Beautiful Triad (15 page)

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wasn’t Karen’s biggest fan and now especially her presence would make them uncomfortable.

“What are you going to tell her?” He noted the unhappy set of Rob’s mouth.

“She’s asked me before if there is someone else. I would never say to her it’s Lauren, but I think I owe her the truth. Not that we have ever been serious, but because I did ask her to come on this vacation and I am pretty sure she had certain expectations of what that meant.”

“Being shown to a separate guest bedroom is probably going to raise a few questions in her mind. At least that’s what I’m assuming you’re going to do.”

Rob made a derisive sound. “I didn’t sleep with her before because of Lauren when I thought it was a hopeless infatuation. Do you think I would now? It wouldn’t have been fair to Karen because it would have just been sex, and wouldn’t be fair to either of them now.”

“I agree, but I don’t envy you the explanation. What are you going to say? Sorry, babe, I’m not interested in a casual fuck no matter how much you want to give me one? Besides, you don’t turn me on, someone else does. But hey, if you want to stay for the rest of the week, feel free.”

A sour smile curved Rob’s lips. “I think I can be a little more diplomatic than that, Fletcher.”

“I wish you luck. Karen has never struck me as the type to back off if she wants something. That go-after-it mentality may serve her well as a lawyer, but it might be damned uncomfortable for you.”

“I’m not looking forward to it,” Rob muttered as they swung out of the cove and the dock came into sight.

Drew was pretty sure that was the understatement of the year, but he said nothing, his attention caught by something that glinted high up the trees to their left.

Only the top story of the Heaton place was visible because of the slope of the hill where it was located, the railed deck probably giving Ebook piracy is stealing. It is a federal offense.

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a spectacular view of the lake. The flash of light came again as they moved and Drew saw someone standing up there. As he narrowed his eyes and stared, startled by the idea maybe the guy was watching them, the figure moved out of sight, disappearing into the house.

Since there was no one else on the lake, it seemed logical they were the object of interest.

A bit unsettling to think so, but logical.

Heaton—if it was him—should have better things to do with his time if his wife was missing.

“The girls are on the porch.” Rob nodded toward the house, distracting him. As they got closer, Drew saw he was right, through the path cut through the trees, he could see Karen and Lauren in chairs, obviously waiting.

“This is going to be a fun evening,” he murmured, his mouth quirking.

“Yeah, I bet it is,” Rob agreed sardonically.

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The lake by a rising moon should be romantic, but the effect was spoiled if Rob’s intent was to sever a would-be love affair. The pale light reflected on the still water, the trees were silent except for the keening insects, and as they walked out onto the dock, Rob felt a certain sense of fatalistic amusement over his plight.

Karen could argue with the best of them as a top notch trial attorney. Her sharp intellect was one of the things he did admire about her, not just that she was also a very attractive woman physically.

There was no question she didn’t have the same impact on him as Lauren, but then again, no one ever had. He knew Drew, with his casual good humor and lax attitudes toward the rules except when it came to flying an aircraft, didn’t care for Karen, but they were just two really different people. Personally, Rob liked her, but from the beginning there had been a subtle battle over who controlled their relationship he didn’t realize at first was even happening. When he did figure out she always managed to be the one who picked the restaurant, the movie, even the time of any date, he didn’t feel emasculated, but did experience an escalated sense of caution. Even if he hadn’t found himself so fascinated with another woman, he was pretty sure Karen was all wrong for him in a lot ways.

“This is really gorgeous in a gothic, spooky kind of way.” At five-eleven, she was only a few inches shorter than he was, and she could look him right in the eyes. “You know, throw in some background organ music and a monster or two rising out of the lake and you’d have a horror movie.”

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“That angle never occurred to me.” Hands in his pockets, he glanced out over the dead quiet water. “Maybe I don’t have the right kind of imagination.”

“Maybe. Let me ask you this, Rob. What do you imagine for tonight?”

The light thrown by the brilliant moon was a disadvantage after all. She could probably read his expression of resignation pretty easily. “Sleep.”

There was a pause. She said eventually, “Ah, I see. We’re not talking together. Or even afterwards, are we? Different rooms, different beds, nothing beforehand. I guess I’m not surprised.”

“You could have called me to say you were coming. My cell isn’t on, but I check my messages.”

“And in other words saved myself the trip?” There was a slight bitter edge to her voice and her hair looked very pale in the silvered light. “Can you tell me why the hell you invited me in the first place?

Give me that much.”

“At the time I was still thinking this could work out.”

“But that’s changed?” Her features were slashed to bone and angle.

“Yes.”

“You sound pretty positive, Rob.”

“I’m sorry.” He was, but only in the sense he hadn’t ever set out to hurt her.

“At dinner it was obvious Lauren and Drew knew about this. In fact, Lauren looked so startled when I pulled in I half expected you’d brought someone else from the look on her face.”

“No.” At least the denial was accurate.

“But ‘someone else’ exists. I’ve been sure of that for weeks, maybe even the last two months.”

She was perceptive, but that was half her job, at a guess. That meant there was really no use defending himself—and they needed to Ebook piracy is stealing. It is a federal offense.

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have this conversation—but he wasn’t enjoying it. Very quietly, he said, “She exists. It’s just…complicated.”

“Are you in love with her?”

It wasn’t her business. Well, maybe it was at this particular moment. He admitted, “Yes.”

“Isn’t that fucking perfect.” Karen looked away, her profile sharp.

Then she took in an audible breath and looked back. “Okay. What’s the hang up then? Is she married?”

“Don’t cross examine me, please, Karen. Suffice it to say I’m sorry about how this turned out for us. I take the responsibility, too. It wasn’t my intention to be an asshole, but I still feel a little like one.”

“A little, Rob? Thanks for that nod anyway.” She turned and started to walk back up to the house. “I’m leaving. I really couldn’t afford to take the time off right now, anyway. We’re buried at the office.”

“Now?” He glanced at his watch. It was after ten. “It’s late. Don’t be stupid. You drove hours to get here and drank alcohol with dinner.

Stay and we’ll talk about this tomorrow.”

She stopped on the path and swung around. “Will it change anything?”

Well, fuck
.

“No,” he admitted.

“Yeah, well, there you go. I’d rather leave. If I get tired driving back, I’ll get a motel room somewhere.”

This was worse than he imagined. “I’d feel better if you stayed.”

“That’s kind of funny, you know. I have a feeling you can’t wait to get rid of me.”

He’d known this wouldn’t be fun, but
shit
. “Look, Karen, it isn’t like I don’t feel anything at all for you, so yes, you flouncing off in the middle of the night would worry me. Give me enough credit for that. Just stay. Your things are unpacked and these roads are really confusing, even in broad daylight, until you get to the state highway Ebook piracy is stealing. It is a federal offense.

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anyway. I can’t see any reason we have to act like teenagers over this.

It didn’t work out for us. It happens.”

Her mouth twisted, making her face a macabre mask in the silvered light and shadows. “You know, that’s really our problem.

You are so damned oblivious to how I feel. For me, I thought it could work out. You’re just what I’m looking for, Rob. Smart, good looking, successful…pretty much what I had in mind for the future. I even like your sense of humor. I like everything about you except you’re apparently into someone else.”

What was he supposed to say? Thanks? He opted to stay silent.

She blew out a breath and shook her head, the swing of her hair brushing her chin. “I knew better than to just drive down here. But when I called your mother and asked for directions, I decided to go ahead because I had this feeling if I came this would be my chance to figure out where I stood with you. The signals you’ve sent ever since we met are so confusing I can never remember being so out of the loop on what a guy was feeling. I guess I was dead on with my hunch this trip would clue me in.”

He felt bad, but neither was he willing to absorb all the responsibility. The little list she’d just given him was a measure of her idea of commitment, and even without Lauren in the picture, it was not at all his idea of a true romance. Smart and good-looking probably would be listed after successful if he asked Karen to put the important points in line, and her materialistic edge had always put him off.

Not to mention that what he did and what he looked like were not a measure of who he was. Rob asked abruptly, “How many times a day do you think about me?”

“What?” She still stood on the moonlit path, arms at her sides, her blink indicative of surprise both at the abrupt question and his tone.

“A dozen?” He raised his brows. “More? Less? When you get up in the morning? When you go to bed at night? At lunch? During a meeting? When you’re at the grocery store?”

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Her eyes narrowed. “I worked my ass off to clear up a case to get here, Rob. Besides, I get that you’re trying to make a point, but as I’ve noted, you don’t seem to be clued in to what
I’m
feeling. Every person is different in how they get involved with someone.”

She hadn’t answered his question and they both knew it.

Dryly, he said, “On that point we agree more than you know. Just the same, even though I’m flattered you like me and why you think things between us could work out, you might want to ask yourself if you don’t want a little bit more, Karen. I may not be as perceptive as you want me to be, but I think I might have noticed if you had fallen in love with me. I can only speak from personal experience, but the real thing seems to control a great deal of your waking time.”

There was a ripple on the lake. Just a faint splash but in the ensuing pause, it sounded very loud. Karen turned and looked away, giving him her profile for a moment. Then she said with a hint of humor, “You don’t pull any punches now do you? Nice summation, Rob. You just neatly outlined my lack of depth and your level of involvement with this other woman in one succinct paragraph.”

“I never said you lacked depth.”

“You don’t need to, it was implied.” She sighed and ran a hand through her hair. “Look, I admit I’m tired. I’ll take off in the morning.

I could be back in the office by afternoon and still get some things done. And, no, I’m not going to give you a no hard feelings speech right now, so don’t expect it, but at least things are settled.”

It was a relief to not have to break it off when they got back to Indiana, but this hadn’t been very pleasant, either. “I suppose that is one way to look at it. Let’s walk back up to the house.”

* * * *

Drew emerged from the bathroom, hair still damp, nude, toweling off his torso. It wasn’t a bad sight at all, and Lauren turned from where she stood by the window and felt a twinge of appreciation Ebook piracy is stealing. It is a federal offense.

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despite the fact she was distracted by wondering what was happening at that moment between Rob and Karen.

“He’s a big boy.” Drew picked up a pair of clean boxers and slid them on. He shot her a searching glance. “You know he’s not going to say anything about you, Lauren.”

There was just the slightest hint of reproof in his voice. It was reassuring to know he would defend Rob, even to her. It was evidence of that bewildering three way thing again. Her and Drew, her and Rob, and the two of them also. She said, “I know. This particular situation brings home—I suspect not for the first time—how difficult things are going to be.”

“It depends on how you define difficult.”

“I define it as having to hide a pretty important of your life,” she retorted.

“Hmm. Nice to know we’re important.” Drew smiled and came over to slide his arms around her. He dropped a very light kiss on her mouth. “It’s my opinion you worry too much. And your opinion I don’t worry enough, I know. Look at the bright side. Our situation has some advantages, babe, we’ve always got Rob as a third opinion.”

She ran a hand over the muscled curve of his shoulder. “I’m outnumbered.”

“I get the impression you kind of like that.” The teasing light in his eyes was familiar and part of what made him so attractive. “Did you know?”