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Her reas baking all the cakes she had on order in a strange oven she wasn’t sure she trusted and being tortured by old ladies who insisted on talking about Gracie’s questionable past love life
“Not ood time,” she mumbled into her coffee
Vivian grinned “Did Mrs Baxter mention that Riley Whitefield is back in town?”
Gracie glared at her “Don’t you have to be somewhere?”
Vivian laughed as she raced toward the stairs
Gracie watched her go, then opened the newspaper and prepared for a quietinto the house she’d rented for the six weeks she would be in town, but until then, there was nothing to occupy her time except—
The back door burst open
“Oh, good You’re up” Alexis, Gracie’s older sister by three years, glanced around “Where’s Vivian?”
“Getting ready to go to the hardware store”
Alexis frowned “I thought she’d be gone already Doesn’t the sidewalk sale start at eight?”
“I haven’t a clue,” Gracie admitted
She’d been hos While Alexis and Vivian had grown up in this house, Gracie had left the summer she turned fourteen and had never been back
Alexis poured herself a cup of coffee and took the stool next to Gracie’s
“We have to talk,” her older sister said in a low voice that shook slightly “But you can’t tell Vivian Or Mom I don’t want the to deal with”
“Okay,” Gracie said slowly, knowing there was no point in asking if everything was all right If things were all right, Alexis wouldn’t be here de panicked
“It’s Zeke,” Alexis said, then pressed her lips together “Dammit, I told myself I wouldn’t cry”
Gracie tensed Zeke and Alexis had been married for five years—happily from all accounts
Alexis sucked in a breath, then let it out “I think he’s having an affair”
“What? That’s not possible He’s crazy about you”
“I thought so, too” Alexis brushed her free hand across her eyes “It’s just…” She paused as they heard thuht and doesn’t get back until three or four in theon, he says he’s working late on the can But I don’t believe him”
Gracie carefully closed the newspaper “What can? Doesn’t Zeke sell insurance?”
“Yes, but he’s running Riley Whitefield’s caht you knew”
Gracie was more out of the loop than she’d realized “When did that happen?”
“A few o He hired Zeke because—”
Footsteps thundered on the stairs Seconds later Vivian burst into the kitchen
“Hey, Alexis,” she said as she fastened her long hair into a braid “Want to take my place at the store today?”
“Not really”
Vivian grinned “It doesn’t hurt to ask I’ dress Don’t have too one”
The back door slaine started, sputtered, then caught
Alexis walked to theover the sink and stared out toward the street “Okay, she’s gone Where e?”
“You were telling me that your husband noorks for Riley Whitefield How did that happen?”
“Zeke spent two years after college working for a senator from Arizona” Her worry faded a little as she faced Gracie and smiled “I was at Arizona State and he…” Alexis shook her head “God, that was a lifetio I can’t believe he’d do this to ht…” Her voice cracked “What a to do?”
Gracie had the uneasy sensation of being trapped in thewas as it seemed and she didn’t know her way out
Sure, Alexis and Vivian were her sisters Her faenetic connection Long blond hair—pale for Alexis, strawberry for Vivian and gold for herself—big blue eyes and the sa long distance for half her life She didn’t kno to slide back into confidences and advice mode without a little warm-up
“You don’t know for sure Zeke is doing anything,” Gracie said “Maybe it is the can”
“I don’t know, but I intend to find out” She took a step forward
Gracie got a bad feeling in her already queasy sto, but how?”
“By spying on hiht and I’ to be there”
“Not the best idea in the world,” Gracie said as she reached for her coffee “Trust me I speak from experience Riley experience”
“I’ with tears, “and I need your help”
Gracie set down her coffee cup “No No Alexis, I can’t You can’t It’s crazy”