Love Handles (Oakland Hills #1)(100)

He’d already suggested they get serious, and she’d doubted him, insulted him, pushed him away. “Is that true, Liam? You want to get serious about me?”

He didn’t hesitate. “Yes.”

Her breathing, already fast, became tight and uneven, a conscious struggle. “Oh?”

Gail burst into the room. “You’re all right!”

“Mom?” Then her sister popped up behind her. “Kate? What are you doing here?”

Gail rushed over and grabbed Bev’s shoulders. “You were supposed to be with him. Liam. I thought you were with Liam.”

Bev stared at the black circles under her mother’s eyes. “Were you crying?”

Gail grabbed her face in her cold hands. “Have you really been sleeping here? In this old building? Alone?”

Stuck in her mother’s grip, stunned by her mother’s visible worry, Bev said, “You wouldn’t back down. I had nowhere else to go.”

Gail closed her eyes. Mascara clumped unevenly near her nose on one side. “I never thought you would leave because of anything I said.” Her eyes popped open. “Since when have you ever listened to anything I say?”

“I always listen.”

“But you’re so independent. It used to drive me crazy that you wouldn’t wear the clothes I picked out, make friends with the girls I liked, do anything with your hair.” Gail released one cheek to stroke Bev’s hair, then glanced around the room.

The others were staring at them.

“Well, she’s all right,” Gail said, waving at them. “Everyone can go now. My daughter will come home with me.” She put an arm around Bev’s shoulders.

“Not right now, Mom, but thank you.” She put an arm around her waist and gave her a squeeze before she wiggled herself free. “How did you get in, by the way? The doors should be locked.”

Kate pushed past them and walked over to Rachel. “This the ho?”

Rachel rose unsteadily to her feet. “He was my father. My father. Who the hell are you?”

“Rachel, meet your other niece, Kate,” Liam said. He pushed Kate closer and moved over to Bev. “Does she kick women, too?”

Bev’s mouth went dry. Don’t think about him now. She caught a hint of cologne and leaned into him. And for God’s sake, don’t smell him.

Kate put her hand on Rachel’s shoulder. “So, you’re the bitch who broke into our house.”

Rachel slapped her hand away. “That’s Aunt Bitch to you.”

One swift kick, and Rachel was down. Bev tried to stop her sister, but Liam put an arm around her, trapping her against his body, and she could only watch as Kate got violent with the woman who had caused so much trouble.

Knee pressed into Rachel’s throat, Kate said, “If it weren’t for you I’d be home right now, Aunt Bitch.”

Bev broke away from Liam. “Let her up, Kate!”

“This person claims to be—” Gail swung around to Ellen. “Is it true?”

Ellen shrugged. “Look at her. What do you think?”

Gail scowled at Rachel. “I think she looks like Grandma Roche.”

“That’s what I thought,” Ellen said.

“You didn’t tell me,” Gail said.

“You hated my guts.”

Gail looked at her. “You hated mine.”

Ellen raised an eyebrow. “Only because you left. I was fifteen, Gail. You left.”

“Dad kicked me out.”

“You could have written.”

Gail laughed unsteadily. “I could have written,” she said. “You have no idea what I was going through.”

“When you left,” Ellen said, “so did Dad. I didn’t see him for six months.”

“But—where—who stayed with you?”

Ellen’s face was cold. “Mom was dead. You ran away. Dad—” She cleared her throat. “I finally found him here. I don’t know what he did at first, before the kitchen and bathroom were installed, but when I tracked him down he seemed pretty damn happy. Had everything he needed.” She turned around, her back to the room.

Gail was the first to speak. “So you were alone?” She went over to her sister. “But you were—didn’t anyone—”

Ellen shrugged. “At first I had trouble with things like groceries and permission slips and bills, but Dad left the checkbook and kept the account loaded. Once I got good at forging his signature, I was fine. I’m tough. I survived.”

“Oh, Ellen.” Gail’s voice shook. She hesitated then put her hand on Ellen’s shoulder.

“He never did come back,” Ellen said. “And neither did you.”

Gail burst into tears.

Bev felt Liam moving closer to her, and looked at him to see the concern in his eyes. She realized her cheeks were wet.

“Damn,” Kate said, distracted by the scene.

“Get off of me.” Rachel rolled out of range, kicked her, and staggered to her feet. Eyes wild, she looked at Bev. “Tell her to leave me alone.”

Bev was still staring at Ellen’s back. “Tell her yourself.”

Rachel, shaking, held her finger up, pointing at each of them in the room in rotation like the spinner in Chutes’n’Ladders. “All of you, do you hear that? Leave me alone!”