Читать книгу How To Be the Perfect Girlfriend - HEATHER MACALLISTER, Heather Macallister - Страница 10

JOANNA WAS PISSED. Simon took a small pleasure in watching her face take on that set, slightly frowning look. She didn’t like him to refer to her as his stepmother, but since she was his stepmother she couldn’t object.

Simon knew the office grapevine would be humming with the information by tomorrow morning. Live by the grapevine, die by the grapevine. He knew people had wondered about Joanna and Kayla and had assumed he was dating. He’d allowed the rumor to grow because right now, Joanna and Kayla had first call on his time and emotional energy. Especially Kayla.

He hadn’t fully understood the term “emotional energy” until recently or that it was something different from any other energy. But Kayla… Kayla needed something. Joanna needed something, too, but it wasn’t up to Simon to provide it. Which was a good thing, since dealing with Kayla pretty much zapped him.

Date? Not likely. At this point, the best he could hope for was a mutually pleasurable physical encounter when he traveled on business. An encounter with a woman who also wanted no more than a night, or two. A woman he wouldn’t have to face at the office afterward.

So why hadn’t he taken advantage of the last several opportunities? Why had he chosen room service and movies on cable instead?

Because he was at the stage in life where he wanted more. He wanted a meaningful relationship, though he’d be drummed out of the male gender if he ever said so aloud. But Simon wanted a family of his own, and he knew it. Unfortunately, he had to deal with the family he already had.

WHOA. BACK UP. Back the heck up. Stepmother? Simon’s introduction of Kayla finally registered. Half sister. He’d said half sister. Half sister? And more importantly, stepmother?

Sara knew she should say something, maybe something like, “Pleased to meet you.” But was she pleased? Was Simon pleased that he’d introduced her?

It’s a polite response. It doesn’t have to mean anything.

She turned to Simon, ready to mouth the polite response and make her escape. And call Hayden with some of the juiciest gossip that had ever come Sara’s way.

“So where’re we gonna eat?” Kayla asked before Sara could say anything.

“I have reservations at La Griglia.”

Wow. Fancy. But not too fancy.

“Simon!” Joanna made a face. Kind of a classy annoyed face. Sara filed it away as another expression she’d like to acquire.

“The girls aren’t dressed for La Griglia,” Joanna continued.

No kidding. If those girls wore more than a yard of fabric between them, Sara would be surprised. She glanced at Simon, unable to help herself. She should have left by now, but truly she couldn’t figure out a way to leave without attracting attention. Okay, she wasn’t trying all that hard. It would take a saint to leave now.

Simon was looking at Kayla and Amber. Sara had been to La Griglia once. It was moderately expensive and Italian. Simon had got the Italian part right. Most everyone liked Italian food, but the atmosphere was chic and to-be-seen. Not the place to take children, though Kayla had just passed the point of childhood and was deep into burgeoning adolescence. In fact, she was about to burgeon right out of those shorts. Her short shorts and tank top definitely looked mall food-courtish, though the businessmen and fifty-somethings at La Griglia were bound to enjoy the view.

“What’s wrong with the way we’re dressed?” Kayla asked. “I think we look cute.” She thrust her size zero hips to the side.

Enjoy them now, honey. If the freshman fifteen don’t get you, take-out and weekend dates with Ben & Jerry’s will.

Kayla was that fun age between child and woman. She was trying to figure out who she was and what she was going to do—not unlike Sara right at this minute. Only Sara had had fifteen or so more years to figure it all out.

How depressing was that? Sara so needed to get out of Simon’s office. She tried to catch his eye. He glanced at her at the exact moment she turned to him. He looked vulnerable and uncertain. Very un-Simon-like. Yeah, anything he said in response would probably be wrong. Sympathy kept her rooted to the spot.

“La Griglia is a nice restaurant,” he said slowly. “Not a casual sort of place.”

“That’s the point,” snipped Joanna.

Sara wanted to do something to Joanna. Maybe take her aside and smack her.

“Well, I’m going to have to get to class.” Joanna gave Kayla and Amber a once-over before removing her sunglasses from the top of her head and putting them on. “I suppose they’ll be okay.” But the way she said it, everyone knew they wouldn’t be okay.

What a nasty piece of work. Hayden would have put her in her place, but Sara was no Hayden.

Amber, who had been silent up until now, looked stricken.

Kayla looked disgusted. “Is it some stuffy place? I told you I didn’t want to go to stuffy places anymore.”

“It’s one of the top-rated restaurants in Houston. I thought it would be a treat,” Simon said quietly.

Awwwww, Sara thought and sent a vicious and completely unnoticed look at Joanna. Why didn’t she say something parental like “Mind your manners?”

“Can we take a limo?” Kayla asked.

“I was planning to drive.”

“Man.” Kayla wore a sullen expression.

“Limos are for entertaining clients,” Simon said in the voice of one who knows he’s doomed. “You don’t like going out with clients.”

Joanna bailed. “I’ve got a seven o’clock class.” She waggled her fingers, wrinkled her nose at Sara and left.

Simon looked at Sara. If ever there was a cry for help, this was it. And Sara responded to the call. Willingly. Gladly.

“They really aren’t dressed for La Griglia,” she said as though she’d been there many times herself. “You know what they’d like? Dave and Busters.”

“Dave and Busters!” Kayla’s whole demeanor changed.

“I love that place,” Amber said. “But since you have to be with an adult, I don’t get to go there unless it’s a special occasion, or something. My cousin’s graduation was the last time I got to go there. I still have leftover tickets.” She groaned. “But I didn’t bring them with me.”

“Tickets?” asked Simon.

He looked lost. Appealingly lost. The kind of lost where Sara could be the rescuer. Now here was a nice switch on the traditional fantasy. Sara liked it. Now she could appear competent in front of him.

And she owed him big time. Huge time. She could have been fired. Clearly, he wanted to make good with his sister, so Sara would help him. Just as clearly, but unbelievably, he didn’t know about Dave and Buster’s. Sara would cover for him because it was very uncool not to know about Dave and Buster’s.

“I love Dave and Buster’s,” she said. “There’s nothing like it for relieving stress. I mean, sometimes I just want to chill out and play pool, but other times, I can’t wait to get in one of those pods and blow people up.”

“Yeah!” Kayla and Amber clutched each other as they looked from Simon to Sara and back. Kayla’s eyes were as dark as her big brother’s and just as intense.

“The drinks aren’t bad, either, are they, Simon?” Sara grinned at him.

And he grinned back. Oh, boy. Talk about fuel for her crush.

“You’re right,” he said. “I am more in a Dave and Buster’s mood. Would you like to come with us?”

Sara had half anticipated the invitation. Still… Simon Northrup. Could she? Should she?

“We’re going to Dave and Buster’s? For real?” Kayla looked stunned. Amber looked impressed. And Simon, well, Simon managed to look sexy and grateful at the same time.

To Sara’s surprise, Kayla grabbed her arm. “You’re gonna come with us, right?” She looked from Sara to Simon and back. “I mean, Dave and Buster’s…you’ve gotta be cool.”

Sara laughed, knowing exactly what Kayla was thinking—here was somebody to baby-sit big brother while she and Amber played video games. “Sure, I’ll go.”

Kayla and Amber jumped up and down and squealed.

“Reservations?” Simon asked Sara beneath the noise.

She shook her head. “We just head on out.”

Simon grabbed his jacket and turned out the lights. As the girls galloped down the hall, he looked at Sara. “You can do this? It’s not interfering with any other plans?”

“You think I’d abandon you now?”

He winced. “Am I that transparently desperate?”

“Oh, yeah.”

He laughed. “Thank you for the lifeline.”

“Just tossing back the one you threw me earlier.”

The look he gave her was…was something. Was it interest? In her? No, there wasn’t a gleam. Hayden and Missy said she’d see a gleam. She wanted to see that gleam, which meant she’d probably spend the whole evening trying to cause one.

She drove her own car, leading the way so Simon wouldn’t have to admit that he didn’t know where Dave and Buster’s was. His car was a plush luxomobile, on the sedate side for her, but she knew he had to drive visitors around. Besides, on her list hadn’t she only specified that her perfect man’s car should be running?

When they arrived at the restaurant, Amber and Kayla fled to the bathroom to put on lip gloss and eye makeup, Sara guessed.

Simon gripped her arm. “Quick—what kind of place is this?”

Sara briefed him. “Video games. Pinball machines. Super interactive games that you can play against other people by getting in pods.”

“Pods, got it.”

“Expensive.”

“Roger that.”

“You can win tickets that are redeemable for prizes. Mostly plastic junk, but some cool stuff. To eat, there’s pizza and hamburgers and drinks, but regular adult meals, if you want them. It’s a lot of fun.” When he nodded in all seriousness, she added, “It’s not a place to be uptight.”

Simon immediately removed his tie and stuffed it into his pocket. He sure got points for catching on quick. If he stuck with Sara, Kayla would think he was the coolest big brother ever.

Sara smiled, just because he was trying so hard.

Simon smiled back.

Oh, yes. The smile was good. The smile drew a person—her—right in. The smile made a person—her, again—forget other stuff, stuff like time and place and circumstances.

Sara reached out, then hesitated.

“What?” Simon asked.

“Uh…you need to…” She hesitantly unbuttoned the top button of his shirt.

She could feel the warmth of his skin and was aware that his eyes never left her face. When she glanced up at him, she saw an intensity in his expression, but she wasn’t sure what it conveyed. It was an expression she wasn’t familiar with and she tried to analyze it. She wanted to be able to report back to Hayden and Missy and see what their take was.

Without knowing better, she’d say it was longing. But why would Simon Northrup look longingly at her?

The girls erupted from the restrooms and Sara took a step backward. They’d been hitting the lip gloss and some flowery scent and had combed their hair. Their cheeks and eyes sparkled—and not just from excitement.

Simon either didn’t notice, or wisely chose not to say anything.

Kayla gave Sara a wary look and Sara responded by brushing one of her own cheeks to indicate that Kayla had gone too heavy on the glitter. Kayla rubbed at her cheek and raised her eyebrows. Sara gave her a nod and a discreet thumbs-up. Too bad Sara only had a big brother. She would have been a really cool big sister.

They were shown to a table and Sara made sure they ordered pizza. Kayla would have glowed, Sara thought, even without the glittery skin gel.

“This rocks!” She and Amber craned their necks all around.

“While we wait for the pizza, I bet Kayla and Amber would like to play some games,” Sara prompted.

Kayla quivered in delight.

Simon looked at her. “It’s fine with me.”

Sara raised her eyebrows. “Now, Simon, don’t tease. Go ahead and give them some token money.” She looked at Kayla. “He’s afraid you’ll forget about the pizza and we’ll be stuck here with a bunch of cold cheese.”

“No, we won’t. Promise!”

Simon reached into his pocket for change. “Let’s see what I’ve got here.” He meticulously picked out five quarters.

“You are such a kidder.” Sara hoped he actually was kidding. With him, it was hard to tell. “Give me that wallet, bud.” The girls giggled as Sara snatched it out of his unresisting hands and looked through the folding money. Okay, so his walking around money equaled her next month’s rent. Wasn’t financial solvency on her ideal-man list?

She shouldn’t be thinking of Simon in terms of the list and drat Hayden for suggesting him.

She pulled out a twenty and nudged Simon’s foot when he opened his mouth to object. “Get a couple of power cards and come back for the pizza, or we’ll come find you. And you know how embarrassing that would be.”

Kayla snatched the twenty and she and Amber hurried off with a gushing thanks, a giggle and two huge smiles.

Simon stared after them. “You gave her twenty dollars.”

“And you’ll give her twenty more before the night is over. Expensive, but a bargain. Did you see her face?”

“Yes.” He looked at Sara. A long time. Long enough for her insides to get fluttery. “Thanks.”

“I owed you,” she told him.

“Not this much.”

“More.”

“I’d argue, but the night is very young and Kayla is very temperamental.”

“Hormones. Don’t worry about it.”

“Never underestimate the power of hormones.”

Good advice, because Sara was aware of a little hormone simmering herself. They needed to just unsimmer because number one, while she didn’t actually work with, or for, Simon, they did work at the same company and anyone who had ever read Cosmo knew that was a royal no-no. Sara even had the added reinforcement of Hayden’s example. Examples. Hayden survived just fine, though, because when she was finished with men—and she was usually finished with them first—she was finished. Completely. There were sticky moments from those who failed to get the message, but they all eventually got said message because Hayden could be witheringly blunt.

Sara didn’t ever seem to be finished with men before they were finished with her. She also had a low humiliation threshold. That would be the number two reason to cool it with Simon.

Very mature and rational reasoning on why this “date” was purely for practice, if Sara did say so herself, conveniently ignoring the fact that she’d decided not to practice on Simon. She waited for the coolness and calmness of logic to soothe the prickly awareness of him. The awareness part wasn’t bad; it added a nice, harmless zing to their dealings.