Welcome to Temptation by Jennifer Crusie Page B
Authors: Jennifer Crusie
Tags: Fiction, General, Humorous, Romance, Contemporary, Fiction - Romance, City and Town Life, Sisters, American Light Romantic Fiction, Romance - Contemporary, Romance - General, Motion Picture Actors and Actresses, Romance: Modern, Documentary films, Ohio, Women motion picture producers and directors
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get it for you at cost, and I'll help you for free. I just want to learn to do what you're doing." Rachel smiled up at Amy again, grateful Amy was on the top step so it was easier for Rachel to look small and innocent and appealing.
"You're hired," Amy said, and handed her the other scraper.
Rachel handed it back, sure of herself now. "You scrape, I'll go get the paint." She turned to go before Amy could argue, and Amy called, "Wait, do you need money?"
"Oh, no," Rachel said. "I'll set up an account for you at the store."
"Fantastic," Amy said.
"That would be Garvey's Hardware, right?" Clea said deliberately.
"What?" Amy said, and Rachel waved and left, determined to be such a treasure that Amy wouldn't dream of letting her go.
*
The peach paint turned out to be too dark for the porch, but mixed half-and-half with the white Rachel had brought, it was perfect, so pale it was more blush than peach. Rachel primed the wall, and while Amy and Clea talked out in the yard about reflectors and camera angles, she listened and learned and began to paint the porch rail. Peach for the posts and rails, blush for the spindles, white for the detailing.
"Wow," Amy said when she came up to the porch atnoon. "That looks good. It's even pretty."
"Thanks," Rachel said, but she watched Clea closer because Clea was frowning.
"We should do the whole house," Clea said finally, and Amy said, "No, we should not. Are you nuts?"
"This film is a business expense," Clea told her. "Tax-deductible. This paint therefore becomes part of that business expense. And I want to sell this house." She nodded to Rachel. "Do the whole house."
"No," Rachel said. "We can do the whole front porch if you want to film on both sides, that won't take long. But I do not paint whole houses. I can call the Coreys for you, though. They'll paint anything."
"Are they expensive?" Clea said.
"It's a tax deduction," Rachel said.
"Let me think about it." Clea walked out to the edge of the yard to see the porch from a distance. Page 32
Rachel turned back to find Amy grinning at her. "I like you, kid," Amy said. "You remind me of me." The screen door banged again and a brunette came out, saying, "If you want lunch—" She stopped when she saw Rachel, and Amy rushed to fill in the silence, saying, "This is my sister, Sophie," to Rachel, explaining Rachel's ideas and the paint to Sophie, all without ever mentioning the name Garvey. Sophie smiled politely at Rachel. "Well, it's nice of you to offer to help, Rachel, but—" Rachel went tense, but Amy said, "Wait a minute. Come here."
Amy towed her sister out into the yard, and Rachel thought she'd never seen two more different women in her life, Amy in tight pink and Sophie in loose khaki. Then Amy turned Sophie around and said, "Look at the porch."
Sophie folded her arms and studied the porch, and Amy did the same beside her, just like her big sister, and that's when Rachel saw how alike they were. Same big brown eyes, same curly hair, same full mouth, same incredible concentration, even the same white Keds, although Amy's had pink shoelaces and were painted with gold spirals. They stood close, leaning into each other a little, and Rachel was struck by how together they were. She'd never stood that close to her sisters, ever, but Sophie and Amy were a team.
"You think?" Sophie said.
"I think," Amy said.
"Your call," Sophie said. "The color is wonderful."
"Just one thing," Amy said. "Her last name is Garvey." Sophie started and Rachel thought, That's it.
"Give her a chance," Amy said. "Why should she pay for her father's crimes?"
"Hey." Sophie stepped back. "Don't pull that on me."
"I'll work really hard," Rachel said from the porch.
Sophie came toward her. "I know you will, honey." She looked at the painted porch rail, gleaming warm in the sunlight, then nodded. "Come have lunch with us. Then you can paint the porch wall this afternoon and help Amy with whatever she needs. But if your father shows up, you're
"You're hired," Amy said, and handed her the other scraper.
Rachel handed it back, sure of herself now. "You scrape, I'll go get the paint." She turned to go before Amy could argue, and Amy called, "Wait, do you need money?"
"Oh, no," Rachel said. "I'll set up an account for you at the store."
"Fantastic," Amy said.
"That would be Garvey's Hardware, right?" Clea said deliberately.
"What?" Amy said, and Rachel waved and left, determined to be such a treasure that Amy wouldn't dream of letting her go.
*
The peach paint turned out to be too dark for the porch, but mixed half-and-half with the white Rachel had brought, it was perfect, so pale it was more blush than peach. Rachel primed the wall, and while Amy and Clea talked out in the yard about reflectors and camera angles, she listened and learned and began to paint the porch rail. Peach for the posts and rails, blush for the spindles, white for the detailing.
"Wow," Amy said when she came up to the porch atnoon. "That looks good. It's even pretty."
"Thanks," Rachel said, but she watched Clea closer because Clea was frowning.
"We should do the whole house," Clea said finally, and Amy said, "No, we should not. Are you nuts?"
"This film is a business expense," Clea told her. "Tax-deductible. This paint therefore becomes part of that business expense. And I want to sell this house." She nodded to Rachel. "Do the whole house."
"No," Rachel said. "We can do the whole front porch if you want to film on both sides, that won't take long. But I do not paint whole houses. I can call the Coreys for you, though. They'll paint anything."
"Are they expensive?" Clea said.
"It's a tax deduction," Rachel said.
"Let me think about it." Clea walked out to the edge of the yard to see the porch from a distance. Page 32
Rachel turned back to find Amy grinning at her. "I like you, kid," Amy said. "You remind me of me." The screen door banged again and a brunette came out, saying, "If you want lunch—" She stopped when she saw Rachel, and Amy rushed to fill in the silence, saying, "This is my sister, Sophie," to Rachel, explaining Rachel's ideas and the paint to Sophie, all without ever mentioning the name Garvey. Sophie smiled politely at Rachel. "Well, it's nice of you to offer to help, Rachel, but—" Rachel went tense, but Amy said, "Wait a minute. Come here."
Amy towed her sister out into the yard, and Rachel thought she'd never seen two more different women in her life, Amy in tight pink and Sophie in loose khaki. Then Amy turned Sophie around and said, "Look at the porch."
Sophie folded her arms and studied the porch, and Amy did the same beside her, just like her big sister, and that's when Rachel saw how alike they were. Same big brown eyes, same curly hair, same full mouth, same incredible concentration, even the same white Keds, although Amy's had pink shoelaces and were painted with gold spirals. They stood close, leaning into each other a little, and Rachel was struck by how together they were. She'd never stood that close to her sisters, ever, but Sophie and Amy were a team.
"You think?" Sophie said.
"I think," Amy said.
"Your call," Sophie said. "The color is wonderful."
"Just one thing," Amy said. "Her last name is Garvey." Sophie started and Rachel thought, That's it.
"Give her a chance," Amy said. "Why should she pay for her father's crimes?"
"Hey." Sophie stepped back. "Don't pull that on me."
"I'll work really hard," Rachel said from the porch.
Sophie came toward her. "I know you will, honey." She looked at the painted porch rail, gleaming warm in the sunlight, then nodded. "Come have lunch with us. Then you can paint the porch wall this afternoon and help Amy with whatever she needs. But if your father shows up, you're
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