Page 88 of Karma

“Hey. You have to know how wrong you are.”

Liza didn’t want to continue this conversation anymore, but she didn’t want to be rude either. Kelly meant well, and Liza valued her friendship.

The only way to get her to understand was to tell her the gut-honest truth. “What I know is that nobody has ever stuck around in my life. Not friends, not family…no one. Dare has pretty much made it clear that he can’t be any different, and I’m not willing to risk my heart on the off chance he comes around.”

Kelly opened her mouth, then closed it again. “I don’t know about Dare, but I can tell you something about me. I don’t make close friends easily either, but when I do? It’s for keeps.” Then to Liza’s surprise, Kelly opened her arms and pulled Liza into a warm, friendly hug.

Even if it wasn’t everything Liza wanted, it was exactly what she needed. Kelly had cemented a place in Liza’s heart that she didn’t give away easily, either. Still, she couldn’t help but realize that not even Dare’s sister-in-law could promise the impossible on behalf of her brother-in-law. Which left Liza exactly where she’d started.

Alone.

Which she hadn’t been since this nightmare with her brother had started. In the beginning, she hadn’t minded the twenty-four-hour bodyguard when it was Dare. But since they’d unofficially ended the relationship he was so insistent they shared, she was no longer comfortable knowing his family had to babysit her when he wasn’t around. Despite Kelly’s warmth and friendship, old feelings died hard.

Though she appreciated their efforts to make sure she was never alone and couldn’t be approached by anyone, she couldn’t stop feeling like she’d become a burden they hadn’t asked for. Just like her parents—who hadn’t picked up the phone since Brian had accidentally given her a concussion.

Alone was easier.

She massaged her temples and groaned. Clearly, she needed rest.

“I don’t know about you, but all that tasting did was make me hungry for ice cream,” Kelly said, interrupting her thoughts.

Liza shook her head and laughed, happy to be distracted from thoughts of Dare. “Ice cream sounds great.” Anything to take her mind off her problems.

But when they entered the small shop off Main, Liza was reminded of the first time she and Dare had had a civil conversation—and kiss.

She sighed, not wanting to go that route. “So how are you holding up?” she asked Kelly as they walked into the store. “You mentioned earlier that Tess wanted to go to a party tomorrow night and Dare wasn’t pleased.” The conversation had been interrupted by the arrival of the caterer.

In fact, he was beyond pissed and concerned. Telling her about Tess had broken the ice between them for the first time all week. Though words were inadequate, she’d seen his concern and fear for his sister, and she’d comforted him the best she could. Raising a teenager wasn’t easy. He’d run through his brothers’ and sisters’-in-law reasons for letting her go, and she both understood and respected them. So did Dare.

But he didn’t agree or approve of their decision. And Liza knew what it was like when Dare didn’t approve.

“Yeah. I’m trying my best not to worry,” Kelly admitted. “But I agree with Ethan and Faith. She’s earned our trust, and she has to start somewhere.” Kelly looked out the glass window onto the streets of Serendipity before speaking. “When we lived in the city, Tess got herself into serious trouble.”

“How serious?” Liza asked.

They got their ice cream and picked a table in the corner to sit down and eat.

Once they were alone, Kelly spoke. “Smoking, drinking, and hanging out with the wrong kids were the least of her problems. She got caught breaking and entering with a group of guys and one other girl. She was arrested and had a juvenile probation officer and everything. And no matter what I did, I couldn’t reach her.” Kelly’s vanilla ice cream dripped over her cone while she talked. “I finally turned to Richard Kane, who had handled Tess’s father’s estate.”

“I had no idea,” Liza murmured.

“What happened?”

“Honestly? He told me about Tess’s brothers and I did the cowardly thing. I dropped Tess off on Ethan’s doorstep and told him to man up. Or parent up. Anyway, she needed a firm hand and a man in her life to look up to.”

“I don’t think you were cowardly. It had to be hard and it took a lot of guts to do what you did.”

“If you say so. Nash didn’t approve.”

“But he got over it.”

“Because he eventually saw it was the right thing for Tess. Ethan, Nash, and Dare turned her around. Mostly Ethan.”

“And Tess brought the brothers together,” Liza said. That much she’d learned from Dare.

Kelly nodded. “Don’t give up on him, okay? Dare has always done the right thing. The self-sacrificing thing.”

Liza didn’t ask what she meant. It was Dare’s story to tell, and he’d chosen not to tell her all the details.