Читать книгу The Favour - Cara Summers - Страница 10

AS SIERRA made her way up the stairs to the dining room, she felt two different women warring inside of her. One of them wanted to turn around and kiss that man again. The other one was much more cautious. The second was the one who currently had the upper hand.

Still, she’d kissed a stranger in a bar and part of her had enjoyed it. She hugged the knowledge to her, hoping that the experience would give her the confidence she needed to go forward with her plan.

She spotted her sisters the minute she entered the dining room. They were already seated and Rad, one of the owners of the Blue Pepper, was emptying a tray of drinks and an hors d’oeuvres platter onto their table.

She was late. Just how much time had she spent kneeling on the floor with that man?

Too much time, a little voice in her head lectured.

Not enough time, another voice taunted. Not nearly enough.

Stopping short, Sierra straightened and drew in a deep breath. It just wasn’t like her to think that way. She dug though her bag and then closed her fingers around the inhaler, just in case she needed it. She had to put the man and the kiss out of her mind until she accomplished her mission.

Drawing in another deep breath, she headed toward the table.

Rad spotted her first and hurried toward her, surprise lighting his features. “Dr. Gibbs! You look absolutely ravishing tonight.”

It was Sierra’s turn to be surprised as Rad hugged her and rose on his toes to kiss the air on one side of her head. Rad and his partner, George, ran the Blue Pepper. George, a huge bronze giant of a man, handled the bar while Rad greeted the customers. A small man, Rad changed his hair color nearly as frequently as he changed his ties. Tonight, the white spikes matched his shirt and the tiny dots in his fuchsia tie. As a dues-paying member of the fashion police, Rad was not given to hyperbole. His usual greeting to her was a sigh.

Holding her at arm’s length, Rad studied her carefully. “It’s your hair. That’s what it is. You’ve finally taken my advice to wear it down.”

Her hair. Sierra ran a hand through it. Sometime during that all-consuming kiss, the man in the bar must have loosened her hair. She risked a quick glance over her shoulder, but she couldn’t see him.

Rad gripped her arms and turned her to face her sisters. “Tell her she looks ravishing with her hair down.”

“Ravishing,” Natalie agreed, winking at Sierra.

“Totally,” Rory said. “We’ve been telling her that for years. But does she listen to us? No. We’re just her sisters. We owe you big-time, Rad.”

“Just part of the service,” Rad said, sweeping them a bow before he turned and hurried away.

“This is a major coup,” Rory said as she snagged a shrimp off the hors d’oeuvres platter. “You’re usually immune to Rad’s advice. What’s up?”

She’d just kissed a stranger in the bar, Sierra thought. From her seat, she was able to scan the bar again, but he wasn’t in sight.

“Sierra?” Natalie asked. “Is something wrong?”

Sierra gripped her inhaler more tightly as she drew in another deep breath and refocused her thoughts. “I’m just a bit nervous about opening Harry’s letter.” That was the truth, just not the whole truth.

“Have a shrimp,” Rory said, pushing the platter closer. “Food always soothes my nerves.”

“Thanks, I’ll pass,” Sierra said.

“At least take a drink of the martini we ordered,” Natalie advised.

That she could do. Dutch courage was always helpful when you never had any of your own. After raising her glass, she clinked it to her sisters’, took a sip and prayed that the nerves dancing in her stomach would settle from a polka to a slow waltz.

“Dad’s letter won’t be as bad as you think it’s going to be. Isn’t that right, Rory?”

“Absolutely,” Rory mumbled around a stuffed mushroom. “I felt much better about everything after I read mine.”

Sierra thought of the men in her sisters’ lives. “Chance and Hunter must be annoyed that I stole you away tonight.”

Natalie snorted. “Fat chance. They’re having some kind of a men’s night out. I think gambling is involved.”

“And beer,” Rory said, reaching for a mozzarella stick. “They were quite happy to see the last of us.”

“You guys really hit the jackpot, didn’t you?” Sierra asked.

“Oh, yeah,” Natalie said with a smile.

“Definitely,” Rory said.

One look at the expressions on her sisters’ faces confirmed her belief that she was doing the right thing. They’d not only found men and love, but they’d also had wonderful adventures. She’d settle for the man. That much she was pretty sure she could do. And she didn’t even mind if the relationship was temporary. Whatever her father said in his message, she wasn’t going to let it dissuade her. She’d just look at her sisters.

Better still, she’d let herself remember that kiss.

She let go of the inhaler, then drew the letter out of her bag and set it on the table in front of her. There was her name, written in her father’s hand. She wasn’t aware that she’d clenched her hands into fists until Natalie covered one of them. “He loved us. We know now that he regretted the promise he made to mother to stay away.”

Rory took Sierra’s other hand. “It’s like when you get called to the principal’s office. The anticipation is always worse than the reality.”

Sierra had never been called to the principal’s office in her life. Since she’d always caused her family so much trouble with her illnesses, she’d concentrated on being perfect in everything else. It was the least she could do.

Sierra resisted the urge to use her inhaler. Her breath was short, but not nearly as much as it had been when that stranger had kissed her.

Pushing the thought away, she focused on the letter. She could do this. She really could. From the envelope, she pulled out a single folded sheet of paper and opened it up.

Dearest Sierra, my beautiful dreamer,

Even when you were little, your imagination and your curiosity amazed me. And you were so smart, that sometimes you scared your mother and me. My biggest regret is that I didn’t have more time to spend with you.

You of all my daughters have the power to make all your dreams come true. Don’t be afraid to dream big. And always remember that life is better than any dream. It’s a better adventure than anything you can find in a book or a movie. Trust in yourself and take the risk of believing that, Sierra.

Love,

Harry

When she realized that she was chewing on her bottom lip, Sierra made herself stop. Finally, she said, “I didn’t think he knew me that well.”

“Of course, he did,” Rory insisted, her characteristic impatience clear in her voice.

Sierra shook her head. “He was always going off with the two of you, and I had to stay home because I was sick.”

“What about all the time he spent with you when you were in the hospital?” Natalie asked. “Whenever he could, he’d stay the night. We were always jealous. I think Mom was too.”

For the first time since she’d taken the letter out of her purse, Sierra glanced up and met her sisters’ gazes. “I guess I don’t remember.” But she’d had dreams of someone holding her hand. Had that really been Harry?

Sierra turned to Natalie. “I mostly remember that he taught you to crack safes.” She shifted her gaze to Rory. “And he took you horseback-riding.”

“But he read books to you,” Natalie said. “Rory and I used to sit outside your bedroom door and listen. He never read books to us.”

“I do remember some of that,” Sierra said with a sudden smile. “Once he read me ‘Goldilocks and the Three Bears,’ and he told me Mom would probably have a fit because Goldilocks was a housebreaker and a very bad role model.”

“That sounds like him,” Natalie said.

“Aren’t you going to look at the photos?” Rory asked.

“Oh. I forgot.” There had been pictures in her sisters’ letters, too. Sierra slipped hers from the envelope and spread them out on the table. One had been snapped when she’d given the valedictory address at her high-school graduation. Another was one of her poring over books at her college library. Both were typically Sierra, the studious bookworm, she thought.

Then the third one caught her attention. She was sitting on a park bench in Rock Creek Park watching the joggers and in-line skaters whip by. It had been one of those perfect spring days that were so plentiful in DC. She’d been a freshman in college, and she’d been so envious of the skaters.

“There you go,” Rory said, pointing to the picture. “He knew you all right. Look at the expression on your face.”

“What expression?” Sierra asked, studying the picture more closely.

“The one that you always had when Rory and I got to do something and you couldn’t.” Natalie tapped a finger on the photo. “You’re wishing you could be skating, too.”

She’d tried to satisfy her wishes by daydreaming, Sierra recalled. She still did.

“This picture is another way he’s telling you that if you believe in yourself, you can do anything you want,” Rory said.

Sierra swallowed to ease the lump that had formed in her throat. Had Harry really believed that?

“So, tell us.” Rory reached for another shrimp. “What is it that you really want?”

That man in the bar.

The thought slid so easily into her mind that, for a moment, Sierra couldn’t speak. Panic bubbled up. She couldn’t want him. He was so out of her league. Besides, she had a perfectly logical five-step plan, and she couldn’t see that man fitting into any kind of plan.

“That’s got to be a tough one for you,” Natalie commented. “Your life’s just about perfect. You’ve accomplished everything you’ve set out to do.”

Sierra glanced down at her father’s words and then back up at her sisters again. Then she took a deep breath. “I want to initiate a sexual relationship with a man.”

“Oh.” Her sisters spoke in unison, then exchanged a quick glance.

“You and Bradley Winthrop are getting serious then?” Natalie asked.

“No.” Sierra frowned. “Bradley and I are just friends.” She tilted her head in thought. “We go to dinner and the opera together, and we visit interesting exhibits at the Smithsonian. Our relationship is stimulating on an intellectual level, but it’s strictly platonic.”

“Then you’ve met someone new?” Rory asked.

Sierra thought of the man in the bar. “No. I haven’t selected the man yet. But I’m ready for a relationship that will be physically stimulating. So I’m going to find a lover.”

“What can we do to help?” Natalie said.

Sierra blinked and stared. She’d expected a negative reaction—especially from her oldest sister. “Nothing.” She took another sip of her martini. “I have a plan, and you’re not going to talk me out of it.”

“Why would we do that?” Rory asked.

Once again, Sierra stared at her sisters. “Because I…because you…” She drew in a deep breath. “I was so sure that you’d try and talk me out of it.”

“Yeah, well, Natalie and I have already discussed the issue. And we decided that we couldn’t very well do one thing and lecture you to do another. You were the one who encouraged me to go after Chance.”

“And you were right there cheering me on after I met Hunter.” Rory took her hand.

“In fact, if you hadn’t brought it up, we were going to suggest that you become more socially active and get out and meet someone,” Natalie admitted.

“Following Harry’s advice has been very good for us, so if you’ve decided to take a lover, we’d hardly be the ones to give you any grief,” Rory added.

Even as relief flowed through her, Sierra felt nerves once more begin to jump in her stomach. They weren’t going to argue. She felt as though she’d geared up for a battle and the enemy had turned tail and run before she’d had a chance to fire off the first shot.

“You mentioned a plan,” Natalie said. “I’d like to hear more about that.”

“Me, too,” Rory said. “We might have some suggestions.”

Sierra nearly smiled as she reached into her bag for her note card. “That’s more like it. For a minute I thought that perhaps my sisters had been replaced by aliens.”

Natalie’s brows shot up. “We just want the chance to offer advice. Isn’t that what sisters are for?”

“Yes,” Sierra said as she sorted through the contents of her bag.

“How many steps?” Natalie asked. “With Chance, I only needed about three.”

“Ha!” Rory pointed a pepper strip at Natalie. “I win. I only needed one step with Hunter.”

Sierra could feel her day planner, her inhaler, the pills, and the pack of note cards. Frowning, she opened the mouth of the bag wider. The single blue note card listing the steps wasn’t there. Had she dropped it in the bar? If she went back to look for it, she might run into that stranger again.

Pushing the thought and the temptation firmly out of her mind, she cleared her throat and focused her attention on her sisters. “As part of my research on my new book, I’ve been studying the sexual practices of urban dwellers.”

“City people?” Rory asked.

Sierra nodded and then took another sip of her martini. “Rad and George have been kind enough to allow me to do some of my research right here on Wednesdays when they reserve this dining room for speed dating.”

“Speed dating?” Natalie asked.

“You know,” Rory said, “it’s kind of like musical chairs. Remember the episode they did on Sex and the City with Miranda. She talked to each date for about ten minutes to see if something clicked.”

“Whoa.” Natalie’s frown deepened as she studied Sierra. “You’re going to choose a lover during a ten-minute conversation?”

“No. The speed date is step one,” Sierra explained. “Step two is to analyze the data I collect and then select a lover.”

“Time out,” Rory said. “A speed date is just a prelude to a real date. How can you possibly gather enough data to select a man as a lover?”

“By using the time efficiently. I see no reason to bother with casual conversation. After I tell them that I’m looking for a lover, I’m going to ask each man a few questions. Their answers will provide me with a profile of just what kind of lover they will make.”

Rory and Natalie exchanged a glance, then looked at Sierra.

Sierra began to chew on her bottom lip again. These were her sisters all right. She’d lost count of the times that Natalie and Rory had looked at her in just this way when she was growing up, as if she were the alien. “You don’t think it will work?”

“No.” Her sisters spoke in unison, and then Natalie said, “That’s not it. We think it might work too well—especially if you tell them right up front that you’re looking for a lover.”

“I don’t see why I should hide my intentions.”

Natalie shook her head. “There are times when a little subtlety is…advisable.”

“You don’t know what kind of men come here. They could take advantage of you,” Rory added.

“But I do know what kind of men come here. I’ve been studying them for three months now. My research assistant and I have taken copious notes and written up several case histories.”

“As a psychologist, you know that people lie,” Rory said. “They can easily pretend to be something they’re not.”

Sierra frowned.

“Right. We all wear disguises,” Natalie added.

“During that speed-dating episode on Sex and the City, even Miranda lied,” Rory said. “Didn’t she tell one guy that she was a flight attendant?”

Sierra set her clasped hands on the letter. “All right. Perhaps, I won’t tell them straight out that I’m looking for a lover. But I’m going to ask them some questions.”

“Such as?” Rory asked.

“They’re very simple—kind of like a Rorschach test without the pictures. Things like what kind of musical instrument or breed of dog would you like to be, or what three things would you take to a deserted island with you?”

“And from that you’ll learn…?” Rory asked.

Sierra could feel her cheeks redden. “The subject’s answers will provide a profile of his sexual preferences as well as indicate his style of lovemaking.”

“Really?” Rory asked.

“My research assistant, Zoë McNamara, and I have been testing it on volunteers. When we interview the test subjects, we’ve found that our profiles have been quite accurate.”

Natalie tapped her fingers on the table. “What will you do with your results?”

“I’ll take them home and run a match with my own profile. After that, I’ll contact prospective lovers according to how well they match up with me.”

For a moment, neither one of her sisters said a word.

“You don’t think it will work?” Sierra finally asked.

Natalie drank some of her martini, then said, “I’ve no doubt that you’ll probably get an accurate profile of the parties involved. But what you’ve described is a very…cerebral process. And taking a lover—well, it’s a very physical thing. There has to be a certain…chemistry. I’m not sure you can predict that with a quiz.”

Rory leaned forward. “I’m on the same page here as Nat. Did you ever give this quiz to Bradley?”

“Well, yes,” Sierra replied.

“How well did his profile line up with yours?” Rory asked.

“Almost perfectly.”

Rory turned her hands over, palms up. “There you go. A perfect match, but no chemistry. Your relationship has remained platonic. That’s not a recipe for success in a love affair.”

“The up side is she’ll be right there at a table with them. She could shake their hands,” Natalie pointed out.

“Right,” Rory said.

Natalie turned to Sierra. “The important thing is not to over-think this whole thing. You have to learn to trust your feelings. If an electric shock goes up your arm and right down to your toes, then you might want to move that candidate to the top of your list—no matter what the quiz results tell you.”

“Or if you look into his eyes and your knees turn to jelly, he’s another prime candidate for a lover,” Rory said. “The first time I met Hunter, it was his eyes. He looked at me as if he were the Terminator and I was his prey. I lost every thought in my head.”

Sierra drew in a deep breath. “I don’t usually have that kind of reaction to men.” Except to the stranger she’d just kissed in the bar.

“Then it’s high time you did,” Natalie said.

“And under no circumstance should you take a lover unless you do,” Rory added.

“One thing more,” Natalie said. “Once you’ve found a candidate, I want the name so that I can run a check on him.”

Rory shot Sierra a sympathetic glance. “That’s what comes of having a sister who’s a cop.”

“And if your experiment works, Rory will press you for an interview so that she can write the whole thing up in Vanity Fair. That’s what comes from having a sister who’s a journalist.”

For the first time since she’d pushed her way through the front door of the Blue Pepper, Sierra felt some of her apprehension ease. Oh, the nerves were still dancing in her stomach, but she was going to go through with her plan, and she felt much better that she was doing it with her sisters’ approval. And Harry’s. Raising her martini, she said, “To chemistry.”

“To chemistry,” her sisters repeated.

“And to Harry,” Sierra added as she touched her glass to theirs.