“Figures you’d take her side. You’re just like her, you know. Stupid twins.”

Claire knew Jesse hadn’t meant the comment as a compliment, but that’s how she took it. “I want to be like Nicole.”

“You’re more than halfway there.”

“She’s smart, capable, loving and successful.”

“Bossy, annoying and a real pain in the ass.”

“You miss her.”

Jesse nodded slowly. “I know what you’re saying, Claire, but it’s not like that with Nicole. Once she gets mad, she doesn’t get over it.”

“You’re wrong. She got over it with me.”

“I’m not you.”

“You’re not trying. There’s a difference.”

Jesse slid out of the booth and grabbed her purse. “I don’t need this crap. Not from her and not from you. You’re mad at me for something that didn’t happen. Go to hell.”

With that she was gone.

It was, Claire thought sadly, the Keyes sisters’ day for running away.

WYATT KNOCKED ONCE, then let himself into Nicole’s house. “It’s me,” he called, then found her sitting on the sofa, her foot propped up on the coffee table.

“How are you feeling?” he asked Nicole.

“Ready to take you on.”

Her eyes were bright with annoyance and something else he couldn’t identify. He didn’t need to ask if she knew about the pregnancy. That was obvious. She probably knew how he’d reacted. Even if Claire hadn’t told her, Nicole knew him well enough to guess his reaction.

“What did you expect me to say?” he asked, feeling anger rise up in him. He’d been numb earlier, but now he was feeling it all. “This shouldn’t have happened.”

“You’re right. It shouldn’t have. But it did. And whose fault is that? What the hell were you thinking, Wyatt? You slept with my sister and didn’t use a condom? Who does that?”

He didn’t have an answer for that. It had been the night, or morning, and the moment. He’d been carried away by a wave of passion he’d never experienced before. But there was no way he was going to say that to Nicole.

“I thought she was covered.”

“She was a virgin and the person supposed to be doing the covering is you. What right do you have to take those kind of chances?”

“I don’t usually do that.”

“So Claire just got lucky? This is all your fault and now you’re whining about taking responsibility.”

“I’m not whining.”

“Sure sounds like it to me. Worse, you’re punishing her. You were there, big guy. You wanted to play escaped convict and the warden’s wife. Now you take responsibility for your actions.”

Wait a minute. Nicole was supposed to be his friend. “You’re taking her side?”

“Absolutely. You couldn’t be more wrong. Dammit, Wyatt, I expected a whole lot better of you. Now get out.”

He stared at her. “You can’t mean that.”

“More than you know.”

He left the house, then stood by his car. What was going on? The whole world was screwed up.

He glared at the house. If Nicole wanted him gone, he was gone. He didn’t need her or Claire or any of them.

CLAIRE ARRIVED at the house to find Nicole waiting with an assortment of pints of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream.

“Normally we’d both get drunk on margaritas,” Nicole told her. “But in your present condition, that’s probably not a good idea. We’re going to have to settle for ice cream.”

The sympathy in her sister’s voice told her she’d heard about her conversation with Wyatt.

“How’d you find out?” Claire asked.

“The bastard came here looking for a shoulder to cry on. I told him that was reserved for you, then kicked him out.” Nicole held open her arms.

Claire crossed to her and allowed herself to be hugged. Nicole held on tight, as if she would never let go.

“I’ll find someone to beat the crap out of him,” her sister told her.

Claire fought tears. “I love him too much to want him hurt. How sick is that?”

“Pretty sick. So I won’t tell you when it happens. But I’m still having it done.”

Claire straightened. “Thanks.”

Nicole shrugged. “What else can I do? For what it’s worth, I’m sorry he’s taking this badly.”

“But not surprised?”

“No. I’ll admit his family isn’t exactly functional, but Wyatt’s usually the good guy. Still, he believes he can’t do relationships and Shanna’s pregnancy and subsequent disappearing act hardly made him feel better about the process. Then you came along.”

“The virgin piano player?”

Nicole smiled. “Something like that. He didn’t know how to handle you. He still doesn’t. It’s easier for him to get angry.”

Claire tried to understand, but she couldn’t. “He doesn’t care about the baby.”

“You’ve spent a lot of your life looking for family. This baby gives you that and more. He’s been a single dad for eight years. His dreams are different. He’ll come around.”

“To what? Reluctantly accepting responsibility. I don’t want that.”

“What do you want?”

To be swept away, she thought sadly. She wanted Wyatt to realize he was madly in love with her, couldn’t live without her and desperately wanted their child. She wanted everything he’d accused her of…love and marriage. But the difference between her and Shanna was that she didn’t want to win him by default and should she be lucky enough to have him want her back, she would never leave.

“I want a happy ending.”

“Sometimes we have to make our own,” Nicole told her. “Starting with ice cream. What flavor do you want?”

The doorbell rang. Claire’s whole body clenched as she hoped it was Wyatt. Maybe a beam had fallen on him at one of his jobs and the head injury had made him come to his senses. If only.

“I’ll get it,” she said as she left the kitchen and walked into the great room.

She didn’t find Wyatt on the doorstep. Instead Lisa, her manager, stood there.

While Lisa was as well-groomed as ever, she looked tired. And old.

“Claire,” she said with a tentative smile. “I was hoping to find you at home. Can we talk?”

A couple of weeks ago, Claire would have told her no. They had nothing to say to each other. Now, she wasn’t so sure. The sense of longing swept over her again, the need to play, to perform. Along with that yearning was a determination to make things different, to not be the frightened, obedient client she’d been before. She wasn’t who she had been when she’d arrived in Seattle. But who was she now?

“Sure, we can talk.”

Lisa followed her into the house, then closed the door. “You’re looking well.”

“I feel good.”

“Are you-” Lisa pressed her lips together. “Never mind.”

“Am I practicing?” Claire asked, then laughed. “Yes. I’ve played a little, but I’m not on a schedule. I’m not taking classes, either.”

She missed all that, too, she realized. The regular sessions with her music, when it was just her and her coach and the perfection she could create.

“You probably want to yell at me now,” she said, prepared to hear it all and deal with it like an equal, not a subordinate.

Lisa only nodded slowly. “I didn’t think you were playing much. You’re on vacation.” She swallowed. “Is it just a vacation? Are you coming back? Before you answer, I need to say something.”

Claire waited, trying not to feel nervous. She was an adult, she reminded herself. She needed to act like one.

“I was wrong,” Lisa told her, clutching her handbag in front of her. “You were so young when we started working together. I treated you like a child, because you were. But you grew up and I didn’t notice because it was easier for me if I made all the decisions. You kept trying to tell me you weren’t happy and I didn’t listen. I never wanted you to be unhappy. I never wanted you to feel trapped. I’m sorry.”

Claire considered her words. “You were doing whatever you thought was right to get a performance out of me. That mattered more than anything.”

“Only because you’re so gifted. Claire, no one can do what you do. I worried you couldn’t see that. I was afraid you didn’t respect your gift.”

“It’s my gift to respect or not.”

“I know. I see that now. I just hate to think of you wasting away, not playing.”

“Not earning the money.”

“That, too. You are my only client, Claire. If you’re not working anymore, I have a right to know. This is my livelihood, as well.”

Something Claire had never considered.

She led the way to the sofa. Nicole was nowhere to be seen, and probably hiding out in the kitchen with a pint of ice cream. This live performance had to be more interesting than anything she’d seen lately on television, Claire thought, trying to find the humor in the situation. Getting upset wouldn’t help anyone. Better to stay calm and rational.

“I have responsibility for what went wrong, as well,” she said, looking at Lisa. “I should have been more clear about how unhappy I was. Instead I used the panic attacks to get what I wanted. Eventually they began to control me. I wanted to be treated like an adult, but I didn’t act like one. I was a kid faking a stomachache to avoid a test at school. That was wrong of me.”

Wow-admitting fault was not her favorite thing, but it had to be done. “I shouldn’t have just disappeared and left you hanging,” she continued. “That wasn’t fair to either of us. I’m sorry.”

“I’m sorry, too,” Lisa told her. “For everything.”

They stared at each other for a couple of seconds, then looked away. They’d never had the sort of relationship that made hugging comfortable and Claire didn’t know how to move on.

“Do you know what you’re going to do?” Lisa asked.

She realized then she’d been avoiding the truth for a long time. “I’m going to come back to New York and return to my music.”

Lisa leaned back against the sofa. “Thank God.”

Claire smiled. “Don’t get too excited. There are going to be a lot of changes.”