* *
Anticipating a surprise visit with her sister, Sara drove into town and parked on the street. She bought some fresh fruit and carried it up the steps to Tabitha’s apartment. Spotting the wreath on her sister’s door, she felt a rush of approval as she knocked. At least Tabitha was giving a nod to the holidays. Sara waited. And waited.
She knocked on the door again and Tabitha finally answered the door, wearing a gown she’d clearly donned in a haphazard fashion. Her eyes were droopy from a late sleep-in. “Hi,” Tabitha said in a fake cheery voice.
“Hi,” Sara returned. “I’ve called you, but didn’t hear back. I brought you fruit. I like your wreath.”
Tabitha gave a half smile. “It’s the least I can do. I’m trying to muster a little seasonal joy. It wouldn’t be good to snarl at the guests at the restaurant just because this is another Christmas I’ll be spending trapped. Thank you for the fruit,” she said, taking the fruit. “This is a tricky time...”
A handsome man appeared behind her. “Want to introduce me?” he asked.
“Of course,” Tabitha said. “My sis—” She broke off. “My good friend, Sara. This is Christoph.”
“Pleasure to meet you,” Christoph said. “I’ll take a shower while you two visit.”
The man who resembled Adonis disappeared down the hall with a towel draped around his waist. Sara gaped at Tabitha. “What on earth are you doing with him?”
“Having a little fun,” she said. “He’s amazing in bed. Why should I deprive myself? He doesn’t know my real name.”
“How do you know that?” Sara demanded.
“He thinks I’m just a highly educated hostess,” Tabitha said. “Oh, wait. That’s what I really am at the moment.”
“Do you wish you were back in Sergenia?” Sara asked. “Worrying about being kidnapped?”
“I didn’t worry all that much,” Tabitha said. She sighed. “Oh, give me a break, Sasha—Sara, you’ve got to admit this arrangement is entirely too constraining.”
“We’re fortunate the Devereaux family agreed to allow us to stay here,” she reminded Tabitha.
“You’ve always been the one to deny your needs. I can’t do that, and you really shouldn’t. It’s not good for you.”
Sara stared at her younger sister. “There’s a difference between delaying gratification and denying needs.”
Tabitha shrugged her shoulders. “Sounds the same to me. Am I supposed to sit in a dark corner here until someone says it’s safe to come out?” Tabitha shook her head. “I’m young. I want to live.”
“Well, just be careful,” Sara said. “Things can happen...during sex.”
Tabitha laughed but squeezed Sara’s arm. “How would you know?” she asked. She immediately became contrite. “I’m sorry. It must be hard being the family saint. You’ve made it easy for me to be the sinner.”
Sara drew Tabitha into her arms, tightly embracing her younger sister. “I worry about you. I don’t want you to suffer.”
Tabitha’s gaze softened. “I’m not in pain when Christoph is around. He’s Greek. He makes me feel happy. He makes me forget my troubles.”
Sara still felt uneasy about Tabitha’s lover. “If you say so,” she said. “I just want you to be safe, careful and happy.”
“In our situation, one out of three isn’t so bad,” Tabitha said.
Sara took a deep breath. “Look after yourself. I’ll call you. Try to respond,” she said.
Tabitha smiled. “I’ll do my best. Are you sure you don’t want a cup of tea?”
Sara shook her head. “I think I heard the water in the shower turn off. Time for me to go. Call me,” she said, kissing her sister on the cheek before she walked out of the apartment.
Sara wandered around downtown, glancing into shop windows even though she was distracted. She stopped by the gelato shop, ordered her favorite hazelnut gelato and headed for the beach. It was early December and although it was too chilly for swimming, she wanted to make the most of her day. Spooning the delicious dessert into her mouth, she stared at the beautiful azure ocean and felt completely lost.
She was full of worry over her brother, who had been missing for months, and her sister, who appeared determined to compensate for the constraints of the past several months. Sara sighed and her mind wandered to Gavin, Sam and Adelaide. A little trip to the beach would mean so much to all of them.
Spooning the last bit of gelato into her mouth, Sara stood and brushed the sand off her backside. So much for escaping Gavin and his brood. It appeared that her own family situation was crazier than his.
* * *
Gavin alternated between encouraging Sam to eat his lunch and spooning mushy green peas into Adelaide’s mouth. She banged the extra spoon he’d given her on the tray of the high chair. The sound of metal repeatedly striking plastic reminded him of a bad visit to the dentist.
Sam appeared to be having a glum day. “Hey, bud,” he said to his son. “Eat a few more bites of your sandwich.”
Gavin gave Adelaide another bite and she spit the green matter back at him, chortling in delight and banging the tray. “Hey. Give your poor dad a break.”
At that moment, Gavin heard the front door open and footsteps. He glanced up to find Sara in the doorway and felt a shot of relief. “You’re back early,” he said.
He felt her gaze wander over him. She bit her lip as if to contain her amusement. “I’m delighted to know I’m not the only one on whom she likes to shower her food.”
“I bet you look better in green than I do,” he said, somehow feeling much lighter. He wiped Adelaide’s face. She screeched at him in return. “Hope your morning was better than ours.”
“Not bad,” she said. “I ate gelato and sat on the beach for a little while.”
“Gelato,” Gavin echoed.
“The beach,” Sam said, jealousy oozing from his tone.
Sara glanced at both of them. “There’s nothing preventing us from taking a little trip to the beach,” she said. “We don’t even have to swim. We just need to slather on some sunscreen, throw on a hat and roll up our pants if we dare to have the chilly water on our toes.”
Sam scrambled up on his knees in his chair and stared hopefully in Gavin’s face. “Can we go, Daddy? Can we?”
Gavin had so rarely seen Sam exhibit this much enthusiasm during the past few months. There was only one answer he could give his son.
Sam zoomed along the sandy beach. When the water was calm,
