well," he explained quickly. "She ran away."
Emma shook her head as if to clear it. Her smile was huge as she heard the words that her sister was alive and well. Then the rest of his sentence sunk in. "Why did she run away? Where is she?"
"She's here in San Diego."
The words must have sent adrenaline racing through Emma because she began to scramble off the bed as if she was going to go see Paige right now.
He caught her arm and held her in place. "Wait!"
"I'm not going to wait to see her. Why is she here? Because of Tim Levine? Is she living with him? Why would she hide that from me? Why would she let me think she was...dead?" Emma sounded horrified, though, her intention was still the same—go to Paige as soon as she could.
"Paige has a couple of jobs. Apparently she's using a fake ID that Levine got her on the streets."
Emma mulled that over for an instant. "Has she done something criminal? Robbed a convenience store? What did he get her into?"
"No. Nothing criminal," Linc assured her quickly. "Unless staging her disappearance could be considered criminal. But I doubt it."
"I don't understand why she would stage this whole thing. She wanted me to worry? Oh, Linc. Something's wrong. This isn't Paige. She never wants to cause anyone any hurt or harm."
"That's why she ran away."
"Tell me," Emma demanded, seeing that he'd been leading up to this all along.
"Paige is working two jobs. Levine has a friend with an elderly mother. She needed someone to stay with her mother at night to make sure she doesn't wander off—early Alzheimer's. The family is paying Paige under the table. That's where she is now. I don't think it would be a good idea to barge in there. She's also writing research papers for kids at the college. That's apparently big business. Of course, all of that is under the table, too. That's why there hasn't been a trace of her."
"I still don't understand why she would do this."
Linc could hear the hurt in Emma's voice. Even worse, he knew that was going to magnify monumentally either tonight or tomorrow when she found out the truth.
"I can tell you why she did it. Or you can wait to hear it from Paige. She's renting a studio apartment near the college. It's a sublease so her name isn't on any records. If we're there tomorrow morning when she returns home, she'll stop running when she sees you."
"You can't expect me to wait without knowing everything. Sure, I'd rather hear the reasons from Paige. But I can't wait any longer, Linc. I need to know what she's into and why she ran from me."
There was only one way to say this and that was to say it. "Paige ran away because she slept with your husband. She couldn't face her guilt any longer."
Emma's face drained of all color.
He reached for her. But she eluded his embrace and he knew that was the way it was going to be from now on.
Chapter Seven
"Please leave." Emma's voice shook as she made the request, her heart hurting more than she ever thought possible.
Betrayal battled with astonishment and fought with an overwhelming sense of desolation. What had happened to her life? What had happened to Paige's? What had become of the little sister who had meant everything to her?
She felt as if she were going to fly apart at the seams. Linc had to leave. She couldn't face him feeling like this. She couldn't face him knowing she'd failed as a wife and as a sister. How could any of this have happened?
But he didn't do as she requested. Oh, no. He sat there as still as a stone, staring at her. "Paige is alive," he reminded her.
Yes, Paige was alive. And part of her wanted to jump up and down with joy...or go find her sister and hug her...tell Becky and the world that Paige had been found. Yet this black cloud that came with that news threatened to smother her in sorrow.
Linc shifted closer to her and she wanted nothing more than to hide
Emma shook her head as if to clear it. Her smile was huge as she heard the words that her sister was alive and well. Then the rest of his sentence sunk in. "Why did she run away? Where is she?"
"She's here in San Diego."
The words must have sent adrenaline racing through Emma because she began to scramble off the bed as if she was going to go see Paige right now.
He caught her arm and held her in place. "Wait!"
"I'm not going to wait to see her. Why is she here? Because of Tim Levine? Is she living with him? Why would she hide that from me? Why would she let me think she was...dead?" Emma sounded horrified, though, her intention was still the same—go to Paige as soon as she could.
"Paige has a couple of jobs. Apparently she's using a fake ID that Levine got her on the streets."
Emma mulled that over for an instant. "Has she done something criminal? Robbed a convenience store? What did he get her into?"
"No. Nothing criminal," Linc assured her quickly. "Unless staging her disappearance could be considered criminal. But I doubt it."
"I don't understand why she would stage this whole thing. She wanted me to worry? Oh, Linc. Something's wrong. This isn't Paige. She never wants to cause anyone any hurt or harm."
"That's why she ran away."
"Tell me," Emma demanded, seeing that he'd been leading up to this all along.
"Paige is working two jobs. Levine has a friend with an elderly mother. She needed someone to stay with her mother at night to make sure she doesn't wander off—early Alzheimer's. The family is paying Paige under the table. That's where she is now. I don't think it would be a good idea to barge in there. She's also writing research papers for kids at the college. That's apparently big business. Of course, all of that is under the table, too. That's why there hasn't been a trace of her."
"I still don't understand why she would do this."
Linc could hear the hurt in Emma's voice. Even worse, he knew that was going to magnify monumentally either tonight or tomorrow when she found out the truth.
"I can tell you why she did it. Or you can wait to hear it from Paige. She's renting a studio apartment near the college. It's a sublease so her name isn't on any records. If we're there tomorrow morning when she returns home, she'll stop running when she sees you."
"You can't expect me to wait without knowing everything. Sure, I'd rather hear the reasons from Paige. But I can't wait any longer, Linc. I need to know what she's into and why she ran from me."
There was only one way to say this and that was to say it. "Paige ran away because she slept with your husband. She couldn't face her guilt any longer."
Emma's face drained of all color.
He reached for her. But she eluded his embrace and he knew that was the way it was going to be from now on.
Chapter Seven
"Please leave." Emma's voice shook as she made the request, her heart hurting more than she ever thought possible.
Betrayal battled with astonishment and fought with an overwhelming sense of desolation. What had happened to her life? What had happened to Paige's? What had become of the little sister who had meant everything to her?
She felt as if she were going to fly apart at the seams. Linc had to leave. She couldn't face him feeling like this. She couldn't face him knowing she'd failed as a wife and as a sister. How could any of this have happened?
But he didn't do as she requested. Oh, no. He sat there as still as a stone, staring at her. "Paige is alive," he reminded her.
Yes, Paige was alive. And part of her wanted to jump up and down with joy...or go find her sister and hug her...tell Becky and the world that Paige had been found. Yet this black cloud that came with that news threatened to smother her in sorrow.
Linc shifted closer to her and she wanted nothing more than to hide
Similar Books
