Silver Falls - Anne Stuart [17]
She grabbed some toilet paper and dabbed at her lip. David’s sensitivity was one of the things she loved about him.
But right now she was feeling more than a little annoyed. He was the one who’d made her bleed—he had no right running off like a scared little girl.
“Fuck it,” she said out loud, savoring the forbidden word, and climbed into the shower. Tomorrow morning she’d be solicitous and caring. Tomorrow her split lip would be almost healed and he’d come to her bed and finish what he’d started. For now, she was going to savor her solitude.
4
Sophie dumped her school books in her locker just as Kristen caught up with her. “How was the guidance counselor?”
Sophie made a face. “She asked me if I masturbated.”
“Eww,” Kristen said. “I always thought she was a perv. Did you tell her you and I turned tricks every weekend down at the roadhouse?”
Sophie laughed. “If I’d thought of it, I would have. She wouldn’t believe I wasn’t having a full-blown meltdown, so I had to placate her with a few tears.”
“Speaking of which, why aren’t you having a full-blown meltdown? Your best friend was murdered six months ago, and now another girl’s been killed, and you seem to be taking it in stride. Don’t you care? I’d be having hysterics.”
Sophie looked at her. “I thought you knew me better than that. I don’t have hysterics.” She shoved her locker shut, hoisting her backpack over her shoulder. “There’s nothing I can do about it. It creeps me out that someone was murdered, it reminds me of Tessa. But that happened in San Francisco—there’s no connection. I’m mostly worried about my mom freaking out. She goes into full protect mode and she’s just as likely to throw me in a car and start driving without thinking it through.”
“Wouldn’t that be a good thing? I thought you didn’t like it here.”
“I like it here well enough,” she said with a shrug. “And my mom’s really happy. She’s so in love with David that she’s not thinking clearly. She worships the ground he walks on.”
“That doesn’t sound like your mother,” Kristen said doubtfully.
“She does it in her own way,” Sophie muttered. “At least she doesn’t hang on him. But there’s no other reason she would have just thrown everything away and married him. We had a wonderful life when we were traveling. I thought she loved it as much as I did.”
“Maybe she was ready to settle down.”
“I guess. But why did she have to pick David?” She couldn’t keep the dislike out of her voice.
“I still don’t understand why he bothers you so much. I’ve always thought he was pretty cute. Are you sure you’re not doing that jealous thing? Most daughters don’t want to see their mothers remarried. They don’t want to share.”
“She was never married in the first place. And I’d be happy to share her. Just not with David Middleton,” Sophie said firmly.
“And you don’t have any solid reason why you don’t like him?”
“Nope. But as long as my mother thinks I’m happy, I’m going to try not to worry about it. As long as I can keep my distance, I’ll be fine.”
Kristen looked at her admiringly. “You have such a Zenlike calm. How long did you spend in India?”
Sophie laughed. “Three months. I think I get it more from the six months in Nepal. Mom says I was born with an old soul. My mother’s always been impulsive—one of us has to be the calm one. So to get back to your original question, yes, the murder bothers me. Yes, I still mourn Tessa. But flailing around doesn’t help. Okay?”
“Okay,” Kristen said, easygoing. “Wanna come home with me?”
Sophie shook her head. “My mother’s going to need to fuss for a while. I’ll call you later.”
“Good luck, man. You’re going to need it.”
Sophie started toward the door just as the final bell rang. For a moment she was alone, and she closed her eyes, and thought of Tessa, the last time she’d seen her, happy and full of life. And of the photo in the newspaper of her corpse, the one she wasn’t supposed to have seen.
She let the pain dance in her heart for a moment, and then