The Oleander Sisters by Elaine Hussey

Author:Elaine Hussey
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2014-09-21T16:00:00+00:00

Sixteen

THE STORM HADN’T EVEN come close to Biloxi, and yet after she’d dropped Andy and Emily off and then headed home, Sis felt as if she were already drowning, pulled beneath the waves by the dark undertow of her sister’s secrets.

She and Emily were not only sisters but best friends, keepers of each other’s dreams and deepest desires. Since Larry had come into the picture, they’d been dancing around the truth, throwing up smoke screens, creating a chasm that Sis might soon be unable to cross.

As she parked her Valiant she noticed Sweet Mama’s Buick was not there. Where in the world could they be? The only comfort Sis took was that when she’d last seen them, Beulah had been at the wheel.

She grabbed her purse and hurried into the house. Jim was on the staircase, hobbling along on his crutch. When he saw her, he stopped midway, his jaw dropped open.

“Good God, Sis. You look like you’re on the warpath.”

“We’ve got to talk.”

As Sis steamed toward the kitchen and waited for Jim to hobble in on his crutch, she felt as if she’d shifted a bale of cotton off her shoulders.

“Jim, Emily’s back. They got in this afternoon.”

“I’m glad. With that storm brewing, she needs to be home.”

“Do you know something I don’t?” Considering his connections, it was highly likely.

“I talked to Gordon this afternoon. He says the storm is picking up strength and it’s going to be big.”

“How big?”

“A monster. It could get so huge it carries the energy equivalent of five hundred thousand atomic bombs.”

“Oh, my God. Is that true?”

“Yes. An ordinary summer storm carries the equivalent of thirteen thousand atomic bombs.”

“I could have lived the rest of my life without knowing that, Jim.”

Now, every time it thundered she was probably going to board the windows and prepare for disaster.

“Did Gordon say it was headed this way?”

“Not yet. But if it turns, I’ll start boarding the windows.”

He couldn’t balance on a crutch and wield a hammer. Feeling beleaguered from every direction, Sis hardly knew which way to turn.

“That storm may or may not become a hurricane, Jim, and we certainly don’t know if it’s heading this way. The most pressing matter is Em. She looked as if she’d been whipped like a dog. I think Larry’s abusing her.”

“Where is he?” Jim jumped out of his chair, his fists balled, his body perfectly balanced on one leg.

“It won’t do Emily any good if you go flying off the handle, Jim. This is exactly why I didn’t say anything before the wedding.”

“You knew about this before she married that jackass and didn’t tell me?”

“I couldn’t be certain. I saw a small bruise on her arm when she tried on her wedding dress. But it was nothing compared to the way she was in the café.” Sis drank a long swig of tea, trying to collect herself.

“You saw bruises?” Jim asked.

“I couldn’t under all that makeup.”

“Emily hardly ever wears makeup.”

“Exactly.” With her heart pounding too fast and sweat

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