FIRE AND ICE by Julie Garwood Read Free Book Online

any crime, and aren’t you supposed to be innocent until proven guilty?”
    “I don’t know it for certain,” Regan said. “That’s what you told us, which is why Cordie and I agreed to help you.”
    “Help me be poor?”
    “Help you do the right thing.”
    Sophie impatiently brushed her bangs out of her eyes and sat back. “I really hate being poor.”
    “It’s not so bad,” Cordie said. “You’ll learn to budget like I do.”
    “Oh please, you’re not poor. You have a huge trust fund your father set up for you, and Kane Automotive is now nationwide. You know what your problem is? You don’t care about money because you have it. I want to buy … stuff. Oh, God, I sound shallow.”
    Before Cordie could argue, Sophie said, “Let’s not talk about money anymore. I’m starving. I want to order dinner.”
    Although the room was quite elegant with candlelight and crystal, none of the three had champagne appetites. Sophie ordered salad and soup. Cordie wanted grilled chicken, and Regan ordered a grilled cheese instead of the scallops. None of them wanted to drink anything stronger than iced tea.
    “Do you realize it was on this very day a million years ago that the three of us met in kindergarten at the Briarwood School?” Regan asked.
    “You two became my sisters that day,” Cordie said.
    “I remember you arrived in a limo,” Regan told Sophie. “I thought you were a princess with your white-blond hair and blue eyes.”
    “You arrived in a limo, too,” Sophie said.
    “My father drove me in his old pickup truck,” Cordie laughed.
    “Sophie, you got us into so much trouble with your schemes,” Regan said. “You were always the champion for anyone you thought was being treated unfairly.”
    “You’re still that way,” Cordie told her.
    “Do you remember the time we got locked inside the coat closet?” Regan asked.
    Cordie chimed in. “We were positive no one would ever find us. When we discovered a candy bar in the pocket of Billy Miller’s jacket, we were so relieved because we figured we could ration it among the three of us and survive for days.”
    One memory led to another and another as the three reminisced about their childhood antics. Dinner was served and devoured while each of them told her favorite stories.
    “I wondered why you reserved a private dining room, but now I know why. We make a lot of noise laughing and carrying on,” Cordie said.
    “Aiden suggested this room,” Regan said. “He says we get rowdy.”
    “Your brother’s right.”
    “When did you talk to Aiden?” Cordie asked. “Is he coming home soon?” She realized how eager she sounded and quickly added, “I’m just curious. That’s all. I lead a very dull life. I do,” she insisted when she thought her friends were going to protest. “Think about it. I teach high school chemistry to kids who just want to blow up stuff, and when I’m not teaching or preparing lesson plans, I’m working on my thesis. I don’t even know anymore why I’m doing it. If one more student brings Mentos to my lab with bottles of Coke, I won’t be responsible for my actions. I need to know that there are people out there doing exciting things. All three of your brothers travel the world building hotels. They lead glamorous and fascinating lives, and I love hearing about them.”
    “Not them, him,” Sophie said. “You love hearing about Aiden.”
    “Why wouldn’t I? He’s the oldest and the most sophisticated. He’s probably on a jet flying around Australia this weekend. You know what I did yesterday afternoon and all day today? Research. I was stuck in a library doing research.”
    “Oh, please. I’ve so got you beat,” Sophie said. “I gave up my Friday night to sit and listen to the most obnoxious, self-centered,narcissistic man talk about himself. I also had to get up before dawn today to meet him in the park and listen to him yet again. His name is William Harrington. My boss wanted me to write an article on