Our Little Secret Read Free

today?”

    Had she? Lauren recalled his description of Meg’s coat and scarf, the reason for the mistaken identity at the front door. She hesitated, then admitted, “I didn’t know Meg owned the same coat and scarf. She Fed-Exed these to me. They were a gift, and she said if she knew exactly what I was wearing it would be easier to spot me at the airport.” It did sound weird, now that she said it out loud. They just didn’t know that weird behavior was the norm for her sister. As far as weird went, sending Lauren a new coat and scarf for her trip to Washington didn’t stand out.

    “But she didn’t pick you up at the airport,” Drew objected.

    “She sent a limo instead because she’d been delayed.”

    “Uh-huh. And why didn’t she just ask you what you’d be wearing? Wouldn’t that be easier than playing identical dress-up games?”

    Damn, his logic was even better than Jeff’s, who had impeccable reasoning skills. It didn’t seem to be puzzling Drew, though. “If you’re so smart, you tell me why she did it.”

    Drew made himself comfortable first, arms crossed and long legs stretched beneath the coffee table. It was the sort of careless confidence she might have foundsexy in someone less obnoxious. “I don’t think Meg sent you an identical coat and scarf. I think she sent you her own.”

    Lauren recognized the truth as soon as he said it. She recalled noticing the faint scent of Meg’s perfume on both items. But she wasn’t about to admit anything to this stranger. “So what?”

    “So, she set you up. You were a decoy.”

    “What? That’s ridiculous.” Even as she denied it, Lauren was aware that was exactly how it sounded.

    He didn’t respond, just picked a piece of fuzz off his sweater while she thought about it. He was right, damn it. Meg had arranged for Lauren to arrive at the house looking exactly like her sister, while she was somewhere else.

    “She even cut her hair recently,” Drew reminded her. “She might have gone too short, but it made her look enough like you to fool Gerald at first, and no one is better than Gerald at noticing those sorts of details.”

    “That’s right,” Gerald agreed without a trace of false humility.

    Double damn. What was going on here? Lauren lifted a hand to her mouth and nearly started on a fourth nail before catching herself. She really needed to break the habit, but dealing with the screw-ups in her sister’s life made it difficult. Grabbing a lock of hair instead, she twirled it around her finger as she glanced at Gerald. He looked worried—no help there. Drew watched her impassively. “She must have had a good reason,” Lauren insisted finally.

    At least, she’d
better
have.

    “Of course she did,” Drew told her. She wasbeginning to hate his certainty about the whole confusing situation. “She wanted whoever was watching to think she hadn’t left town. Anyone who saw you would think you were Meg.”

    It made sense, and she nearly put a knot in her tortured strand of hair at the implication. “Who would be watching Meg?”

    “The press. My father’s marriage would be big news.”

    She’d forgotten about that. It would explain Meg’s ruse. If the press got wind of the biggest playboy in politics getting married, to his much-younger secretary at that, it would be all over the news.

    But it wasn’t. She tipped her head toward the front window and the empty lawn outside. “If the reporters were supposed to be watching for Meg—for me—why aren’t they here?”

    He shrugged. “Maybe you were Meg’s ace in the hole and she didn’t need you. She got away without the press getting a whiff of it. But if she hadn’t, you would have been here to divert their attention.” Drew suddenly dropped his placid pose and leaned forward, his gaze intense. “Your sister used you, Lauren. Convinced you to take off work and messed up your perfectly organized vacation schedule, just so she could avoid the press for a few days.