Gateway to Heaven by Beth Kery Page B

No crime has been committed. Haven’t you and Terry ever kissed in the back of a cab?”
    He knew he hadn’t endeared himself to Megan’s sister when her mouth fell open in angry disbelief. He thought he might have scored some unintentional points with Terry though, when he saw Megan’s brother-in-law raise his hand to cover a smile.
    “ That’s none of your business,” Hilary replied hotly. “You obviously don’t know anything about Megan. She doesn’t drink excessively. She doesn’t like blues music, and she certainly doesn’t like the kind of music you play.”
    Christian’s expression hardened. “I would think Megan is fully capable of deciding what she does and doesn’t like.”
    Megan raised a shaky hand to her forehead. Her tone was resolute. “Please, both of you. Stop it. This is ridiculous.”
    Hilary looked at her sister with sharp concern. “Come inside. I’ll make you some tea.”
    Megan glanced up at Christian uncomfortably. He held her gaze. Clearly, the evening wasn’t ending in the way that either of them had expected. “I’m sorry, Christian.”
    “ Don’t be. I had a great time.”
    “ Me, too,” she replied sincerely. The apology in her eyes made him feel like clobbering Hilary. He kept his feet planted with hard effort when Hilary herded Megan toward the door.
    “ Megan?”
    She looked back.
    “ I’ll call you tomorrow.” He kept his gaze fixed on Megan, but he would have had to be stone blind to miss Hilary’s scowl of disapproval.
     
    * * * *
     
    Megan spun around the second Terry closed her condominium door.
    “ Hilary, I can’t believe you acted like that. You totally embarrassed me in front of Christian,” she said. When she saw her sister’s anxious expression, however, her fury seemed to melt out of her. Exhaustion took its place. She sagged down into one of her dining room chairs. The last thing she felt like doing at this minute was arguing with her sister.
    “ I can’t believe the way you’re acting, Megan. Why would you be spending time with a guy like that?”
    “ Because I happen to like him,” Megan said indignantly.
    Hilary changed tactics as she sat down at the table next to Megan. Her voice became soothing. “A man like that doesn’t think about relationships in the same way that you would, Meg. He’s only out for his own gratification and he’s not going to give a damn if you get hurt along the way. He doesn’t even live here in Chicago.” Megan started in surprise. When Hilary noticed, she pushed her point home. “He didn’t even tell you, did he? He only lives in that penthouse for about a month out of the year.”
    Megan refused to let Hilary know how much her words hurt. Christian wasn’t even a permanent resident here? “How do you know so much about him?”
    “ Tons of people in the neighborhood know about him. He’s our resident celebrity.” She sighed when she saw Megan’s bewilderment. “I know you prefer a book to television or Hollywood gossip, so I can easily believe that you would never have heard of Christian Lasher. What I can’t believe is that a man like Lasher didn’t brag about how famous he is—or infamous, as the case may be—even if he likely did delete the parts about his host of love-affairs with string of starlets and models, each of which lasts for about the duration of a TV sitcom,” Hilary remarked scathingly.
    Megan stood abruptly, knocking the table with her thighs. Terry started back in surprise. Her sister’s news had struck her like an unexpected blow. “I’m really tired, Hilary. I’m going to bed.”
    Hilary shared a worried look with her husband. “I’m sorry if what I said hurt you Megan. But it’s better you should know the truth now, instead of later, when it would be much more painful for you,” Hilary said softly. “You’re not like him.”
    Her ears rang in the silence as she recalled saying something similar to Christian last Saturday. She didn’t know if what Hilary said