A few inches shorter than Lacey, Kelsey had shoulder-length blond hair and a sprinkle of freckles across her nose. Even though Kelsey was twenty now and a sophomore in college, Lacey still thought of her as her baby sister. That was probably because Lacey had practically raised Kelsey since she was twelve, when their dad had bailed on them and their mom had stopped caring about anyone and anything.
“Did you eat anything yet?” Lacey asked.
“No. There’s still half a pizza in the fridge from the other night, though. I was waiting for you to get home before I heated it up.”
Lacey doubted that. Her sister tended to get lost in her schoolwork—which Lacey supposed was a good thing—but she sometimes worried that if she didn’t check on Kelsey now and then, her sister wouldn’t eat at all. Lacey started to head into the kitchen to wash up and make a salad to go with the pizza only to stop when she caught sight of the television.
She blinked. “Since when do you watch the news?”
Kelsey looked up as she scooped dry dog food into Leo’s bowl. “I got a text from one of my friends telling me to turn it on. They’re talking about that missing girl who goes to RTC—Abigail Elliott. It has everyone on campus scared to death.”
Lacey didn’t blame them. Just thinking about the missing girl—and the fact that nobody knew what had happened to her—had Lacey freaked out too. And thankful as heck it wasn’t Kelsey.
As they ate, Lacey asked Kelsey how her nursing classes were going, but her sister was more interested in hearing about whether anything interesting had happened at the veterinary clinic. Lacey considered telling her about the dog with the appetite for panty hose but decided that was not exactly something that should be shared at the dinner table.
“A cop asked me out on a date,” she said instead.
Kelsey choked on her diet soda, which led to a coughing fit that made Lacey wonder why she’d even brought up the SWAT cop in the first place. Yeah, Alex Trevino had been cute. Okay, more than cute. Actually, he was possibly the most attractive man she’d ever met. He had to be at least six foot four, and that tight T-shirt he had on showed off the kind of muscles that you usually only expected to see on a marble statue carved by one of the great masters in Italy.
Then there was his face. That strong jaw covered with the barest hint of scruff and those high cheekbones to go along with a pair of beautiful brown eyes and sensual mouth—they all fit together perfectly. The more she thought of him, the more she realized that attractive wasn’t the right word, either. He was gorgeous.
In her experience, guys who were that good-looking were usually full of themselves, but Alex seemed like he was a pretty humble and down-to-earth person. And the way he cared about Tuffie made him seem like an absolute dream.
Lacey caught herself before she let out a loud, heartfelt sigh. Good Lord, she needed to get ahold of herself. She wasn’t the kind of woman who went gaga over a guy, yet she’d practically swooned over Alex the moment he’d walked in.
On the other side of the table, Kelsey got her coughing fit under control, then took another sip of soda to clear her throat.
“You okay?” Lacey asked.
Her sister waved her hand. “Forget about that. You’re going out on a date?”
Lacey scowled. “You don’t have to sound so shocked. It’s not like I don’t go out.”
Kelsey leaned back and gave her a look that said someone was full of crap—and it wasn’t her. “Sure you do. I think the last time was when I was a junior in high school.”
Lacey opened her mouth to deny it, but then realized she couldn’t, because her sister was right. Crap, had it really been that long since she’d gone out?
“So, where are you going on your date?” Kelsey asked excitedly.
“Whoa! I never said I was going on a date with the guy.” Lacey picked up her slice of pizza. “You asked me if anything interesting had happened today, and I said a cop asked me out.”
Kelsey looked confused. “Why aren’t you going out with him? Was he an asshole or something?”
“No! He was really nice.”
“Then what’s the big deal?”
Lacey shrugged and took a bite of pizza, chewing slowly. “I just started this new job. I need to focus on work right now.”
Kelsey snorted. “Seriously? You’re too busy making a good impression at the new office to go out on even one date?”
Lacey tried not to let her sister’s words get to her. She loved Kelsey to no end, but the girl had a seriously naïve outlook on life. That was Lacey’s fault, of course. She’d done her best to shelter Kelsey from all the crap that had happened after their dad had left. Looking back now, she realized she hadn’t done Kelsey any favors. By shielding her sister from the harsh realities of life, Kelsey had grown up thinking there was no reason you couldn’t have your cake and eat it too.
“Life is all about priorities, Kelsey, and right now, my priority is you and my new job. There’ll be time for guys later.”
Kelsey made a face and chomped down on her pizza. Not that Kelsey needed to say anything to make her position clear. There wasn’t anything Lacey could say to change her sister’s mind, so she didn’t bother to try. She was just glad that Kelsey still lived at home, was too young to drink, and was more focused on college than on boys. As naive as her sister could sometimes be, it terrified Lacey to think what Kelsey might get into if she lived on campus with all the alcohol, guys, and parties. Lacey wouldn’t even be able to sleep at night.
As the silence stretched out between them over the dinner table, Lacey wished again that she hadn’t mentioned Alex. Meeting him had been nothing more than a chance encounter. Tuffie wasn’t her regular patient, so it wasn’t like she was ever going to see the man again.
