Read Online Dream of You by Lauren Gilley - Free Book Online Page B

made her squirm.
                  “That is nice,” Delta said primly, and put another miniscule bite of quiche in her mouth. “Tam.” Her smile looked anything but true as she glanced in his direction. “How’s school going?”
                  He didn’t respond right away and Jo wanted to stretch her arm down the table Mr. Fantastic style and smack him in the back of the head.
                  “I told him all the best profs to take,” Mike said when the silence had become uncomfortable. “And you’ve got Jordie for HPS, right?”
                  “Right,” Tam said, and Jo swore she could see the wheels spinning in his brain. When he picked up his head and began to answer Delta’s question, Jo could tell he was putting on a show. He’d realized that if he played too much of an ass in front of Mike, Delta and their parents, he’d get called on it. And even if Mike couldn’t see the false glimmer in his friend’s eyes, Jess did, and she kicked Jo under the table to get her attention.
                  Jo shook her head at her sister and mouthed later .
                  Later came once the dishes had been cleared and all that would fit into the washer were stowed away. Jessica plopped her three-year-old, Tyler, down in front of his dad in the living room and then snagged Jo’s sleeve. Satisfied that the menfolk were engrossed in the TV, Tam talking to Randy and Mike like nothing in the world was wrong, Jo let her sister tow her down the hall to the now-empty dining room and fell into the first chair she came to.
                  “What in the hell is up with Tam?” Jess asked as she sat down beside her. The incoming sunlight glinted off her golden locks and highlighted her elegant features in a way that was pure art. “It’s like, well, he’s acting like he did in Ireland.”
                  “Like when we weren’t together,” Jo said miserably. “I know.”
                  “And why is he acting that way?”
                  Jo stared at the table and traced an old water stain with her fingertip. Making admissions to Jess wasn’t much better than making them to Mom. Jess’s unswerving perfection was enviable and frustrating, and her perfect husband and perfect toddler made Jo’s plight seem ridiculous and, somehow, insurmountable.
                  “I don’t know.”
                  “Liar.”
                  “I know what caused it, but do I know what’s going on in his head? No. Not a liar.”
                  Jess had her mouth set at that angle that meant she wouldn’t be avoided. Her green eyes were so like Mom’s it was scary. “I haven’t ever seen you this worked up over some stupid spat about who kicked who out of bed.”
                  “It’s a little bit more complicated than that.”
                  “So explain it to me.”
                  “I don’t want to.”
                  “I’m your only sister.” Jess sounded a touch defensive. “Who else are you going to talk to if you can’t talk to your ‘Tammy’?” Jo lifted her brows and her sister sighed. “Okay, that sounded bitchy. I’ve got PMS or something. But , my point is, you can’t bottle, so spill.”
                  “I could talk to Jordie,” she said to stall. “We’re both the mailman’s babies, you know.”
                  “Jordie has gone from romantic suicide to serial love homicide, so no, you can’t talk to him.”
                  She knew she couldn’t, there were things you didn’t discuss with a brother, but it had been worth a shot. Jo heaved a sigh. “Fine.”
                  “Okay.”
                  “I haven’t verified it with my OB yet, but I took six tests last night and I’m