Free A Novel Seduction by Gwyn Cready Page B

slip dress, she was going to need a strapless bra. She threw in her wonderful Slapz brand “Hands of God” convertible bra, lingerie’s equivalent of a Swiss Army knife, a bra that boosted, padded, anchored and smoothed, while adjusting its straps for upto nine kinds of top styles. It had cost her almost a hundred dollars, but it had never failed her. Control for her breasts was critical, and she bet she could clear a dozen half twists on a trampoline in it and those babies would move less than a glacier.
    Her cell rang, and the number was from out of state. Since she thought it might relate to the rescheduling of the Irving interview, she dashed into the hallway for some privacy, but it was only an exceedingly long-winded recorded call telling her the scheduled departure time of her flight had been changed from 8:18 p.m. to 8:21 p.m. When she hung up, she could hear Kate and Jill talking and paused.
    “Gosh, I hope she has fun,” Kate said.
    “Ellery? Isn’t that sort of wishing zebras had TiVo? I mean, what’s the point?”
    They both laughed, and Ellery felt like she’d had the wind knocked out of her. She knew she was more serious than most people, but surely she didn’t give the impression she didn’t have fun?
    “Sometimes I wonder if the fun gene was flushed out of her after our mom died,” Jill said quietly. “Actually, what I wonder is, was it me—taking care of me, you know?”
    “I’m not surprised. You guys went through a lot.”
    “I know,” Jill said. “I just worry.”
    “Well, she’ll certainly have fun on this assignment, right? I mean, it’s practically a requirement.”
    “Yeah, nothing like getting paid for one-handed reading—Oh my God, speaking of that, did you love that scene with Harold and Ynez on the platform or what?”
    Their conversation turned into a giggling exchange of favorite moments in the book. Ellery collapsed against the hallway wall. Part of her mourned for the fun she had let go of in her life. Part of her was upset that Jill was worried about her. And part of her longed for the easy connection Jill and Kate had formed over
Vamp
. What did Ellery lack that made a sisterhood on such a topic so hard for her? But she could no more crack open a romance than she could a chest for bypass surgery. It just wasn’t in her.
    She was just about to reenter the room when another snippet floated out: “… the whole Axel thing is very curious,” Kate was saying with obvious interest. “What exactly happened there, do you know?”
    Ellery froze.
    “He, ah… he lived with us, you know. That was after Mom died. I really liked him, but he was out most nights, photographing, I guess, or with his friends. I’m sure it was trying for Ellery. She was working so hard to get her career off the ground. She… she doesn’t know I know this, but she went to the hospital once in the middle of the night. I saw her doubled over, but she straightened up and told me Aunt Janet was coming over to watch me so she could go to work. Later that night, though, I overheard Aunt Janet talking to her on the phone, asking her if everything was okay and if she should come to visit the next day.”
    Ellery put a hand on her chest, feeling her heart pounding, remembering the night vividly and despairing for the tumult she’d caused her sister.
    “What happened?” Kate asked.
    “I don’t know. I don’t know if it was stress or something else. Ellery never told me. She was back at home when I woke up, and I asked if she was okay. She said yes. She looked fine, I guess. But that afternoon when Axel came home they had a huge fight. She told him she wanted him to leave, and she told me their breakup had been brewing a long time. Which might be true,” Jill added softly, “but she closed herself in her room and cried the rest of the night.”
    Kate tsked sadly. “Poor Jill. Poor Ellery.”
    Ellery cleared her throat loudly and walked down the hall into the bedroom. “Just a call from work,”