a sarcastic laugh. “Oh, I can’t forget that. It’s why I’m in this situation.”
“What situation is that? You’ve fallen for him, haven’t you?” Lark asked.
“I knew it. That beach house works some serious magic,” Wren sighed, wistfully.
“Yeah, a lot of good it did. It ended up a total fail,” Raven said, bitterly.
“No, you broke your rule and went beyond your one-night-stand comfort zone. That’s amazing personal growth,” Lark said.
That was true for Raven, but she was only one side of the equation. “Too bad he’s a monster,” Raven muttered under her breath, only half-joking.
“Jack is one the best guys I’ve ever met,” Lark protested. “He’s a tough businessman, no question. It doesn’t say anything about who he is as a person.”
“It speaks to his character,” Raven shot back.
“I’m not sure you know him well enough to judge that,” Wren said. “I saw Mrs. Hendrix at the Shipwreck. She told me Jack saved her life.”
Raven’s jaw dropped. “What? How?”
“After the storm, Mrs. Hendrix’s neighbor dropped a tree on her house while she was still inside. Jack helped cleared it, and carried her out, then brought her to the hospital. He held her hand the whole way, then sat at her bedside. She’s just one of the people he helped while he was on the island.”
Raven’s heart leaped to her throat. Poor Mrs. Hendrix. She must’ve been terrified. Thank God that Jack was there to help. Wren’s story twined around Raven’s heart, softening her resolve, but reason gave her a mental slap. Her grip on the leather-wrapped steering wheel tightened. “Are you finished applying for the Jack Baines fan club? Your anecdote is touching but has nothing to do with being greedy.”
Larked laughed. “He’s the most generous person I know.”
“And how’s that?”
“He gave me a loan and doesn’t care when I pay it back.”
“So that’s what he did for you,” Raven said, her resistance slipping further.
“If it weren’t for him, I’d have lost my studio and RV.”
“Why didn’t you come to one of us?” Wren asked, sounding crushed that Lark hadn’t trusted them with her problem.
“Because I didn’t want to hear your lectures about how I squander money. My job is cyclical, and commissions and workshops aren’t regular. I was in a dry spell and got behind in my mortgages.”
“But you could’ve come to us for a loan. You didn’t need to ask a stranger,” Raven said.
“He’s not a stranger,” Lark shot back. “And I didn’t ask him for it. We were at dinner, and he could tell I was anxious and asked why. When I finally explained, he offered me money. That was the night I told him about Paulson Diagnostics.”
“Why are you telling me these awesome things about Jack?” Raven asked, heavy on the sarcasm.
“Because we want you to be happy,” Wren said.
“And everyone who saw you with him said that you were,” Lark added.
“So stop clinging to any excuse to justify not following your heart,” Wren followed up with the coup de grâce.
Although they were separated by invisible cellular waves, Raven felt like her sisters had punched her in the kidneys. She took a moment to gather her wits before responding. “Well, thank you for the psychoanalysis. I didn’t realize you’d both gotten your doctorates in psychology.”
Lark sighed. “Raven—”
“Don’t ‘Raven’ me. I’m coming off the worst month of my life. I lost my job, due in no small part to my own sister. Everything I’ve worked my ass off for over the last two years is likely to implode. My friend and a bunch of people I cared about were kicked to the curb. My beloved car was crushed by a tree. And yes, I fell for a guy who turned out to be the architect of my undoing. I wasn’t bending my rule—I was about to break it. Me. In a relationship.” Futile laughter trickled from her mouth. “And that’s not the worst thing I’ve faced this month.” Emotion welled, tightening her throat.
“What is it?” Wren asked, her voice filled with trepidation.
“You can tell us anything,” Lark said.
Raven swallowed hard, willing the words past her lips. “I’ve kept something from you since I was seven years old.” Her voice was rough and thick.
The interior of the BMW fell deadly silent as Raven screwed up her courage.
Her pulse quickened as words formed in her head but didn’t make their way to her mouth. This was the confession she’d dreaded for years. She’d come this far. There was no turning back. Forcing the knot in her throat down, she chose