Lucky Break (Lucky 3)

She sighed. “I’d like to keep my sister and her issues separate from us.” She gestured between them.

And thereby keep him at arm’s length.

Jason suppressed the urge to throttle her. “Didn’t we just agree you wouldn’t do that anymore?”

She shrugged. “I just figured my sister was different.”

“You figured wrong.”

Tilting her head to one side, she studied him closely. “So you accept her and what she’s done?”

Despite his best intentions, he fidgeted, knowing any answer to that loaded question would land him in Uncle Edward’s boathouse.

“Well?” she pressed, a knowing-and disappointed-look on her face.

“I didn’t say that. But I care about you and the things that hurt you. So if something has happened with your sister, I want you to be able to share it with me.”

“Even if you can’t stand the thought of her?”

This time he knew better than to reply.

“Jason, my sister is a part of me.”

He didn’t appreciate the reminder. “I know. But how I feel about what she does isn’t the same as how I feel about you.”

She rose and paced the room, turning to face him. “Okay, fine. You want to know? Here it is. My sister has been nonresponsive for months now. But suddenly this morning, she had an incident, the doctor called it. An outburst where she became hysterical and upset. They had to sedate her.” She shoved her hands into the pockets of her sweats. “I was hoping when she woke up that maybe she’d be back to her old self.”

Her psychotic self? Jason knew better than to voice his feelings aloud. “And is she better?” he asked carefully.

Which would mean her sister might attempt to get out of prison on an I was insane and now I’m fine plea. The thought made his stomach churn. His entire family would rebel at the notion. Even though Lauren was trying to get her sister transferred, Jason held out hope that the other woman’s crimes would keep her behind bars where she belonged. None of which he would admit aloud.

“No. Beth is back to staring at walls.” Shoulders slumped, Lauren lowered herself into a chair, clearly defeated.

“And what’s the prognosis? Does the fact that she seemed to come out of it mean anything?”

“The doctor doesn’t know. And he won’t unless she can be moved to a hospital for testing, something that requires court approval. And time. For all I know, getting that approval might cost me money.” She ran a hand through her hair, tugging at it in frustration. “Argh!”

He rose and walked to her side, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. Silence seemed best.

“Happy now that I’ve confided in you?” she asked, her voice catching.

Actually he felt like a complete shit. She’d had a horrible morning from her sister’s incident to the mouse. He hadn’t helped her at all.

As he glanced at her tortured expression, he wanted to say something, anything that would make her feel better about confiding in him.

He couldn’t.

All his pushing and prodding had done was show him that there wasn’t anything about Mary Beth Perkins he wanted to know or understand. Hard as he’d tried to convince Lauren otherwise, her sister would always be a point of contention between them. He’d just have to see how long he could pretend otherwise.

“Look, there’s nothing you can do for your sister right now, so what do you say we get to work? You’ll be in a better mood once you see we’re making progress on the house, right?”

“Right.” She shot him a grateful smile. “You do know me pretty well.”

The doorbell rang, ensuring he wouldn’t have to discuss the Perkins family any longer, and Lauren jumped to answer. Jason followed her to the door, where the plumber waited on the other side.

“Good morning,” Lauren said.

Jason nodded to the other man.