Free A Woman Lost by T. B. Markinson Page A

special powers. “Yes, you did. Peter called to invite us to dinner tonight. Would you like to go?”
    “What?” She stopped in her tracks and dropped her towel on the floor.
    “Do you want to go to Peter’s for dinner tonight? You know, my brother,” I teased.
    She ran over to the bed, straddled me, and leaned down, holding my arms above my head.
    “Are you asking me to a family function?”
    I smiled. “Well, he invited you, and it would be rude if I didn’t extend the invitation. And I remember you telling me that you wanted me to let you in more. I’m warning you, though, it’s like stepping into a viper’s den.”
    “Don’t be a jerk right now. This is groundbreaking for you. The mysterious Lizzie is letting me into a part of her secret world.” She leaned down and kissed me.
    I brushed her hair out of her face. “It’s not a secret world. I don’t like them much, and I’m surprised that anyone would want to subject themselves to my family.” I shrugged to the best of my ability, since she was still holding down one of my arms.
    A puzzled look crossed her face. “Why did you laugh when I asked if I heard the phone?”
    “What?” I ran my free hand over her breasts and down her torso.
    “You laughed when I asked the question. Why?”
    “I don’t know. I just did.” I laughed again. “Come here.” I pulled her closer and kissed her. Then I asked, “Can you be ready by five? I know you’ll have to leave practice early, but we have to be there early.” Volleyball season had started, and Sarah was the girl’s JV coach.
    “What time is dinner?”
    “Seven.”
    “We’ll be really early.” She looked perplexed.
    “Trust me.”
    She smiled. “Of course, I trust you, and I’ll be ready at five.”

Chapter Ten
    We arrived at Peter’s house a little after 6 p.m. Part of me was surprised when I saw his house. The other part thought, Typical Peter . Simply put, it was ostentatious. He had a four-car garage. Floodlights pierced the sky near every tree. And from the looks of the neighborhood, it was newly built. The house was reminiscent of a plantation home.
    “What does your brother do?” Sarah gasped.
    “Investments of some sort. And he kisses Dad’s ass.”
    “It seems to work for him.” Sarah leaned closer to the windshield to get a better view.
    I parked the car on the street and we trekked to the front door. We had to climb a winding stone staircase to ring the bell. Where in the hell did my brother think he lived, the old south?
    Before I rang the bell, I gave Sarah my are-you-sure-you-are-ready-for-this smile. She smiled back at me, but her expression lacked confidence. For a brief moment, I felt bad for her. Then again, she had been asking for this, so here she was. I turned to the door and pressed the bell. I could hear church bells chiming. Oh God, Peter. Do you think you’re Jesus?
    Maddie opened the door and immediately threw her arms around me. “I’m so glad you are here.” She let me go, and then threw her arms around Sarah just as enthusiastically. “Sarah, I’m glad you could make it.”
    She whisked us past the foyer and into the kitchen. Peter was standing at the bar, preparing a scotch. That was when I knew my parents were in attendance. Nice, Peter. Real nice not to give me all of the information . I should have suspected. His nose was so far up their asses it would require surgery, and massive amounts of therapy, for Peter to stand on his own two feet.
    “Hey sis, you made it. And you must be Sarah. Maddie told me you were quite lovely. Well, that figures. Elizabeth is of the same stock, and boy do we catch fine-looking women in our family.” He nudged me with his elbow, winked, and lifted his glass to toast Maddie.
    Sarah obviously didn’t know what to do after this little performance. She chose to go with a deer-in-headlights look. It was the best choice, considering.
    “Don’t mind him, Sarah. He just pretends to be crude. Deep down somewhere,