Read Online Smashwords version Sweet Surrender by Georgette St. Clair - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Georgette St. Clair
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place, and it
was starting to do really well, and finally I was doing something right, and
then all that stuff started happening. I knew if I told you what was going on,
you wouldn’t help me, and I’d lose everything and I’d be broke and homeless.”
She
started to sob, shoulders heaving, and Poppy flashed back to when they were
little and Penelope was locked in her room, crying hopelessly, and their mother
stood glaring in the doorway, blocking Poppy’s attempts to rush out and
comfort her.
Poppy
started towards Penelope, wanting to throw her arms around her, to hug her and
tell her that she’d fix everything and it was all right, she wasn’t angry at
her – and then Rafe punched her in the arm and shot her an exasperated look.
Poppy
shook her head, and the clouds cleared from her mind, and she could see clearly
again.
Damn,
Penelope was good. She knew exactly how to push her sister’s buttons.
“Poppy.
Cut it the fuck out.” She spit out the crude language in a deliberate attempt
to shake her sister out of her fake histrionics.
Poppy
gasped and stared at her, face pinched with fury, like a toddler trying to
steal cookies from a jar that had been placed out of her reach. Her tears dried
up instantly, as if by magic. Her gaze shuttled back and forth between Poppy
and Rafe.
She’d
always had two fallback solutions to dealing with the messes she dumped in
Poppy’s lap – cry hysterically or run away and hide out for a few months, until
Poppy was so frantic with worry that she forgave everything and practically
wept with relief that Penelope had resurfaced.
Now
crying wasn’t working and she was trapped in a hospital bed, unable to run
anywhere.
And
clearly she hated it.
“Who’s
your new boyfriend?” she spit out, a sneer twisting her pretty lips. She didn’t
need to say what her tone implied – obviously this couldn’t be Poppy’s
boyfriend, because Poppy could never land a man like that.
It was
true. Rafe wasn’t her boyfriend. He wasn’t even having sex with Poppy, and
Poppy had made it quite clear she was willing.
Poppy
flinched, despite herself, and Penelope smiled a small, cruel smile, knowing
her jab had found its target.
“I know
I’ve seen him before,” Penelope said, raking him with triumphant smirk. “And
why is he here?”
“I’m here
because I care about Poppy. I live right next to the bakery. And that’s all you
need to know; we’re asking the questions, not you. Is there anything else that
you haven’t told your sister?” Rafe gritted out.
Penelope’s
spiteful smile faded. “Nope,” she said sullenly, plucking at the edge of her
bed sheet with long, slim fingers.
“Anything
at all? Any little thing? It could be what helps the police crack the case.”
“I said
no.” But Penelope wasn’t meeting their gaze.
“Penelope,
if I find out that there’s more that you haven’t told us, I swear to God I will
walk out of the bakery in the middle of the day and leave the door wide open,
and never look back. You will most definitely lose everything. Don’t think I’m
bluffing.” Poppy speared Penelope with a gaze like ice.
Penelope
shrugged. “There was a letter,” she said, pulling a loose thread from the edge
of the bedspread and unraveling it. “It was no big deal.”
“What did
the letter say?” Poppy snapped.
“Oh, just
stuff like, get out while you still can, you jezebel whore, repent or burn,
scarlet woman. I got pissed off and shoved it behind the file drawer in my
office.”
So that’s
why the stupid file drawer was stuck.
“Gee,
that would have been nice to know about before I decided to come manage the
bakery,” Poppy said between clenched teeth, squeezing her hands into fists so
hard that they turned white.
Penelope
didn’t look up at her. “Are you done?”
“I’m very
done.” Poppy said, her cold, calm voice hiding the hurt and anger that raged
inside her. “I told you I would run the bakery for the summer. I
was starting to do really well, and finally I was doing something right, and
then all that stuff started happening. I knew if I told you what was going on,
you wouldn’t help me, and I’d lose everything and I’d be broke and homeless.”
She
started to sob, shoulders heaving, and Poppy flashed back to when they were
little and Penelope was locked in her room, crying hopelessly, and their mother
stood glaring in the doorway, blocking Poppy’s attempts to rush out and
comfort her.
Poppy
started towards Penelope, wanting to throw her arms around her, to hug her and
tell her that she’d fix everything and it was all right, she wasn’t angry at
her – and then Rafe punched her in the arm and shot her an exasperated look.
Poppy
shook her head, and the clouds cleared from her mind, and she could see clearly
again.
Damn,
Penelope was good. She knew exactly how to push her sister’s buttons.
“Poppy.
Cut it the fuck out.” She spit out the crude language in a deliberate attempt
to shake her sister out of her fake histrionics.
Poppy
gasped and stared at her, face pinched with fury, like a toddler trying to
steal cookies from a jar that had been placed out of her reach. Her tears dried
up instantly, as if by magic. Her gaze shuttled back and forth between Poppy
and Rafe.
She’d
always had two fallback solutions to dealing with the messes she dumped in
Poppy’s lap – cry hysterically or run away and hide out for a few months, until
Poppy was so frantic with worry that she forgave everything and practically
wept with relief that Penelope had resurfaced.
Now
crying wasn’t working and she was trapped in a hospital bed, unable to run
anywhere.
And
clearly she hated it.
“Who’s
your new boyfriend?” she spit out, a sneer twisting her pretty lips. She didn’t
need to say what her tone implied – obviously this couldn’t be Poppy’s
boyfriend, because Poppy could never land a man like that.
It was
true. Rafe wasn’t her boyfriend. He wasn’t even having sex with Poppy, and
Poppy had made it quite clear she was willing.
Poppy
flinched, despite herself, and Penelope smiled a small, cruel smile, knowing
her jab had found its target.
“I know
I’ve seen him before,” Penelope said, raking him with triumphant smirk. “And
why is he here?”
“I’m here
because I care about Poppy. I live right next to the bakery. And that’s all you
need to know; we’re asking the questions, not you. Is there anything else that
you haven’t told your sister?” Rafe gritted out.
Penelope’s
spiteful smile faded. “Nope,” she said sullenly, plucking at the edge of her
bed sheet with long, slim fingers.
“Anything
at all? Any little thing? It could be what helps the police crack the case.”
“I said
no.” But Penelope wasn’t meeting their gaze.
“Penelope,
if I find out that there’s more that you haven’t told us, I swear to God I will
walk out of the bakery in the middle of the day and leave the door wide open,
and never look back. You will most definitely lose everything. Don’t think I’m
bluffing.” Poppy speared Penelope with a gaze like ice.
Penelope
shrugged. “There was a letter,” she said, pulling a loose thread from the edge
of the bedspread and unraveling it. “It was no big deal.”
“What did
the letter say?” Poppy snapped.
“Oh, just
stuff like, get out while you still can, you jezebel whore, repent or burn,
scarlet woman. I got pissed off and shoved it behind the file drawer in my
office.”
So that’s
why the stupid file drawer was stuck.
“Gee,
that would have been nice to know about before I decided to come manage the
bakery,” Poppy said between clenched teeth, squeezing her hands into fists so
hard that they turned white.
Penelope
didn’t look up at her. “Are you done?”
“I’m very
done.” Poppy said, her cold, calm voice hiding the hurt and anger that raged
inside her. “I told you I would run the bakery for the summer. I
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