Kimberly Meter - Like One of the Family

A chill washed over Lora. Pops? Dementia? Her grandfather was the only father figure she and her sisters had since their biological father decided he couldn’t handle being a daddy any longer and split, which was followed with impeccable timing by the death of their mother from cancer. It’d been a double tap of anguish with a nice sledgehammer slam just for fun. There were parts of her childhood she’d purposefully blocked out. Her parents splitting, both voluntarily and involuntarily, was a particularly painful topic that she rarely visited.

Lora didn’t dare risk a glance at Heath. She didn’t want to see his condemnation. She heard it in his voice plain as day. If it was true that her grandfather was slowly losing his mind and she’d left Lilah and Heath to deal with it, she could understand why they were so pissed at her. Wouldn’t she feel the same? Yes. A small part of her wanted to rail at fate for being so cruel to her family. Wasn’t it enough that cancer had struck twice? Now they had dementia to deal with, too?

She swallowed the lump that rose in her throat but she refused to let Heath know he’d struck a nerve. She made a living by concealing the tiniest flicker of unease or distress and she’d found a certain usefulness for the ability in her personal life. She focused on the road. “Last time I checked you were a handyman, not a doctor. Let’s not jump to conclusions.”

“You’re a piece of work,” he muttered, throwing the car into the next gear without finesse, causing her to jerk against the seat belt. “Chicago is the perfect place for someone like you.”

“Is that so? And why is that?” she asked without a trace of humor to soften the sarcasm in her tone.

“Because all the snow and ice is perfect for the frigid bitch you’ve become. I can’t believe you and Jack are related and, frankly, if anyone else’s name had been on the legal documents I would’ve gladly given them the information. As it is, you’re the one listed as the next of kin in the event something were to happen to Jack, and obviously Lilah isn’t cut out for this kind of stuff. I didn’t have much of a choice,” he added with a dark scowl.

Lora stared out at the passing scenery, ignoring the sharp stab of hurt his words caused. As the oldest sister, she had assumed the responsibility of the family estate, such that it was, if one resort could be considered an estate, but Pops had never made it a secret that he wanted his little “sugar birds” to inherit the resort when he passed. With her other sister Lindsey, Lilah’s twin, in Southern California doing the actress thing, it seemed appropriate for Lilah to come and help out since she was the only one of the three who was still searching for a career—and failing miserably—but Lora hadn’t imagined that things could implode so badly with Lilah at the helm. “Just drive, please. I didn’t fly all the way here from Chicago to listen to you lecture me.”

She longed to pinch the bridge of her nose to stem the sudden pounding in her sinuses caused by too much flora and fauna all at once, but she’d allow nothing that would betray her discomfort or the nagging sense of guilt that she’d shrugged off her responsibility and dumped it on her baby sister when deep down she’d known it wasn’t a good idea. But honestly, the woman had to grow up sometime and now had seemed as good a time as any, particularly when Lora had been too busy to attend to the issues herself.

“Yes, ma’am,” Heath replied, the flip tone smacking in the face of his obvious anger. He kept his attention on the road, for which Lora was inordinately glad; it kept them from suffering through too much eye contact.

It hadn’t always been like this between them, though the time when they’d actually been friends seemed far away now. She supposed she might’ve been to blame for the change, but it was so long ago she saw no point in picking apart history to reminisce.

In an effort to ease the silence filling the car like a throat-clogging perfume, Lora asked, “So…how are things on the island? Everything seems pretty much the same as when I left.”

“Small talk, huh? You sure you want to try something out of your field? I know your penchant for success in all things. I’d hate to witness your attempt at niceties crash and burn so badly.”

“I’m just trying to be civil.”

“Don’t bother. I lost any respect I had for you four months ago when my last email went unanswered and I had to sit in the urgent care with Pops after he’d wandered out and fell and hit his head. He needed twenty stitches, by the way.”

Pops had fallen? Lilah hadn’t told her. “I don’t recall that message,” she said stiffly, shifting against the uncomfortable squeeze her conscience gave her for losing Heath’s message—not intentionally, she’d been buried under deadlines, meetings, dinner appointments and whatnot of her hectic life, she was tempted to point out—but she held her ground. “Neither you nor Lilah must have tried very hard. I’m always accessible as you discovered when you sent me the certified letter demanding I come home over this situation with the resort.”

He cut her a short look and snorted. “Yeah, I’ll keep that in mind. If I want to get your attention, a certified letter is necessary.” Heath scrubbed at his head, irritation hardening his features. “I always wondered why Pops put you in charge of his affairs. Something tells me you must hide that predatory nature of yours behind pretty smiles for the old man because if he saw what I see…he’d likely change his mind, right quick.”

Pops adored them all. Their mother, his only daughter, had given him three little sugar birds that he’d delighted in spoiling. And it was true, she did soften her natural inclination to go for the jugular when she was around Pops. She narrowed her stare at Heath for his spot-on observation.

“My relationship with my grandfather is none of your business,” she said sharply. “I fail to see why you’re so up in arms over a problem that doesn’t truly concern you. It’s not as if anyone asked you to take on my family’s problems. If you’re so bothered by the way I am, then by all means, find some other family to attach yourself to.”

At her rebuke, he stiffened and she felt the overwhelming urge to apologize. It seemed her mouth didn’t know when to rein it in or offer mercy. She struggled not to grimace. That was similar to what her former boss had said to her when he fired her. According to Stan Brothers, CEO of The Pershing Group, Lora lacked tact, and was unnecessarily abrasive. Of course, Stan hadn’t cared when she’d been bringing in the big accounts, only when she’d lost one account. Okay…if she were being honest, the biggest account The Pershing Group had ever managed but was that truly enough to warrant termination? Realizing her mind was traveling off topic, she returned to Heath with a barely restrained sigh.

“I thought everyone on the island was supposed to be easygoing and nice. What happened to you?”

Heath’s mouth tipped in a slow smirk that didn’t quite reach the storm of his hazel eyes. “You happened, Lora Bell. Plain and simple…you happened.”

* * *

HEATH©NEARLY©BIT©HIS tongue in half as he let the words fly, wishing he’d just held to his earlier decision to keep his mouth shut for the duration of the car ride and then move on after he’d deposited her in the driveway. But the minute he’d seen her, looking stiff as steel, poured into the tailored business suit that was ridiculously overdressed for the humid tropical climate, he’d been unable to listen to his own good advice.

Seeing the woman made it difficult to remember the girl.

She hadn’t always been chipped from granite like she was now. Hell, he didn’t think she remembered that fact or if she did, she didn’t much like to be reminded. Maybe that’s why they’d always rubbed each other wrong. He knew a few of her secrets, even if she pretended otherwise. He remembered a girl with tears on her face, struggling to hold it together for her sisters’ sake on the day of her mother’s funeral. Lindsey and Lilah had been looking to her for strength and she was determined to give it to them, even if she’d had nothing left for herself.