After perusing the menu, they agreed on steak and shrimp. Once the waiter was gone, Jason said, "Tell me about yourself. You have a twin sister, you don't work--"
"How do you know that?" she asked sharply.
"Isabella told me, the one time we met. She said something about your father leaving you financially sound."
"Oh." She seemed to calm down.
Jason wondered if she thought he'd been checking up on her. She was certainly a private person. "Your parents are gone, I assume?" He treaded lightly, still interested in learning more about her.
"Yes." Sabrina sighed. "Our mother died when we were three. Father and various housekeepers raised us."
"That chatterbox, Mrs. Baker?" he teased.
The corners of her mouth hinted at a smile, and Sabrina looked at him. "No, Theresa hasn't been with us that long. Several years, of course, but not when we were children. She's a fine woman. I don't believe she would have let..." She took a sip of her water.
"Let what, Sabrina?" he prodded.
"Nothing." She shook her head. "We went through housekeepers quickly when we were children, is all. They never seemed to stick around for very long."
He fiddled with the straw in his drink. "You and Isabella were naughty little girls, then."
Her eyes flashed for a moment, but when she looked up and saw Jason's grin, she must have realized he was teasing. Relaxing, she sighed again. "No, not exactly. Our father was a hard man to work for."
"Ah ha." He nodded in understanding and their dinner arrived. They continued to chat over the meal, and he regaled her with stories of growing up in Chicago. The tales of two ornery little boys and one smelly dog had her laughing until, finally, she pushed her plate away.
"I'm stuffed. My stomach hurts from laughing. I couldn't eat another bite."
He glanced at her half-eaten meal. "Would you like a doggie-bag?"
"We don't have a dog," Sabrina replied seriously.
"Oh, right." He smiled and finished eating. The Kane family apparently didn't hang on to leftovers.
He finished his meal and paid the check. As they stood outside by his motorcycle, he handed a helmet to her and asked, "I wondered if you'd like to come back to my place and see some of my work."
"Your etchings, so to speak?" she teased.
He blushed and grinned. "So to speak."
)
Jason Walden is drawn to the mansion sitting high on a hill in West Seattle, and even more drawn to the house's beautiful owner. Sabrina Kane is gorgeous but uptight and straight-laced. Her twin sister, Isabella, is equally beautiful but exactly the opposite, foot-loose and fancy-free. The quiet twin captures Jason's interest, and as he paints their mansion on canvas, he imagines building a life with Sabrina. As details from her past emerge, he discovers before he can move forward with her, he must first handle Dealing with Isabella?
