Wayward Dreams by Gail McFarland Page A

clipped the corners of the pages together and called her assistant. “Please show my sister to my office.”
    The young woman had the good grace not to show surprise as she opened the office door and ushered Bianca into the office. Watching the two women appraise each other, the assistant made her own evaluation. Yes, these two were definitely related. You could see it as much in their height as in the tawny blush of their skin, in the classically molded lines of their faces, and in their matching hazel eyes. God , their parents must have been pretty people , she thought, stepping back and pulling the door closed behind her.
    â€œCome in and have a seat,” Julia said as she walked around her desk.
    Smoothing a hand over the jade green wool of her narrow skirt, Julia wondered if Bianca had dressed down for their meeting. Her beautifully tailored suit seemed a little subdued for the flamboyant woman she’d known her sister to be. And a little expensive for a woman with her credit background… She cut the petty thought off and dropped into the wingchair facing her sister. “It’s good to see you, Bianca.”
    â€œThanks. You, too.” Silence loomed between them, and Bianca felt compelled to fill it. “This is a lovely office. You’ve built a very nice business.”
    Irritation flashed across Julia’s face. “That’s it? That’s what you came here to talk to me about? After all this time, you want to complement my business acumen and office décor?”
    The corner of Bianca’s mouth ticked when she frowned. “I’m just trying to be polite. What do you want from me? You were the one who ran off to Japan.”
    â€œYeah,” Julia said, “but you were the one who just left me hanging—over a man. When Mom died, you told me…you promised me you would always be there. Then when John died, you didn’t make it any better. You just took your little money and danced off.”
    â€œI didn’t dance anywhere.”
    â€œLife has always been a party for you, Bianca, and you put the party before me.”
    â€œYou put an ocean between us, Julia, and I swear I wouldn’t be here now, if…”
    â€œIf you had any other alternative?” Julia looked sad. “I was hoping that maybe you came here because I’m your sister and you knew you could trust me to help you work out this mess.”
    Bianca’s shoulders rolled back, and her eyes narrowed. “Why does it have to be a mess?”
    â€œYou called me today—for the first time in how many years? And I’ve seen your credit report.” Julia stood and reached across her desk. She picked up several sheets of paper and flapped them a time or two before letting them fall back to her desktop. “Where were you yesterday that you can’t go back to today, Bianca?”
    â€œI knew this was a mistake.” Too embarrassed to be insulted, Bianca shouldered her purse and headed for the door.
    Julia beat her sister to the door and held it shut. “There’s a man in this mix, right?” When Bianca just stared, Julia nodded. “Sit down, Bianca. Let’s see what we can work out.”
    â€œI don’t want to sit.”
    Hand to her throat, Julia took a deep breath. “We need to talk.”
    â€œAbout the last five years? No, Julia. Between us, we started digging this chasm when Mom passed. It was bad enough when we went through her things and found our original birth certificates. Knowing we had different fathers, and that our mother hid it from us, was worse. I did promise that I would always be there for you—you are my sister.”
    â€œBut you broke the promise because a man and a party were more important, and I should have just understood?”
    Wishing she was standing anywhere except in front of her sister, Bianca shook her head. “I never said that.”
    â€œYou didn’t have to. Your actions spoke