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Exhausted, but embarrassed as much as anything. Lots of reasons for that. I shrug.
He squeezes my feet. “At least the flu’s something we can deal with.”
I nod, yawning. “Where’s Avery?”
“In the waiting room. Thought she’d give us some time to talk.”
Every bit of tension that leaked out during Marco’s visit has flooded back in. Tripp has to know I still don’t want to talk about any of this.
“I notice Marco’s not around. Guess he took off. He’s not much for complicated situations.”
So badly do I want to wipe the smug superiority off of my brother’s face. “As a matter of fact, he did leave. He’s on his way back to Dallas.”
“He was here?”
“Yep. He came to check on me and to say goodbye.”
He grunts. “That’s longer than he usually sticks around.”
Pressing my head into the pillow, I take a good, long look at my brother. “Why are you so hard him? He’s your friend.”
“Not anymore.”
I shake my head. “I don’t get you.”
Tripp levels a flat, hard stare at me. “He messed with my sister.”
“I don’t much like the way you say that. You do know nothing happened between us, right?”
“I saw with my own eyes.”
“Oh, please. It was a kiss, nothing else. You know me better than that.” But the words are barely off my tongue, too late to retrieve, when I wish like crazy I could.
Sure enough, Tripp’s gaze drops to the tile. A painful lump rises in my throat. “Nothing happened withMarco.” I emphasize the name, clarifying, since I can no longer blanketly claim innocence.
“Not for lack of trying on his part, I’m sure.”
“You might be surprised.” I might not air all my dirty laundry for my brother, but I’ll defend Marco to the end. I’m not hanging him out to dry again.
“Nothing about Marco and women would surprise me.”
Oh, how I want to make him eat those words. I could blow his socks off with the information I have.Hey, know what? I flashed some skin and picked up a total stranger at a bar. How do you like them apples?I’d almost spill it just to wipe the know-it-all off his face, but my story wouldn’t exactly help Marco’s cause, and that’s what I’m about here. Marco needs Tripp’s help—not to mention that I don’t think I can live with the knowledge that I singlehandedly destroyed what should have been a lifelong friendship.
“Tripp, he’s your friend—”
“Stop saying that.”
“But he didn’t do anything—”
Fury flashes. “That’s right. He didn’t do anything. My little sister was dying and he couldn’t lift a finger to call me.”
“Because I begged him not to.”
Pain displaces the anger. “Why, Lise? Why wouldn’t you let your family be there for you?”
I choke on a laugh. “Isn’t it obvious?”
“We don’t care about that other stuff, Lise. We’re family. We’re supposed to be there in the hard times. It’s what we do.”
