Free That Special Smile/Whittenburg by Karen Toller Whittenburg

paying attention to you.”
    “Then you’ve had a doubly wasted evening, Max.”
    “Maybe. Maybe not. I’m going to reserve judgment on that until later.” He opened the door for her, and as she walked past him, her chin high, heels tapping the floor in determined steps, her whole demeanor one of cool, impenetrable confidence, he knew he had to have the last word. “In the meantime, Sylvie, you should take a little extra vitamin C, yourself.”
    It was the most casually provocative statement any man had made to her in ages, and a fine thread of pleasure spun through her senses. Not that she believed he actually meant it, but still....
    “No need for that. I have a natural immunity to the common cold.”
    “Oh, are we going?” Juliette waved to her friends and joined Sylvie and Max in front of the restaurant. “I was just getting ready to come back inside.” She took the purse Sylvie offered. “Thanks, Syl. And thank you for dinner, Max. It was great. Wasn’t it, Sylvie?”
    “Yes,” she agreed. “Great.”
    Max smiled his acceptance of the overwhelming appreciation. “Would anyone like to go for a drive?” he asked.
    “Let’s!” Juliette clapped her hands, dropped her purse, and bent to retrieve it.
    “Let’s break into your house instead.” Sylvie stopped to wait for her sister, but Max merely shortened his stride. “First things first.”
    “Well, afterward we can go for a drive.” Juliette passed by Sylvie to catch up with Max.
    “Not me,” Sylvie said, although it seemed somewhat unnecessary. “The only place I’m going is to bed.”
    “Now that you mention it,” Max observed, swinging an amused glance in Sylvie’s direction. “Bed sounds like the perfect place to be. I think I might be coming down with something.”
    “Oh.” Disappointment and concern blended in Juliette’s voice, but Sylvie thought he was just asking for trouble. “Well, I guess if you both....”
    Juliette turned her concern toward Sylvie. “You’re not coming down with a cold or anything, are you?”
    “Of course not.” It was the most definite answer she’d ever given to that particular question, but she wanted to leave no doubt in Max’s mind.
    Satisfied, she drew a deep breath of the clean, pine-scented air...and sneezed.
    Once and then again.
    * * * *
    “Are you about to get it?” Juliette leaned closer, peering over Max’s shoulder as he tried to jimmy the window.
    He sighed and slowly straightened. “Why don’t you let Sylvie hold the flashlight for a while?”
    “Oh, that’s all right,” Juliette assured him. “I’m not tired.”
    Max turned a look of appeal to Sylvie and she took pity on him. She rose to her feet from the low balustrade where she’d been sitting for the past twenty minutes while Juliette and Max had gathered the break-in equipment and gone to work on the window. So far there had been little progress, but then Juliette was having a problem holding the light steady.
    “Need some help?” Sylvie asked as she crossed the porch and took the flashlight from her sister. “I thought you were experienced with this sort of thing, Max. Why is it taking so long?”
    “Nothing was said about experience or time requirements.” He bent to the window again. “But I’m sure it would go faster if I didn’t have to give on-the-job training to my accomplices in crime.”
    “Oh, my God,” Juliette whispered, “I never thought of that.”
    “On-the-job training?” Sylvie asked.
    “No, crime. What if we get arrested?”
    “We’ll show the arresting officer your driver’s license or some kind of identification,” Sylvie said as she tried to position the light so Max could see what he was doing. “You’ll think of something, Juliette. I’ve seen you explain your way out of situations that were more incriminating than this. Although if Max doesn’t hurry up….”
    “Hold it steady, would you?” Max took hold of the flashlight and directed the beam at the sill.
    “I don’t