Indefensible by Pamela Callow Page B

ridiculous objecting in the first place. And besides, he seemed like a nice guy.
    Not like those losers who called her in the weeks after she killed Craig Peters. They’d asked her out on dates, either to be associated with her fifteen minutes of fame, or—this had made her sick—to convince her to reenact in the bedroom what she’d done to Craig Peters. She’d had to delist her phone number.
    She shivered.
    â€œYou cold?”
    She had the feeling if she said yes, he’d be offering to warm her up. She pulled her cardigan around her shoulders.
    â€œNope. Fine.” She smiled brightly. “I usually run at Point Pleasant around 9:00 a.m.”
    His dimple creased even deeper. Kate felt a heat in her belly.
    It had been too long since she’d had a man hold her close. She looked at Curtis’ hands, one clasped around his beer glass, the other splayed casually on top of the table.
    He had nice hands. Strong fingers.
    She reached for her wineglass, then realized it was empty and raised her hand for the waitress. Another glass of wine was just what the doctor ordered, before she parched her thirst in a wholly inappropriate way.
    She might find Curtis Carey hot, sexy and totally devourable—this minute—but that didn’t mean she should jump into bed with him.
    Right?
    How would they feel on Tuesday morning? In the boardroom, questioning the medical expert hired by Great Life?
    That could be very messy.
    Or it could be one hell of a way to spend the weekend.
    Her wine arrived. Curtis raised his glass in a toast. His gaze held hers.
    Desire flared in a hot rush.
    She looked away.
    She knew what his eyes were telling her. What they were inviting her to do.
    Alaska was waiting for her at home. So was an empty bed.
    A scary bed.
    A bed that let her exhausted body rest on it and thentangled her in its sheets, holding her captive while Craig Peters slipped into her mind.
    She drained her glass.
    Curtis watched her.
    She stood. “I’m heading home,” she announced to the group.
    â€œAlready?” Joanne asked. Her eyes darted between Kate and Curtis.
    â€œI’m going running tomorrow.” With a faint smile, Kate walked away.

9
    Friday, 10:20 p.m.
    E lise knocked on Lucy’s door, hoping her eyes didn’t look too reddened. She could hear her daughter’s iPod playing on speakers from inside her room.
    â€œCome in,” Lucy called.
    Elise turned the old brass door handle and walked in. The bedside light was the only illumination in the room. Its muted glow cast Lucy’s hair into molten gold. Lucy sat cross-legged on a white pine sleigh bed, dressed for sleep in a loose T-shirt emblazoned with her basketball team’s logo and a pair of penguin-patterned pajama bottoms.
    Her daughter was so beautiful.
    All of Elise’s protective instincts surged in her.
    Lucy looked up from her journal entry, a frown of concentration still blurring her brows. “Hi, Mum.” Her blue eyes searched her mother’s face. “Are you feeling better?”
    â€œYes,” Elise lied. “I’m sorry it was such a hard way to start our vacation.”
    Lucy shrugged, but Elise knew her fight with Randall had deeply upset her daughter. A wave of fatigue hit her. She was exhausted by Randall’s anger. She was disappointed that Jamie’s advice had blown up in her face. She’d always thought he could cut through the suppurating flesh of an issue and get to the bone. But tonight his advice had only succeeded in making her feel worse.
    She’d go to bed and get a good night’s sleep. Then tomorrow morning she’d wake up early and make the kids a big pancake breakfast. They’d forget tonight ever happened and start their vacation properly this time.
    She rested her hand on her daughter’s shoulder. “Let’s do something fun tomorrow, Luce. We could go down to the waterfront and take a boat cruise or something. And I owe