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CHAPTER TWO

CLAIRE DEFLATED like a punctured balloon, leaving Wyatt feeling like the biggest asole this side of the Rockies He told himself it was just an act, that she was born to play people and had only gotten better at it as she’d gotten older For someone who claimed to care so much for her sister, she’d never once shown up here in all the years he’d known Nicole Not for birthdays or even her sister’s daraduation She was good at playing the victiao away, she straightened Her shoulders went back, her chin came up and she looked him square in the eye "My sister called me""So you said"

"You don’t believe h to think about it one way or the other"

She tilted her head so that her long, shiood friend in you I hope she appreciates that"

So she’dup Probably an effective plan on anyone asn’t clued in to her style

"Jesse called ery You have to know that much is true, otherwise hoould I know? Jesse also told me that Nicole wants me to help out afterward and is happy I’m here Under the circumstances, I’m more inclined to believe her than you"

"I can tell you that as of twentyto show up Trust htly "Nothing about this makes sense Why would Jesse lie? Why would you?"

"I wouldn’t"

She looked genuinely confused and Wyatt almost believed her This messed-up situation had Jesse written all over it The question hy had the kid done it? To make a bad situation worse or did she really want to help Nicole? With Jesse it wasn’t easy to tell

"I’," Claire told hi to the hospital and--"

"No"

"But I--"

"No"

She looked at him "You’re very deter flickered in her eyes So sad and small that he didn’t want to identify

"Fine I’ll wait at the house until Nicole is ready to coure out what’s going on"

"It would be easier if you just went back to New York"

"I don’t do easy Never have Career hazard, I suppose"

He had no idea what she was talking about Did she think anyone believed that playing the piano for a bunch of rich people in fancy European cities was hard?

He shrugged He couldn’t force Nicole’s sister to disappear As long as she didn’t try to bug Nicole in the hospital, he would stay out of it

"So Nicole will co like that"

She sive up any infor in the same house it will be difficult to conceal Nicole’s arrival from me"

"Wyatt I’m not your boss and you’re not my banker"

"Your e a point"

"My banker calls me Claire"

"My banker doesn’t"

Her smile faded "You don’t like me very much"

He didn’t bother to answer that

"You don’t even know h"

She stiffened, as if he’d hit her Egotistical and sensitive, he thought grimly Hell of a combination

Claire turned and walked out of the bakery Wyatt followed to et into her car and drive away

He glanced around the parking lot, half expecting to see a stretch limo or a Mercedes But Claire’s rental was a e piled in the backseat

"How ?" he asked before he could stop himself "It wouldn’t even fit in the trunk?"

She caht"

"What have you got against the trunk? Afraid you’ll break a nail?"

"I, as you put it so elegantly, play piano I don’t have long nails" She straightened again and seemed to brace herself "As I said before, I live in New York, where I don’t keep a car I don’t drive ure out how to open the trunk"

Now he knehy she’d braced herself She aiting for him to rip her a new one It was a pretty sweet setup and he could think of a hundred cheap shots Who didn’t kno to open the trunk? His eight-year-old could do it

What stopped hi that andto be trashed and that, even knowing he didn’t like her, she’d still exposed a vulnerable spot Wyatt didn’ta mean bastard, but he wouldn’t be a bully

He moved next to her, took the keys from her hand and pointed to the attached fob "Ever see one of these before? The little pictures tell you what the buttons do" He pushed the one that opened the trunk It popped open