“Good enough, then. Sit back and let me take you where you’re goin’.”
Ten minutes later, the farmer let him off in front of the handsome brick house where Lori had grown up. Tucker thanked the old guy and then stood there at the curb, staring vacantly after him as the rattletrap pickup rumbled away.
Once the taillights disappeared around the corner, Tucker blinked, shook his head, and turned to trudge up the front walk.
Dirk rose from the chair in the corner. “Lena, sweetheart.” He wore the kind of look men wear when they know they’re in the way. “I’ll be in the waiting room.” Lena went over and gave him a quick kiss.
Lori thanked him. “Dirk, you’re about the best brother-in-law I ever had.”
“Not to mention the only one.” Chuckling, he left them.
Lena returned to Lori’s bedside. “You know, maybe we ought to talk about this later.” Careful of Lori’s bandages, she reached out a hand and touched Lori’s cheek. “You look real tired and I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to—”
Gently but firmly, Lori pushed her sister’s hand away. “Something happened with Tucker. I know it. What?”
“Oh, well, I—”
“Lena. Just tell me. Please.”
“Well, I’m not really sure. I mean, I could be wrong…”
“But…?”
Lena blew out a hard breath. “Okay. I think it kind of bothered him when I, um, let it drop about how you and me switched places on him on prom night.”
Lori’s heart stopped beating—and then lurched to racing life again. “You told him about prom night.”
“Oh, Lori…”
Her mouth chose that moment to go desert-dry. She swallowed, then barely managed to croak, “Did you?”
“I, um…”
“Just answer me.”
“Yes.” Lena scrunched up her face as if she’d sucked a lemon. “It just kind of slipped out. I figured you’d already told him and I wanted him to know how bad I felt about us tricking him like that. By the time I realized you hadn’t told him yet, I’d already said a big mouthful too much.”
Lori swallowed, coughed. “Water…” Lena grabbed the foam cup from the retracting tray and handed it over. Lori sipped. Her throat soothed—if nothing else—she made herself ask, “So. He took it badly?”
“Oh, I don’t know. He seemed okay—and come on, it’s not like it’s some big, huge deal or anything. It was stupid and it was wrong. But it was also a long time ago and he and I had already decided it was over between us. And, well, I mean, it’s the kind of thing we should be able to laugh about now. Don’t you think?”
Lori let that question pass. “And after you told him?”
“He just got real quiet. Real strange, you know? And then, when the doctor said we could see you, he wouldn’t come in with us.” She paused to swipe a drooping auburn curl out of her eyes. “He just…didn’t seem right.”
“I see…” Boy, did she. She saw it all. And it wasn’t good.
Her sister let out a frustrated cry. “I don’t get it. Yeah, it was a mean trick to play on him, but it’s not like it ruined his life or anything.”
Lori stared at her sister. She thought of all the chances she’d had to tell him. She’d blown them all. And now it was too late. He already knew—and from what Lena had just told her, he hadn’t taken the news well.
Lena let out a tiny sob. A tear slipped down her cheek, leaving a gleaming trail. “Oh, I’m so sorry. It looks like I’ve gone and messed everything up. I swear, I don’t know why I have such a problem keeping my big mouth shut…”
Lori couldn’t let her go on blaming herself. “You haven’t messed anything up. I have.”
Lena grabbed a tissue from the box on the tray. “Huh?” She honked into the tissue. “Come on. I was the one who had the idea for us to switch on prom night. And I’m the one who blew it and told Tucker before you had a chance to tell him yourself. So it is my—”
Lori reached out and gently brushed her sister’s arm. “Just believe me. It’s not your fault.”
“I don’t see how you can say that.”
“I know you don’t. But you will.”
Lena frowned. “Great. What you’re tellin’ me is that you’re not going to explain to me what the heck is going on, right?”
“I can’t. Not right now. I have to talk to Tucker first. But as soon as I do, I’ll tell you everything, I promise.”
“I just don’t understand.”
“You will. Right now, though, the main thing you need to know is that you didn’t do anything wrong. What’s wrong here is all my doing.”
“But I don’t…” Lena stopped in midsentence. Lori watched her sister’s face and saw the exact moment when Lena caught on. “Or maybe I do,” Lena said softly. “Prom night. You and Tucker…”
Lori gulped and nodded, thinking, So much for my chance to talk it over with Tucker first.
“You two didn’t really go out for breakfast, did you?”
No more lies, Lori silently vowed. Never again will a lie pass my lips. She didn’t let her gaze waver. “No. We didn’t.”
“And that guy, the next night. The one we all thought was Brody’s father…there was no guy, was there?” Lori shook her head. Lena said, softly, “Wow.”
Lori said, “I really messed up.”
And Lena nodded. “Well, yeah. You really did.”
Tucker paused with his hand raised to ring the bell. He stared at that heavy oak front door and remembered how he’d pounded on it that afternoon eleven years ago.
Lena had opened it and sent him away. He’d left not knowing that it wasn’t even Lena he’d come to see.
Low in-ground lanterns shone from the flower beds. The porch light, a brass and beveled-glass creation suspended from a chain, glowed above his head. But as far as he could see, there were no lights on inside. If he rang the bell, he’d be getting them out of their beds.
So be it. He punched the doorbell and heard the chimes echo in the shadows beyond the door.
Then he waited. It didn’t take long. Heck, in a plaid robe, his feet stuck in a pair of run-down moccasins, pulled open the door. At the sight of Tucker, his big, jowly face went slack. “Lori? Is she—?”
Tucker rushed to reassure the older man. “She’s fine. Resting comfortably, they said. Lena’s with her. I came to…let you know. That she’s doing well…” Damn, that sounded lame.
But why wouldn’t it? It was lame. Heck had heard the news already from Dr. Zastrow, hours ago, before he and Enid and Brody left the hospital.
Enid, wearing a long pink robe, her hair smashed flat on one side, appeared at the head of the stairs. “Heck? Who is it?”
“It’s Tucker.” The big man turned in the doorway and spoke to his wife. “He’s come to tell us that Lori’s doing just fine.”
“Tucker!” Enid hurried down the stairs. “Come in, come in. Heck, honey, where are your manners?”
They led him to the kitchen and Enid brewed a quick pot of coffee. She poured him a mugful and fussed over him, offering eggs and toast if he wanted them.