Rainshadow Road (Friday Harbor #2)(61)

“It’s too soon.”

“I think so too,” Lucy admitted. “But she’s here, and I may as well get it over with.”

Sam hesitated before bending to slide his arms beneath her.

The contact jolted through Lucy as if an electric current had opened between them. She tried to conceal her reaction, concentrating on keeping her breathing steady. But as she held on to his shoulders, she saw a flush rise from the neck of his shirt, and she knew that she wasn’t the only one affected.

“Thank you,” she said, as he turned sideways to take her through the doorway. “I know you’d rather just kick her out.”

“I may kick her out anyway.” Sam headed to the stairs. “I’m keeping an eye on you. At the first sign of trouble, she’s gone.”

Lucy frowned. “I don’t want you standing over the two of us while we talk.”

“I won’t stand over you. But I’ll be nearby in case you need backup.”

“I won’t need backup.”

“Lucy, do you know what a concussion is?”

“Yes.”

Sam continued as if he hadn’t heard her. “It’s when you hit your head so hard that your brain slams into your skull, killing off large numbers of neurons. It can cause sleep problems, depression, and memory loss, and those side effects are aggravated if you strain yourself in any way.” He paused and added irritably, “And that includes sex.”

“Did the doctor say that?”

“He didn’t have to.”

“I don’t think sex would aggravate my concussion,” Lucy said. “Unless we did it upside down or on a trampoline.”

Although she’d meant to be funny, Sam didn’t seem to be in the mood for humor.

“We’re not doing it in any position,” he said vehemently.

As Sam settled Lucy onto the sofa with her leg elevated, Renfield got up from his mat in the corner. He shambled over to them, his face split with a pugnacious canine grin. Lucy reached down to pet him, while Sam went to get Alice. Unceremoniously he ushered her sister into the living room.

Oddly, although Lucy was the one with the bandages and leg splint, Alice struck her as being far more vulnerable. The heavy makeup, the expression hemmed with strain, the movements constricted by her four-inch heels, all added to an appearance of bruised insecurity.

“Hi,” Alice said.

“Hi.” Lucy forced a shallow smile to her lips. “Make yourself comfortable.”

As Lucy watched Alice lower herself carefully to the edge of a nearby chair, it seemed their history was all around them. Her relationship with Alice had been the most frustrating one of her life, filled with competition, jealousy, guilt, resentment. They had grown up having to battle for the limited resource of their parents’ attention. Although Lucy had always hoped the conflict between them would ease as they got older, it was now worse than ever.

Noticing that Alice was staring at the dog, Lucy said, “This is Renfield.”

The dog grunted and looked up at Lucy with a string of drool hanging from his undershot jaw.

“Is something wrong with him?” Alice asked with distaste.

“It would be easier to tell you what’s not wrong with him,” Sam said. To Lucy, he added, “You have ten minutes. After that, your sister’s leaving. You need to rest.”

“Okay,” Lucy said with a bland smile.

Alice wore an offended expression as she watched Sam leave the room. “Why is he so rude?”

“He’s trying to look out for me,” Lucy said in a low voice.

“What did you tell him about me?”

“Very little.”

“I’m sure you’ve talked to him about how Kevin left you, and what you think I did to—”

“You’re actually not the main subject of conversation around here,” Lucy said, more sharply than she had intended.

Alice closed her mouth and looked affronted.

After a brittle silence, Lucy asked, “Did Mom ask you to check on me?”

“No. This was my idea. I still care about you, Lucy. I don’t always behave in ways you’d like me to, but I am your sister.”

Lucy bit back an acid comment. Realizing that she had gone tense from head to toe, she tried to relax. A series of protesting twinges progressed along her spine.

Why in heaven’s name was Alice there? Lucy wanted to believe that she was motivated by concern, or at least that there was some genuine sisterly feeling left between them. But apparently it was going to require more than a blood tie to reestablish a connection between them. Because the unfortunate truth was, if Alice weren’t her sister, she was the kind of person Lucy wouldn’t have anything to do with.

“How’s it going with you and Kevin?” Lucy asked. “Are you still planning the wedding?”

“Yes. Mom and Dad are both coming out tomorrow to talk about wedding plans.”

“So they are going to pay for it?”

“I think so.”

“I thought they would,” Lucy said darkly, before she could stop herself. No matter what they said to the contrary, her parents were never going to hold Alice accountable for anything.

“You don’t think they should?” Alice asked.

“And you do?” Lucy countered.