Susan Mallery - Sweet Talk

The first book in the Keyes Sisters series, 2008

CLAIREKEYES jumped to answer the phone when it rang, deciding an angry call from her manager was more appealing than sorting the pile of dirty clothes in the middle of her living room.

Hello?

Hi. Um, Claire? Its Jesse.

Not her manager, Claire thought, relieved. Jesse who?

Your sister.

Claire kicked aside a blouse and sank onto the sofa. Jesse? she breathed. Its really you?

Uh-huh. Surprise.

Surprise didnt begin to describe it. Claire hadnt seen her baby sister in years. Not since their fathers funeral when shed tried to connect with all the family she had left only to be told that she wasnt welcome, would never be welcome and that if she was hit by a bus, neither Jesse nor Nicole, Claires fraternal twin, would bother to call for help.

Claire still remembered being so stunned by the verbal attack that shed actually stopped breathing. Shed felt as if shed been beaten up and left on the side of the road. Jesse and Nicole were her family. How could they reject her like that?

Not knowing what else to do, shed left town and never returned. That had been seven years ago.

So, Jesse said with a cheer that seemed forced. How are you?

Claire shook her head, trying to clear it, then glanced at the messy apartment. There were dirty clothes piled thigh-high in her living room, open suitcases by the piano, a stack of mail she couldnt seem to face and a manager ready to skin her alive if that would get her to do what she wanted.

Im great, she lied. And you?

Too fabulous for words. But heres the thing. Nicole isnt.

Claire tightened her grip on the phone. Whats wrong with her?

Nothingyet. Shes going to have surgery. Her gallbladder. Theres something weird about the placement or whatever. I cant remember. Anyway, she cant have that easy surgery with the tiny incisions. The lapi-something.

Laparoscopic, Claire murmured absently, eyeing the clock. She was due at her lesson in thirty minutes.

That one. Instead, theyre going to be slicing her open like a watermelon, which means a longer recovery time. With the bakery and all, thats a problem. Normally Id step in to help, but I cant right now. Things arecomplicated. So we were talking and Nicole wondered if you would like to come back home and take care of things. She would really appreciate it.

Home, Claire thought longingly. She could go home. Back to the house she barely remembered but that had always placed so large in her dreams.

I thought you and Nicole hated me, she whispered, wanting to hope but almost afraid to.

We were upset before. It was an emotional time. Seriously, weve been talking about getting in touch with you for a while now. Nicole would have, um, called herself, but shes not feeling well and she was afraid youd say no. Shes not in a place to handle that right now.

Claire stood. I would never say no. Of course Ill come home. I really want to. Youre my family. Both of you.

Great. When can you get here?

Claire looked around at the disaster that was her life and thought about the angry calls from Lisa, her manager. There was also the master class she was supposed to attend and the few she had to teach at the end of the week.

Tomorrow, she said firmly. I can be there tomorrow.

JUST SHOOT ME NOW, Nicole Keyes said as she wiped down the kitchen counters. I mean it, Wyatt. You must have a gun. Do it. Ill write a note saying its not your fault.

Sorry. No guns at my house.

None in hers, either, she thought glumly, then tossed the dishcloth back into the sink.

The timing couldnt be worse for my stupid surgery, she muttered. Theyre telling me I cant go back to work for six weeks. Six. The bakery isnt going to run itself. And dont you dare say anything about me asking Jesse. I mean it, Wyatt.

Her soon-to-be-ex-brother-in-law held up both hands. Not a word from me. I swear.

She believed him. Not because she thought she frightened him but because she knew he understood that while some of the pain in her gut came from an inflamed gallbladder, most of it was about her sister Jesses betrayal.

I hate this. I hate my body turning on me this way. What have I ever done to it?

Wyatt pushed out a chair at the table. Sit. Getting upset isnt going to help.

You dont actually know that.

I can guess.

She plopped into the chair because it was easier than fighting. Sometimes, like now, she wondered if she had any fight left in her.

What am I forgetting? she asked. I think Ive gotten everything done. You remembered that I cant take care of Amy for a while, right?

Amy was his eight-year-old daughter. Nicole looked after her a few afternoons a week.

Wyatt leaned forward and put his hand on her forearm. Relax, he told her. You didnt forget anything. Ill look in on the bakery every couple of days. Youve got good people working for you. They love you and are loyal. Everything will be fine. Youll be home in a few days and you can start healing.

She knew he meant from more than just the surgery. There was also the issue of her soon-to-be-ex-husband.

Instead of thinking about that bastard Drew, she stared at Wyatts hand on her arm. He had big hands-scarred and callused. He was a man who knew how to work for a living. Honest, good-looking, funny.

She raised her gaze to his dark eyes. Why couldnt I have fallen in love with you? she asked.

He smiled. Back at you, kid.

They would have been so perfect togetherif only there had been a hint of chemistry.

We should have tried harder, she muttered. We should have slept together.

Just think about it for a minute, he told her. Tell me if it turns you on.

I cant. Honestly, thinking about having sex with Wyatt kind of set her teeth on edge, and not in a good way. He was too much like a brother. If only his stepbrother, Drew, had caused the same reaction. Unfortunately with him, there had been fireworks. The kind that burned.

She pulled back and studied Wyatt. Enough about me. You should get married again.

He reached for his mug of coffee. No, thanks.

Amy needs a mother.

Not that badly.

There are great women out there.

Name one that isnt you.

Nicole thought for a minute, then sighed. Can I get back to you on that?

CLAIRE ARRIVED at the SeaTac Airport early in the afternoon, feeling very smug about making her own travel arrangements. Shed even booked a car for herself. Normally she would have used a car service, but she would have to drive back and forth to the hospital, then to the bakery. Nicole might need her to run errands. Wheels of her own made sense.

After wrestling her two very large suitcases off the baggage claim belt, she grabbed one in each hand and dragged them toward the escalator. The catwalk to the parking garage was long and the bags heavy. She was breathing hard by the time she reached a bank of elevators she had to take down to the rental car place. By the time she got to the Hertz office, she was regretting the long wool coat shed shrugged on. Sweat trickled down her back, making her cashmere sweater stick to her.

She waited in line, excited about being here, nervous and filled with resolve to do whatever it took to reconnect with her sisters. They were being given a second chance.