Page 19 of Love In Hiding

“So you’re going on a trip with London and Paris?” Coy asked. “The names make me want to laugh and that is horrible.”

“All nine of the siblings have city names. They don’t know I know that. I’ll let them tell me when they want. And as far as I know, it’s just me and London. She deals more with operations. Paris with the HR end. This is an operations thing. And in a small town fishing village with her walking in, I’m going to need every ounce of patience I’ve got.”

“Shit. She’s hot, isn’t she?”

He laughed. “I can only say this to you. She is. But her personality is so abrasive that every man within a mile gets their back up once she opens her mouth.”

“Good thing you can handle it.”

“Yeah, lucky me. So it’s going to be a long trip even if it’s only a few days.”

“Consider it a vacation of sorts that you don’t get to take often.”

“Hardly that,” he said. Not if he had to spend the time controlling not only London’s tongue, but his body.

6

ASSESSING THE SITUATION

“Slow your roll and take a deep breath before you pass out.”

London turned to her sister when those words came out two days later after work.

She was in the kitchen putting together dinner. Her turn to cook.

Maybe she was slamming things around more than she should have been.

“I’ve never passed out a day in my life. Why would you even suggest that?”

“How about cut yourself then,” Paris said. “Those knives are moving too fast for my peace of mind.”

Her hands stopped chopping rapidly at the peppers. They were smaller than she wanted now that she bothered to look.

“Sorry.” She turned and opened the oven to check the salmon on the plank—five more minutes—then returned to assembling their salads. A nice, quick light dinner.

“What dressing do you want on the salad?”

“I like that dill one. I’m putting my fish on the salad anddrizzling it over the whole thing,” she said, glancing up quickly.

“That actually sounds good. I’ll do it too.”

Paris opened the fridge and got the bottle out, then moved plates closer and put their salads together from all the cut pieces lying on the counter.

“It’s my night to cook.”

“I’m only helping. Want to tell me what is going on?”

There was no keeping secrets from her sister and she didn’t know why she was even trying. It was the one person in the world she could be herself around on top of it.

“I don’t know why you can’t go with me to Maine next week. Or why our first job has to bethere.”

Paris burst out laughing. “That’s your problem? You’ve traveled alone for years. The same as me.”

“I’m not going to be alone,” she snapped.

“Who’s going with you?”

“Spencer Jensen. I got the email two hours ago. That the office is making the flight and reservation at the hotel.”