Read Online Someone's Watching by Sharon Potts - Free Book Online Page A

glancing at Robbie, but maybe that was his job. He leaned over and said something in Gina’s ear, then backed away, hands in his pants pockets, scowl on his face.
    Robbie stepped up to the table with her book.
    Gina smiled. Her front teeth overlapped slightly and a strand of streaked brown hair had fallen loose from her otherwise perfect coiffeur. She pushed it away from her eyes and behind her ear. She wore small pearl earrings. “Phew,” she said. “Glad that’s over with.”
    The fervor and intensity were gone, but Robbie felt a powerful connection. Gina had lost her daughter. Robbie had lost her mother.
    “I enjoyed your talk very much,” Robbie said.
    “Thank you. I appreciate your saying that.” Gina held up a thin silver pen. Her fingers were long and delicate and she wore a plain gold wedding band. “How would you like me to inscribe the book?”
    “To Robbie, would be fine. R-O-B-B-I-E.”
    “Robbie,” Gina repeated and wrote.
    Robbie took the book back and held it against her chest, reluctant to leave without saying what was on her mind. But the bulky escort had taken a step closer to Gina. His eyes were the color of dirty lavender.
    Gina looked at Robbie expectantly, then glanced over her shoulder at her escort. She let out a short laugh. It was melodious and lingering like the low notes on a xylophone. “Aidan,” she said, “I’m parched. Would you mind bringing me a glass of water with a slice of lemon?”
    Her escort grunted and headed toward the bar.
    “Aidan’s pretty scary,” Gina said. “My husband’s idea. Stanford’s with the U.S. Department of Justice, and he seems to think I need protection from his political enemies. But I worry that Aidan’s frightening off my book audience because he looks like such a thug.”
    “He is a little intense,” Robbie said.
    Gina threw her head back and laughed her beautiful laugh. “I can tell you’re big on understatement.” She folded her hands and rested them on the table beside the pen. “But you looked like you wanted to say something to me.”
    Robbie nodded. “Your talk really touched me. I understand your need to find your child. To make sure she’s okay.” Why was she telling a stranger this? But Gina seemed like anything but a stranger. The resemblance to Robbie’s mother and to Rachel, Robbie’s mentor, was profound. “I just found out that I have a sister I never knew about. But she’s missing.”
    Gina’s hand went to her throat. “Missing?”
    “She and a friend disappeared a few days ago on South Beach. They were on spring break.” Robbie reached into her satchel and took out the flyers of Kate and Joanne.
    Gina studied the photos. “May I keep these? I come in contactwith a lot of people during my tour. Maybe I’ll recognize your sister.”
    “Please,” Robbie said. “I’d be very grateful.”
    Aidan returned with the glass of water and put it down on the table, but Robbie noticed that Gina didn’t even take a sip.
    Robbie felt someone’s hand on her shoulder. Brett’s.
    “Hope everything worked out to your satisfaction,” Brett said to Gina.
    “Yes. Thank you very much.” Gina stood up and pulled her cardigan tighter around her.
    “If there’s anything else I can do for you, feel free to call me anytime. Me or Mike. We’re always at your service.”
    “Thank you. I will.” Gina nodded at Robbie, then went toward the door with Aidan. She walked without any wasted movement as though she’d been trained as a model or in cotillion classes. Aidan trailed after her like a lumbering gorilla.
    Brett pulled off his red tie and shoved it into the pocket of his jeans.
    “I’m sorry the event didn’t go very well,” Robbie said.
    “Are you kidding? It went great.”
    “It did? It didn’t look like Gina sold many books.”
    “Right. But that wasn’t the point. She got great exposure. Over two hundred people showed up.”
    “What good is exposure if no one bought the book?”
    “Because that’s two