Sweet Talk. Susan Mallery

in her way. Cars that suddenly started going really, really fast.

      Claire clutched the steering wheel with both hands, her body stiff, her mind filled with images of fiery crashes.

      “I can do this,” she whispered to herself. “I can do this.”

      She pressed a little harder on the accelerator, until she was going nearly forty-five. That had to be fast enough, didn’t it? Who needed to go faster than that?

      A big truck came up behind her and honked its horn. She jumped. More cars came up behind her, some getting really, really close. She was so busy trying not to be scared by the cars zipping around her that she forgot about merging until the GPS system reminded her, “I-5 north is to the right.”

      “What? What right? Do I want to go north?”

      And then the road was turning and she was turning with it. She desperately wanted to close her eyes, but knew that would be bad. Fear made her sweat. She really wanted to rip off her coat, but couldn’t. Not and keep from crashing. She was clutching the steering wheel so hard, her fingers ached.

      She was doing this for Nicole, she reminded herself. For her sister. For family.

      Her lane merged onto I-5. Still going forty-five, Claire eased into the right lane and vowed to stay there until it was time to exit.

      By the time she got off, just north of the University district, she was shaking all over. She hated driving. Hated it. Cars were awful and drivers were rude, mean people who screamed at her. But she’d made it and that was what mattered.

      She followed the directions from the GPS and managed to make her way into the parking lot next to the bakery. She turned off the car, leaned her forehead against the steering wheel and did her best to breathe.

      When her heartbeat had slowed from hummingbird rate to that for a medium-size mammal, she straightened, then stared at the building in front of her.

      The Keyes bakery had been in the same location for all of its eighty years of operation. Originally, her great-grandparents had rented only half the storefront. over time, the business had grown. They’d bought out their neighbor’s lease, then had bought the whole place about sixty years ago.

      Pastries, cakes and breads filled the lower half of the two display windows. Delicate lettering listing other options covered the top half. A big sign above the door proclaimed Keyes Bakery—Home of the World’s Best Chocolate Cake.

      The multilayer chocolate confection had been praised by royalty and presidents, served by brides and written into several celebrity contracts as a “must have” on location shoots or backstage at concerts. It was about a billion calories of flour, sugar, butter, chocolate and a secret ingredient passed on through the family. Not that Claire knew what it was. But she would. She was confident Nicole would want to tell her immediately.

      She got out of the car and smoothed the front of her sweater. It was cool enough that she kept on her coat, hoping it wasn’t too wrinkled from the drive. After collecting her purse, she carefully locked the driver’s door. Taking a deep breath, she walked into the bakery.

      It was midafternoon and relatively quiet. There were two young moms sitting at a corner table with pastries and coffee. Two strollers with babies were between their chairs. Claire offered a smile as she made her way to the long counter. The teenage girl there looked at her.

      “Can I help you?”

      “Yes. I hope so. I’m Claire. Claire Keyes.”

      The teenager, a plump brunette with big, brown eyes sighed. “Okay. What can I get you? The rosemary garlic bread is hot out of the oven.”

      Claire smiled hopefully. “I’m Claire Keyes,” she repeated.

      “Heard that the first time.”

      Claire pointed to the sign on the wall. “Keyes, as in Nicole’s sister.”

      The teenager’s eyes got even bigger. “Oh, my God. No way. Are you really? The piano player?”

      Claire winced. “Technically I’m a concert pianist.” A soloist, but why quibble? “I’m here because of Nicole’s surgery. Jesse called and asked me to—”

      “Jesse?” The girl’s voice came out as a shriek. “She didn’t. Are you kidding? Oh, my God! I can’t believe it.” The teenager backed up as she spoke. “Nicole is so going to kill her. If she hasn’t already. I just.” She held up her hand. “Wait here, okay? I’ll be right back.”

      Before Claire could say anything, the girl took off toward the back.

      Claire adjusted her bag on her shoulder and looked at the inventory in the glass case. There were several pies, a couple of cakes, along with loaves of bread. Her stomach growled, reminding her she hadn’t eaten all day. She’d been too nervous to have anything on the plane.

      Maybe she could get some of that rosemary garlic bread and then stop at a deli for—

      “What the hell are you doing here?”

      Claire looked at the man walking toward her. He was big and rough looking, with tanned skin and the kind of body that said he either did physical work for a living or spent too much time at a gym. She did her best not to wrinkle her nose at the sight of his plaid shirt and worn jeans.

      “I’m Claire Keyes,” she began.

      “I know who you are. I asked why you were here.”

      “Actually you asked me why the ‘hell’ I was here. There’s a difference.”

      He narrowed his gaze. “Which is?”

      “One question implies a genuine interest in the answer, the other lets me know that somehow I’ve annoyed you. You don’t really care why I’m here, you just want me to know I’m not welcome. Which is strange, considering you and I have never met.”

      “I’m friends with Nicole. I don’t have to have met you to know all I need to about you.”

      Ouch. Claire didn’t understand. If Nicole was still mad at her, why had Jesse called and implied otherwise? “Who are you?”

      “Wyatt Knight. Nicole is married to my stepbrother.”

      Nicole got married? When? To whom?

      A deep, deep sadness followed the questions. Her own sister hadn’t bothered to tell her or invite her to the wedding. How pathetic was that?

      Emotions chased across Claire Keyes’s face. Wyatt didn’t bother to try to read them. Women and what they felt were a mystery best left unsolved by mortal man. Trying to make sense of the female mind would drive a man to drink, then kill him.

      Instead he studied the tall, slender blonde in front of him, looking for similarities to Nicole and Jesse.

      Their eyes, he thought, taking in the big, blue irises. Maybe the shape of the mouth. The hair color … sort of. Nicole’s was just blond. Claire’s was a dozen different shades and shiny.

      But nothing else was the same. Nicole was his friend, someone he’d known for years. A pretty enough woman, but regular looking. Claire dressed in off-white—from her too-long coat to the sweater and slacks she wore underneath. Her purse was beige, as were her boots. She looked like an ice princess … an evil one.

      “I’d like to see my sister,” Claire said firmly. “I know she’s in the hospital. But I’m not sure which one.”

      “No way I’m going to tell you. I don’t know why you’re here, lady, but I can tell you Nicole doesn’t want to see you.”

      “That’s not what I heard.”

      “From who?”

      “Jesse. She said Nicole was going to need help after her surgery. She called me yesterday and I flew in this morning.” She raised her chin slightly. “I’m not going away, Mr. Knight, and you can’t make me. I will see my sister.