Free Gotcha! by Fern Michaels

for Christmas. He sounded as happy as a pig in a mudslide.”
    Connie laughed. “I got an e-mail from Philly last night. He loves India as much as Pete does. Who knew your sons would love living in a third-world country? Well, they always said they wanted to build bridges when they grew up. And that’s what they’re doing, and working for peanuts for the privilege. My brothers, the architects,” she said, as if that explained Philip and Peter Wyatt and no more needed to be said.
    Julie smiled. For years now, this was how they started off their Monday luncheons. Now it was time to ask about her daughters’ business. “So, girls, how is business?”
    “We’re keeping our heads above water. You know business is always off in the summer. Art schools for gifted young artists, even ones as good as ours, just do not flourish when the sun is out and the beach beckons. We pick up by the end of September, and that’s just around the corner. Hey, Mom, we’re in the black, and what more could we ask for? We love working with the kids. So, what’s up with you? How’s that new tenant of yours doing? You got a thing going on there you aren’t telling us about?” Carrie needled.
    Julie rolled her eyes. “It’s going well, and, no, there is no thing going on there. I do have news, though, and it’s going to blow your socks off. So start guessing what it is. Actually, there are two things. One is even more awesome than the other.”
    Julie mashed at her veggie burger and listened to her twin daughters as they shot out one wild scenario after another. It was still a mystery to her why neither twin was interested in marriage. Each had a significant other in her life, but they still maintained separate residences. She consoled herself with the fact that marriage and motherhood were not for everyone, and Connie and Carrie dealt with children all day long, five days a week. Phil and Pete weren’t interested in the marriage game, either, preferring to travel and do good in the world. Phil and Pete both, like their twin counterparts, had someone special in their lives, but those relationships never lasted longer than a year, because the boys were off traveling to better the world. She sighed.
    “You’re moving back to New York because your new tenant is leaving, and you want to be in the same state?” Connie said tightly, her expression showing her misery at the idea.
    “Wrong,” Julie drawled.
    “You had another vision, and you’re going to act on it?” Carrie said sadly.
    “Wrong again,” Julie drawled a second time.
    “Okay, then, we give up already,” the twins said in unison.
    “Okay, listen up. Arnie called late yesterday and told me that Oprah’s production company is interested in having me do a cooking show for Oprah Radio. Something like what I do for the Food Network, but for a lot more money. They will pay one point five million dollars up front and two million a season for every season after the first for as long as the show lasts. Arnie faxed me the contract this morning, and all I have to do is sign it, and the money will be in my account within ten days.” Julie looked at her stunned daughters, then she looked down at the remains of her veggie burger. She winced inwardly. “I really think you should say something, girls.”
    “Well, damn,” both girls said in the same breath. For some reason, probably because they were twins, they thought alike, spoke alike, and said the same thing at exactly the same time, especially at times like this.
    “There’s more,” Julie said, a devilish twinkle in her eye. “No one knows this but me. I haven’t even told Arnie because I don’t want him to have a heart attack. I’ve known about this for . . . a long time. I just didn’t act on it. You want to try guessing what the second thing is?”
    “No!” The single word shot out from the twins at the same moment.
    Julie reached into her pocket and pulled out the creased and tattered piece of paper. She made a