Page 3 of Waste Some Time
They stepped outside, and Katie braced herself against the crisp New Orleans air and shock of sunshine after being in the warm, lowly lit aquarium all day.
A woman stood with her back to them, watching a noisy street car a short distance away. Her hands were stuffed in the pockets of a deep blue peacoat, and her long, wavy blonde hair with beachy highlighted streaks trailed over the back of the coat.
“Hey, Syd.”
The woman turned around at the sound of Stephen’s voice. Her cheeks and the tip of her nose were red from the crisp late December air, but her mouth stretched into a full smile when she saw her brother.
That gorgeous mouth pinged a memory in Katie’s brain just as the woman’s gaze shifted from her brother to Katie. Her smile froze while her bright, sea-green eyes widened with shock.
That’s when the shortened name registered.
The name and the mouth that went with it.
“Sydney.” Katie mouthed the word breathlessly before she could stop herself.
“Yeah, this is my little sister,” Stephen said. “Syd, this is my partner-in-petty-crimes, Katie.”
But no introductions were needed. It was clear from the shock on her face that Stephen’s sister recognized Katie as well.
She wasn’t just Syd, Stephen’s sister.
She was Sydney, the woman Katie had made out with a few nights ago.
2
SYDNEY
This was unacceptable.
So unacceptable that all Sydney could do was blink at the woman with thick dark bangs, a ponytail, and curious brown eyes.
Katie.
She hadn’t forgotten her name. Hadn’t forgotten anything about her.
Stephen was still watching her reaction, so Sydney removed a hand from her coat pocket and held it out in front of her. “Nice to meet you, Katie.”
She hoped that was enough of a hint for Katie to play along.
A long hesitation that made Sydney’s insides squirm, but Katie eventually reached out to shake her hand. Relief washed over Sydney as she squeezed the woman’s soft hand, hoping her appreciation got through the gesture.
“Nice to meet you,” Katie said, then cleared her throat. “Sydney, right?”
Sydney could only fight to keep her smile tight as she read Katie’s eyes. There was a curious hesitance behind her gaze, but also a hint of playfulness.
If outing herself to her brother before her planned timeline wasn’t at stake, Sydney might also be amused. Might even enjoy the inevitable hidden banter.
Stephen gestured dramatically to the side. “Katie was just about to turn down my invitation to join us for dinner.”
Sydney’s insides squirmed again.
No, no, no.
Why was Stephen working so hard to screw up her plans?
Of course, he couldn’t possibly know what he was doing. But Stephen always bumbled around and bumped into her plans. Even when they were kids, he’d wander into her carefully laid out worlds, plopping down excitedly to join her with whatever toys she had lined up, only to mix everything up. He was never malicious. Just clueless sometimes.
Unless Katie had told him what happened between them.
