That DNA kit isn’t the problem, and you know it, she wrote back.
He messaged her again, but she didn’t bother to read it. He wouldn’t want to talk about what he did. He’d just go on about her leaving and how inopportune a time it was right now, given the situation at home. He didn’t see what she had to gain by meeting Reagan and Serenity. He’d already told her how foolish she was for opening herself up to whatever problems they might bring with them.
Relationships aren’t all fun and games, Lorelei. They come with responsibility, he’d said when she’d first broached the subject of meeting her new sisters in person.
She could only laugh about his comment now that everything had come out and she knew he’d let her down more than anyone else ever had. Chances were far better that he wasn’t excited about Reagan and Serenity because he didn’t want to share her and was worried about what having them in her life might change.
What if one or both of these women are like Osha and Mercedes? Don’t you have enough dysfunctional people in your life?
Mark had said that, too, and even if the comment was selfishly motivated, she couldn’t argue with the fact that she did have too many dysfunctional people in her life. She wouldn’t want another Osha. The youngest of the children Lorelei had known at her last foster home was so extremely narcissistic she couldn’t get along with anyone. After two impulsive marriages and two acrimonious divorces, she was working in the porn industry and was absolutely defiant if anyone questioned it. Because of the things she said and did, and the people she associated with, Lorelei couldn’t let Lucy be around her—not that Osha had ever shown any interest in Lucy in the first place.
Mercedes, two years older, who’d also been in the same foster home just as Lorelei started high school, had gone in the opposite direction. She’d joined a cult and wouldn’t speak to anyone outside of it because she was so afraid she’d be led “astray.” The cult’s leader had warned his followers that Satan lurked around every corner, effectively inoculating them against anything an outsider might say. For a brief time, Mercedes had shown much more interest in Lucy, but Lorelei worried she might be even more dangerous than Osha.
“Osha and Mercedes are the reason I want to meet Reagan and Serenity,” she’d argued. “I don’t have any real family. You grew up with seven brothers and sisters, so you don’t know what that’s like.”
“Some of my siblings can be difficult,” had been his response. “Reagan and Serenity could make your life worse instead of better. That’s what I’m saying. Maybe they’re related genetically, but you have no idea how they were raised, what kind of people they might be.”
He’d presented such a convincing argument that she had, at first, tried to listen to him. She’d told Serenity she couldn’t come to the cabin and, for a brief time, she’d even backed away from having any contact with them.
But that was before Mark had mowed down all her previously held beliefs—as well as her sense of well-being, her trust in him and her hope for the future. After he sat her down and broke the news about what he’d done, she’d decided she didn’t want to shut out Serenity and Reagan. Maybe he was wrong about them. Maybe they would offer joy and friendship and support when she needed it most.
“Still nothing from Serenity?” Reagan asked.
Lorelei checked again. “Not yet.”
The car in front of them slid on the ice. Lorelei caught her breath until the driver managed to recover—only inches from slamming into the guardrail and possibly hurtling over the edge into a deep ravine.
Reagan’s knuckles turned white on the steering wheel, but she didn’t acknowledge the close call. Instead, she seemed intent on talking, probably to distract herself. “What’s your husband saying? He’s worried about you in this weather?”
In Lorelei’s mind, if Mark cared about her as much as he claimed, he wouldn’t have done what he did. But that wasn’t what she said. “I’m sure he is,” she replied, hoping the expected response would steer the conversation away from him that much sooner. “What about Drew? Did he have any problem with you flying across the country to spend a week with two sisters you’ve never met?”
Reagan didn’t respond.
“Reagan?” Lorelei prodded.
“I had the vacation time,” she said shortly.
“I wasn’t talking about leaving work,” Lorelei clarified. “I was wondering if he was afraid you were making a mistake by getting to know us, or wished he could come, too, or—”
“I didn’t discuss it with him,” she said. “He doesn’t really have any say over what I do.”
Lorelei blinked in surprise. “He’s your boyfriend, isn’t he?”
Again, no answer.
“I’m sorry if you two have hit a rough patch. When you mentioned him on Messenger I got the impression things were going great between you, that you were in love.”
“I am in love,” she said. “That’s the problem.”
“Why is that a problem?” Lorelei asked.
Reagan bit her lip as she glanced over. “Because he’s married.”
Lorelei felt her jaw drop. “You’re in a relationship with a married man?” Why? she wanted to scream. Reagan wasn’t just moderately pretty, she was beautiful. Successful, too. She could have almost any man she wanted. She didn’t need to steal anyone’s husband.
“Mom, are we there yet?” Lucy asked from the back seat.
Lorelei was so thrown by what she’d heard she didn’t answer until Lucy started crying.
“We’ll be there soon, honey,” she replied as her daughter’s distress finally cut into her thoughts. Problem was she’d been saying the same thing for the past three hours, so it had no effect.
When Lucy wouldn’t stop crying, Lorelei got a sucker out of her purse. She hated to ply her child with sugar, but it was about the only thing that would keep Lucy happy until they could reach the cabin, and with the storm and what she’d just learned about Reagan, the situation was stressful enough. “Here, I’ll give you this. Will that help?”
Her daughter sniffed but brightened as she accepted the bribe, and Lorelei managed what she hoped was a pleasant expression even though she felt close to tears herself. She’d been hoping her two sisters would be the kind of people she needed. That the time, effort, money—plus navigating this damn storm—would be worth it. But she had no desire to invest in someone no better than Francine. Her best friend had turned out to be an even bigger disappointment than Osha and Mercedes.
Reagan shot her a sheepish look. “I know what you’re thinking.”