Born to Be Wilde

sexy smile and built-like-a-god body were a distraction she couldn't afford.

'Helloooo,' Sydney singsonged as she waved a hand in front of Lora's face to get her attention again. 'Considering how long you're taking to answer my question, I'm guessing you're wishing he had kissed you.'

'Score one for you,' Lora admitted, and finished off her apple fritter. 'But it didn't happen.'

'Damn.' Sydney shook her head and licked the sticky remnants of maple cream from her fingers. 'Why didn't you just plant one on him? Or better yet, just tear his clothes off and have your way with him out in the back alley? Trust me, judging by the way he was watching you in the bar last night, he wouldn't have refused.'

Lora laughed at her friend's outrageous suggestion. 'Maybe because I'm not that kind of girl?'

Sydney rolled her eyes. 'Tell me something I don't already know.'

'Well, here's something you don't already know,' Lora said, and folded her arms on the table. 'Would you believe that Joel knows Zach? They were in the service together. The same unit, actually.'

'No kidding?' Sydney asked, surprised. 'Talk about a small world.'

Lora told Sydney about her conversation with Joel, about Zach and how long it had been since Lora had been in contact with him. She really needed to call her brother again, just to let him know she was thinking about him and missed him. Her brother had become a wanderer since leaving the Marines, a man who just couldn't settle down in any one place, and she just wanted to know that he was okay.

Sydney cast a quick look at the clock on the wall, then turned to yell down the hall toward the bedrooms, 'Twenty more minutes before we need to hit the road for school, Cass! You need to eat breakfast, so hurry it up already!'

'Okay, okay, I'm coming!' Cass hollered back, her voice vibrating with teenage impatience.

Hiding a grin at Cass's bit of attitude, Lora stood up, retrieved the coffeepot, and refilled her mug, then Sydney's, figuring her friend could use another boost of caffeine. 'Hey, have you decided on a costume for the Halloween bash you're having at The Electric Blue?' The bar was hosting its second annual Halloween party, and Sydney had made it mandatory that everyone dress up-from the employees, to the customers, and even the bouncers. No one entered the place without wearing a costume.

'I'm thinking of being a lady pirate. Arrr,' she said in a deep, swaggering tone, then grinned. 'What about you?'

Lora set the coffeepot back on the burner and returned to the table. 'I'm not sure yet. Any good suggestions?'

'Well, there's always a nun habit and gown to go with your celibate life these days,' Sydney teased, and batted her lashes at Lora. 'Or how about Little Bo Peep? She's pretty innocent, too.'

Lora shot her friend an indulgent glance. 'Ha ha, very funny. I'm sorry I asked. I'll figure out something on my own.'

Sydney finished off her maple doughnut and grew silent, subdued even, and Lora wondered what had brought on the change. Her friend was normally so outgoing and bubbly, and even used her vivacious and sometimes sarcastic personality to keep other people from getting too close emotionally. It was a defense mechanism for Sydney, and one that had served her well over the years, but Lora was the one person with whom she let down her guard. The one and only person she trusted to let see the vulnerable, insecure woman beneath all that seductive, and brash, bravado.

'You're awfully quiet all of a sudden, Syd,' Lora said softly, knowing her friend needed to talk about something. 'What's on your mind?'

Inhaling a deep breath, Sydney lifted her gaze to Lora's, giving her a glimpse of maternal worry and deep- seated fears. 'Cassie asked me if she could go to a Halloween party at a friend's that Saturday night.'

Lora certainly didn't see anything wrong with a young girl enjoying a party with friends, but Sydney obviously did. 'And?'

Sydney traced her finger along the rim of her cup. 'I told her I had to think about it, but that didn't go over well at all, as you can imagine.'

'Why?' Lora asked curiously.

An incredulous burst of laughter escaped Sydney. 'Because she's a moody, temperamental fifteen-year- old?'

Realizing that Sydney had misunderstood her question, Lora shook her head. 'No, I mean, why do you need to think about letting her go to the party?'

'Because she's fifteen,' Sydney said meaningfully. 'And she already has a centerfold body to match mine and every guy from the age of ten to eighty can only think of one thing when they look at her.' Sydney put her head in her hands and groaned. 'Why couldn't she have been skinny and flat-chested?'

Lora would have laughed at Sydney's motherly complaint, but knew her friend wasn't joking. Sydney was thinking of her own troubling and unstable childhood, and how her deep yearning for love and security had led to her getting pregnant with Cassie at the tender young age of fourteen. Her very mature and voluptuous body, along with a boy's promise of forever, had prompted Sydney to ultimately give her heart and body to him. But she'd learned the hard way that he'd only wanted one thing from her, and in the end, when she'd needed him the most, he'd betrayed her in the worst possible way.

And now, Sydney's biggest fear was that some young guy would take advantage of her own daughter in the same way.

As Sydney's best friend, Lora was also the voice of reason in their relationship when it came to Cass, especially since she'd had her share of raising a teenager-her own brother. She didn't hesitate to set Sydney straight now, to give her the words she needed to hear.

'I know it's hard to watch her grow up, Syd,' Lora said gently. 'But it's going to happen. You've loved her and you've done a great job raising her. Don't hold those reins too tight, or you might find her doing just the opposite of what you want.'

'I know, I know,' Sydney agreed with a sigh, and dragged her fingers through her drying curls. 'I just want her to make smart choices.'

'Then give her the chance, and a bit of space.' The advice was logical, but not to Sydney, who'd spent years being an overly protective mother. 'We've all made mistakes, and she'll make her share. But you need to have a bit of faith in Cass, and she needs to know you trust her. Let her go to the party and have a bit of fun, Syd.'

Her friend didn't look convinced, or swayed. 'Well, I'll see what her math teacher has to say today before I say yes or no to the Halloween party.'

Lora arched a brow mockingly. 'You have to ask her math teacher's permission for her to go to the party?'

'No, smart-ass.' Sydney stood and carried her mug to the sink and dumped the last of her coffee. 'I got a call from him requesting a parent-teacher conference. Remember Daniel Barnett, Cassie's math teacher from last year?'

Lora nodded. Oh, yeah, she definitely recalled the good-looking high school math teacher very well. She'd attended Cassie's Open House Night with Sydney last year, and that's when Lora had also noticed the subtle attraction between the two. But Daniel Barnett, with his clean-cut appearance and genuine nice guy personality, was the kind of man Sydney avoided as a rule-she preferred bad boys, rebels, and guys who were out for a good time, and nothing more. She didn't do long-term commitment or emotional entanglements, and never, ever allowed her heart to get involved in any relationship. According to Sydney, she had her daughter, The Electric Blue, and Lora as a best friend, and there was nothing else she needed in her life.

'Anyway,' Sydney continued as she rinsed out her cup and put it into the dishwasher, then dried her hand on a terry towel. 'He's teaching Algebra Two this year, so Cassie has him again. He wants to talk to me about how she's doing in class, which is surprising, since she's always done very well in math. She even got an A in Algebra One last year.'

Lora joined Sydney at the counter and grinned. 'Maybe Daniel Barnett is just looking for a good excuse to see you again.'

'Ummm, he's pretty straihtlaced, Lora. Kinda like you are.' Sydney flicked the collar of Lora's practical work smock and wrinkled her nose playfully. 'Besides, he's not the type of guy to call me in for a parent-teacher conference just to flirt with me. Something's definitely up with Cassie.'

Worry filled Sydney's gaze, but before Lora could address her friend's concerns, the object of their discussion