Page 70 of Sunset Tides
“You got it.”
“Plus,” she said slowly, “I like tormenting you, so now that you’re family, I can kick it up a notch.”
Lillian shot her a look, but everyone was already laughing, taking no ill will from her words.
They chatted a bit longer before it was too difficult to monopolize the happy couple – the rest of the dinner guests caught on to what had happened and were pushing in to give their congratulations.
Lillian and Lucy returned to their seats.
“I didnotsee that coming,” Lillian said. “But I really do think it’s great. Mom has never been happier.”
Lucy nodded. “Agreed. Though I had someone else on my bingo card for getting engaged this year.”
“Who?” Lillian turned to her, keeping her facial expression neutral. “You?”
Lucy rolled her eyes. “Yeah, right. I meant you, of course.”
She looked away. She’d known what she’d meant. Lillian didn’t feel like talking about it. “Right.”
“I thought Mason was hinting this was the year?”
Lillian shrugged. “He was. I mean, he is.”
“Don’t sound so excited.”
“We’ve been together so long that it won’t really change anything,” Lillian said evenly. “Engagements shouldn’t be exciting. It’s just the next step.”
“Oh come on!” Lucy bumped her with her shoulder. “You have to be excited about the person you’re going to spend your life with! Look at Chip. Look at how his grumpy face transformed.”
Chip did look especially jovial. Lillian sighed. “I don’t know. Maybe when Mason proposes I’ll be excited too.”
Lucy put her hand on her shoulder. “I hope so. I don’t think anyone could deserve you, but I hope they make you light up like that. That’s passion.”
“Is passion a good thing?” Lillian turned to face her. It was a genuine question.
“Of course it is. Don’t confuse passion with drama. Drama isn’t good, but passion – passion is everything!”
It made sense for Lucy to think passion was everything. She lived her life like that, jumping from one thing to the next.
Lillian was different. She always had been. She was the sensible sister, and she was okay with that. Not everyone could chase their whims. “Is that what you had with Rob? Drama? Or was it passion?”
“It was neither.” Lucy sat back in her chair and rubbed her eyes. “He was an illusion. There was nothing real about him.”
“I don’t believe that. It seems like he didn’t follow through, you know. He didn’t come to the hearing.”
“Maybe he fell in a well,” Lucy said simply.
Lillian was about to answer when she felt her phone vibrating in her pocket. It was Mason. “I’m sorry. I promised I’d talk to him tonight.”
“Okay, but don’t take too long or you’ll miss the party.”
Lillian nodded and stood from her seat. “Sure.”
That was something she and Mason could work on – they could inject some passion into their relationship. She’d talk to him about it, and they could work on it together.
She took a few steps away from the crowd before answering the call. “Hey! I miss your handsome face.”
“What?” His voice was loud, too loud, through the microphone. “What’s going on over there? Aren’t you home yet?”
