his eyes. He collapsed into a chair and when she offered him a beer, he muttered, "Do you have anything stronger?"
"Sorry," she said. "Just wine."
"I'll have a beer, then." He leaned forward and braced his elbow on his knees, letting his forearms dangle.
"Are you going to tell me or do I have to guess?" she asked as she handed him a cold beer.
Rick twisted off the cap and took a deep swig. "Was I born stupid or did I recently acquire this personality trait?"
"The answer depends on your problem," she said, sitting across from him. Infuriating though Rick could be, it was difficult to stay angry with him for long. She supposed his easygoing personality was as much of a hindrance as it was an asset. Perhaps everything had come too easily for him.
"Lisa's pregnant," he said.
Carol stared at him blankly. "Lisa? Lisa who?"
He rubbed his eyes. "A flight attendant I've seen a few times."
"Obviously you've done more than see her," Carol snapped, unable to hide her anger. This was unbelievable. For a moment she thought it might be a bad joke, but one look told her he was serious. Just a few weeks ago he'd declared his undying love for his ex-wife.
"What about Ellie?" she cried. "The last time we talked, you were hoping to get back together with her." Sleeping with some other woman certainly didn't prove his devotion.
"I know...I love Ellie and I want her back."
"Then what were you doing with Lisa?"
"It just sort of happened," he mumbled dejectedly.
Carol shook her head, barely able to take in what her brother was telling her. "You just sort of fell into bed together?" Her voice grew more agitated with every word. So this was the reason Ellie didn't trust him. She'd hinted at the truth, but Carol had refused to listen, refused to believe that her big, strong, wonderful brother had clay feet - and a clay heart.
"Say something," Rick urged.
Carol shook her head again, viewing her brother in an entirely different light. All these years he'd been her hero; now, all of a sudden she saw him for the weak charmer he really was. "You've certainly made a mess this time."
"Trust me, little sister, you can't say anything I haven't already said to myself. This ruins everything."
"And exactly whose fault is that?" she demanded. Unable to stay seated any longer, she jumped to her feet and started pacing the room. "You're too smart to have unprotected sex, damn it!"
Rick closed his eyes.
"Does Ellie know?"
"No!" He nearly shouted the word. "I'm not telling her, either, that's for sure."
"What about Lisa?"
"What about her? She's in shock, too - apparently whatever she used for birth control failed."
"No kidding." Carol was furious with her brother and too angry to care what he thought.
She took a few minutes to adjust to the news. She sat down again and placed her hand over her mouth. Her brother hadn't come to her so she could rant at him. He was clearly looking for some sort of direction, although she had no idea what to suggest.
"You're one hundred percent sure the baby is yours?"
He nodded and studied his hands. "We've been pretty involved lately."
She swallowed a retort. "How far along is she?" she asked instead, her voice brisk.
"She just found out. A month, I guess."
Carol flipped her hair away from her face and tried to concentrate. "When did she tell you?"
"Yesterday. She phoned me in a panic and, hell, I didn't know what to say. What could I say?"
"Do you love her?"
Rick considered her question for a moment, then slowly shook his head. "I care about her and I like her, but as for loving her, not really. I know I don't want to marry her. Why should I marry her because she forgot to swallow some pill?" Rick's expression was miserable, shocked and angry all at once. "I love Ellie," he murmured. "It's Ellie I want to be with, it's Ellie I need in my life."
"Then you should've kept your pants zipped." Carol didn't mean to be crude, but her brother frustrated her. If he loved Ellie, truly loved her, he should be willing to do whatever it took to win her back. Sleeping with a flight attendant shouldn't even be on that list.
"If you aren't going to marry Lisa, then what?" Carol asked.
"I don't know."
With her eyes opened, Carol confronted him, daring him to tell her the truth. "This isn't the first time, is it?"
"First time for what? If you're asking whether I've fathered