Ninety-five percent of doing his job right lay in never forgetting it was all a lie — that even while he manipulated the way someone else might feel, he himself was never supposed to feel.
A taste of rain blew in when Alice opened the front door, and he didn’t have time for the sudden recurrent loathing he’d felt too often of late for both himself and his profession. Show time, he thought and detoured quickly through the living room toward the bedrooms at the back of the house, having decided even as he despised himself for it how he would play Alice’s lover....
*
“Helen, how, um—”
“Come on, Allie, let us in. It’s miserable out here. Where’ve you been? We’ve been out here for ages. C’mon, woman, move! Let’s get cracking here. We’ve come to cheer you up, take you to dinner. By the way, this is Skip—” Helen wiggled one dark brow conspiratorially in a move stolen from their late father “—your date.”
“Skip?” Alice shut her eyes instead of rolling them. The investment broker looked even younger and less grandfatherly in person than she’d imagined. She hauled her robe firmly together and snugged the belt. “Helen,” she said, “it was nice of you to think of me, but I’m, um, busy. I have—”
“That’s all right, we have no plans.” When Alice still failed to invite them in, Helen pulled the storm door wide and did the honors herself. “Skip met me at the airport and this is just a spur-of-the-moment thing. You’re not dressed, you got a few things to do — we’ll wait, we’ll talk. We haven’t talked for a long time. Come on in, Skip, have a seat.”
“Helen, I don’t think she—”
“Nonsense.” Briskly Helen eased out of her jacket and carefully shook the rain out of it over the carpet in front of the door, then turned to hand it to Alice. “She probably—”
“Here, let me.” Gabriel hitched up his floppy pants and took the jacket from her, hung it over the back of a dining room chair and examined the green-eyed brunette with interest. Although the major was taller, heavier and more imposing than her sister, with higher cheekbones, even fairer skin and a glint of the devil in her eyes that Alice lacked on first glance, the family resemblance was unmistakable. He extended a hand. “You must be Helen. It’s nice to finally meet one of Alice’s sisters. We thought there might not be a chance before dinner Thursday. I’m Gabriel.”
“Gabriel.” Helen looked at him with astonishment, at her sister with uncertainty, at Skip-the-investment broker with discomfort. “Alice?”
“I said I was busy .”
“Yeah, but I didn’t think that meant—I mean you’ve never—that I know of… Not since Matt...”
“Could we talk? Now.” Alice grabbed her arm and started to drag her sister toward the kitchen, thought better of the lack of privacy it provided and in mid-move switched directions and headed toward her bedroom, towing Helen behind her like a reckless speedboat towing a water skier. Gabriel and Skip eyed one another.
“Embarrassing,” Gabriel said.
“A bit,” Skip agreed.
Gabriel stuck out a hand. “Gabriel,” he said. “I hear you’re in stocks?”
“Skip. And no, it’s gold investments, actually. They never get that right—”
Alice slammed the bedroom door. “Helen, what the hell are you doing here?”
“Oooh, Alice, swearing! Don’t let Ma hear you. Gee—” she indicated the rumpled bed Alice distinctly remembered making this morning “—you have been occupied—”
“Helen! What are you doing here?”
“We came to take you to dinner.”
“It’s barely two o’clock.”
“So we’ll hit a movie, play some miniature golf—”
“Helen.”
“Okay, all right. I’m on a mission from Ma.”
“Aaauughh.” Alice violently grabbed tufts of hair at the sides of her head and yanked them in frustration. Whoever had said no good deed went unpunished knew what he was talking about. “I knew it.”
“She’s
A taste of rain blew in when Alice opened the front door, and he didn’t have time for the sudden recurrent loathing he’d felt too often of late for both himself and his profession. Show time, he thought and detoured quickly through the living room toward the bedrooms at the back of the house, having decided even as he despised himself for it how he would play Alice’s lover....
*
“Helen, how, um—”
“Come on, Allie, let us in. It’s miserable out here. Where’ve you been? We’ve been out here for ages. C’mon, woman, move! Let’s get cracking here. We’ve come to cheer you up, take you to dinner. By the way, this is Skip—” Helen wiggled one dark brow conspiratorially in a move stolen from their late father “—your date.”
“Skip?” Alice shut her eyes instead of rolling them. The investment broker looked even younger and less grandfatherly in person than she’d imagined. She hauled her robe firmly together and snugged the belt. “Helen,” she said, “it was nice of you to think of me, but I’m, um, busy. I have—”
“That’s all right, we have no plans.” When Alice still failed to invite them in, Helen pulled the storm door wide and did the honors herself. “Skip met me at the airport and this is just a spur-of-the-moment thing. You’re not dressed, you got a few things to do — we’ll wait, we’ll talk. We haven’t talked for a long time. Come on in, Skip, have a seat.”
“Helen, I don’t think she—”
“Nonsense.” Briskly Helen eased out of her jacket and carefully shook the rain out of it over the carpet in front of the door, then turned to hand it to Alice. “She probably—”
“Here, let me.” Gabriel hitched up his floppy pants and took the jacket from her, hung it over the back of a dining room chair and examined the green-eyed brunette with interest. Although the major was taller, heavier and more imposing than her sister, with higher cheekbones, even fairer skin and a glint of the devil in her eyes that Alice lacked on first glance, the family resemblance was unmistakable. He extended a hand. “You must be Helen. It’s nice to finally meet one of Alice’s sisters. We thought there might not be a chance before dinner Thursday. I’m Gabriel.”
“Gabriel.” Helen looked at him with astonishment, at her sister with uncertainty, at Skip-the-investment broker with discomfort. “Alice?”
“I said I was busy .”
“Yeah, but I didn’t think that meant—I mean you’ve never—that I know of… Not since Matt...”
“Could we talk? Now.” Alice grabbed her arm and started to drag her sister toward the kitchen, thought better of the lack of privacy it provided and in mid-move switched directions and headed toward her bedroom, towing Helen behind her like a reckless speedboat towing a water skier. Gabriel and Skip eyed one another.
“Embarrassing,” Gabriel said.
“A bit,” Skip agreed.
Gabriel stuck out a hand. “Gabriel,” he said. “I hear you’re in stocks?”
“Skip. And no, it’s gold investments, actually. They never get that right—”
Alice slammed the bedroom door. “Helen, what the hell are you doing here?”
“Oooh, Alice, swearing! Don’t let Ma hear you. Gee—” she indicated the rumpled bed Alice distinctly remembered making this morning “—you have been occupied—”
“Helen! What are you doing here?”
“We came to take you to dinner.”
“It’s barely two o’clock.”
“So we’ll hit a movie, play some miniature golf—”
“Helen.”
“Okay, all right. I’m on a mission from Ma.”
“Aaauughh.” Alice violently grabbed tufts of hair at the sides of her head and yanked them in frustration. Whoever had said no good deed went unpunished knew what he was talking about. “I knew it.”
“She’s
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