disappointment Reagan was turning out to be. She’d committed to staying for an entire week, and it wouldn’t be easy to leave sooner, not unless she was willing to spend a lot of extra money on two last-minute plane tickets.
Actually, that wasn’t even an option. There was hardly any money in the bank account she shared with Mark, and her credit card was maxed out from their recent kitchen remodel. He’d started paying the bills from a separate account, and she thought she could guess why. He was trying to protect his assets in the event that she left him.
If that happened, until the court divided their property and ordered him to pay child support, which could be months away, she’d be left with little or nothing.
Just in case the worst did happen, she’d have to be very careful when it came to expenses.
Which meant she and Lucy were stuck in Tahoe until her return flight.
3
reagan
REAGAN MENTALLY KICKED herself as she continued to fight through the storm and the traffic to reach the cabin. What had she been thinking? She’d known better than to announce she was the other woman in a romantic triangle. That was the quickest way to destroy her credibility as a decent person, the quickest way to be shunned. Poor Lorelei hadn’t even had a chance to get to know her first.
Good job making sure your half sister never has any respect for you, she told herself. But she was lugging around so much guilt even she didn’t feel she deserved respect. And holding back that information would make her feel dishonest on top of everything else. She wasn’t a liar, wasn’t one to pretend she had any claim on the man she was seeing if she didn’t, especially to people she was hoping to have a lifelong relationship with. What was the point of coming here to meet her sisters if she was only hiding who she really was?
Truth be told, she was probably also looking for someone who’d understand, who’d believe she hadn’t meant for anything like that to happen. She’d felt exactly as Lorelei did—a married man was simply off-limits. But somehow Drew had worked his way through her defenses. She still wasn’t sure how.
“What, you’ve never done anything you regret?” she asked Lorelei. She couldn’t keep the accusing tone from her voice, although she knew she was the one in the wrong, that Lorelei had every right to think the worst.
“Nothing like that,” Lorelei responded.
“Your situation is vastly different from mine. Your husband is probably the only man you see on a daily basis.” It was a weak defense, something she’d already pointed out, but it was the best she could muster.
“I wish you’d quit painting me as being so insulated and out of touch with the rest of the world. I have neighbors, male friends and associates. I could find someone to...to—” she checked her daughter to see if she was paying attention before finishing with a euphemistic “—be with if I wanted to.”
No doubt Lorelei assumed Reagan had been having sex with Drew on a regular basis. But they’d only been together—like that—once. A week ago they’d been working late when the feelings they had for each other had somehow boiled over.
Reagan had been devastated afterward. She’d worked from home the next few days, so she wouldn’t have to see him before leaving on this trip. Because she cared about Drew, because she wanted him more than anyone she’d ever known, she knew she had to stay away until she could overcome her emotions or it would only happen again.
“Except that you’re deeply in love with your husband. Why would you want to?” she asked Lorelei. “You’ve told me how wonderful Mark is. Not all of us are as lucky as you.”
“Yeah, I’m lucky, all right,” she snapped. “About as lucky as Drew’s wife.”
Reagan felt her eyebrows jerk together. “What are you talking about?”
She pinched the bridge of her nose before dropping her hand. “Nothing.”
“Tell me,” Reagan insisted.
Lorelei twisted around to look at her daughter again. “I can’t. Not right now.”
“What, Mommy?” Lucy said.
She