It had been a slow tumble off the edge of higher reason, until Erin was too far gone to haul herself back over her carefully drawn line in the sand.
And she didn’t regret a single second.
A knock on her front door. “Saved by the bell.”
“Don’t think this conversation is over.” Jessica brandished the butter knife at her.
If Erin got her way, they’d never speak about Lia again. If only the woman herself weren’t going to be joining them for a picnic.
With a sigh, Erin opened the door to let Lia and Maisie inside.
* * *
“So, how long have you been sleeping with my sister?”
Lia froze, a sausage roll halfway to her mouth. She refrained from glancing over her shoulder. Maisie had tugged Erin away to play kick-about, and Lia assumed Jessica wouldn’t have asked if they were still in earshot.
But then, she wouldn’t have expected Jessica to ask that, full stop.
Clearly, Erin’s hissed warning for Jessica to be nice hadn’t been enough to deter her from an interrogation the second Erin’s back was turned.
For the first time, Lia regretted going along on the Finch family picnic. It was a pleasant Sunday afternoon—for March, at least—the sun sitting low in a cloudless sky. Around them, children laughed and squealed, and ducks at the nearby pond quacked and splashed in the water. They’d managed to snag a picnic bench, and Lia leaned back as Jessica leaned forward, resting her elbows on the table.
“What makes you think I’m sleeping with your sister?” If Jessica thought Lia was going to roll over easily, she had another thing coming. Lia had dealt with Erin’s iciness for months—she could handle her sister.
She hoped.
Jessica’s lips quirked into a smile. “Would you like me to lay out the evidence?”
Ah. Lia forgot she was dealing with a lawyer. “Please do. I’m sure it’s all circumstantial.”
“Does Erin find you funny?” Jessica didn’t give her a chance to answer. “Let’s start with the hoodie. Clearly yours, discarded on the floor in a hurry—what made you so eager to drop it there, distracted you so much that you forgot to pick it up?”
Lia couldn’t believe she’d forgotten the damn thing. But in her defence, it had been some hours later that she’d left Erin’s apartment in a post-orgasmic haze, tugging on her spare clothes and forgetting all about the ones she’d taken off.
At least Maisie hadn’t found her underwear. That would have been much harder to explain.
“Your behaviour this morning when we came to your apartment was suspicious, too. You kept looking toward Erin, letting her spin a story you could follow along with. Plus, I know when my sister’s lying. You have some tells, too, by the way—but I won’t tell you what they are yet.”
Trying to buy herself a few seconds, Lia finished her sausage roll in two bites. She couldn’t get a read on Jessica, having met her only a handful of times. This was the first time they’d been alone together, and Lia couldn’t tell if Jessica was playing a part or if she was ready to go into overprotective sister mode.
“Also, Erin didn’t deny it when I asked her. She knew better.”
“And I didn’t.”
With a shrug, Jessica popped an olive into her mouth. “Deflection was a solid tactic. Never gonna work on me, though.”
“I’m starting to see that.” Somewhere behind her, Maisie giggled at something, and Lia tried to let the sound soothe her frazzled nerves. “If you’ve already asked Erin, don’t you have the full story? Why are you asking me?”
“To see if your story’s the same. You must know this is unusual for her.”
“I’m aware.”
“And I just want to look out for her.”
Lia drew a knee to her chest. “No offence, but I think Erin’s capable of looking after herself.”
“Hmm.” Jessica pursed her lips. “A year ago, I would’ve agreed with you. But since she got injured she’s been different.”
