Sisters by Choice (Blackberry Island #4)(81)

“A boyfriend can also get you pregnant,” she said before she could stop herself. At Elliot’s startled look, she added, “My mom got pregnant when she was eighteen. My dad was a cowboy, visiting for the rodeo. I have no idea who he is. They had a weekend and then he was gone. I came along nine months later.”

“I’m sorry.”

“That I was born?”

Elliot smiled. “Of course not. That you never knew your father. From what you’ve told me, your mother took a difficult situation and made it worse.”

“It’s a gift,” she said lightly, thinking of the apartment-hunting fiasco. “I’ve always been cautious about getting involved with a guy. I’m afraid of what will happen.”

“You are aware of birth control, aren’t you?”

She flushed. “Yes. It’s not all about being afraid of getting pregnant. I don’t want to be tied down.”

“And yet you do nothing to try to leave. Why is that?”

“I don’t know. I can’t just walk away. My mom won’t make it without me. I wasn’t lying before, when I first started working for you. I pay for everything. I have since I was sixteen. She depends on me.”

“And you let her.”

“That’s not fair. You don’t know what it’s like. You don’t know what she’s like.”

“That’s true.” He looked at her. “But I do know that people who take advantage of others will do so until they are forced to stop. If you’re waiting for her to have an epiphany about her behavior, it’s not going to happen. It’s like feeding a stray animal. It will return to where the food is for as long as there is food. You’re playing the game using her rules. Maybe it’s time to create a few of your own.”

“That’s a lot of mixed metaphors.”

He chuckled. “Yes, it is. I apologize for that. But the truth is still the truth. Your mother treats you the way she does because you let her. She won’t be responsible for herself until she has to be, and as long as you’re taking care of her, she has no reason to change.”

“I can’t just walk away.”

His smile faded. “If that’s true, then you’re trapped here forever, Heather. Because if you want to be more, you have to leave. I’m sure you already know that.”

She wanted to tell him he was wrong, but however much the words hurt, she knew they were the truth.

“I don’t want to be a bad person.”

“You’re not. Have you ever been on a plane?”

“What? Once, when I was little. I went to Disneyland with my aunt Kristine and her family.” Her mother had been furious not to be invited and had railed against the unfairness of it for months.

“The flight attendants always tell you if there’s a drop in cabin pressure, to put on your mask first, then help others. You can’t save others if you’re dead.”

“That’s blunt.”

He shrugged. “Maybe, but it’s also true. Save yourself. Once you have a college education and a good-paying job, you’ll be in a position to help your mother. Right now you’re drowning and you don’t even know it.”



Chapter Twenty-Two


Sophie was 90 percent sure Amber had been messing with her about a woman living with Dugan. Okay, 80 percent, but it was a strong 80 percent. There was no way. They were seeing each other and he wasn’t the kind of guy to cheat.

Or was he? What did she actually know about him? Until a few weeks ago, she hadn’t had a clue about his past. She’d thought he was just some guy who was into being, you know, calm, and stuff. They’d had sex twice before she’d even learned his last name. Did she actually know anything about his character?

It wasn’t as if they’d agreed to be exclusive. A case could be made they were barely dating and once she’d found out who he was, she’d refused to sleep with him. That was no one’s definition of a relationship.

Which meant she shouldn’t care if he was seeing anyone. Seriously, why did it matter at all? So she didn’t care. Not her. Not a bit. When she saw him on Sunday morning at the weekly Tai Chi class, she would casually ask. Or not. Because she didn’t care.

That logic lasted until three thirty the next day when Sophie couldn’t stand it anymore. She left work and drove to Dugan’s house where, propelled by righteous indignation, she marched up to the front door and rang the bell.

A woman answered. A beautiful woman with perfect features and long, dark hair and big eyes the color of spring leaves. She was curvy in all the right places, with long legs and a smile that could light up a village.

“Hi,” the woman said cheerfully. “Can I help you?”

Sophie considered herself pretty. She wasn’t over-the-top, but she was enough above meh to not have to explain herself. She and the creature in front of her shared the same basic body parts that men found attractive—breasts, a decent ass, a face, but somehow it was as if they were from different species. And Sophie had a bad feeling her branch of the family tree was not the superior one.

“I, ah, thought...” She did her best to pull herself together. “I’d like to speak to Dugan, please.”

The smile widened. “Oh, sure. Come in. I’m Judy, by the way.”