Sisters By Choice

“It centers the mind.”

“It also gives you pneumonia.” Sophie was liking this whole thing less and less. “I’m taking my own car.”

“So you can leave in the middle?”

“Did I say that?”

“You didn’t have to.”

“You think you know everything.”

Kristine smiled. “That’s because I do.”

They drove to the park by the beach. Despite the early hour and the lingering taste of the protein drink, Sophie found herself enjoying the view along the coast. She could see the peninsula across the Sound and a ferry making its way from Bainbridge to Seattle. By the time they reached the park, she was almost perky.

Sophie pulled her car in next to Kristine’s and was surprised by the number of other vehicles there. Apparently, the crazy was contagious. She got out and looked around, realizing it was one of those rare clear spring mornings. The Sound was calm, the air still. It was probably only forty-five degrees, but still beautiful.

She took a second to look around at the lapping water, the rise of the island to the east, the lazy circling seagulls and the Puget Sound cranes in the distance.

“This is nice,” she said. “Very calming.”

“See.” Kristine nodded toward an approaching pickup truck. “And it’s about to get better.”

At first Sophie had no idea what she meant until the truck parked and the driver’s door opened. The guy who emerged was gorgeous. Seriously. Dark blond curly hair, piercing blue eyes and a body that was better than perfect. Sophie felt her mouth drop open and couldn’t find it in her to care.

“Told you so,” Kristine said as she walked past her. “And you’re welcome.”

Sophie hurried to catch up to her. “So it’s not about exercise at all. It’s about a show. Why didn’t you say that?”

“You wouldn’t have believed me.”

“I’m a believer now, sister. I believe. What’s his name?”

Kristine sighed. “You really don’t listen to me when I talk, do you? He’s Dugan and from what we can tell, he’s single. Just in case that sort of thing interests you.”

“It really might.”

But as everyone lined up in rows for class to begin, she saw she wasn’t the only one who noticed the fineness of their instructor. In fact, everyone there was a woman and most of them were ogling Dugan with undisguised hunger. Well, damn. She hated being part of a crowd.

“Good morning,” Dugan said, his voice low and sexy.

“Good morning,” the women said.

He led them through several breathing exercises then moved into what Sophie assumed was Tai Chi but honestly was just a bunch of arm waving and awkward shifts of weight with controlled breathing.

“We draw in the ocean,” he said, pulling his arms toward him. “We push the ocean away.”

“Does he know the ocean does that all by itself?” Sophie asked her cousin. “It’s called the tide.”

“Shh. Focus.”

Sophie did her best. She breathed when told, moved her arms and tried to follow the steps. It was all just so slow and meaningful. She could have unloaded a couple dozen boxes by now. And used her new forklift. And checked orders and who knew what. Slow, slow, slow.

When she felt herself getting restless, she turned her attention back to Dugan. He sure was pretty, she thought absently. He must work out a lot to get shoulders and arms like that. Given the fact that the Lord gaveth and tooketh away in equal measure, she could only assume he had the IQ of a tree stump but that was okay. Sometimes pretty was plenty.

There was more ocean pushing and some pulling and waving. Sophie got totally lost in the sequence and simply stood in place. Dugan looked at her, his blue eyes locking with hers.

She’d looked at men before. She’d been married and everything, but there was something different about Dugan’s gaze. Something...intense. Or compelling. Or maybe he was nearsighted and she was blurry. Whatever the cause, she felt the attention clear down to her toes. Heat burned through her and she had the sudden urge to walk up to him and kiss him—right there in Tai Chi class.

But she didn’t and he turned away and then she was standing on the edge of the beach on a Sunday morning when she could have been sleeping.

When the class ended, some of the women left right away but a fair number gathered around him. He spoke to each of them, smiling and laughing, but keeping his distance, physically and emotionally. From what Sophie could tell, he didn’t have anything going on with any of the ladies of Blackberry Island. At least not with the ones who came to his class.

Kristine waited until everyone else was gone before walking up to Dugan.

“Good session,” she said.

“Thank you. Your form is excellent. You’ve come a long way.”

“It’s all about focus, balance and breathing.”

“That’s right.”

Kristine motioned to Sophie. “This is my cousin.”

Dugan looked at her. “The mysterious Sophie Lane. At last.” He held out his hand. “Kristine talks about you a lot. It’s nice to meet you.”

“It’s nice to be met.” Sophie put her hand in his and was pleased to feel plenty of sparks. Oh, yeah, they had chemistry. Or at least she did.

Right now her life was a mess. She was trying to get CK Industries up and running. She was missing her cat and, while she didn’t want to move back to LA, she didn’t feel as if Blackberry Island was her home, either. She was tired and overwhelmed and out of sorts, so feeling wild attraction to a man she’d barely met was a very nice distraction.

He smiled at her. It was a good smile—no, a great one that made her feel special.

“How’d you like the class?”

“It made absolutely no sense to me. What’s with all the ocean pulling and pushing? Who thought up the movements and why are they in that order? I’m not sure I need balance in my life so much as ten employees I can trust and a better cup of coffee in the morning. Plus, why is it so slow? I think I could get into it if we could just move things along.”

Kristine looked horrified at her outburst but Dugan only laughed.

“I like that you say what you think,” he told her. “You’re wrong about most of it but it’s good to have an opinion.”

“I’m not wrong.”

“As long as you can see both sides of things.”

“Oh, I can see both sides,” she told him with a smile. “Even when the other person is wrong.”

“And you revel in their wrongness?”

“Every second of every day.”

“So the lady likes to be right.”

“The lady does.”

His gaze settled on her face. “And in charge.”

“Asking or telling?”

“I’m not asking.”

She wasn’t exactly sure what they were talking about but she liked the conversation.

Kristine looked between the two of them. “Okay, then. I’m going to head home. You two have fun.”

Sophie glanced at her cousin who mouthed, “Call me later. I mean it. Call me.”

She wanted to say there wasn’t going to be anything to talk about but didn’t know how to say that aloud without sounding weird.

When her cousin reached her SUV, Sophie turned back to Dugan. “I should be going, as well.”

“How about brunch instead?”

She glanced down at her less than fashionable outfit, then at what he was wearing. “We’re not exactly dressed for brunch.”

“Then we should do something else.”

That got her attention. She thought about asking if he meant what she thought he meant, then decided that was just plain dumb. Of course he did. “How many of your students have you slept with?”

“Counting you?”

She nodded.

“One.”

While she liked the number, she wasn’t sure she believed him. “So this isn’t how you pick up women?”

He flashed her another of those amazing smiles. “I don’t need a gimmick, Sophie. And yes, I’m telling the truth. I have a lot of flaws, but lying isn’t one of them.”

She moved close and put her hand on his upper arm. Yup, he was big and strong, which she thought she might like a lot. Then she raised herself up on tiptoe and pressed her lips to his.

His mouth was warm and firm. He let her do all the work, which she kind of liked, as well. Her body reacted immediately. Heat flared, desire engulfed her and she wanted to rub herself against him in a very flagrant way.

All that without any tongue action, she thought, pulling back.

“I’m still settling into my house so it’s a mess. I suggest we go to your place.” Not only did she prefer to be the one who could simply walk away, she was also testing him to make sure there wasn’t someone waiting at home.

“Works for me,” he told her. They started toward their vehicles.

“You’re single, right?” she asked. “Kristine said you were.”

“There’s no one in my life.”

“You prefer it that way?”

“For now.”

“You’re not going to ask if I’m single?”

He held open her car door. “I already know you are.”

“Oh.”

Was that good or creepy? Before she could decide, he wrapped his arm around her waist and drew her against him. Fully against him. She could feel the rock-hard muscles of his body. He lowered his mouth to hers and kissed her. Really kissed her.

He took his time, moving his lips against hers, teasing, promising, arousing. She put her hands on his shoulders and leaned into him. When he stroked her bottom lip she parted. At the first brush of his tongue she began melting from the inside out. Hunger burned hot and bright and it was only a matter of seconds until she was breathless.

This was so much better than dating, she thought, wishing they were already in his bed and he was inside her. Time-wise it was so much more efficient.

They broke the kiss at the same time. He looked as aroused as she felt.

“You have condoms?” she asked.

“Not on me.”

She laughed. “I meant at your place.”

“Yes.”

“Then let’s get going.”

* * *

Thirty minutes later Sophie was lying on her back, doing her best to catch her breath. She’d been hoping for a semidecent, man-induced orgasm. Dugan had more than delivered. He obviously understood the basics of female anatomy, including what a clitoris was for, and he hadn’t expected her to climax after two minutes of intercourse. All excellent qualities in a man.

“You’re judging me.” Dugan rolled on his side and placed his very large hand on her bare belly. “I can hear it.”

“Only in a good way. I was appreciating that you wanted me to come first.”

“It seemed polite.”

His eyes were a dark blue, with thick blond lashes. His face was chiseled. Yup, he was pretty and built and good in bed.

“Not all guys are polite,” she told him.

“I’ve heard that. I’ve never understood why not. It’s fun to make my partner happy.”

“I agree.”

“How is being back after all these years?”

She blinked at him. “What?”

“Back on Blackberry Island. You grew up here, moved away, started a business and now you’re back. That has to be good but also unsettling.”

She scrambled into a sitting position and pulled up the sheet. “Now you’re scaring me.”

He sat up, as well, not bothering with the sheet. And while she appreciated the view, she wasn’t going to let herself get distracted.

“Don’t be scared.” His smile was easy. “Kristine talks about you. It’s nice. You two have a connection.”

“We’re family.” She studied him, trying to figure out his angle.

As if he read her mind, he grinned. “I don’t want anything, Sophie. Don’t freak. Like I said, I’ve heard about you and I think you’re interesting.” One eyebrow rose. “It’s nice when the hype turns out to be true.”

Okay, she appreciated the compliment, and the sex had been great, but still. Who was the man? She swore silently, thinking that hey, she should have asked that question before, you know, the deed.

“You want some breakfast?” he asked.

And there it was. The awkward “after” part. “I’m good.” She sat up and smiled at him. “This was amazing and exactly what I needed, but here’s the thing. I’m not really good at relationships. I’ve been married before and it didn’t go well. I’m into my work and even more so now because I just relocated my company and I’m trying to get things up and running.”

She paused, wondering if she should explain what she did or what a relocation was, then decided it didn’t matter.

“So while what just happened was great, I’m not going to stay for breakfast. Having said that, if you were open to this in the future, then I’m your girl.”

Dugan’s expression was unreadable. “You’re clear on what you want.”

“I am. It’s kind of how I do things.”

“I’m down with that.”

Down with that? Had he really said that? She held in a sigh and got out of bed. It took her a couple of minutes to find her clothes and pull them on. Once she was dressed, she looked around the bedroom.

It was large, with a stunning view of Puget Sound. There was the bed they’d just been in, a rock fireplace and, from what she could see, a giant master bathroom.

The furniture was all high quality and oversize. This was not some bachelor apartment, she thought, remembering they’d had to walk a ways from the front door to the bedroom. Not that she’d been paying much attention to her surroundings. She’d been too busy kissing and being kissed by Dugan.

Now, as he escorted her to the front door, she saw the rest of the place was as nice as the bedroom. The hardwood floors gleamed and there were views of the Sound from nearly every room they passed. She caught a glimpse of a gourmet kitchen with miles of counter space and a family room nearly the size of her entire rental. Yup, this house had cost a fortune.

She glanced at him. “So do you do something other than your Tai Chi classes on the beach?”

“I do some teaching. Life balance kind of stuff.”

She doubted that paid very well. He must come from money or have inherited it. She thought of her ex and wondered if, like Mark, he’d married someone successful and then had taken her to the cleaners. Thinking that made her postorgasm glow fade a little, so she pushed the thought away.

They paused by the front door. Dugan smiled at her. In response she felt a distinct quiver down low in her belly. He was just that good.

“Want my number?” he asked.

She saw her bag where she’d dropped it and dug out her phone, then handed it to him. He entered the info.

“Want mine?” she asked.

“You call me. You’ll be more comfortable that way. Plus, I’ll be around.” He returned her phone to her, then leaned in and kissed her. “Thank you for a very good morning, Sophie Lane.”

She kissed him back, liking the way she already anticipated the pressure of his mouth on hers and how it would make her feel.

“Thank you,” she said, staring into his eyes. God, he was good-looking. “Oh, wait. I don’t know your last name.”

He reached behind her and opened the front door. “That’s more of a second date kind of thing, don’t you think?”

She laughed. “I don’t know. We’ve already had sex.”

“Yeah, but that was just bodies. You’re able to disconnect the pleasure from the person. Knowing who I am is different and for you, it’s too soon.”

What? She blinked at him, but before she could even formulate a question or figure out if he’d just insulted her, she was outside on his front porch and the door was closing in her face.

WTF? She thought about ringing the bell and telling him he didn’t get to talk to her like that or act like that, only she couldn’t articulate what, exactly, he’d done wrong. Or if he was wrong about any of it.

Fine. Whatever. She’d had great sex and now she could get on with her life. Dugan, Shmugan. She had a company to run.

Chapter Seven

Heather logged on to the community college website and clicked to review her final grades. Even though she was sure she’d done well on her final, she was relieved to see an A listed next to each class. Hard work pays off, she thought as she logged out. At least her GPA was intact. Hopefully it would only take through the summer for her to save enough to return to school. Depending on how things went working for Sophie, maybe she could give up her weekend job, or even her early shift at the Blackberry Island Inn restaurant. If she could get by on a single job, she could muscle through three classes a quarter, getting her that much closer to transferring to a four-year college.

Of course before that happened, she would have to pick a major. She was leaning toward graphic design but couldn’t get a handle on the job market. There were lots of opportunities, but most of them required experience. There were plenty of internships but they were for college students. She’d thought about majoring in marketing instead, with a minor in graphic design, but that would add to her time at college. Right now she wasn’t paying that much per unit but when she went to a four-year college, the price seriously went up. Still, it would be worth it, she told herself.

She glanced over her shoulder and made sure her door was closed, then typed in the address for the Boise, Idaho, city website. As always, even looking at the pictures made her happy. She’d gone there with Gina and Daphne back in high school and had liked everything about the town. Ever since, she couldn’t stop thinking about what her life could be like there.

Boise was far enough away to get her out of range of her mother but still close enough that she could drive home in about eight or nine hours. Doable, she thought, heading to the Boise State University website. They offered marketing as a degree or a minor. The graphic design program was incredible. Maybe she could get a bachelor’s of fine arts in graphic design with a minor in marketing. If she moved to Boise for a year, she would qualify for in-state tuition.

She should have done it while she’d had the chance. Six thousand dollars had been plenty. All she’d had to do was tell her mother she was leaving and go. Only, while that sounded so very easy, it wasn’t something she seemed able to do. And now, with zero savings, she was starting over again.

At least she had a good job, she thought, typing in ClandestineKitty.com. When the logo came up, she smiled. She loved the simplicity of it, the curve of the cat’s tail and the balance of the larger K.

Sophie had her act together, Heather thought. She would never let someone else dictate her life. She’d created a company from nothing and it was growing every day. Heather should watch her more closely and figure out how she was always so confident.

She logged out of the website and went to her favorite graphics program, then opened the CK logo she’d scanned in a couple of days ago. She had some ideas of different ways to use the logo in personalized products. CK Industries had mugs and T-shirts, but those were generic. What if a customer wanted to combine the cute logo with, say, a picture of her own cat?

She’d captured a couple of stock cat pictures and now centered them on a mug. She layered the CK logo on top and started playing with the scale of each, only to realize the picture was too detailed to work on a mug. She pulled up her quilt pattern program and transferred the picture and the CK logo to that. Better, she thought happily. It would take some modification to make it work, but there were definite possibilities. When her cell phone rang, she didn’t bother glancing at the screen before answering.

“Hello?”

“How’s my favorite granddaughter?”

“Grandma!” Heather saved her work, then closed the program and turned away from the screen. “How are you? How’s the weather? It hasn’t been too bad here. Cool but not raining like it usually does in spring.”

“It’s perfect here. Sunny every day and it’s starting to get hot. I’m turning into a lizard in my old age because I love the heat. How did you do in your classes?”

Heather grinned. “I got A’s.”

“That’s my girl. I’m so proud of you. What are you taking in the spring?”

Heather shifted in her seat. “I’m, um, not going to be taking any classes. I want to save some money, so I’m working full-time for Sophie.”

“But you’ve been saving money. I don’t understand.”

Heather had no idea how to explain it to her. Of all people, her grandmother, Amber’s mother, would get the problem, but Heather still felt that by bringing up what had happened, she was being disloyal.

“No,” her grandmother groaned. “What did she do this time?”

Heather sighed. “She needed the money for a down payment on a car. Hers was totaled in the accident.”

“Let me guess. She didn’t have any savings of her own.”

Heather thought of the thousand dollars her mother had claimed to have but didn’t touch and knew there was nothing she could say.

“Was her car actually totaled?” her grandmother asked.

“Yes. I spoke to the insurance company myself. They sent her a check.”

“So she had that money and your money. She must hardly have a car payment at all. Is she still on disability?”

“You know, Grandma, you could call her and ask yourself.”

“Yes, I could, but I’d rather talk to you. I know I’ll get a straight answer.”

“I think she’s coming off disability. She’s going to be working for Sophie. Answering phones.”

“We’ll see how long it takes her to screw that up. Was she even injured in the accident?” Her grandmother exhaled sharply. “Never mind. That’s not a fair question to ask you and I can guess the truth myself. Even if she was injured, she milked it. We both know that. I swear, I can’t explain that girl. I know I’m partially responsible, but for the life of me I can’t figure out what I did wrong. At least you turned out spectacularly.”

Despite the topic, Heather smiled. “Thanks, Grandma. I think you’re pretty great, too.”

“You might now, but that’s about to change. I’m sorry to do this, Heather, but I don’t feel as if I have a choice.”

Heather had no idea what she was going to say but she felt a cold knot form in her stomach. Whatever it was, it wouldn’t be happy news.

“I’m selling the house.”

The single sentence didn’t make sense at first. Selling the...

“The house where we live?” she asked, wondering if she sounded as stunned as she felt. “This house?”

“Yes. I’m sorry, my dear, but I have to do it.”

No! Heather managed to keep the scream inside. Sell the house? Sell it? What would happen after that? Where would they go? Heather had lived here all her life. Amber had, as well. They’d both grown up here. It was home.

More than that, Heather thought, trying to keep breathing. It was their safety net. They stayed here relatively rent-free. They had to pay insurance and taxes and all the utilities. There wasn’t much upkeep because Amber didn’t believe in fixing anything, but even with that, they were paying much less than market value. Or rather Heather was. Amber sometimes paid for food, and she took care of her own gas and car maintenance, but otherwise all the expenses fell to Heather.

Without the house, they had nowhere to live.

“Grandma, why?”

“I’m not getting any younger and I want the money from the house. It is mine, after all. Not that your mother will see it that way, I’m sure. Amber is thirty-eight years old and she’s never once taken responsibility for any of her actions, let alone taken care of herself. She’s always been coddled. I don’t know how she does it—twisting everything so it’s always someone else’s fault. She’s a professional victim and I won’t be a part of that anymore. She did it with me, she did it with your stepfather. He was a good man, but the second they got married, she quit her job and planted herself on her ass and refused to do anything. No wonder he left her. Now you’re stuck. The house is mine and I want to sell it.”

Her voice softened. “I’m sorry to do this to you, Heather. You’re a good girl and I love you very much. I worry about you being trapped. You need to grow a spine and get out of there. You have savings. Just go.”