Page 9 of No Such Thing as Serendipity
Emma rolled her eyes and stepped back. “This is what we’re going to do!”
Uh-oh.Even though she was normally passive to my assertive, when she broke into big sister mode, I stood little chance of swaying her.
She pointed at my computer screen. “You’re going to shut that down.” Her eyes narrowed as she moved closer to the screen. “What in God’s name is that?”
“A spreadsheet.” Smartass answer, but I needed a small win.
“I know that.” She shot me a side eye. “It looks more like the Griswold’s Christmas tree with all the colors.”
“Conditional formatting.”
“I don’t even know what that means.”
I changed one cell from no to yes and hit enter. “See, it turns it from red to green.” I tapped a few more keys, causing more cells to change colors, and rambled on about conditional formatting. I got a sense of satisfaction seeing Emma’s eyes cloud over.
She let me go on for a bit before she finally said, “Ya got that out of your system? Stalling won’t work.” She glanced at her watch. “You have me for the next five or six hours, so unless you plan on explaining how spreadsheets are coded, you’re gonna have to talk to me eventually.”
I crossed my arms over my chest, which felt weird while only wearing a sports bra.
Emma took it as her opening to continue. “Okay. First, you’re going to pick up this mess. Then you’ll take a shower while I make you a respectable meal.” She sneered at the fast-food wrappers.
I snorted. “Good luck with that. I think I have a half a jar of pickles, ketchup, and shredded cheese that looks more like bluecheese by now.” Even with Emma’s culinary skills, she couldn’t make a meal in my kitchen.
“Leave that to me. I know how to order delivery, too.” A glint sparkled in her eyes before she tapped me on the ass. “Get moving.”
“Gross. Would you stop touching me when I’m dressed like this?”
She laughed. “I call it an incentive for you to put on some clothes.” She walked toward the door.
“Hey,” I called.
She turned. The light hit her just right, reminding me how much we looked alike. Only eighteen months older, Emma could pass for my twin. Although I was more dedicated to the gym, she’d maintained her figure. She’d just not gone for the ripped look like I did. Our hair was the same color blond with a side part. Hers was longer and cascaded past her shoulders in curls, while I kept mine straight and shorter.
She smiled at me, and her brown eyes twinkled. I doubted I had the same mischievous smile or the twinkle, at least I didn’t anymore.
“Are you all right?” she asked.
I nodded. “I just wanted to say thanks.”
I kneeled and began picking up my clothes, signifying the end of the conversation. She stood, not moving for several beats, but finally turned and left.
CHAPTER 5
I snuggled against theoversized pillow on my sofa and rubbed the soft fabric. The bright white, overstuffed cushions made me feel as if I were resting on a cloud. I tempted fate with the glass of red wine in my hand, not caring if I spilled.
Funny, as much as I hated light in my office, I couldn’t get enough of it in my living room. Just like my work office—I swallowed hard—just like my former office, it was a corner room, so I could view the city from two directions. But, by far, my favorite was the one that faced Central Park. The lush greenery of spring made it easy to forget how the city looked at street level.
The floor-to-ceiling windows bathed the area with the fading light from the sun. I leaned back and craned my neck to see past the archway that led to the kitchen. The smells wafting in from there caused my mouth to water.
“Hey, how much longer?” I called to Emma. “I’m starving.”
“Stop trying to rush perfection,” she answered. “Get your butt up and set the table.”
I groaned. “But I’m comfortable.”
“Tough.”
I smiled for the first time in two days. The shower had refreshed me, but I didn’t plan on telling Emma how good it felt. Nor would I let her know how comforting it was having her prepare a home-cooked meal. Somehow, she’d managed to get a full complement of groceries delivered within the hour.
