Sunshine’s discomfort faded enough for her to relax. Not that Declan’s sex life was any of her business, but if he hadn’t had a great time with Phoebe then maybe he wouldn’t want to see her again and—
And what? They would start dating? Hardly.
“She’s texted me twice already,” he said. “Maybe Connor and I should move to Bora Bora.”
“That seems like an extreme reaction to a couple of texts,” she said gently. “An alternative solution would be to meet her for coffee.”
“What?” He stared at her. “I don’t want to see her. What if she expects us to do it again?”
Sunshine did her best not to laugh. “Or you could meet her for coffee,” she repeated. “In a public place where your virtue would be safe.”
“You’re mocking me.”
“A little. My point is you can tell her that your night together was great, but you’re not ready to see anyone right now.”
“She’s going to yell at me.”
“Possibly, but it won’t be awful and you’ll be the great guy who was willing to face her.”
“Why can’t I just be the jerk who ends things with a text?”
“Because deep down inside, you’re not a jerk. Plus, you need the practice with women.”
“Is it that obvious?”
“Kinda.”
They smiled at each other. Tension returned, but this was a different kind. This was about awareness and the whole man-woman thing and the fact that they wanted each other but couldn’t go there, or maybe she wanted him and the rest was wishful thinking but regardless, there was tension.
Declan took a step toward her. Every part of her wanted her to move closer to him. Every part of her wanted to hold and be held and get lost in his kiss and his touch and...
Somewhere in the back of her head a siren blared. The last sensible synapse in her brain went on alert and warned her not to be stupid. There was so much more on the line than fleeting pleasure.
Indecision held her in check as she battled what was easy with what she claimed she wanted. No, what she knew she wanted. She stepped back.
“I can’t.”
He immediately retreated. “You’re right. I’m sorry.”
She pointed to the bowl. “It’s pancake batter. If you could—”
“Yes. I’ll make them.”
There was so much more to say and yet there was nothing left to discuss. Sunshine did the only thing that made sense. She turned on her heel and ran.
* * *
Alec hung on to Margot as they both struggled to catch their breath. They were in his office, in the middle of the afternoon. Somehow her stopping by to say hi had turned into something much more appealing.
He stepped back and picked up her panties. She took them, grinned and slid off the desk. Except for his unfastened jeans and her panties, they were completely dressed.
He glanced at the clock on the wall and shook his head. “Three minutes. I’ll make it up to you tonight.”
She pulled up her panties, then smoothed her dress into place. “Oh, don’t worry about the speed,” she teased. “When my orgasm is that good, I genuinely don’t care that it only took me eight or nine seconds to get there. But we probably should start locking the door.”
He followed her gaze and saw that they had left his office door unlocked. It was a weekday. Not only was his mother in the house, so was Edna, the cleaning team and woodworker Borys doing his repair thing on various columns and carvings. Anyone could have walked in.
“I should have thought of it,” he said, knowing he was normally so careful. But Margot had breezed in and the rest of the world had disappeared.
“Me, too.” She smiled. “Next time for sure.”
He pulled her close and kissed her. For a long time they simply hung on to each other.
He drew back far enough to be able to see her face. “I’m not seeing anyone else. I’m sure you assumed that, but I want to make it clear that there’s only you.”
Her gaze locked with his. “The same with me.”
“Good.” He liked this, he thought. Liked her, liked what they had. “Let’s go out to dinner.”
She raised her eyebrows in mock surprise. “You mean leave the property? Together?”
“Yes. We’ll have dinner. On a date.”
“Oh, so we’re dating now, are we?” She put her hands on his chest. “Dating is much more serious than sex.”
She wasn’t being funny, he realized. She was stating a fact because she understood him. From what he’d told her and no doubt from what his mother had mentioned, Margot knew that he wasn’t one for relationships. Trusting someone was difficult and there were other considerations. Usually he insisted on casual, short-term encounters, but being with Margot was different.
“I’ll make reservations,” he said. “Any preferences?”
“Just that I’m with you.” She lightly kissed him. “Now I really have to get back to work or there are going to be too many questions.”
“I’ll see you later.”
She waved and left.
Alec sat at his desk and struggled to gather his thoughts. He’d been working on something when Margot had arrived with her delightful interruption. Something about a—
He stared at his desk, horror sweeping through him. He’d been reading a French-Spanish trading treaty from the 1600s. An original document. Nothing overly rare or unique, but still a piece of history he’d been asked to review. A professor had entrusted him with the painstakingly handwritten pages, believing Alec would protect them and handle them carefully.
Alec looked at the mess that was his desk. Yes, he’d cleaned the surface before removing the papers from their protective box. Yes, he’d worn gloves, but when Margot had arrived, he’d simply dropped the pages on his desk and left them there!
They’d started making love and he’d pulled off her panties. Impatient to be inside of her and claim her, he’d been the one to help her settle on the desk. He’d never once thought about the precious sheets or what might happen to them. They’d had sex on a sixteenth-century French-Spanish treaty.
He swore as he slipped on gloves he didn’t remember removing and studied the individual sheets. There weren’t any stains or wet spots, but there were a couple of creases and a torn corner he was sure hadn’t been there before.
It wasn’t even a rookie mistake. A rookie would have followed protocol. Instead he’d been careless with a five-hundred-year-old document and he had no idea how he was going to explain the damage.
He put down the pages and leaned back in his chair. What had happened? How could he have forgotten he was working? This wasn’t like him at all.
Chapter Twenty
“This is not a good idea,” Margot muttered as she met her sister at the entrance to the restaurant.
“I thought I was the one who lived on the emotional roller coaster,” Sunshine teased. “You’re the ever calm, nonreactive twin, or did you forget?”
“I’m not reacting and I am calm. I’m also certain disaster lurks.”
Sunshine hugged her. “It’s lunch with Bianca. Seriously, it’s going to be completely fine.”
“You say that now.”
Margot knew the potential for disaster was nearly limitless. Bianca could want to talk about Alex and Margot having sex, or ask Sunshine something embarrassing or start a conga line. There was literally no telling. She never should have agreed to the three of them having lunch, and yet here they were. Bianca’s power could never be underestimated.
Margot led her sister back to the table where Bianca was already seated. She saw that in the two or three minutes she’d been gone, Bianca had ordered a bottle of champagne. Because that was how she rolled.
“Sunshine, so nice to see you again.” Bianca stood and kissed Sunshine on both cheeks before patting the
space next to her in the booth. “Come and sit by me.”
“Two against one?” Margot asked lightly. “I think it should be Sunshine and me as a team. Even then we won’t have a fighting chance against you.”
Bianca dimpled. “While that’s true, I still want Sunshine next to me.”
They took their seats. The server, a guy in his early twenties, kept looking at all of them, as if unable to believe his luck.
“Are you all related?” he asked. “Is this your mom?” The question was asked of Sunshine.
Margot was surprised the server didn’t recognize Bianca. Later, when he put the pieces together, he was going to kick himself for not figuring out he’d had a movie star at one of his tables.
Bianca smiled. “Why yes, these are my girls. Aren’t they beautiful? I made them myself, with a little help from God.” She reached across the table, her hand extended.
Margot did the same. Bianca squeezed her fingers, then smiled up at the server. “They are a blessing to me every day.”
“Oh, Mom,” Sunshine said, batting her eyes. “You’re such a tease.”
Champagne was poured. Bianca shooed away the server so they “could chitchat before ordering,” then held up her glass. “To the men who want us but can never have us. May there always be many.”
“So not world peace?” Margot asked.
Bianca winked. “Next time, darling. Next time.” She set down her glass and looked at Sunshine. “Now I want to know all about you. I recall from our dinner that you’re a nanny and you’ve gone back to college. Is that right?”
Sunshine looked a little surprised Bianca had remembered so much. “That’s right.”
“Curious. Because with your looks and body, you could take a much easier road in life.”
“I’ve tried going that way. It never works out. I think I’m better off trusting hard work and my better instincts than letting it all ride on my boobs.”
“That is the correct moral choice, I’m sure. What are you studying?”
“I haven’t fully decided. Early childhood development or child psychology. Right now I’m taking my general education classes.”
Bianca looked at Margot. “You should go into business with her.”
Margot opened her mouth, then closed it, mostly because she had no idea what to say to that. “I’d love to work with Sunshine,” she finally offered, then realized it was true. Working with her sister would be great fun, but doing what?
“Margot has a degree in hotel management,” Sunshine said quickly. “I want to work with children. Besides, we’re at different stages of our careers. I’m barely getting started. College is a lot harder than I thought it would be.”
“Pish posh.” Bianca finished her glass of champagne and held it out for more. “You have street skills, my love. That’s worth five degrees.” She touched Sunshine’s hand. “Margot has told me a little about what it was like growing up with your great-grandmother. Margot had the looks and body to earn the crown, but you’re the one who wanted it, weren’t you?”
Sunshine looked at Margot as if to say, You’re right—she is scary insightful, then smiled at Bianca.
“I did. Obviously that was never going to happen. Now a job at Hooters was certainly an option.”
Bianca glanced between them. “You had difficult childhoods. Believe me, I know all about that. You either build character or you’re crushed. Neither of you were crushed. Yes, you should be working together. Maybe a nonprofit. Something with young girls in unfortunate circumstances. Oh, I could be your seed money and your front person. I can still draw a crowd.”
“That is a suggestion, isn’t it?” Margot reached for her champagne, thinking she was so glad they’d Ubered to the restaurant because she was definitely having a second glass.
“Dismiss me all you want,” Bianca told her. “But one day you’ll figure out I’m right. In the meantime, let’s change the subject. Sunshine, did you know your sister is sleeping with my son? They make a charming couple and they’re very careful to make sure I never walk in on them doing the deed.”
Sunshine did her best not to laugh. “Margot has always been thoughtful that way.”
Margot looked around and wondered if it was too late to go directly for the hard liquor or if she should trust the champagne to get her drunk enough that she would completely forget this lunch had ever happened.
* * *
Sunshine signed in at the math lab and took a seat to wait. She was careful not to look at anyone, afraid they would be able to see her shame. Despite the hours of study, despite trying desperately to understand the material, she’d gotten another C minus on a test. Not even just a C. She honestly didn’t think she could work any harder. It was just one class and she was already studying over fifteen hours a week, not counting class. At this rate, she could never take more than one class a semester and she would be close to retirement age by the time she finally graduated—probably with a C minus average.
Tears burned, but she blinked them away. She wasn’t going to cry—not here. She would wait until she got home.
To think, just a couple of days ago, she’d been feeling so good about herself. She’d thought she’d done okay on the test, she’d had a fun lunch with Margot and Bianca, she liked her job. Everything had been on track and now this.
A few minutes later Sunshine heard her name called. She stood and walked toward a gray-haired woman wearing jeans and an “I’m with the Band” T-shirt.
“I’m Ann Lambert,” the woman said. “You’re having trouble with your math class?”
“Uh-huh.”
“Just checking. You’d be amazed how many history students we get in here. I don’t know what part of ‘math lab’ is confusing, but you would be shocked by the number.”
Ann led her into a small office with a desk and two chairs, where they sat next to each other.
“Show me what you’re working on,” Ann said.
Sunshine opened her backpack and her test fell out. When she saw the large C minus in bright red, tears filled her eyes.
“I just don’t get it,” she said, feeling her frustration welling up along with the tears. “I’m studying so much and I’m not making any progress. I never applied myself before. I didn’t go to college, and in high school I didn’t care. I just assumed I was smart, but maybe I’m not. I should accept I can’t do it.”
Ann opened a desk drawer and pulled out a box of tissues. She waited until Sunshine took one to say, “If you’re here for help with your math class, then great. If you’re here because you expect me to feel sorry for you, then get out. We need the space for someone who actually plans to get through their class.”
Sunshine stared at her. “What?”
“You heard me. Do you want to do this? The whole college thing? Because if it’s hard now, it’s only going to get harder. You’re not even taking a class you’re getting credit for, honey. You’re taking a prerequisite. Are you sure you don’t want to go back to whatever you were doing before? You’re a pretty girl. Do you really want to work this hard?”
The shock of the words dried up her tears. “You can’t talk to me like that.”
“All evidence to the contrary,” Ann muttered.
“No. It’s not right. I’m trying here. I’m doing my homework and I’m prepared for class and, no, I don’t want to go back to what I was before. I’m done being a piece of ass. I mean it. I don’t care what you say, lady. I’m going to figure this out and I’m going to complete this class and I’m getting my degree, with or without your help, and since helping me is your job, you could try being a little more cooperative.”
Ann surprised her by smiling. “There we go. Anger is a lot more useful and energizing. Feeling sorry for yourself just wastes time. When it’s not your fault, you have nowhere to go. Remember that. Now, when was the last time you actually studied?”
“High school.”
“And you’re what now? Twenty-three?”
“Thirty-one.”
Ann raised her eyebrows. “You have really good genes. Okay, so it’s been maybe thirteen years since you were in a classroom. That’s a long time. Here’s the thing—it takes your brain about eight weeks to figure out what’s going on. Right now you’re not absorbing what’s being taught. That’s why when you read a page and go back an hour later, you don’t remember anything. The lectures seem endlessly long and the homework takes forever. Give yourself another month and that will get better.”
Ann opened another drawer and pulled out a brochure. “This has a lot of good tips on how to study. I’m sure you’re doing it all wrong.”
“Gee, thanks.”
“No problem.” Ann grinned. “There are easy things to do to help you along. Adult women are the most successful demographic in any college. It’s because they have felt the fear and they are determined. You don’t get to screw up that statistic, hear me?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Good. Before you leave today, make study appointments with me twice a week. I was a math teacher for thirty-four years and then I retired. It was boring, so now I’m here. If you have half a brain, you should be able to figure this out in three or four weeks and then we can go to once a week appointments. How does that sound?”
Ann was direct and a little harsh, but Sunshine liked her. At least she was going to get the truth.
“It’s a good plan,” she said. “Thank you.”
“Happy to help. Now let’s get started. Tell me what’s confusing you.”
Sunshine bit her lower lip. “You really think I can do this?”
“Honey, a monkey could do this, so yes. Let’s get you where you need to be.”
Sunshine opened the book. Connor would have laughed about the monkey comment and Declan... Well, this wasn’t the time to think about him. Despite the C minus, she actually felt a little hopeful.
The Summer of Sunshine and Margot Page 25