas. I want you there. It would look strange not to have any family there at all. And of course I haven’t forgotten I have a daughter. I’d like Sara to be a flower girl. But I’ll need you to smooth it over with Isaac. He’s always liked you.”
Was she insane? “Sara hasn’t seen you in five years. Do you honestly think you can just waltz in and pick up where you left off?” The pout and big eyes routine had long since ceased to work on him. “Forget it. If you want Sara there, you’ll have to take it up with Isaac. I got in the middle of you two once before, and I’m not doing it again.”
“You owe me, Lucas. You wrecked my first marriage. This is my fresh start, and I want my brother there.”
Lucas spun around, now full-on furious. “Are you kidding me right now? I didn’t wreck your marriage. You’re the one that had the affair. All I did was force you to face Isaac before you walked out on your family.”
He generally tried to be patient with Lauren. He only had one sister, and he’d grown up in the same messed up family she had. “I told you I’d be there for the wedding, and yes, I’ll give you away, but that’ll have to be enough. Now unless you’re going to help me deal with this pipe situation, I suggest you get out.”
He shouldn’t have been surprised when she turned around and walked out. But somehow, it still hurt. Some kind of family he had. His life was falling apart around him, and all she wanted was a favour. He made a mental note to buy Isaac a beer and give him a heads-up that Lauren might be in touch, then pulled his cell phone out of his pocket.
Well, he knew he was on his own. That was nothing new.
Shannon wasn’t talking to him, his sister was pissed off, and he was about to ruin his niece’s birthday party. He’d better not let his business fail as well.
There was no way he could get things cleaned up by Monday and follow through with his planned opening date, but hopefully the insurance would cover most of the damage. Lucas paled at the thought. God, he hoped whatever had caused the flood wasn’t somehow his fault. He’d put every cent he had into getting things to this point. If the insurance didn’t cover it, he’d be done before he even got started. On top of everything else this week, well, that would just be the icing on the shitty cake.
He had an urge to just lock the door and walk away. But running away from problems was how other people in his family dealt with things. This time, Lucas wasn’t going anywhere. This was his home.
And even if the only person who really cared if he stayed or went was him, he was sticking around this time. He’d promised Sara that he was here to stay. And that was one promise he would never break.
Lucas took a deep breath, resisted the urge to call Shannon, and dialled Isaac’s number. Time to break his niece’s heart and make it a full hat trick of disappointed women in his life.
- Writer
