The Long Road Home (18 page)

Laura made a face and laughed. “And I can see you haven’t changed a bit these last months. You still have a mouth on you. Give me a hug.” Turning serious, she whispered in Clarisse’s ear, “I thought I told you to give me an hour before you got here.”

“What—”

Laura pinched her arm. “Shhh!” She pulled away and frowned at the animal in Clarisse’s arms. “What’s that? Don’t tell me it’s a dog.”

“I won’t.”

Laura sighed with a mixture of exasperation and amusement. “I should have known you’d pick something up on the way.”

“It was a stray,” Clarisse retorted defensively. “It was going to starve.”

“Clarisse, everything to you is a stray,” Laura admonished.

Clarisse stood stiffly as her sister turned to John and gave him a brief but warm hug. “It’s good seeing you again, John.” She smiled fondly. “It’s been too long. Thanks for coming. I couldn’t have anyone else but you do my wedding.”

John arched a brow, humor softening his strained features. “That’s not the only reason why you begged me to come, now is it?”

Laura blushed a deep red. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Have Mom and Dad driven in from Seattle yet?” Clarisse interrupted, not liking where the conversation was heading.

“They were delayed. They’ll be in late tomorrow. But please come in. You must be tired.” Pausing at the screen, she yanked Clarisse’s arm and hissed in her ear, “Prepare yourself. We’ve got company. Vivian’s here.”

She inhaled sharply. Dread slammed into her from all sides, shredding her nerves with vicious talons.

John stayed his ground. “I’ll have to take a rain-check. I’m dead on my feet.”

Laura bit her lip. “Vivian’s waiting inside.”

She felt John right behind her. She didn’t dare look back. She couldn’t. One glance and he would see how much the news upset her.

So Vivian was here. But had she learned anything? Had she managed to unearth Clarisse’s past? In a minute, whether she wanted to or not, she would find out.

She took a deep, fortifying breath and stepped across the threshold and into the living room.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Vivian lounged in a black leather chair in the corner of the room. Brilliant red waves of hair framed her face and flowed past her shoulders. A sleeveless white crop-top exposed a healthy portion of tanned skin while a black suede mini-skirt accentuated the smooth length of her legs. No doubt, Clarisse thought in disgust, John found her legs fascinating.

Angrily, she squashed her jealousy. So Vivian had beautiful, long legs. And what if Clarisse felt suddenly frumpish and inadequate with her serviceable jeans, pink T-shirt and heavily scarred leg? She wasn’t in a contest vying for John’s attention.

Vivian rose fluidly to her feet and smiled. She looked beautiful, exotic, and if Clarisse could go by the hungry gleam in her eyes, ready to devour John whole.

“John, darling,” she purred. “I missed you.”

She flowed across the room, brushed by Clarisse and wound her arms around John. Clarisse watched in distaste as the redhead kissed him.

His hands caught Vivian’s elbows and he drew her away. Lingering surprise and what looked like a guarded expression flickered across his face. “What are you doing here?”

“I couldn’t wait at the hotel any longer.” Vivian ran a red talon playfully along his chest. “I found Laura’s address in the book and had a taxi drop me by. And talk about a surprise! I’d only just gotten here when she got your call.”

Now Clarisse understood her sister’s concern on the phone. All along, Vivian had been nearby. If only she had known. She would have found some way, however crazy, to delay their arrival until tomorrow so she might have gotten a full night of sleep. Right now, being totally exhausted after enduring ten hours of driving in a cramped car wouldn’t make the situation seem like a fun, filled encounter.

“Hi, Clarisse.”

A tall, slender man with brown hair and an open face stepped from the corner of the room and walked toward her. The bar of tension that had wedged between her shoulders eased.

“Hi Darren.” She smiled with genuine pleasure. “Just think. In another five days you’ll be officially part of the family. Are you sure you want to take that risk?”

Love shone in his eyes as he looked to Laura. “You can bet on it.” He squeezed Clarisse’s shoulder and grinned down at the animal in her arms. “I see you brought a friend.”

She smiled ruefully. “I picked him up on the way.”

“Are you ready to go, Vivian?” John asked.

“Of course.”

With mounting horror, she watched Vivian saunter toward her. There was no mistaking the predatory light in her eyes. Vivian knew. Somehow she had found out about the plane crash. Hugging the dog to her chest, she struggled for calm.

“I hope the trip wasn’t too taxing for you.” Deliberately, she looked down at Clarisse’s leg. She flicked her hair behind one shoulder and smiled smugly.

Lifting her chin, Clarisse held the dog closer to her chest with chilled hands. “Not at all.”

Her panic must have shown, for the redhead’s smile widened. “I’ll be talking to you. It’s just a matter of time.”

She stiffened at the threat, but remained silent. With narrowed eyes, Clarisse watched her leave the room. The redhead’s light, mocking laughter lingered in the air.

Why? Why stay silent? To torment her? Was this her way of getting even for something she thought Clarisse had done? She didn’t know, and she didn’t want to know for fear of the answer.

She turned from the doorway, to find John staring at her. She drew in a ragged breath, and all thoughts of Vivian fled. Something flickered in his eyes. Sadness? Regret? Or just relief?

“I’ll see you at the rehearsal.”

She nodded. So, that was that. Other than a few glimpses at the rehearsal and wedding, she probably wouldn’t talk to him for any length of time.

Then he walked out of the room. Silence, thick and heavy, hung in the air as Clarisse’s throat tightened with suppressed tears. The dog squirmed in her arms so she placed him on the floor.

The Explorer’s headlights arched across the front window and faded. Sighing with a mixture of relief and despair, she met Laura’s pitying look. Her sister opened her mouth.

“Don’t say a word.” Clarisse glared, the constriction in her throat tightening.

“Now, don’t get that attitude with me,” Laura protested defensively.

“I think I’ll leave,” Darren said, “so the two of you can talk.”

“Please, don’t go on my account,” Clarisse stalled quickly. She wasn’t in the mood to be alone with Laura and her questions.

“I think I’d better.”

He smiled kindly. Clarisse caught the sympathy in his eyes, and her jaw hardened. He knew about John and herself. It was there in his eyes. And why not? It was just like her sister to shoot off her mouth. Even after twenty-one years, Laura had never learned to keep a secret.

When Darren left, Laura got directly to the point. “Things didn’t go well with John. That’s why you’re angry, isn’t it?”

Clarisse snorted. That didn’t dignify a response. She left the living room and turned down the hall. “Where’s my room?”

“Second door on the right.” Laura trotted after her. “Don’t leave yet. Not when you look like you’re going to blow up.”

“That’s
why
I am leaving. If I stay in the same room with you, I’m liable to strangle you.”

“How was I to know your trip would backfire like that?”

She whirled and nearly bumped into Laura. “So you admit you and Jennifer planned this?”

“It was her idea. I just went along with it.”

“Just went along with it? What was in your head? Did you ever stop to think how seeing him again would hurt me?”

“N-no. I thought, given time, the two of you could get back together.” Twisting her hands in front of her, Laura followed her into the bedroom. “He never mentioned to Jennifer he was bringing anyone along. It was supposed to be easy.”

Anger drained away, and in its place a deep sadness enfolded her. “Life is never that simple. Not when people’s feelings are involved.”

“But if only you would—”

“It doesn’t matter anymore. Let’s just drop it. It’s done. I’m here, and I’m tired. More importantly, I don’t have to deal with John much longer. Thank God, after I go up to Seattle with Mom and Dad for a visit, I’m riding back home with them in their motor home.” Sinking down on the end of the bed, she tiredly rubbed her brow. Toto jumped on the bed and sprawled out alongside her leg. Absently, she scratched behind his ears. “Can we talk in the morning?”

“Sure.” She backed out of the room. A sheepish look crossed her features. “Tough couple of days, huh?”

She laughed bitterly. “You can say that.”

“See you in the morning.” Laura softly closed the door.

Sighing, Clarisse stripped, tossed her clothing on the corner chair and fell into bed. She hugged the covers up to her chin, determined to forget John, the trip, and Vivian’s threats. It was time to forge on with her life.

But two days later while eating breakfast at the kitchen table with Laura, Clarisse realized, all her determination could not alleviate her black mood. She hid beneath a facade of cheerfulness, mindful of Laura’s approaching wedding. Her sister didn’t deserve someone ruining the occasion.

“What are your plans for tonight?” Laura asked casually, twirling her spoon in her cereal.

Clarisse shrugged. “Nothing much. Mom and Dad are going out with friends. They invited me along, but I’m not really in the mood for socializing.”

“Are you ever?”

She wrinkled her nose at her sister’s sarcasm. “Sorry. I’m not the life of the party, like you.”

“There was a time when you were.”

“Cut it out Laura. I’m older, and I’m starting to appreciate my own company. There’s nothing wrong with that.”

“That is, if you don’t start brooding.”

Clarisse forced a laugh. “I’m brooding now? Just leave it alone. If you’re not calling me from work to check up on me during the day, you’re trying to drag me around in the evenings. I’m not some lost puppy. If I didn’t love you so much, I’d be tempted to smack you in the head. The trip was bad enough, but you’re still trying to get John and me together. Don’t give me that look. It’s the truth. I’d be a moron not to notice. Every other sentence you mention his name. You still haven’t learned. It’s over.”

Laura lifted her hands. “All right all ready. You’ve made your point.” Sudden excitement flashed across her face. “I’m glad I—” She stumbled to a halt.

Clarisse’s spoon clattered against her bowl. She knew her sister too well. “What are you up to?”

“Why...nothing.”

Laura’s sudden angelic expression boded ill. That look meant her sister was up to her nose in something. And that something was probably none of her business. “Nothing? That’s what you’d like me to believe.”

“Believe what you want.” Laura’s chair scraped back as she rose from the table and dumped the remainder of her cereal in the disposal. “Darren and I are going out to dinner and a movie. I thought we’d take an evening to relax before I dive into all the last minute preparations for the wedding. I won’t be back until very late, so enjoy your evening—alone.”

Alone. The word didn’t mean lonely, Clarisse told herself after her sister left later that evening. She had been on her own for years, but today, for some crazy reason, she could not escape the loneliness seeping into her like a parasite. She hated the feeling and how the empty rooms screamed at her. Maybe she should have joined her parents.

A movie. She would watch one of Laura’s videos. That was the answer, Clarisse decided as she popped a frozen pizza in the oven. While waiting for it to cook, she showered and slipped into a red silk robe.

As she stepped from the bathroom, the doorbell pealed. Toto started yapping. Claws scraping against wood flooring, the dog raced by and disappeared into a bedroom.

“Oh, brother.”

Frowning, she opened the front door and froze. Her hand clenched the knob. The air around her thinned, almost as if she were struggling up the crest of a mountain.

John. He stood in front of her, tall, large, and vital, filling the doorway and her senses. Eyes twinkling, his gaze roamed leisurely over her figure. “It looks like you weren’t expecting company.”

Quickly, she looked down. The silk robe covered her limbs, and only her toes peeked out from the bottom of her hem. She exhaled, grappling for poise.

“Ah—no.”

Nervously, she pulled at the belt of her dressing gown until the ends bundled in her hands. Was he here to confront her? Had Vivian told him anything? She searched his expression but his face was devoid of anger or condemnation. “Why are you here? Is something wrong?”

“I came to see Laura.”

Her limbs melted in relief. “She’s not here right now. She’s out for the evening with Darren.”

“Strange. She wanted me to drop by. Something to do with the shots for the wedding. She was a little vague over the phone.”

She stared back in confusion. “It’s not like her to run off and forget.” Then her mouth snapped shut as the realization struck. She’d kill her sister. Frustrated wasn’t the word to describe how she felt about her sister’s matchmaking attempts.