“Right. Got it.” Pam nodded and began ticking points off of her slim fingers. “You sleep together, which means you really, really like him. A lot. And he makes you forget your troubles. And that means he is some kind of guy.” She gave a brilliant smile. “He must be terrific, Cathy. I hope it works out, I really do.”
Cathy felt all kinds of awful. While her sister had talked, a clammy sweat had broken out on her skin. She couldn’t tell her sister about the arrangement that she had with Michael. She had skated already too close to the truth, but she couldn’t let her sister believe that she was in a lasting relationship. “Pam—”
The trouble must have appeared in her expression. Pam threw up her hand. She smiled, the warmth of understanding in her clear gaze. “It’s okay. You don’t have to explain anything or tell me any more about him. I understand. Really, I do! It’s a rough time in your life. You don’t even want to think about commitment right now. Isn’t that why you and Paul broke up?”
“Well, that was a lot of it.”
Pam nodded. “Every part of you is wrapped up with Chloe. Obviously, Michael is okay with that, so in my book, he’s a good guy. When, or if, things change between you, then you can tell me all about him. Until then, I’ll just—slowly—die of curiosity!”
Cathy laughed, feeling both relieved and saddened. “You’re the best, Pammy.” It would have been nice to have been in just the kind of relationship that her sister had described, she thought wistfully. It would have been nice to have someone that she could lean on, who wouldn’t be freaked out by her all-consuming situation, but instead would stand by her, patiently waiting for their time together. It would have been nice to have been able to look forward to a future with someone she loved.
“How long until dinner is done? Whatever you have in the oven smells great!”
“I’ll check on the chicken. Why don’t you set the table?” Cathy turned away to open the oven. Heat blasted her face, shriveling the mascara on her lashes. She popped her head back then cautiously bent forward to poke at the bubbling chicken with a fork. She didn’t like the direction of her thoughts. She tightened her lips. Sure, it was nice to fantasize, but at the end of the day, she had to be realistic. She hadn’t lied about enjoying her time with Michael. He was a skilled and often considerate lover. The sex was fantastic. But it was not enough to build a relationship, even if either of them ever decided that they did want more. She and Michael were going to end up nowhere. She closed the oven door. “I think we’ve got another quarter hour. Do you want to have the salad first?”
“Sure.” Pam was caught by a huge yawn. She covered her mouth with a mumbled apology. “Jet lag is catching up with me. After dinner, I’m going straight to bed. What time do we have to be at the hospital outpatient clinic in the morning?”
Finally shaking off her somber thoughts, which had left her surprisingly depressed, Cathy smiled with affection at her sister. “At 10 a.m. I’ll wake you in time.”
“Okay, but I want to make time to go up to see Chloe first.”
Cathy nodded. The enormity of her sister’s support abruptly overwhelmed her, making tears prick behind her eyelids. “Pam, I can’t thank you enough.”
“Did you really think that I’d turn you down?” Pam stepped close to give Cathy a quick hug. She said earnestly, “Chloe is my niece, and I love her.”
“Rick turned me down. And he’s her father,” said Cathy bitterly.
Pam’s arms tightened again before she stepped away. Her eyes were sparkling with anger, even though she was smiling. “You wouldn’t want Chloe to have that selfish bastard’s bone marrow, anyway. That’d make Chloe bad to the bone.”
Knowing that it was expected of her, Cathy laughed at her sister’s bad joke. “I guess that’s true.”
Pam gave a sudden shiver. “I’m not used to this air conditioning. I didn’t think to bring a sweater. Can I borrow one of yours?”
“Get one out of my dresser.” Cathy carried the salad bowl to the table, along with the cruet of vinaigrette.
“Thanks.” Pam left the kitchen.
Chapter Thirteen