Read Online Summer Lightning by Cynthia Bailey Pratt - Free Book Online Page B

hoped she was too innocent to guess what his friendship with Sabrina had been.
    “You know, of all the things I miss . . .” Sabrina started to say, putting her hand on his shoulder.
    The waiter had come over to clear the plates. Reaching for Edith’s plate, he knocked over her cup of coffee, sending the spray across the statuesque woman’s light-colored wrap. Miss Carstairs leaped backwards, brushing at her mantle frantically.
    “Oh, you . . . you silly . . . God, what a mess!”
    Edith snatched Jeff’s napkin from under his hand and, with her own, began to mop at the gleaming silk and beading. “It’s all right—I don’t think it will stain.”
    “Not stain! Are you kidding?” She threw off her mantle and thrust it into the apologetic waiter’s hand. “You’re going to have to buy me a new one.”
    Still helpful, Edith said, “Perhaps you can dye it brown.”
    “Brown? I wouldn’t wear brown if it was the last color. . . .” She twisted to look down the rear breadth of her skirt. “Oh, good, at least it didn’t splash my dress.”
    Sabrina snatched her mantle back from the waiter’s hand. “Never mind. I’ll give it away. It was getting old anyway.”
    The waiter nodded dumbly, even his mustache drooping in his misery. He slunk away without a backward glance. Sabrina stared after him in exasperation.
    Jeff said, “I’m glad you weren’t hurt, Sabrina. Good thing that coffee was cold.”
    “Ah, heck. It’s not worth fussing about- Kind of thing that could happen to anyone.” She glanced after the waiter again. “Poor dope.”
    She spent a few more minutes at their table. To Jeff’s relief, they talked about her royally pampered cat, and her new house, not about the past.
    Always aware of Edith listening, after a few minutes Jeff said, “Interesting. Well, we have to be going.”
    “Wait for the bill, boy. Can’t rook the waiter. Look what he did for me.” She patted the puff of hair behind her head.
    As he stood, he said, “You always look fine, Sabrina. No matter what.”
    “Why, thank you, Jeff. I’ve often thought you were the finest gentleman I ever met up with. You know, I wrote you a letter not too long ago.”
    “I never got it.”
    “I figured that. A gentleman like you would have answered, one way or the other. But if you happen to get it, do me a favor and rip it up. It’s not important now.”
    “All right. I will. Well, we better be getting along.”
    Sabrina glanced at Edith. ‘Thank you, whoever you are. You mopped that coffee up right nice.”
    “My pleasure, Miss Carstairs. I’m sure it won’t stain.”
    Edith stopped him from calling a cab, saying she’d enjoy the walk. She said nothing else, and Jeff didn’t break the silence. He tried to think of a way to reassure Miss Parker that he wasn’t a heartless libertine, using a woman only to discard her when his appetite had been satisfied. It was just his bad luck, he decided, that sent Sabrina to Waters’ place while he was there.
    Miss Parker was probably planning to back out of their business deal at this very moment. All her doubts about his intentions must have come back. The thought filled him with discontent. She might be a naive, funny little thing, but somehow he had faith in her. Besides, she needed him a whole lot more than he needed her. The same instinct that made him collect strays was working on her behalf.
    Edith sighed and Jeff looked at her with an apology on his lips. “I’m sorry about that. Miss Carstairs . . .”
    “Isn’t she beautiful? All that golden hair . . . she seemed very good-natured too, which is not, I believe, a usual thing with really lovely girls. So often they become proud and vain.”
    “Uh .  .  .”
    “It’s become so warm now, I don’t think she’ll need her wrap after all.”
    “Look, I don’t want you to think ... I don’t mean to . . .”
    He received the full impact of her happy smile. It staggered him to realize she hadn’t been worried about his evil