Lucky Break (Lucky 3)

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.

The heart of the house.

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 him to find the diary for her. She needed to read it herself, to see if she could make sense of the words. And she needed to solve the mystery and find the diamonds first. Before her too-curious sister got herself involved in something she couldn’t possibly handle.

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.”