04 - Born to be Wilde.txt by Born to be Wilde.txt Read Free Book Online

finished off her apple fritter. "But it didn't happen."
     
    "Damn." Sydney shook her head and licked the sticky remnants of maple cream from her fingers. "Why didn't you just plant one on him? Or better yet, just tear his clothes off and have your way with him out in the back alley? Trust me, judging by the way he was watching you in the bar last night, he wouldn't have refused."
     
    Lora laughed at her friend's outrageous suggestion. "Maybe because I'm not that kind of girl?"
     
    Sydney rolled her eyes. "Tell me something I don't already know."
     
    "Well, here's something you don't already know," Lora said, and folded her arms on the table. "Would you believe that Joel knows Zach? They were in the service together. The same unit, actually."
     
    "No kidding?" Sydney asked, surprised. "Talk about a small world."
     
    Lora told Sydney about her conversation with Joel, about Zach and how long it had been since Lora had been in contact with him. She really needed to call her brother again, just to let him know she was thinking about him and missed him. Her brother had become a wanderer since leaving the Marines, a man who just couldn't settle down in any one place, and she just wanted to know that he was okay.
     
    Sydney cast a quick look at the clock on the wall, then turned to yell down the hall toward the bedrooms, "Twenty more minutes before we need to hit the road for school, Cass! You need to eat breakfast, so hurry it up already!"
     
    "Okay, okay, I'm coming!" Cass hollered back, her voice vibrating with teenage impatience.
     
    Hiding a grin at Cass's bit of attitude, Lora stood up, retrieved the coffeepot, and refilled her mug, then Sydney's, figuring her friend could use another boost of caffeine. "Hey, have you decided on a costume for the Halloween bash you're having at The Electric Blue?" The bar was hosting its second annual Halloween party, and Sydney had made it mandatory that everyone dress up—from the employees, to the customers, and even the bouncers. No one entered the place without wearing a costume.
     
    "I'm thinking of being a lady pirate. Arrr," she said in a deep, swaggering tone, then grinned. "What about you?"
     
    Lora set the coffeepot back on the burner and returned to the table. "I'm not sure yet. Any good suggestions?"
     
    "Well, there's always a nun habit and gown to go with your celibate life these days," Sydney teased, and batted her lashes at Lora. "Or how about Little Bo Peep? She's pretty innocent, too."
     
    Lora shot her friend an indulgent glance. "Ha ha, very funny. I'm sorry I asked. I'll figure out something on my own."
     
    Sydney finished off her maple doughnut and grew silent, subdued even, and Lora wondered what had brought on the change. Her friend was normally so outgoing and bubbly, and even used her vivacious and sometimes sarcastic personality to keep other people from getting too close emotionally. It was a defense mechanism for Sydney, and one that had served her well over the years, but Lora was the one person with whom she let down her guard. The one and only person she trusted to let see the vulnerable, insecure woman beneath all that seductive, and brash, bravado.
     
    "You're awfully quiet all of a sudden, Syd," Lora said softly, knowing her friend needed to talk about something. "What's on your mind?"
     
    Inhaling a deep breath, Sydney lifted her gaze to Lora's, giving her a glimpse of maternal worry and deep-seated fears. "Cassie asked me if she could go to a Halloween party at a friend's that Saturday night."
     
    Lora certainly didn't see anything wrong with a young girl enjoying a party with friends, but Sydney obviously did. "And?"
     
    Sydney traced her finger along the rim of her cup. "I told her I had to think about it, but that didn't go over well at all, as you can imagine."
     
    "Why?" Lora asked curiously.
     
    An incredulous burst of laughter escaped Sydney. "Because she's a moody, temperamental fifteen-year-old?"
     
    Realizing that Sydney had