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Vaughn unrolled his window, peering at her from behind dark sunglasses.  Maybe if you drank just
a little less water?
Sidney tipped her bottled water at him, her third so far this trip.  Need to stay hydrated. I m a city
girl not used to all this fresh air. With a smile that said he could kiss-off if he didn t like the sound
of that, she headed into the gas station.
The passenger door of the Mercedes opened, and Isabelle scrambled out.  As long as you stopped,
I might as well stretch my legs, too. She leaned against the car and took a few deep breaths.
Next to Vaughn in the passenger seat, now it was Simon s turn to chime in.  Good idea. Might as
well stretch a bit myself.
 Take your time, Vaughn said easily. He watched as Simon jogged over to Isabelle and put his
arm around her, murmuring something in a low voice that Vaughn couldn t hear.
So, this was the story they were all going with. They d stopped three times in just as many hours,
and Vaughn had heard so much talk about  fresh air and  stretching that one would think his
companions were partaking of some sort of traveling yoga class instead of road tripping.
It seemed fairly obvious that, in reality, Isabelle was feeling carsick and needed to make a few
stops to break up the ride. For that reason, Vaughn was careful not to complain about the snail s pace
they were making up to his parents house he felt bad that Isabelle was uncomfortable. Indeed, life
would be so much easier on all of them if everyone just told him the damn truth. But since that
apparently wasn t the plan, he would continue to play the role of a guy oblivious to all the
shenanigans around him.
Luckily, they were less than twenty miles from his parents house. The bad news was, however,
that in about two miles they would be leaving the highway and the remainder of the drive would be
slow, hilly, and winding. His parents lived in a small lakeside community, and in order to get to their
house, one needed to traverse a complicated web of unmarked roads not recognized by GPS that
passed through limestone bluffs, canyons, and deep ravines. For a first-time visitor, his parents
house was difficult to find which was why he and Simon had insisted that the two cars stay together
for the drive.
A few minutes later, Sidney came out of the gas station carrying a plastic bag.  Some snacks for
the road, she said cheerfully.
Vaughn could see the contents through the plastic bag and doubted the bottle of ginger ale and
small box of saltine crackers Sidney had purchased were for her. But still, he said nothing.
All part of the little dance they were all doing.
They hit the road again, with Sidney s sleek black Mercedes right behind him.
 What do you think Mom and Dad are going to think of her? Simon asked, as they cruised along
the last stretch of highway before the turnoff.
Vaughn pictured the sophisticated knot Sidney had pulled her auburn hair into, and the summer
dress, heels, and Gucci sunglasses she was wearing. He d been wondering that same thing himself.
 That she s very  New York. 
Simon cocked his head, as if confused.  Oh. No, I meant Isabelle. You know, the one I m
marrying?
Right.  They ll think she s great, Simon. His mother had called him, and undoubtedly Simon, too,
nearly every day this past week, wanting to know what time they planned to get on the road, what time
they would be leaving on Sunday, and whether the  girls were sure they wanted to stay at a hotel.
His parents had been happy to hear that Isabelle was bringing her sister. His mother was Irish, after
all in her mind, when it came to family, the more the merrier.
Initially, Vaughn had found the last-minute addition of Sidney curious. But now, having observed
the situation, he got it: Sidney was there to help Isabelle and Simon maintain their cover, to deflect
attention from the fact that her sister wasn t feeling well. And while as a general rule he disliked
being purposely deceived, as an older sibling himself, he found the protective nature of Sidney s
actions rather . . . endearing. Perhaps underneath all that snark, there was a softer side to Sidney
Sinclair.
At least when it came to some people.
 Mom told me she s planning to make shepherd s pie for lunch, Simon said, interrupting his
thoughts.
 The specialty of the house. Seemingly, Simon and Isabelle weren t the only ones hoping to make
a good first impression. His mother s shepherd s pie could make a grown man cry.
Simon cleared his throat as they passed by the rolling fields of a dairy farm about five miles out
from his parents place.  I need you to do something for me.
From Simon s serious tone, Vaughn could guess what might be coming. Don t tell Mom and Dad,
but Isabelle is pregnant. Good, it was about time he was brought into the circle of trust. He was an
FBI agent, for chrissakes. Isabelle and Simon needed help with a little undercover work? Pfft. That
was his specialty.
 I want you to be nice to Sidney this weekend, Simon said.
Vaughn blinked in surprise.  Why would you think I wouldn t be nice to her?
 Isabelle told me that she doesn t think Sidney cares for you much.
 If that s true, then maybe you and Isabelle should be having the  be nice conversation with
Sidney instead of me.
 I m being serious, Vaughn, Simon said.  Sidney means the world to Isabelle. So if you ve done
something to offend her, or piss her off, or annoy her, just fix it.
Vaughn grumbled under his breath. If he and Sidney were not being so clandestine about the
origins of their meeting, he would ve pointed out to his brother that all he d done was hit on the
woman. This was hardly a federal crime, in fact hello it was a compliment.
Simon wasn t letting go of the subject.  Look, I know Sidney can come off a little tough when you
first meet her. But she and Isabelle are really close their mother died when they were young, and the
way Isabelle tells it, Sidney essentially took on the role of watching over her after that.
 What about their father?
 I get the impression he wasn t around much between his job and personal life.
 Well, marriages take a lot of work. Especially four of them.
Simon chuckled.  So you ll play nice this weekend, then?
 I ll play nice, Vaughn assured him. Because of his job, he was a pro at masking his thoughts.
Certainly he could act civil toward Sidney for the next thirty-six hours, even if she was a termagant.
With great legs.
 Good. Simon pointed, as if having just thought about something.  But not too nice.
 You know, you re getting to be kind of a pain in the ass with all these rules. You ever hear the
term  groomzilla ?
Simon let out a bark of laughter at that.  There s no such thing.
Vaughn gave him a look that said the jury was still out on that one.
" " "
 IZZ, ARE YOU seeing this? We ve got cows. And look there s an actual farmhouse. Sidney peered
through the windshield.  It s like we ve stepped into a John Cougar Mellencamp song.
Sidney Sinclair had indeed gone country.
Isabelle, however, did not appear to be enjoying this slice of Americana quite as much.  Why do
cows have to smell like cows? she groaned.
Sidney glanced over.  So roll up your window if the smell is bothering you. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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