Read Online Taste of Temptation by Moira McTark - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Moira McTark
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he knew Laine would do the right thing.
He knew her. She would have to.
He couldn't be wrong again.
Laine stood at the door to the elevator, her body language suggesting defeat. She pulled the phone away from her ear, covering the receiver with her hand, and looked at Jason. “I've got to take care of this. I'll talk to you later."
The hollow expression on her face made him want to pull her back into the apartment and demand she tell him what she was going to do. Assure him that she'd never consider putting business before someone else's life.
No. That was crazy. He didn't need her to tell him, he knew it already. So he smiled his reassuring smile and nodded. “I've got a meeting in about forty-five minutes, but I'll be back in a few hours. Call me if you need anything."
She nodded and stepped into the elevator she'd barely stepped out of. As the doors closed, all he heard was Laine's resigned voice. “Fine, fine. I understand, Connie ... I said I understand ... no one—"
Laine paced the halls of the eighth floor. Connie's last words ate at her gut. Some girls don't want to know...
The dark halls of memories lit, one after another, to the worst day of her life. Swallowing hard at the memory, she felt bile rising in her throat. Her brother-in-law, only hours before his wedding, pulling her into the stairwell and kissing her. Her sister, Gail, screaming that Laine had ruined her special day. Demanding to know why she couldn't have just kept her mouth shut.
Laine shook away the tear-streaked phantom, damning the choice that she'd been faced with. It never occurred to her that her sister wouldn't have wanted to know, that Gail would go through with the ceremony regardless. Like it never occurred to her that she would be written out of her sister's life forever. Or that she would end up so driven to fix her mistake she would make a career out of it.
Laine stared at the phone in her trembling hand. She had to do it. Dialing the number, she hit send and waited through four rings before the line picked up.
"Gail? It's me, Laine. Please don't hang up. I really need to talk to you."
A long silence followed. Laine stopped pacing, stopped breathing. She waited.
"Laine, are you okay?"
She closed her eyes and nodded, trying to push the sound out through a throat seized with emotion. How many years had it been since she heard her sister say her name? “Yes, sort of. I'm sorry, but I need to talk to you."
"Okay ... What is it?"
"After all these years, do you still believe you would have been happier if I hadn't told you about Danny?"
A cool hiss of breath came through the line, and Laine thought she was about to be hung up on. But then Gail answered, her voice slow, reflective.
"Maybe. For a while. I was twenty. So young. Danny? It's possible things would have been different between us if I hadn't known. Or maybe if I'd found out for myself what he was like, instead of being so wrapped up in blaming someone else—you—and trying so hard to prove everyone wrong, I might have left him before getting pregnant. But then I wouldn't have my daughters. And Danny is, for the most part, a decent man. I guess I could have done worse. I don't know."
Laine bowed her head, her heart aching for them both. “How are the girls? The pictures at Mom's are beautiful."
Gail's voice brightened, bringing Laine up with her. “The girls are wonderful. So smart and funny.” She laughed. “Trina is five, and she reminds me of you the most. Makes me laugh all the time."
Somehow it made a difference to know that even though her sister hadn't spoken to her, she'd at least thought of her. That was something.
"Laine, I still wish you'd never told me what Danny pulled before the wedding, but not because you were wrong to do it. Because I've missed you so much. I'm sorry. I was wrong and pig-headed. And then I was so embarrassed. It wasn't your fault, and I've know it for a long time. I just had too many problems to face up to fixing this
He knew her. She would have to.
He couldn't be wrong again.
Laine stood at the door to the elevator, her body language suggesting defeat. She pulled the phone away from her ear, covering the receiver with her hand, and looked at Jason. “I've got to take care of this. I'll talk to you later."
The hollow expression on her face made him want to pull her back into the apartment and demand she tell him what she was going to do. Assure him that she'd never consider putting business before someone else's life.
No. That was crazy. He didn't need her to tell him, he knew it already. So he smiled his reassuring smile and nodded. “I've got a meeting in about forty-five minutes, but I'll be back in a few hours. Call me if you need anything."
She nodded and stepped into the elevator she'd barely stepped out of. As the doors closed, all he heard was Laine's resigned voice. “Fine, fine. I understand, Connie ... I said I understand ... no one—"
Laine paced the halls of the eighth floor. Connie's last words ate at her gut. Some girls don't want to know...
The dark halls of memories lit, one after another, to the worst day of her life. Swallowing hard at the memory, she felt bile rising in her throat. Her brother-in-law, only hours before his wedding, pulling her into the stairwell and kissing her. Her sister, Gail, screaming that Laine had ruined her special day. Demanding to know why she couldn't have just kept her mouth shut.
Laine shook away the tear-streaked phantom, damning the choice that she'd been faced with. It never occurred to her that her sister wouldn't have wanted to know, that Gail would go through with the ceremony regardless. Like it never occurred to her that she would be written out of her sister's life forever. Or that she would end up so driven to fix her mistake she would make a career out of it.
Laine stared at the phone in her trembling hand. She had to do it. Dialing the number, she hit send and waited through four rings before the line picked up.
"Gail? It's me, Laine. Please don't hang up. I really need to talk to you."
A long silence followed. Laine stopped pacing, stopped breathing. She waited.
"Laine, are you okay?"
She closed her eyes and nodded, trying to push the sound out through a throat seized with emotion. How many years had it been since she heard her sister say her name? “Yes, sort of. I'm sorry, but I need to talk to you."
"Okay ... What is it?"
"After all these years, do you still believe you would have been happier if I hadn't told you about Danny?"
A cool hiss of breath came through the line, and Laine thought she was about to be hung up on. But then Gail answered, her voice slow, reflective.
"Maybe. For a while. I was twenty. So young. Danny? It's possible things would have been different between us if I hadn't known. Or maybe if I'd found out for myself what he was like, instead of being so wrapped up in blaming someone else—you—and trying so hard to prove everyone wrong, I might have left him before getting pregnant. But then I wouldn't have my daughters. And Danny is, for the most part, a decent man. I guess I could have done worse. I don't know."
Laine bowed her head, her heart aching for them both. “How are the girls? The pictures at Mom's are beautiful."
Gail's voice brightened, bringing Laine up with her. “The girls are wonderful. So smart and funny.” She laughed. “Trina is five, and she reminds me of you the most. Makes me laugh all the time."
Somehow it made a difference to know that even though her sister hadn't spoken to her, she'd at least thought of her. That was something.
"Laine, I still wish you'd never told me what Danny pulled before the wedding, but not because you were wrong to do it. Because I've missed you so much. I'm sorry. I was wrong and pig-headed. And then I was so embarrassed. It wasn't your fault, and I've know it for a long time. I just had too many problems to face up to fixing this
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