“You must be Lily,” she says.
I take her outstretched hand, even though I’d rather shove her right back out the door. “I didn’t realize you knew about me.”
“I have my sources.” She smiles, then steps back again to inspect me from head to toe. It’s not until her eyes nearly bug out of her head that I realize I’m still wearing my very short, very sheer lingerie.
I quickly cross my arms across my body, but it’s too late.
“Oh God,” she says. “Did I interrupt something?” She looks back and forth between the two of us, but Calder’s no more dressed than I am. He lost his shirt somewhere during our last little activity, and his pants are zipped but not buttoned.
I’m not sure which of the three of us is the brightest shade of fuchsia. But it’s Louisa who suddenly—unapologetically—bursts into laughter.
“Geez, Cal! You should have told me,” she wheezes out. “I never… I never…” She dissolves into giggles again.
“I wasn’t aware you’d be showing up on my doorstep,” Calder says, fastening his fly. “I wasn’t aware you were even in town.”
She wipes a tear from the corner of her eye. “I called you half a dozen times. You never picked up. And your voice mailbox is full, by the way.”
Half a dozen… Of all the explanations for those Unknown calls Calder’s been getting all evening, this is the last thing I expected.
Calder is rubbing his forehead. “What happened to your old number?”
“That’s a long story.”
“Everything is, isn’t it?” He yanks a hand through his hair. “Care to tell me what you’re doing here? Aren’t you supposed to be in Thailand right now?”
I’ve managed to edge my way over to one of the suitcases, and I quickly lean down—careful to keep my ass from hanging out, of course—and flick it open. To my dismay, it’s mostly socks and underwear, but I manage to find a tank top and some sleep shorts among the contents, and I tug them on over my current lacy number.
Meanwhile, Louisa’s gone from jovial to subdued, though there’s still a flash of rebellion in her eyes as she looks up at her older brother.
“My program in Chiang Mai got cut short. It’s… complicated.”
“Is it?” Calder’s voice is even, but I know better. “And how exactly did you end up here?”
Louisa sighs and leans back against the wall. “I wasn’t planning on just showing up like this. But I was desperate. And I may have done something a little stupid.”
“Spit it out, Louisa.”
“Nothing that bad.” She tugs at one of her curls. “I just paid our old place a little visit.”
Calder’s head jerks up. “You went out to the estate?”
My stomach clenches. Calder had to sell the Cunningham property after his father’s death, and the loss of the family’s estate hit him hard—especially after he learned that the new owner meant to turn the elaborate mansion and grounds into an attraction for the general public. I was with him the last time he set foot on the property, the night he had to come to grips with the fact that his childhood home—the symbol of the life he’d lived up until that point—would become a tourist destination.
We’ve spoken of it since, and though he seems to have accepted the estate’s fate, he doesn’t seem inclined to dwell on it. After all, he has a new home now; we have a new home. I find myself subconsciously reaching for him, wanting to grip his hand, but he’s too far away.
But if Louisa has any idea what emotional shit her brother’s been through over that place, she doesn’t show it.
“Have you seen what they’re doing to it?” she says. “It’s ridiculous! They tore down all these trees in front of the gate to build this gargantuan parking lot. And over where the orchards used to be? They’re putting in a golf course. A friggin’ golf course!”
“What they’ve chosen to do with the estate is no longer our concern,” Calder says. “But what does this have to do with you appearing on my doorstep?”
Louisa rubs the back of her neck. “I may have snuck in and spray-painted a few obscene words on the green.”
Okay—so for a minute I’m actually a little impressed.
“A couple of rent-a-cops caught me in the act,” Louisa continues. “I managed to outrun them, but I think they got my tags as I drove off. I thought of pulling over and spending the night at some roadside motel, but I had a feeling they might send the real police after me. They’ve got a full security team over there—they’re not going to take something like this lightly.”
“Maybe you should have thought about that before you broke onto the property and committed vandalism.” Calder’s tone is unforgiving.
“Come on,” Louisa says. “Admit it. You’re a little bit proud of me.”
“Actually, I’m a little bit pissed that you decided to bring this problem to my home. Should I expect a visit from the police at three in the morning?”
“Don’t be so dramatic. It might be nothing. I just need a place to sleep for the night. I’ll figure out the rest in the morning.”
Calder holds out his arms. “And do you see a place to sleep around here?”
He’s so angry that I can see the blood pulsing at his temple, but his voice remains as calm as the sea before a storm. However this ends, it’s not going to be pretty. I step forward and gently touch his arm. His muscles stiffen beneath my touch, then relax slightly.
“Would you like something to drink, Louisa?” I say as politely as I can.
Calder’s sister doesn’t look nearly as worked up as he does. In fact, she looks rather amused by this entire situation.
“Call me Lou,” she says cheerfully. “And I’d love a drink.”
I lead her into the kitchen, shooting Calder a look of sympathy over my shoulder as I go. Maybe when he’s had a moment to take a deep breath, he’ll figure out the best course of action from here. In the meantime, it’s going to take everything in my power to keep from strangling Louisa—Lou—myself.
Our Chinese food is still on the counter, and I offer her an egg roll as I sift through the boxes for a glass. She munches away and nods when I wave at the bottle of red wine we left unfinished.
“So,” she says, leaning toward me across the counter as if we’re old friends. “You two are living together. Must be pretty serious then, huh?”