Читать книгу A Perfect Stranger - Terry McLaughlin - Страница 6

NICK STARED AT Sydney’s things littering the ground, and he knew he should go over there and help her out. But he froze in place, letting his overwhelming urge toward chivalry duke it out with an eerie sense of déjà vu—not to mention the instinct for self-preservation.

“Better go pick that stuff up,” said Joe as he hitched his backpack higher on his shoulder. “She might not realize she dropped it.”

“No way,” said Nick. “If I kneel near her feet, she’ll think I’m trying to look up her skirt, and she’ll flatten me with that weapon of mass destruction she carries over her shoulder. I don’t want another concussion.”

Joe glanced at Nick’s black eye with a frown. “Another one?”

“Aren’t those some of your girls mixed in with the California group?” asked Nick, hoping to distract him. “Go grab ’em. I’ll round up the boys.”

Joe caught his arm before he could make an escape. “Don’t forget, you promised you’d share lunch duty this afternoon.”

“Yeah.” Nick shoved his hands into his pockets and shot a wry grin at his brother. In theory, this trip was supposed to be a chance to escape the extended Martelli clan and spend some rare one-on-one time with Joe. In practice, it came with forty-two fellow tour members attached at the hip. “I did.”

They crossed to the island when the traffic slowed, and Nick helped Joe herd his scattered students toward the statue’s base. Gracie’s construction-cone-orange shirt was as easy to spot as Edward’s umbrella.

“Greetings, Martellis,” she said with a smile that quirked up around the wad of gum in her cheek. “Looks like we’re the last of the group. The Albuquerque and Chicago folks already left for the London Eye.”

“We were just discussing our plans for this afternoon,” said Sydney.

“Figures,” said Nick. He ignored the slitted look she shot him and pointed behind her. “You dropped something. Again.”

She treated him to one of her nose-in-the-air looks before she bent to collect her things. God, she was cute when she was annoyed. Maybe that’s why he kept poking at her. Immature, maybe, but a fellow had to play to his strengths.

“Where are you going?” asked Joe.

“We were getting ready to flip a coin,” said Gracie. “Heads, Harrods. Tails, anywhere else.”

“Heard there are some great food stalls at Harrods,” said Joe.

Nick sighed and shook his head.

Sydney stood and wedged her papers back into her purse. “Maybe we should think of something a little more educational.”

“Educational?” Gracie chewed over the suggestion with a frown.

“Exactly.” Sydney fussed with the strap on her shoulder. “There are plenty of museums—”

“And we’re gonna see ’em all,” said one of the North Sierra boys. He scowled and scuffed his toe against a marble step.

Museums. Shopping. Not exactly the typical male teen’s plan for a sunny afternoon in a foreign country.

Nick turned to Sydney with his most ingratiating smile, the one he’d perfected for dealing with rabid materials suppliers. “You know,” he said, “there’s a museum right down the street from Harrods.”

“Yes.” Her brows drew together above a suspicious frown. “The Victoria and Albert.”

“What about lunch?” asked Joe. “Those food stalls sounded pretty good.”

Nick kept his eyes locked on Sydney’s. “Maybe we can work out a deal here.”

“What kind of a deal?” asked Gracie.

“You and Joe and Sydney can take the shoppers to Harrods. And the food stalls,” he added with a pointed glance at his brother. “I’ll take the ‘anywhere else’ crowd.”

“To the museum?” Sydney asked.

“Yeah,” said Nick, “we’ll head that way.”

She produced one of the guidebooks she seemed to have sewn into the lining of her clothes and checked the Victoria and Albert’s admission policies and closing times, food service and rest rooms, gift shop and special displays. She noted tube lines and transfers, currency exchange opportunities, the location of the American embassy, the nearest medical facility and the precise time Nick was to return to the hotel with the students. She handed him a card with her cell phone number and jotted his on the back of another.

He let her lecture break over him like a wave and tried to figure out what was sucking at him in the undertow. Maybe it was the way her feathery eyebrows puckered in concentration, or the way one slightly crooked front tooth gnawed at her plump lower lip. Maybe it was the scent of peachy shampoo and warm woman tickling his nose. Whatever it was, it made him wonder whether she was wearing those tiny butterfly panties.

Gracie cut the lecture short, deputized him as an official chaperone and led Sydney, Joe and their students off toward Birdcage Walk. Nick struck out across the square in the other direction. The three North Sierra boys who’d decided to take their chances with him jogged to catch up.

“Are we really going to some dumb museum?” one of them asked.

“No,” said Nick.

“I thought you told Ms. Gordon that’s where we were going.”

“I told her we’d head that way.” He grinned at the boys. “I didn’t say we’d go inside.”

SYDNEY PACED the wide, fanlit entry to the dining room of the Edwardian Hotel that evening, staging a murder. She pictured the set design and costuming, imagined the sound effects and lighting. The blast of a pistol—no, the flash of a knife. “Yes,” she muttered. “A knife.”

She flicked her wrist and frowned at her watch. Two minutes since she’d last called Nick Martelli’s cell phone and listened to his gruff voice tell her to leave a message. Five minutes until the dinner scheduled for the tour group. An hour past the time Nick had promised to return with her students.

“A big, fat butcher knife,” she muttered.

The cheery bing from the nearby elevator heralded Gracie’s arrival. She’d traded her tire-tread touring sandals for evening footwear: sequined flip-flops. “Are they back yet?” she asked.

Sydney shook her head. “Haven’t seen them down here.”

“Nick’ll bring them back any minute, safe and sound.”

“But they were supposed to check in over an hour ago.” She snuck another useless glance at her watch. “And we’re leaving for the theater shortly after dinner. What if something awful happened?”

“You know what, Syd?” Gracie gave Sydney’s cheek a motherly pat. “You worry too much. In between chaperoning duties, you should find some space to appreciate this experience yourself, don’t you think?”

“You’re right.” She took a deep breath and battled back another queasy ripple of panic. “And everything so far has been wonderful. I still can’t believe I’m finally here.”

“Me, neither,” said Gracie. “Not after I saw your packing lists.”

Sydney shifted to let a few members of the tour group pass into the dining room. “Organization is important.”

“Important, yes. A religion, no.”

“You’re right. I guess I should loosen up.” A bit. Organization was a handy tool for maintaining control—not to mention a method for keeping impulses in check. “I just want to make sure that everything goes as smoothly as possible,” she said.

Gracie slipped the neon-pink Princess Diana bag from her shoulder and fiddled with the strap buckle. “I still don’t know why you think you need this chaperoning gig to clinch that full-time teaching spot. You already did a bang-up job as a long-term sub.”

Sydney winced at the term bang-up. It brought back images of the fiasco of a spring play her drama class had unleashed on the public—exploding props, disintegrating scenery. “Thanks. But I—”

“Things’ll go the way they’re going to go, with or without you micromanaging the details.”

“You’re right.” Sydney sighed. “Sorry.”

“I haven’t lost a student yet on one of these Europe jaunts. They’re probably just having an adventure and lost track of the time. Nick’ll take care of them.” Gracie’s face went soft and dreamy. “That man’s one in a million. And the kids love him.”

“Nick, Nick, Nick.” Sydney rolled her eyes. “What is it about that guy that turns everyone to mush?”

“Incredible charm? A great sense of humor?” Gracie tugged the purse strap through the buckle. “And the rear view isn’t too shabby, either.”

“Gracie!”

“Hey, just because I’m married and closing in on middle age doesn’t mean I’m blind. And I’m not the only one indulging in figure appreciation. It’s obvious that Nick admires yours.”

Sydney ignored the tiny buzz of feminine satisfaction and reminded herself to be offended. “Just how obvious?”

“Enough to be flattered. Not enough to duck behind the nearest potted palm.” Gracie lifted the shortened purse strap over her shoulder. “Climb out of the greenery, girl. Give the guy a little encouragement.”

“Even if I wanted to flirt back—and I definitely don’t,” said Sydney, “this isn’t the time or the place. I don’t think indulging in a flirtation would set a very good example for the students.”

“Hmm. Thirty hormonal teens spying on every move. I can see where that might put a damper on things.” Gracie frowned. “Speaking of romantic challenges, Mr. Nine Lives called a few minutes ago.”

“Henry?”

Yes, Sydney reminded herself, Henry. The man who should have been the number one reason to dive into the greenery and avoid mush-inducing Nick Martelli. The fact that Henry hadn’t been the number one consideration was turning out to be problem number two. “Henry called here?”

“Yeah, he did. He sounded pretty disappointed he’d missed you, too. And he asked me to give you a message. I’d rather not, if you don’t mind, since I’m about to sit down to dinner and I don’t want to spoil my appetite.”

“Sorry,” said Sydney with an apologetic smile. “He’s just being sweet.”

“Sweet enough to make my teeth ache.” Gracie shook her head. “What’s up with that guy, anyway?”

“What do you mean?”

“Any man who keeps hinting about marriage the way he does should either cough up a ring or cut you loose to find someone else who will.”

Sydney shifted uncomfortably. “He did.”

“He cut you loose?”

“He proposed.”

Gracie’s gaze cut to Sydney’s left hand. “I don’t see a ring.”

“That’s because I didn’t take it.” Sydney lifted her ringless left hand and made a show of checking the time. “Nick is now officially late.”

Gracie clamped her hand over Sydney’s watch and shoved her arm back to her side. “What was wrong with the ring?”

“Nothing.”

“Then what’s wrong with him? Besides the obvious.”

“Nothing,” said Sydney with an exasperated sigh. She couldn’t understand Gracie’s disapproval. Henry had never been anything but flawlessy polite to all her friends. “There’s nothing wrong with him.”

And these days in Europe would help emphasize that fact. Absence made the heart grow fonder, after all. She was certain she’d gain a fresh perspective on the situation and renew her appreciation for all of his wonderful qualities. He was perfect husband material, after all. “He’s not what you think. He’s…”

She paused, waiting for inspiration. It didn’t strike. “He’s a very nice man.”

Gracie snorted. “Faint praise if ever I heard it.”

“And punctual.” Sydney watched white-jacketed waiters ferrying dinner plates from the kitchen. Henry would never keep her waiting and wondering.

Here was one of those fresh perspectives she’d been hoping for. Compared to Nick Martelli, Henry looked absolutely…

Perfect.

Adolescent voices and the shuffle of oversize feet echoed from around the corner. Sydney sagged with relief. “Here come the boys.”

“Well, well, well.” Gracie waved the latecomers toward the dining room. “Have a few tales to tell?”

“The best, Mrs. Drew.” Zack grinned. “We were in a riot.”

Sydney gasped. “A riot?”

“A rally, not a riot,” Eric said. “Nick took us over to watch some sheiks demonstrating.”

“Sikhs,” corrected Matt. “Sikh separatists, at the Indian embassy.

“But first we stopped for drinks in a pub,” added Eric.

“What?” A big, fat, dull butcher’s knife.

“We only had sodas. Nick had that brown stuff.”

“Ale,” Zack added. “It was gross.”

Sydney’s eyes narrowed. “And how do you know that?”

“He let us each have a taste.” Zack cast an uneasy glance at the others. “Nick says it’s important to experience other cultures.”

“I’ll have to ask Mr. Martelli all about it,” she ground out. “He certainly has some interesting ideas about educational tours.”

“I’ll tell you all about our afternoon, Ms. Gordon,” rumbled a familiar voice from just behind her shoulder. “And even toss in an apology or two, if you’ll join me for dinner.”

She turned to face Nick Martelli. He gazed down at her, his deep-set eyes glittering like obsidian. Impudently they surveyed the scooped neckline of her chambray dress.

Sydney clenched her toes inside her sandals, miffed at the frank appraisal of his gaze and the automatic tingle of her reaction. Then she straightened her backbone and lifted her chin. She refused to become just another serving of mush. “Welcome back, Mr. Martelli. I wasn’t sure you were going to make it.”

“Nick. The only ‘Mr. Martelli’ here is my brother.” He slipped a broad palm around her arm. “Now, how about dinner?”

“Oh, but I—Mrs. Drew and I—”

“Go ahead,” said Gracie with a wave. “The boys can fill me in.”

Nick’s fingers closed to form a polite manacle.

Neatly trapped. With her control of the situation slipping, Sydney gritted her teeth in what she hoped would pass for a smile. “All right, then. I wouldn’t want to cause any trouble.”

“No trouble, Ms. Gordon.” Nick’s grin spread in a dazzlingly innocent smile. “No trouble at all.”