Surrender to Temptation by Ednah Walters Read Free Book Online Page B

on vacation and pack jeans, ugly shirts, and shoes? You have no social life whatsoever.”
    Nikki sighed. Her mother had been singing this same tune since Nikki finished college five years ago. “I have a social life, Mama.”
    “I haven’t seen it since we got here,” her mother retorted.
    That’s because I have to be prepared for the exorbitant fee Dee’s trial is going to cost. With her sister’s mounting hospital bills and impending trial, everyone in her family was chipping in already. Her parents were even thinking of selling their house in Wimberly, Texas, something Nikki would never allow. They’d worked too damn hard to pay it off and the itty-bitty farmland that came with it.
    “Where’s my laptop now, Mama?”
    Her mother sighed. “On your desk.”
    When she hadn’t found her laptop in her computer bag this morning, she’d grabbed the one on her desk, not realizing it was her sister’s. Dee had stormed out of her place after Nikki refused to loan her money, leaving the laptop in the guest room. Nikki had found it a few days after Dee had gone back to L.A. and called her sister, but Dee had declared she’d ordered a new one and didn’t need “that old thing” anymore. The laptop, a gift from Nikki, was only two years old. She hadn’t bothered to ask Dee where she’d gotten the money to buy a new laptop after claiming she was broke.
    Then something her mother said registered. Nikki hurried to the bed, unzipped her suitcase, and studied her clothes. Oh no. “What did you do with the clothes I packed, Mama?”
    “I replaced a few things. That’s all. You still have some jeans.”
    “One pair.” Nikki frantically searched through her clothes. Skirts and dresses instead of pants and shorts. The boots and sensible sturdy sandals were gone. She now had her high-heeled sandals, totally impractical for staying at a ranch. Her mother could drive a saint crazy.
    “Oh, Mama,” she said and sighed.
    “I was only trying to help,” her mother repeated stiffly. “You are at a resort where they have cocktails and fancy dinners. I just want you to look your best. You never know who you could meet. First impressions are important, and jeans are so… unflattering.”
      Anger drained out of Nikki. She couldn’t really fault her mother for repacking for her. If she hadn’t lied about where she was headed for “vacation”, none of this would have happened. Her mother was old school. A southern belle. She strongly believed in a woman dressing up for her man. As far back as Nikki could remember, she’d never seen her mother wear pants except when gardening. And even then, she wore khaki pants, not jeans.
    “I know you love Dee, but you cannot put your life on hold for her, Nikki.”
    “Mama—”
    “No, let me finish. We, your father and I, have accepted that it’s going to take Dee a long time to… recover,” her voice broke.
    “What happened? Did the doctors talk to you after I left?”
    “No, but your father and I have decided to get a place of our own here in San Diego and continue taking care of Dee. You must live your life without her situation getting in the way.”
    Tears rushed to Nikki’s eyes. She couldn’t remember the last time her parents had put her needs ahead of Dee’s. “Can we discuss this when I come home?”
    “Sure, hun, but you know your father. Once he makes up his mind, there’s no changing it. Rest and have some fun, you hear? Try not to be too curt when you talk to men. Use a soft voice. I raised you better. And smile more. You have such a beautiful smile, but you hide it behind your business face. You are smart, sweetheart. And men will eventually realize that, but you have to be approachable first. Did I mention that Jenna Hunicky got married a few months ago? You two were inseparable in high school. Her mother was asking about you and whether you were married or not. I swear that woman…”
    Nikki tried hard not to laugh. Whenever her mother got on a soapbox