piece of teak. Unlike his mind and his heart, his
motions were controlled and the sounds of classic Van Halen blotted
out the sound of a car pulling up to his place.
And of the slamming door behind the girl
who’d damn near broken him.
Chapter Seven
It was a week after the
wedding-that-never-happened and Bobbi was about to face her groom.
Or rather, the groom and fiancé she’d stood up. As it turned out,
he’d left for their honeymoon—taken his mother as his companion—and
had only gotten back to town the night before. He had left a
message with Herschel earlier and she knew he’d be by shortly.
Her sister Billie thought the whole thing was
weird—taking his mother along on what was supposed to have been his
honeymoon. According to Billie, it would have made more sense for
him to take a buddy—someone to drink and party his way through the
week with.
Bobbi knew that Gerald didn’t have too many
close guy friends, at least none outside of business and she
couldn’t fault him for taking the trip. It was certainly the
practical thing to do, though really, his mother?
She glanced down at the diamond that still
adorned her left ring finger, turning her hand slightly so the two
carat stone reflected the bright sunlight that filtered in from the
kitchen window.
“God, you’re still wearing that thing?”
She turned, her expression tightening as her
other sister Betty wandered into the kitchen, her lithe form barely
covered by a silky blue robe. Loosely belted, it gaped open,
showing off more than just a little peek of her breasts, in fact,
Bobbi’s frown deepened as her sister stretched and both of the
girls fell out.
“Are you kidding me? Can you please put some
clothes on? Gerald will be here any minute and he certainly doesn’t
need to see those things.”
Betty tossed her head, her long hair sliding
over her shoulder and grinned. Slowly… carefully , she tugged
the ends over her exposed nipples and then tightened the belt.
“Damn, I supposed I could get dressed. It is
two in the afternoon after all and lord knows Gerry doesn’t need
the added excitement of seeing something that he only fantasized
about on his uh, honeymoon .”
Something began to pulse back in the recesses
of Bobbi’s brain. A sharp, something, that drew Bobbi’s frown
deeper across her forehead.
There was a time, years ago, when Betty and
Bobbi had been close. Really close. The other triplet, Billie was
the one who never really fit in. She’d always been the third wheel.
The athletic tomboy who didn’t give two shits about clothes or
makeup or having a good time. But Betty? She was always down for
whatever kind of trouble Bobbi was willing to get into, and damn,
but they’d seen their share of trouble.
Yet, something had hardened inside her
sister. Something twisted and mean. And though Bobbi would like to
think it was because of the crazy life she’d fallen into—modeling
and acting—she wasn’t so sure anymore. Something was broken inside
Betty and the scary thing was, that sometimes, that blank, sad,
look she saw in her sister’s eyes, stared back at herself when
Bobbi looked in the mirror.
Bobbi sighed and glanced away. With all the
problems facing her at the moment she didn’t have the time, or the
inclination, to find out what it was or to try and fix it. Besides,
her sister Betty had to want to be helped. Her addiction problems
and crazy lifestyle had toned down a bit since she’d returned to
New Waterford in the fall, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t
trouble.
She was plenty enough trouble. Hell, the girl
had left Bobbi’s wedding-that-never-happened-reception, with Matt
Hawkins. Matt freaking Hawkins . He was one of the biggest
horn-dogs around—at the age of thirty five he had children with
three different women—and yet, Betty had left with him and was gone
for three days and three nights. She’d returned to the Barker
residence, in a pair of men’s jeans and an old ratty sweatshirt,
with
motions were controlled and the sounds of classic Van Halen blotted
out the sound of a car pulling up to his place.
And of the slamming door behind the girl
who’d damn near broken him.
Chapter Seven
It was a week after the
wedding-that-never-happened and Bobbi was about to face her groom.
Or rather, the groom and fiancé she’d stood up. As it turned out,
he’d left for their honeymoon—taken his mother as his companion—and
had only gotten back to town the night before. He had left a
message with Herschel earlier and she knew he’d be by shortly.
Her sister Billie thought the whole thing was
weird—taking his mother along on what was supposed to have been his
honeymoon. According to Billie, it would have made more sense for
him to take a buddy—someone to drink and party his way through the
week with.
Bobbi knew that Gerald didn’t have too many
close guy friends, at least none outside of business and she
couldn’t fault him for taking the trip. It was certainly the
practical thing to do, though really, his mother?
She glanced down at the diamond that still
adorned her left ring finger, turning her hand slightly so the two
carat stone reflected the bright sunlight that filtered in from the
kitchen window.
“God, you’re still wearing that thing?”
She turned, her expression tightening as her
other sister Betty wandered into the kitchen, her lithe form barely
covered by a silky blue robe. Loosely belted, it gaped open,
showing off more than just a little peek of her breasts, in fact,
Bobbi’s frown deepened as her sister stretched and both of the
girls fell out.
“Are you kidding me? Can you please put some
clothes on? Gerald will be here any minute and he certainly doesn’t
need to see those things.”
Betty tossed her head, her long hair sliding
over her shoulder and grinned. Slowly… carefully , she tugged
the ends over her exposed nipples and then tightened the belt.
“Damn, I supposed I could get dressed. It is
two in the afternoon after all and lord knows Gerry doesn’t need
the added excitement of seeing something that he only fantasized
about on his uh, honeymoon .”
Something began to pulse back in the recesses
of Bobbi’s brain. A sharp, something, that drew Bobbi’s frown
deeper across her forehead.
There was a time, years ago, when Betty and
Bobbi had been close. Really close. The other triplet, Billie was
the one who never really fit in. She’d always been the third wheel.
The athletic tomboy who didn’t give two shits about clothes or
makeup or having a good time. But Betty? She was always down for
whatever kind of trouble Bobbi was willing to get into, and damn,
but they’d seen their share of trouble.
Yet, something had hardened inside her
sister. Something twisted and mean. And though Bobbi would like to
think it was because of the crazy life she’d fallen into—modeling
and acting—she wasn’t so sure anymore. Something was broken inside
Betty and the scary thing was, that sometimes, that blank, sad,
look she saw in her sister’s eyes, stared back at herself when
Bobbi looked in the mirror.
Bobbi sighed and glanced away. With all the
problems facing her at the moment she didn’t have the time, or the
inclination, to find out what it was or to try and fix it. Besides,
her sister Betty had to want to be helped. Her addiction problems
and crazy lifestyle had toned down a bit since she’d returned to
New Waterford in the fall, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t
trouble.
She was plenty enough trouble. Hell, the girl
had left Bobbi’s wedding-that-never-happened-reception, with Matt
Hawkins. Matt freaking Hawkins . He was one of the biggest
horn-dogs around—at the age of thirty five he had children with
three different women—and yet, Betty had left with him and was gone
for three days and three nights. She’d returned to the Barker
residence, in a pair of men’s jeans and an old ratty sweatshirt,
with
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