regret this, son, if you walk out that door,” his father warned.
“And I’ll regret it the rest of my life if I don’t.”
2
LISA HAD BEEN WAITING anxiously all weekend for her sister’s return, so when she heard Francie’s voice on Leo’s voice mail Sunday night, letting him know that she and Mark were back, Lisa hightailed it down the hallway to Francie’s apartment.
Mark answered the door, looking tired, well kissed and as disgustingly handsome as ever. Apparently the trip to Buck’s County had gone well, or else he and Francie had just engaged in a round of fabulous sex.
She rather thought it was the latter.
“Lisa, this is a surprise! What are you doing here? I thought you were in Florida.”
“Sorry to intrude, Mark, but I need to talk to Francie. It’s about why I’m not in Florida—a long sad story, and one I’d rather not tell twice, if you don’t mind.” One she’d rather not tell at all, if she were truthful with herself, but Francie was going to ask probing questions and would expect direct answers.
Though Francie was only two years older than Lisa, she took her job as big sister seriously. But then, Francie took most things seriously. She was the reliable, conscientious, mostly well-behaved daughter, while Lisa was the screwup. Her present situation was testament to that.
“Sure, come on in. Francie’s in the shower. She’ll just be a few more minutes. Let’s have a beer. I’ll tell you about our trip to Buck’s County. We spent the weekend looking at houses and we think we’ve found the one we want, if we can get our price. The sellers seem anxious, so we’re keeping our fingers crossed.”
“That’s great!” Following her brother-in-law into the kitchen, Lisa seated herself at the table, accepting the frosty beer mug he handed her. “I can’t wait to hear all about it. Did you take lots of pictures?” Mark’s eyebrow shot up in disbelief, and Lisa shook her head. “Stupid question to ask a photographer, huh?”
“I took several rolls of film, but I haven’t had a chance to develop them yet. Francie took some nice shots with the digital camera, but I won’t steal her thunder. She’ll want to show you those herself.”
Wrapped in a blue terry-cloth bathrobe, Francie stepped into the kitchen at that moment, her smile melting into concern when she spotted her younger sister. “I thought I heard voices. What on earth are you doing here, Lisa? Is it Mom? Is she okay?”
“Why does everyone always think there’s something wrong with Mom? That woman is going to outlive us all.” Lisa sighed. “Mom’s fine. I’m the one with the problem.”
Francie looked meaningfully at her husband, who was wise enough to take the hint. “I’ve got work to do,” he said, “so I’ll say good-night.” Mark kissed his wife’s cheek, flashing her a smile full of promise. “Don’t be too long, okay?”
After her brother-in-law departed, Lisa stuck her finger down her throat and made gagging sounds. “You two are going to make me throw up, if you’re not careful. Are you always like this?” She shook her head, a bemused smile lighting her face.
“Like what?”
“Sickeningly sweet, lovey-dovey, moony-eyed and horny as rabbits? I feel like I’m developing diabetes just being in the same room with you two sweethearts.”
Used to her sister’s outrageous remarks, Francie merely grinned. “We’re newlyweds. What do you expect? I’m sure you and Alex behave in exactly the same way. I’d bet money on it, in fact.”
Not anymore, Lisa thought. “You’d lose. Alex and I have split. We’re kaput, done, finito.”
“What?” Francie dropped into the chair across from her sister, a stunned look on her face. “What happened? I thought you two were madly in love with each other.”
“Love wasn’t the problem, and neither was sex, which was fabulous, I might add. It was his parents. Alex changed once we got to Florida and began living with them.” Lisa detailed her treatment at Miriam and Rupert Mackenzie’s hands. “When he refused to stand up for me, I got fed up and left.”
“But to leave without telling anyone, Lisa. They must be frantic with worry.”
Lisa laughed, though there was no humor in it. “I haven’t heard a peep from anyone, including Alex.” And that hurt; it hurt a lot. After all, she had a cell phone. Of course, the battery was dead, and it had only been a couple of days, but still…
“I guess he must realize, as I do, that our marriage was a huge mistake. I’m sure he’s relieved as hell that I left. It saved him the trouble of kicking me out.”
Francie reached out to clasp her sister’s hand. “I’m sure that’s not true, Lisa. And you shouldn’t think such things. Alex loves you. I’m positive of that.”
“How do you know? You only met him that one time, right before we moved to Florida.”
“Because I saw the way he looked at you. You can’t pretend love. It was there in his eyes, for all the world to see.”
“Oh, pleeze! You are going to make me throw up. I doubt there’s any such thing as love. Okay, maybe you and Mark have the genuine thing. I’m not sure what Alex and I experienced, probably lust. After all, the sex was fabulous—but you can’t expect sex to make up for all that was lacking in our relationship.”
Francie arched a skeptical eyebrow. “Such as?”
“We have nothing in common. Alex comes from money, oodles of it. He’s never experienced hard knocks, rejection or parental disapproval. He works for his father’s company; they think he walks on water.”
“So what’s wrong with that? Lots of children work for their parents.”
“The Mackenzies’ blood isn’t blue, France, it’s positively green, as in greenbacks. They’re into all sorts of social activities, like the country club and yachting. Hell, I can’t even swim. I nearly drowned in the kiddy pool at the club. Miriam was not pleased.”
“But you knew about the differences between you and Alex before you married him. You knew he was a mortgage banker and a great deal more conservative than you could ever hope to be. In fact, I worried at your decision to elope. Alex was definitely different from the other men you’d dated.”
Lisa was thoughtful for a moment as she sipped her beer. “I guess I wanted to impress Mom and Dad, be the kind of daughter they wanted. You were getting married to Mark, and I wanted to share in some of the adoration and attention. Pathetic, huh?”
Francie sighed, concern for her sister etched on her face. “Oh, Lisa…”
“Or maybe I thought I had fallen in love and wasn’t paying attention to the differences in our personalities and upbringing. I don’t really know. I just know I screwed up. Big-time.”
“What do you intend to do?”
“Well, originally I was going to ask you for a place to stay until I could get things worked out financially, but then Leo
