Total pages in book: 99
Estimated words: 94512 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 473(@200wpm)___ 378(@250wpm)___ 315(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 94512 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 473(@200wpm)___ 378(@250wpm)___ 315(@300wpm)
“Hey, where’d you go?” Nash asked. “Everything okay with her?”
“No.”
“Want to talk about it?” Ethan asked.
“Nope.” Dare reached into his pocket for money to pay his share of the bill and tossed the cash onto the table. “I’ve got to get back to work.”
“Not dealing with it won’t make it go away,” Nash reminded him.
Dare rolled his eyes. “Talking won’t change it either.” He raised a hand and headed out, unwilling to bare his soul when it wouldn’t make one damned bit of difference.
* * *
With Dare at work, Liza spent Thursday evening with Kelly at the caterers. Liza had to admit she appreciated the chance to get out with a woman she’d come to consider a friend, away from the stifling time she’d been spending with Dare. When she was home, she had too much free time to think about everything they’d shared before the reality of her life had intruded. What she’d lost was enough to make her crazy.
Which told her she was smart not to let things between them go any further. Not that he seemed to be pushing, either. They were two polite strangers who just happened to share a bed until the danger to her had passed.
Kelly drove them to the large catering hall, where the head chef prepared choices and dishes for them to taste. To Liza’s surprise, she and Kelly agreed easily on most courses and talked through what they didn’t. Faith, who’d delegated the task, would approve on paper. Then the menus would go out to the printers.
After they’d chosen desserts and the catering manager who would run the event from Ethan and Faith’s left them alone, Kelly turned to Liza. “Spill.”
“What?” She met the other woman’s serious brown-eyed gaze.
“You aren’t yourself, and I want to know why. What did Dare do?”
Liza managed a laugh. “What makes you think it’s Dare? My life is crazy enough to make me not myself.”
“Oh yeah? Do tell.” Kelly nudged her elbow as she leaned in close.
Liza sighed. “Okay, fine. It’s Dare.” Nuts as it seemed, Liza’s mood had nothing to do with her brother, his drinking, debts, or even the loan sharks lying in wait for her.
“Need me to slap him for you?” One corner of Kelly’s mouth turned up in a grin.
Liza grinned. “Not quite yet.” She thought long and hard before speaking, and when she was ready, she’d sobered. “It’s not Dare’s fault we’re having problems.”
“Then whose is it? Yours?”
If Kelly minded prying, Liza couldn’t tell. She just barged in, and to Liza’s never-ending surprise, she didn’t mind. In fact, she needed the ear. Needed a friend.
“It’s life. Circumstance.” She drew a deep breath and dove in. “I’m sure you know about Stuart Rossman’s death, right?”
Kelly nodded. “And I’m guessing you know Dare was there.”
This time, Liza nodded. “Dare’s holding so much guilt from that night. So am I. If I’d stayed home like I was supposed to, my brother wouldn’t have had the party, and that boy would still be alive.”
Kelly blew out a long breath. “Well, if you ask me, that’s common ground you two share. Not that misplaced guilt is such a great thing, mind you, but how can it keep you apart?”
“He blames my brother and rightly so. Brian’s done nothing to fix his life and has made no effort to make some good come of the past tragedy. Not like Dare has by becoming a cop and a good person.” Liza bit her bottom lip. “And he blames me for enabling Brian’s behavior.”
“Now that’s unfair.”
“But not entirely wrong. But my brother was there for me when I really needed him. He may well have saved my life and shielded me from my parents at the same time. I owe him. And…he’s my brother.”
“I get that. I’d kill for Tess, believe me. But doesn’t there reach a point when they have to sink or swim on their own?”
“Maybe…yes…of course. And I’ve reached that point with Brian—except whatever he’s done now has put me in danger.” She glanced at Kelly. “You know the rest, right?”
The other woman nodded.
“So once I hear from my brother, I have no choice but to tell him I’ll bail him out and pay off whatever he owes. I have to get the loan sharks taken care of—for his safety as well as mine.”
“Dare can’t object to that?”
She shook her head. “But that will only solve this one problem, and Dare and I both know that there’ll be many more in the future. Brian’s drinking and irresponsible behavior reminds Dare of a past he’d rather forget. And by extension, I’m a living, breathing reminder.” She shook her head, unsuccessfully blinking back the tears. “Dammit.” She wiped her eyes with her arm.
Laughing gently, Kelly handed her a napkin from the table.
“It’s linen,” Liza muttered.
“I won’t tell if you won’t.”