Waking up the next day with a killer hangover and no memory of what happened had been the second worst feeling in the world. The first? Well, that was when she glanced beside her and realized she wasn’t alone.
The memory of that morning still made her cringe in shame. There were flashes of what happened the night before, but not enough to piece together the exact events. At least I was still wearing my clothes. An STD from a stranger would have taught her never to drink five vodka cranberries on an empty stomach again. Or something worse. An unplanned pregnancy was the last thing she needed.
She had quickly slunk out of bed, meaning to leave the motel room undetected, though curiosity had gotten the best of her. Before she headed for the exit, she glanced back at her companion. Oh, damn.
The image of that beautiful man would be forever burned in her mind. Strong jaw, aquiline nose. Golden tanned skin. Broad, muscled chest tapering into a tiny waist and the perfect six-pack. The sprinkling of hair over his lower abdomen teasing downward. He had looked so peaceful, like an angel with his eyes closed. She wondered what the color of his eyes were.
An image of light blue-gray eyes popped into her head, making her start.
What the—
She shook her head. No, she didn’t see his eyes that morning. No way she could recall them. Yet, for the last three months, she had thought about the mystery man nearly every day. Sometimes she’d even dream of him, or thought she did anyway, when she woke up in a sweat, her body aching and wanting. For what, she didn’t know.
Stop thinking about him, Sarah, and get it together. She pushed all thoughts of him aside, even though she knew it would only be temporary.
Marching into the employee garage, she headed for her car and got in. Soon, she was pulling into one of the empty spaces of the National Bank parking lot and heading toward the front door where a familiar figure was already waiting for her.
“You’re here,” Darcey exclaimed excitedly.
“Of course I am,” she greeted her sister.
Looking at the two of them, no one would guess they were sisters. While Sarah was tall and tanned, Darcey was petite, fair-haired and curvy. Their personalities were also the opposite. Where her sister tended to be flighty and sweet, Sarah was grounded and sarcastic. But there was more to being family than blood, after all. The day they met in that awful foster home twelve years ago, Sarah and Darcey decided they were sisters of the heart.
“God, I’m so nervous,” Darcey squawked. “What if something goes wrong? Or if they realize I’m a—”
“Calm down, Darce,” Sarah soothed, placing a hand on her sister’s back, which always worked to relax her. “No one will realize anything.” She had protected Darcey and their other adopted sibling, Adam, for over a decade now, and she wasn’t going to stop anytime soon. “You’re a bright, smart woman, and that business plan you put together surely knocked their socks off.”
“We put together, but you wrote most it,” Darcey reminded her. “I typed it up and printed it out.”
“Right. We did, partner. You’re going to be a great store manager, you know.”
“Thank you for believing in me, Sarah,” she said, her voice quaking.
“C’mon now,” she said, patting her on the shoulder. “Let’s go and get this loan.”
They walked into the branch, heading straight to the offices off to the side. “Sarah Mendez and Darcey Wednesday here to see Mr. Mack,” she said to the secretary sitting at the front.
“He’s expecting you, but he just stepped out.” She nodded to the empty office behind her. “You can wait for him inside.”
They walked inside the glass-walled office and sat on the chairs in front of the desk. They had barely settled in before Harry Mack walked in behind them.
“Ladies,” he greeted, his white bushy brows drawn together as he rounded his table and sat on his worn leather chair. When they first came here to apply for the business loan, Harry Mack seemed like a kind, affable guy in his mid-fifties. He had been helpful in getting all the paperwork necessary, but there was something about the blank look on his face this morning that set off Sarah’s instincts. Darcey must have noticed, too, because of her perceptive nature, and she began to fidget.
“Good morning, Mr. Mack.” Sarah did her best to sound cheerful and optimistic. “So, I hope you have those loan papers ready, because I’m ready to sign.”
He folded his hands over the table and leaned forward. “Ms. Mendez, Ms. Wednesday,” he began. “I don’t know quite how to say this, so let me get straight to the point so I won’t waste your time. Your loan application has been denied.”
“No. You can’t—” Darcey let out an inhuman cluck and she slapped her hands over her mouth as Mack raised a brow at her.
Sarah reached over and gripped her sister’s hand. Keep it together, Darcey, she pleaded silently. Despite the dreaded words and the fact that her dream was about to be shattered, Sarah managed to remain calm. “Mr. Mack, I don’t understand. When we came here last week to give you the final documents and requirements, you practically said we were a shoo-in. Now you’re saying we’ve been denied. Can you please explain to us what happened between then and now?”
Mack cleared his throat. “Upon further investigation, we realized that there was something you failed to disclose on your application. And as you may or may not know, falsification of loan documents is a crime.”
“No,” Darcey jumped to her feet. “Please, you can’t …”
Sarah rushed to put herself between her sister and Mack. Gripping her arms, she shook Darcey gently. “Sweetie, calm down.” Her stomach turned to lead as she saw the change in her sister’s eyes. Red seeped in from the outside like ink,
