chapter911

"That's right, Lydia. Your health matters, too. You're still young, and work will always be there." Garrett could tell Lydia didn't want the family fussing over her, so he jumped in to back her up.

"Oh, I see how it is. Now that your precious daughter's home, the son doesn't matter anymore, huh? Am I invisible here?" Garrett joked, drawing everyone's attention.

When they looked at him, they realized he'd dropped some weight, too.

"Garrett, you're not a kid anymore. Are you really jealous of your sister?" Kylie teased, but there was worry in her voice. "You do look thinner, though. What exactly were you two looking for out there? You both came back half the size you were."

Lydia smiled. "We went searching for rare herbs, the kind you hardly ever find. We spent a lot of time up in the mountains, so it's normal to lose some weight. Give us a few days, we'll put it right back on."

Garrett nodded, his voice tired but light. "Yeah, Mom, Dad, right now Lydia and I just want something to eat and a good night's sleep."

Kylie hurried to fix things. "Oh, that's my bad. Come in, both of you. I'll tell the kitchen to whip up something for you right away."

When Lucinda got home, she found everyone already sitting around the dining table. The whole spread was out, and every dish was something Lydia liked.

Annoyance bubbled up inside her.

Seriously? They started dinner without her? Did she not count as family anymore? She walked in, her voice sugary sweet but with a bite. "Dad, Mom, you started dinner without me? Wow, now that my sister's back, I guess I'm old news."

Kylie stood up right away, smiling. "Lucinda, you're back. Dinner isn't really ready yet. Garrett and Lydia just got home, and they were exhausted and hungry, so I asked the kitchen to make something for them to eat first so they could rest. We'd never forget about you."

Cameron joined in with a laugh. "That's right, Lucinda. We're just here keeping them company. Our dinner will be ready soon."

Lucinda glanced at the table and noticed only two sets of plates. That helped her mood a little, but she still felt left out.

She worked hard at school, too. Why couldn't they wait for her so they could all eat together? Why did Lydia always get special treatment?

Garrett spoke up, his voice easy. "We just started, Lucinda. If you're hungry, come eat with us."

That was what Lucinda wanted to hear. She grinned and hurried over. "Thanks, Garrett. The food at school is awful. Nothing beats home cooking."

Cameron told one of the staff to bring another set of utensils for her.

Once she sat down, Lucinda put on her sweetest face. "Sorry, Mom and Dad. guess jumped to conclusions. But where did

Foy Sister

go, anyway? She was gone forever."

Lydia ignored her, focusing on eating, not even glancing her way.

Kylie stepped in to answer. "Your

sister went looking for medicinalet

herbs hot on vacation. She barely

had time to eat or sleep. That's why she lost so much weight."

Lucinda didn't buy it for a second. Looking at skinny Lydia, she couldn't hide her glee. "Wasn't Connor with you? Didn't he take care of you,

Lydia? How could you come back so thin?"

She even wondered if Connor was already tired of Lydia and didn't care about her anymore.

Lydia's eyes turned icy. She looked up at Lucinda, a faint, mocking smile on her lips. "Connor? You mean your brother-in-law?"