Read Online Brother and Sister by Joanna Trollope - Free Book Online

actually here than before she was born."
    "Of course," Sasha said. She leaned back into the sofa again and draped her arms out sideways. "It's often so difficult to visualize what we want, isn't it?"
    Steve grinned at her.
    "Did you visualize Titus?"
    Sasha laughed. She threw back her head so that Steve had an uninterrupted view of her neck rising smoothly out of the collar
     of her jacket.
    Then she said, "You couldn't visualize Titus, could you? I mean, you couldn't exactly invent him."
    "He's a clever boy."
    "Oh yes," she said, "and huge fun. We met doing yoga."
    "Titus does yoga? "
    "Of course not. He'd come with a friend, with the sole purpose of making fun of us all."
    "Tantric Titus—"
    "He only came to one class. Hopeless, of course, but so funny."
    "I'll remember that," Steve said. "It'll come in very useful." He put his hands on his knees. "I'm really sorry, but I ought
     to get back to the office."
    She smiled at him, without moving.
    "Of course—"
    He stood up.
    "Thanks so much for seeing me. And—and what you said—"
    She was still smiling.
    "My pleasure, Steve. Any time. Thanks for the coffee. I'm going to stay here and finish mine."
    He moved away, his hand raised in a half-wave.
    "Bye, Sasha."
    She waited until he was half a dozen steps away and then she called after him, "See you soon, Steve," and laughed when he
     went on walking.
    Back in the office, Meera was typing from Steve's dictation tapes with her headphones on, Justine was on the telephone and
     Titus was pinging pellets of waste paper into his bin with a rubber band.
    Steve said, passing him, "I don't pay you to do that."
    "I'm thinking," Titus said. "I can't think unless I'm doing something else." He slid off his stool and followed Steve across
     the ancient, polished floorboards. "Have a good time?"
    Steve stopped and turned to stare at him.
    "What's up with you?"
    Titus grinned.
    "She tells me everything."
    "Very unwise."
    "Actually, thanks for asking Nathalie—for setting up this thing. It meant a lot to Sasha."
    "Well, good," Steve said. He hitched himself half on to his stool and leaned forward to move the mouse for his computer. He
     said, not looking at Titus, "Nice girl."
    "Yes," Titus said. He put his hands in his pockets and yawned. "I could kick myself, though."
    "Why? Is she pregnant?"
    "No," Titus said morosely. "It's just that I really like her."
    "So?"
    "Well, I don't do that," Titus said. "It's the girls who really like me, usually. Remember Vannie?"
    "Oh yes," Steve said.
    Vannie had had the kind of body and sheer physical presence that was impossible to overlook, but all the same when Titus dumped
     her without ceremony she had sat for days in the downstairs reception area, huddled and sniffing and—dreadful to witness—pleading
     with him to take her back. Steve glanced sideways at Titus.
    "Why should you worry? I'm sure she likes you too."
    "But does she?"
    "Titus," Steve said, "I have a meeting to plan for and you have the Gower logo to finish."
    "I nearly have."
    "Go away," Steve said. "Tell Justine about your feelings."
    "She's not interested," Titus said. "She thinks I'm an upper-class twerp with an emotional age of seven."
    Steve didn't look at him.
    "Well?"
    "I may be a twerp," Titus said, "but I think being in love is shit. Aren't you supposed to feel on top of the world?"
    Steve said resignedly, "I left her finishing half a pint of latte in Caffe Roma. Go and find her."
    "Blessings," Titus said.
    "And then stay until that logo is finished."
    "It's a deal."
    "I don't actually think you're a twerp," Steve said, "but you are bloody annoying."
    "I know," Titus said happily. He blew Steve a kiss.
    Steve watched him briefly as he slip-skidded across the floor and vanished through the door to the staircase. Justine put
     the phone down and looked across at Steve.
    "Love," Steve said with ironic emphasis.
    Justine made a face. He glanced up at the wall beside him, at Nathalie laughing, in her blue shirt, at Polly just