"So she'll need her room, kiddo." Marsha, as usual, didn't pick up on the undercurrent and continued chatting spare-bed strategy with Grace.

"When?" Solley's question emerged as a squeak.

"Tonight." Janie gave her a long, pointed look.

Composing her face as much as possible, considering her heart was hammering fi t to rupture her chest, Solley rose and excused herself. "I'll go bring in your bags, Grace."

She couldn't get away quickly enough. Her stomach was churning and heat fl ooded her face. Ducking her head to hide her fl aming cheeks from Janie's curious stare, she slid from the room. Gin's coming back? I'll get to see her again.

Grace decided to go for a walk after lunch and refresh her memories of her new temporary digs. Good surf, she could use that. Hot sun, she could top up her tan. Long beach, she could get out her running shoes. All she needed was for Debbie Steenson to get over herself, get down here, and get her body over Grace's, preferably b.u.t.t naked.

Grace smirked to herself. She enjoyed being a player, and college had supplied some easy pickings. Not too sure who I'll get to play with in this place, though, she mused wistfully.

No sooner had the thought crossed her mind than she crested a sand dune to fi nd a delectably pert khaki bottom and a beautifully muscled nude back on the sand before her. Pausing so as not to alarm the bronzed beach booty she'd found, Grace noted the photographic bag lying to the side and the camera screening the stranger's face. Its ma.s.sive telephoto lens was pointed across the dunes directly at her sister's house.

a 157 a Aha, this must be the infamous Sniper Jones, here for the arrival of any celebrity party guests. Apparently she planned to torture the family with more seedy celluloid disclosures.

And knowing her family, degenerates that they were, there'd be plenty more of the same. Grace decided she'd better save the day, and have a little fun at the same time. Lord knew when a morsel of such tempting eye candy would pa.s.s her way again, out here.

Slithering silently down the dune, she was immediately upon Sniper, twisting the photographer's left lower leg in a fl uid aikido movement that would have brought tears of pride to Gin Ito and Marsha Bren. If the yelps were any indication, the move brought tears of pain to Sniper's.

"So it's true. Perps return to the scene of their crime. How tediously predictable but happily accommodating," Grace snapped, applying pressure.

Sniper squealed. "What the f.u.c.k? Get off me, you f.u.c.king lunatic."

"You know what I'm gonna do? I'm gonna snap your tendon like a cheese straw if you don't watch that potty mouth,"

Grace snarled, leaning on the limb for emphasis.

Sniper squealed louder. "Okay, Okay. Tell me what you want," she practically sobbed.

"First, I want a piece of your a.s.s, but I haven't yet decided what piece or how I want it. Second, I'm gonna march you down to my sister's house so you can apologize to my family for the media frenzy you created. Did you know my sister Solley has an entire p.o.r.n site dedicated to her? How do you think that feels?"

"Much, much worse than having your lower leg slowly ripped off. Tell her I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry. Please, please get off me before I pa.s.s out," Sniper howled. "I'll do anything you ask, please stop."

a 158 a "You'll tell her sorry yourself. And, believe me, you will do anything I ask." Letting go of the leg, Grace fl ipped the exhausted young woman onto her back. She took in the startled and fearful clear gray eyes, the round sand-dusted b.r.e.a.s.t.s, and the quivering muscles of her prey's belly, rising and falling with each frightened breath.

"s.h.i.t. You're the Rayner I haven't met, aren't you?"

Sniper managed to squeak.

"Yeah, three's the magic number," Grace growled. "Who are you working for this time? I heard you were Kelly Rose's hand puppet, but she's dumped you now, hasn't she? Who's your new paymaster?"

"No one. I'm freelancing." She waved her lens in Grace's direction. "I don't suppose-"

"Dare, and the only thing going snap around here will be your neck."

Grace glared at the neck under threat and then let her eyes once again stroll across Sniper's broad, tanned shoulders and down to those sweet little b.r.e.a.s.t.s. The nipples immediately hardened, and Grace glanced up. Her eyes locked with an intense, smoky stare. She swallowed hard. So did Sniper.

Grace managed to keep her thoughts in focus, but only just. Sniper's charms were seriously swaying her resolve.

"You're gonna come with me and meet the folks, got it?"

Sniper nodded. "Okay, but you also wanted a piece of my a.s.s, didn't you? Is that still to tick off your to-do list?"

Recognizing the invitation for what it was, Grace decided the family meeting could wait. She pushed the hot stranger roughly back onto the sand and kissed the generous lips.

"Yeah," she moaned into Sniper's mouth, her hand moving for the photographer's zipper, "let's tick all the boxes."

Frantically they began to peel each other's clothes off.

"I'm glad you like lying round in the sand, 'cos by the a 159 a time I've fi nished with you, we'll have sifted half this beach through our panties," Grace murmured before falling into another kiss.

Solley found Janie slamming round the laundry room, trying to break as many white appliances as humanly possible.

She knew her sister was upset. This was cla.s.sic Janie behavior.

If in doubt, wash your best cashmere sweater in boiling water, then cry into the suds.

"Can I talk to you?" she queried apprehensively. She needed a friend, she needed support. She needed her sister.

Janie paused in her strangulation of a fabric softener bottle. "Yes. I think it's about time you did. What's going on, Sol?"

"It's about Gin, but you already know that."

Janie sighed. "I know you're hurting and I know Gin was very upset when she left. You can tell me anything. I promise not to preach."

Solley took a deep breath and plunged in, summarizing the latest crisis in her sorry life. "Dan's trying to sue Gin for all the kids' injuries. At least, she's making threatening noises about it. She thinks she can make Gin cough up enough cash to pull off a deal with a local studio."

"Gin won't fall for that," Janie scoffed. "She'll get a s.h.i.t-hot attorney and blow Dan out of the water."

"I'm not so sure."

Dan had seemed pretty pleased with herself that day when Solley fi nally got back to the house. At fi rst, Solly had a.s.sumed the satisfaction was at Gin's departure. Now she suspected there was more to it. She'd tried pumping Dan about exactly what was said in her conversation with Gin, to no avail. All a 160 a she could conclude was that her manipulative ex thought she'd scored some kind of victory.

"Well, Dan can't sue without your help," Janie pointed out. "She wasn't even here when the accidents happened and knows diddly about what went on. If you stick by Gin, Dan won't have a leg to stand on and she knows it."

"That's what she's banking on, that I stick by Gin. Then she'll have a good chance of winning custody because of all the hands-in-knickers publicity."

"G.o.d, she's such a snake."

Solley groaned. Her guilt at causing Gin's predicament rolled off her in waves. She felt so stupid for playing into Dan's oily hands. "I don't know what I'm going to say to Gin."

"It's not your fault Dan decided to pull this stunt," Janie said.

"I knew the risks. I knew Dan would play dirty if she found out what was going on here," Solley said miserably.

"Being sued would be terrible for Gin's career and the movie, on top of all the paparazzi stuff, so Dan thinks she'll simply pay to make it go away."

She wondered what Gin made of Dan's blackmail. Did she blame Solley, too? She must have left that voicemail message before the fateful conversation with Dan.

"I hear you saying what Dan's doing is wrong," Janie said.

"So have you spoken to Gin?"

"No, not yet." Solley had almost returned Gin's phone call numerous times over the past fi ve days, but she was paralyzed.

"I've been putting it off. What if she thinks I'm involved with the blackmail?"

"Gin's no fool. That scheme has Dan written all over it."

Janie paused. She seemed to be measuring her words carefully.

"Have you made a decision yet?"

Solley knew what Jane was referring to. "We're through.

a 161 a I talked to Dan earlier. Told her she can fi ght me all the way in court for the kids."

Janie let out a sigh. "You're doing the right thing." Then she giggled.

Solley frowned at the odd reaction. "Thanks for the sympathy."

Janie looked aghast. "I'm not laughing about the breakup.

I was just thinking about her with the kids. I wonder how she's coping."

"It's been fi ve days. She's probably in the fetal position by now."

They both laughed.

Janie shook her head. "Full-time parenting. That's a long overdue learning curve for her."

"I thought it might wake her up. Let her fi nd out fi rsthand what she's really asking for if she wants to share custody for half the time."

"It's about time you kicked b.u.t.t back. I take it Gin was the catalyst?"

"She made me take a chance," Solley answered quietly.

"She gave me confi dence to change."

It was true. If she came away with just one thing from her summer fl ing, it was a new sense of possibility. Gin had showed her the way a connection between lovers should be.

She'd shown her what she could have, what she deserved. In a few days, she had given Solley back what Dan had spent years stripping away. And though she was gone, she had left Solley with a renewed feeling of self-worth.

"It's obvious she was more than a life coach," Janie said dryly. "The entire country has seen the photos. What about sucking t.i.t with Gin?"

"Yeah, I sucked t.i.t with Gin. t.i.t and a whole lot more."

Solley met her sister's gaze squarely. "I'm sorry I didn't tell a 162 a you all the details but it was rocky, right from the start. We were just helping each other through a hard time, and I wasn't sure it would be a good move."

She didn't want to reveal herself anymore, she already felt so raw and violated over the photos and Gin's abrupt departure.

Solley felt herself well up. Terrifi ed that if she started to cry she'd never stop, she grabbed an armful of towels and stuffed them into the washing machine. She was such a stupid woman to fall for someone like Gin. And the damage she'd done to both of them. Letting Dan creep into what little time they'd had together was like welcoming a serpent into Eden.

Janie softened, like her hand-washed woolens, and dragged her into a hug. "I'm sorry, Sol. I had the wrong idea.

I thought you were fooling around with that little b.i.t.c.h in the dunes, and then when I saw those photos of you and Gin I was worried you were going to smash her to bits. She's such a good friend to me and Marsha, I guess I love her, too. She's the sister I always wanted."

"b.i.t.c.h." Solley pushed her away. Trying to salvage some slivers of self-respect, she insisted, "Gin and I weren't serious, you know. It just happened. I don't regret it and I hope she doesn't, either. But we've both moved on."

Except that Gin was returning and Solley would soon have to tell her these things herself, and sound convincing.

But at what cost?

"You know what I don't understand? Why would Dan think Gin is emotionally invested enough to pay out that kind of money for you and the kids?" Janie frowned. "I don't mean to be cruel, Sol, but if it wasn't serious, there's no leverage, so I don't know why you're worried."

"Dan understands the business. The publicity problem is-"

"Bulls.h.i.t," Janie completed fi rmly. "Gin's a n.o.ble person.

a 163 a She left because she thought she was in the way of your custody battle. And if she allows herself to be blackmailed, I guarantee publicity is not a factor. She's never denied being lesbian, and who cares if there's gossip about a stuntwoman?"

Solley was silent, unwilling to explore the sticky subject of Gin's feelings, let alone her own.

Janie wasn't quite done with her. "I can see why you're nervous about Gin coming. You've got some major explaining to do. I hope you're not planning to let her be exploited."

"Of course not." With an indignant snort, Solley poured laundry detergent into the machine and turned on the wash cycle. "I'm going to tell her not to give Dan a dime."

"And?"

Solley avoided Janie's piercing gaze. Her sister saw far too much and Solley wasn't ready to expose her tender new feelings yet. She had to know, fi rst, where she stood with Gin.

A shiver of antic.i.p.ation rolled through her body. The thought of seeing Gin again made her weak. Whatever happened, she knew she wouldn't let this weekend pa.s.s without telling Gin the truth.

She'd fallen for her, and it was so much more than a fl eeting attraction.

Later, long after everyone else had retired, Solley sat alone on the veranda steps with a gla.s.s of wine, gazing up at the black velvet sky. With or without stars, the night sky reminded her of Gin Ito's eyes, inky black with the intensity of her emotion or exploding with a million points of light when she and Solley touched. I wonder what she saw in my eyes when she touched me? Probably just ugly, raw l.u.s.t and bottomless need.

Staring out toward a waning moon on an ebbing tide, she a 164 a had never felt so small and alone. Not even through all the emotionally inert years with Dan, when only the kids had kept her going. Now she felt she had lost not only a lover, but a true companion who cared deeply for her family. Looking back to their brief weeks together, she realized she took and took from Gin and gave no love, kindness, or gentleness back. You're such a loser, Solley Rayner. You're such a selfi sh fool. You've thrown it all away. What a sad cliche of a person.

She hadn't understood how much Gin meant until it was too late. Reminders of her loss were everywhere, the jetty, the trailer camp, the bed where... Stop it! Life went on.

She'd made her mistakes, and very soon, she would have to face Gin and pay for them. Except her heart didn't seem to understand accountancy. It couldn't swap columns or balance out her emotions fairly and squarely. She was always left with a defi cit she would never really stop paying. And tonight she found herself on the brink of emotional bankruptcy.

What if she saw Gin again and just burst like a dam, and all the fears and sadness and loneliness spilled out? She would be left in tatters for the rest of her life. Running a hand over the warm wooden deck, she remembered this was where they'd fi rst kissed. And what a disaster that turned out to be. She laughed ruefully, feeling the sting of bittersweet tears burning behind her lids.

A car door slammed at the front of the house. She hadn't even heard it approach, she was so caught up in her maudlin thoughts. Quickly she wiped her damp lashes, scrabbling for decorum. Footsteps crunched toward the back deck. She knew they were Gin's before they even turned the corner. When did I learn the weight of her tread, the pace of her step?