And how stupid did Lauren think Beth was?
She’d introduced him as Jason. No last name. As if Beth wouldn’t know everything about the current generation of Corwins. Beth recognized the snowboarder from his photographs. The ones in the portfolio she and her grandmother had compiled.
It was obvious from the way Lauren and Jason Corwin looked at each other that their relationship was more than just business.
Again.
Apparently Lauren thought she could tempt fate twice. Beth had looked out for her sister the first time, turning Lauren’s personal diary over to their grandmother when she’d made the mistake of sneaking around with Jason Corwin when she was only seventeen. But now that she was locked in here, there was nothing Beth could do to protect her sister this go-round. Beth barely remembered not to shake her head in disgust and frustration. Some people never learned.
Jason Corwin and his failed Olympic bid were living, breathing proof that the curse was still in effect, striking any Corwin man who fell in love. And wasn’t that what the first Mary Perkins had intended when she’d used diamonds as an offering? So why would Lauren want to be the woman on the receiving end?
Nothing in the curse protected a Perkins. Because no Perkins worth their name would get involved with a Corwin man. Perkins women chose their men carefully, used them and kept or disposed of them depending on need. Like Beth’s current lover.
She still hadn’t heard from him, but now that she knew there’d been a fire in the house, she was certain he’d received her message and targeted the electrical box. Unfortunately he hadn’t been smart enough to use a decent accelerant. At least she’d chosen gasoline to set fire to The Wave. Unfortunately she’d been so beside herself worrying about her grandmother losing the election, she’d had a breakdown, causing her to get caught red- handed.
Beth clenched her teeth so hard her jaw ached. She still couldn’t believe she hadn’t been able to hold it together, but that was the past. In the lucid months she’d spent in here, she’d realized she was the sole remaining Perkins who
Success depended on planning. And Beth had a plan. With the construction on the new wing complete, she couldn’t count on seeing her lover again. She had to get in touch with him one last time. Because he had to get her out of here.
She was reaching her breaking point and she didn’t know how much longer she could keep up the catatonic charade. She thought she’d covered her shock over seeing Jason Corwin. She wasn’t so certain about her reaction to Lauren’s news about the hidden diary.
Why hadn’t her grandmother told her about the journal? Grandma had made sure Beth knew about the diamonds, so if she ever needed a safety net, she had only to find the valuable family jewels.
Oh well. Beth couldn’t figure out the mind of a dead woman, but that journal might contain more of a clue than Lauren realized as to where the diamonds were hidden.
What the hell did that mean? Beth had to figure it out, and to do that she needed to get her hands on that journal. She didn’t know where Lauren was keeping it, but it had to be in the house.
She definitely didn’t trust
LAUREN THOUGHT she knew what exhaustion was, but not even the manual labor on the house could compare to the mental drain from visiting her sister with Jason by her side. Her cheeriness had been even more forced than usual. Her stories more intense.
And all the while his focus hadn’t been on Lauren. He’d been eyeing her sister, watching her intently. The pressure of wanting Jason to accept Beth, weaknesses and all, had worn on Lauren in unexpected ways.
Why did she care what he thought?
She was afraid to explore the reasons too deeply. Because she already knew. In the end, that reason played to her deepest fear.
Rejection.
Lack of acceptance.
By now she should be an expert at letting such things roll off her shoulders. Mother, father, sister, grandmother. All had turned their backs on her in one way or another. Which was why Jason’s earlier question had hit her where it hurt most. In the heart she no longer let anyone get close enough to touch.
He was right. No one in her family would do for her what she’d done for Beth.
Lauren wished like hell the truth changed her perspective but it didn’t. She still felt responsible for pushing Beth into her grandmother’s clutches and she’d do whatever she had to in order to make up for that. She already had.
And she’d survive her time in this town, her time with Jason, by regrouping. Wrapping her independence around her like a shield. If that meant distancing herself from him, so be it.
When he pulled into the driveway, she turned to him, wondering how to tell him.
“I appreciate you taking me with you.” He stretched his arm over the back of her seat and leaned in close.
The sympathy in his eyes unnerved her, making it more difficult to find that distance she needed. “I just wanted you to see for yourself.”
He inclined his head. “I’m glad I did.”
Without warning, a thud sounded and they both jerked their bodies in the direction of the sound.
Trouble had landed on the hood of the car and curled up in a ball.
“Silly cat. Look how he glares at us.” Lauren watched the feline, who stared back through golden eyes.
Jason cut the engine. “Speaking of staring, I watched your sister carefully today.”
Lauren bit the inside of her cheek. “I noticed.”
“But when you talk to Beth, you don’t look at her.”
He’d caught that? “Because it hurts too much. Can you blame me?”
His expression softened. “Of course not.” He brushed her hair off her shoulder, toying with a few strands. “But maybe there are things you’ve been missing.”
Wariness crept through her. “Such as?”
“She does have reactions.”
“I know. And I told you what the doctors said. It’s her body’s normal response.”
His hand grazed her shoulder and remained there. “What if it’s more than that?”
“I don’t know what you’re getting at, so can you stop beating around the bush and get to the point?” She already sensed she wouldn’t like what he had to say.
“It seemed to me that Beth responded to specific things you said. They weren’t just random movements.”
“Such as?”
He drew a breath. “It started when you brought up the diary. Facial tics and gestures. It got worse when you started to talk about looking into what kind of offerings were used to place the curse.”
Lauren’s throat swelled with emotion as his words proved what her heart feared. “I’m really disappointed in you, Jason. You only saw what you wanted to see. A crazy woman reacting to that damn curse.” Her arms suddenly felt as if they weighed a ton and it was hard to lift them. Her entire body hurt, she realized.
“I didn’t mean to upset you.”
Lauren shook her head. “That’s okay. You’re entitled to your feelings. Besides, you just reaffirmed what I was about to tell you.”
He drew back his shoulders, stiffening in preparation. “Go on.”
“I’m tired. I want to go inside and take a nap.”
Relief crossed his handsome face. “You want to take the afternoon off? That’s fine.” He checked his watch. “There’s not much left of the day anyway. Let me send my guys home. We can relax and order in dinner and pick up work tomorrow when you’re feeling better. I’ll even give you a massage,” he promised in a suggestive, teasing voice.
She shook her head before she could take him up on his tempting offer. “I can’t. I’d rather…I mean, I need to
