Page 73 of The Banned Books Club

He was still naked, but she was, too. She hadn’t taken the time to so much as grab her panties. She’d merely stepped over them as she ran to find her phone. She was afraid Margot—or whoever was calling—wouldn’t try a third time. And she was glad she’d made the effort. At least she understood a little more about what was going on with her sister. She just couldn’t believe it. It was so unlike Margot to do anything this drastic. “I don’t know,” she said, staring off into space.

“That wasn’t about your mother, was it?” he asked gently.

She shook her head.

“That’s good, at least. Something with work, then?”

“No.” She turned her head to look at him. “It was Margot.”

“Your sister’s awake? Isn’t it getting late?”

“Saturday morning, she left town without telling anyone—just drove away as soon as Sheldon went hunting.”

“You’re kidding.”

“I wish I was.”

“I know Sheldon. I thought they were happy together.”

“So did I—until recently.”

“Then...what does it all mean?”

“She’s leaving him,” she said simply.

He seemed unsure of what to say next. “Is that a good thing or a bad thing overall?”

“He’s a douchebag. On that count it’s a good thing. But what a way to go about it. The situation inside their marriage must have been much worse than I ever dreamed. I feel bad for getting so caught up in my own life. I’ve sort of walled her out, I guess. Otherwise, surely I would’ve seen this coming.” It was self-preservation, a defense mechanism she’d perfected years and years ago that’d made her keep her distance. But she didn’t go into that.

“If she didn’t come to you for help, how would you know?” he asked.

She raked her fingers through her long hair. “We’ve always been different—never looked at the world in the same way, which has made it hard for us to be close. But... Jesus! With what’s going on with my mother and now my sister, it feels like the whole world’s burning down around me.”

He took her hand and curled his fingers through hers. “You’re strong,” he said. “One of the strongest people I know. You’re going to get through this.”

She drew a deep breath. “The fact that you’re the one sitting here comforting me is also nothing I ever would’ve expected.”

“Me, neither.” He made a clicking sound with his tongue as he shook his head. “The fact that we just made love and are both sitting here naked is also a little shocking,” he added, and something about his quizzical expression made her laugh in spite of everything.

20

Cormac was at his desk with Duke by his feet on Monday morning an hour before he normally opened the clinic. He’d showered as soon as he got up and, after notifying Mrs. Wood that he wouldn’t be able to take her to the park, he headed to work. He’d been up so late with Gia he didn’t have the energy or the will to go running. He was too busy marveling over everything that’d transpired since she came back to town, especially the part where he’d taken her to bed, because that added yet another element to an already complicated situation.

He kept telling himself their encounter had been a fluke—that the stars had aligned just for that one moment. It wasn’t as if he could actually have a relationship with her. But making love to Gia was all he wanted to think about. It’d been raw and passionate and so incredibly satisfying. Remembering how she touched him, how good she felt beneath him and the taste of her kiss beat the hell out of dwelling on the rift in his family. He had no idea what he was going to do about that—or if Louisa would even show up for work today. If she didn’t, and they couldn’t get past their recent disagreement, what was happening in his personal life would spill over into his professional life, and the next few days would get bumpier still.

He was amazed by how quickly everything he’d taken for granted and relied on for years could be turned on its head...

His phone signaled a text. He was afraid to look at it for fear it was his sister telling him to figure out how to run his own front office. But if that was the reality of it, he had to find out sooner or later, so he picked up his phone.

Do you want to tell me what happened with your father?

He’d been on the phone with his mother when Evan came over. He’d said he’d call her back but never did.

He started to type a reply but decided it would be easier to call.

She answered on the first ring. “I’m assuming things didn’t go well last night.”

“He admitted the truth to me, Mom,” he said. “He took it back right after, but hedidadmit it.”

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