She, on the other hand, cooked often and loved developing recipes. At times, she even toyed with the idea of creating her own cookbook. Whenever she was bored or lonely, and she wasn’t thinking about finding her birth mother or father, she was dreaming about what she’d put in a cookbook if she were ever to publish one.
But this wasn’t her cabin; it wasn’t her role to take over the cooking as soon as she walked through the door. So she merely did as Serenity asked.
“Well, here we are,” Serenity said after the ready-to-bake rolls were in the oven, the soup was simmering on the stove and they were sitting around the dining table sharing a bottle of wine.
“Yes, here we are.” Reagan held her glass loosely in her long fingers as though she was at some high-powered lunch in a swanky café. Reagan’s good looks, direct manner and striking confidence could be intimidating. That was another reason Lorelei had a hard time getting over the fact that Reagan was sleeping with a married man. Lorelei wanted to believe that someone with that much personal power couldn’t possibly be so fallible.
“Fortunately, we made it in spite of the weather,” Serenity said.
Serenity seemed like more of an intellectual—someone everyone would want to talk to at a dinner party. She was measured, reasonable, well-read and interesting. Right now she was obviously trying to make conversation. But Lorelei got the impression her sisters were frightened of what they might learn and what it could do to their lives.
She was the lone exception, in that she hadn’t been reluctant in the beginning. Because she’d known her background, she hadn’t been devastated by the news that she had surprise siblings; she’d been elated. After being passed around so much as a child—in and out of one foster home after another until she headed to college—she’d thought she was finally going to have the family she’d craved since she could remember.
Or a portion of it, anyway.
Be careful what you wish for, she thought as she sipped the Napa Valley Chardonnay Serenity had pulled from a cute metal wine holder on the counter.
When no one chimed in, Serenity began to turn the stem of her glass around. “So, I knew this might be awkward, but it seems we’re already facing something a little more difficult than just meeting for the first time.”
Lorelei felt her eyes widen as she looked up.
Reagan merely frowned.
“I hate to put you both on the spot,” Serenity went on, “but it’s important that we be able to trust each other and feel comfortable here this week. And the fact that the ride from the airport didn’t go so well is disappointing. What happened? We all seemed to get along online.”
Lorelei resisted the urge to shift in her seat. “Reagan and I simply...disagree on some fundamental issues, I guess.”
“Fundamental issues?” Serenity said.
“I wouldn’t say we disagree on those issues,” Reagan volunteered. “I screwed up, okay? I feel terrible about it. But at least I was honest. What more do you want from me? I could’ve lied, kept it to myself.”
“Maybe you should have,” Lorelei grumbled.
“Except I prefer to be real—and not some impossibly perfect version of myself. If you can’t accept me for who I am, what good is building a relationship with you in the first place?”
“Whoa! Wait.” Serenity lifted both hands. “What are you two talking about?”
Lorelei didn’t want to be the one to tell Serenity that Reagan was involved with a married man, but when she remained silent, Reagan went on the offensive.
“Lorelei found out her husband’s been having an a-f-f-a-i-r with her best friend, who is now p-r-e-g-n-a-n-t,” she said.
The spelling caught Lucy’s attention. She understood adults did that when they were trying to exclude her from the conversation. But she was so happy to be off the plane and out of the car she simply glanced around the table before going back to her puzzle.
“I can’t believe you just blurted that out.” Although she tried, Lorelei couldn’t keep the pique out of her voice.
Hearing it caused Lucy to look up again.
“I didn’t blurt it out,” Reagan responded. “I was careful to spell the more upsetting points.”
Lorelei folded her arms. “I shouldn’t have told you. It’s none of your business.”
“What’s wrong, Mommy?”
“Nothing, honey. Do your puzzle,” Lorelei said softly.
“I’m glad you did,” Reagan said. “Otherwise, I wouldn’t understand why you reacted the way you did to what’s going on in my life.”
“You mean, what you’ve done?” Lorelei cried.
Serenity interrupted. “What am I missing?”
After the information Reagan had revealed about Mark, Lorelei no longer felt any compunction about sharing Reagan’s situation. “She’s having an affair with her married boss.”
“You could’ve spelled some of that,” Reagan complained.
Lorelei gestured toward her daughter. “She doesn’t understand what an affair is.”
“That’s lucky for you, then, isn’t it?” Reagan snapped.
“I hope this is a joke,” Serenity said. “What we’re here for—what we might find out—could be difficult enough without all this drama.”
“It’s not a joke.” Lorelei glared at Reagan. “You shouldn’t have told Serenity about Mark. That was up to me.”
Reagan scowled. “Well, you weren’t stepping up. Were you planning to keep it a secret from Serenity?”
Lorelei clenched her jaw. “No, of course not. I just—That isn’t the point.”
“Then what is? Because as bad as your life might be right now, at least you’re not to blame for it!” She shoved away from the table and stood. “I’m not hungry. Don’t worry about me for dinner,” she said and walked out.
“Wow,” Serenity said. “I definitely wasn’t expecting that.”
“Mommy?” Lucy blinked up at them with her wide, innocent blue eyes. “Is Aunt Reagan mad?”
Lorelei rubbed her temples. “I guess she is.”
Serenity lowered her voice. “Is it true?”
“About Reagan?” Lorelei said. “Yes.”
Serenity glanced over her shoulder in the direction of the stairs, where Reagan had gone. “I could tell that part was true. I meant about your best friend and your...” Her eyes darted to Lucy. “You know.”