Free Lakeshore Secrets: The McAdams Sisters - Kate McAdams (By The Lake Series Book 1) by Shannyn Leah

conversation she had been having with the rest of his family. Marc tried to focus on the conversation at hand, but was feeling less than interested. It wasn’t until he spotted Violet and Kate laughing and smiling their way back through the tables that he felt...better.
    He was ready to excuse himself on that notion. This protective desire he felt could only lead to trouble. But that was what friends did, they protected each other.
    “Is everything alright?” his mother asked when they returned. He was glad she had asked as the words were on the tip of his tongue.
    Kate nodded. “Yes, thank you.”
    After Kate settled back in her seat and his uncle whispered something to her, bringing about a true rumble of laughter from Kate, Marc was jealous it was his uncle on the receiving end and that he was close enough to Kate to do so.
    Melissa interjected the laughter. “Kate, did you come alone?” The table went quiet like a long, narrow closed-in hallway with only one door at the end generating curiosity. Sofia and Parker had no interest as they talked amongst themselves, not realizing the air had shifted around them. Melissa made sure everyone else focused on Kate.
    Marc watched Kate’s face alter from the enjoyable conversation with his uncle to Melissa and her meddling question. He noted the ever so slightly tighten of her jaw, and raise of her eyebrows, that he was sure no one else recognized as her protective face.
    He hadn’t dared ask the question but it was another answer he was curious to know.
    She smiled for the rest of the table, certainly not for Melissa and answered surprising cool, “Yes, I did.” This was a new side of Kate, able to mask her dismayed face.
    Melissa smiled back, she was first-class at disguising her true feelings. He’s noticed since he returned home she portrayed the pretense of a woman madly in love with him but he sensed something was off just like his sister had warned. He just couldn’t put his finger on it. But these two gals here, he knew exactly where their relationship stood by the hatred sizzling between them like an electric charge ready to split. “There is no special someone in your life? Boyfriend? Fiancé? Husband?”
    A gracious smile reserved Kate’s lips disguising the surprise the rest of his family were wearing across their faces.
    Kate replied, “He certainly wouldn’t have missed my grandmother’s funeral, if there was.”
    There was no one in Kate’s life, good to know.  Why was that good to know? What was he thinking was going to happen here?
    He barely had time to scold himself when Melissa stepped overboard and said, “Oh, that’s too bad.”
    Kate’s eyes widened like round little green olives as Melissa turned back to her meal casually, and contentedly. If she had really thought Kate was going to let that comment slide she was forgetting the young Kate, unless she had changed over the years. Evidently, Melissa had not.
    “I don’t see a ring on your finger Melissa. No someone special?” she threw her words back at her, making full on eye contact with Melissa.
    Marc wondered if the others around the table could see what was conspiring in front of them−a cat fight in the making.
    Melissa smiled back. “There’s always been someone special in my life,” she replied. And, that was exactly the talk that resulted in these two sparring. He didn’t like that Melissa threw meaning about him so casually around, that he knew his family, especially his mother, would be analyzing.
      “That’s wonderful,” Kate said, her tone not condemning like he knew she felt. Her gaze settled on Marc. He put a mouthful of potatoes in his mouth to cover the grin and give him a reason to absolutely not get involved. “So Marc, did you ever get that sauna lock fixed?” she asked so full of fake curiosity it almost made him laugh. However the images of that spa were much more distracting and he could hardly focus when the image of her half naked body pressed against