must have the wrong houseboat,” she said, rapidly starting to back away. “I’m looking for Sebastian Savas. But I’ve obviously got it wrong. Excuse me. I—”
It took Neely this long to get her own tongue untangled. “No,” she said, “you don’t. This is…I mean, he lives here.”
And obviously had enough time for at least one gorgeous woman.
“He does?” The woman’s voice almost squeaked. “With you? I mean…I didn’t know he…well, heavens.”
Which was not quite what Neely was thinking, but close.
“He’s not here now though,” she went on, telling herself she was very glad to have met Sebastian’s girlfriend. She could stop thinking about him at all now. Could stop wishing…
“Oh.” The other woman managed a sort of smile.
“I don’t know when he’ll be back,” Neely said. “He’s out of town. But I can tell him you came by.”
“Er, I’m not sure you should,” the woman said. “He’ll probably go ballistic.”
As opposed to being The Iceman? Neely thought. Though it was quite some time since she’d considered him icy in the least. Rather she thought he smouldered. And that was conceivably worse.
“He didn’t tell me where he lived,” the woman confided. “And now I know why.” This time she took her time as her gaze swept over Neely appraisingly.
Oh, dear. “I’m not—I mean, we’re not—I think you’re misunderstanding,” she said quickly, not wanting Sebastian’s girlfriend to get the wrong idea. The last thing she wanted was Sebastian blaming her for the bust-up of whatever sort of relationship he had with this woman. “He’s not my boyfriend,” she assured the woman. “You don’t have to worry.”
The woman laughed. It was a real laugh, too. “I think you’re misunderstanding, too. He’s not my boyfriend, either. He’s my brother.”
Neely goggled. “Your—”
“Brother. Well, half brother, really. The best one in the world,” she said firmly. “For all that he’s a little, um, secretive, at times. He never mentioned you. Do you…live with him?”
“Yes, but—”
“That sod! He’s living with a woman? After he told me NEVER to live with Garrett before we got married—”
“Oh, you’re the bride?” Neely felt oddly as if a weight had been lifted from her shoulders.
Sebastian’s sister nodded. “I’m Evangeline. Everybody calls me Vangie. Who are you?”
“Neely Robson. I work with your brother.”
Vangie looked as if she was sure that wasn’t all Neely did with her brother. But she didn’t argue. She just knelt and put her arms around Harm. “And you two even have a dog! We never had pets.”
“Er, well, Harm is mine, really,” Neely said.
“But you share him,” Vangie decided. “Seb always wanted a dog. But my mother didn’t want to be bothered. And then Matt’s mother didn’t. Or the triplets’ or—”
“What?” Neely stared at her.
Vangie shrugged. “I’m glad he has a dog now,” she said simply. “He’s finally getting what he deserves.”
Neely wasn’t sure at all about that. But then again, she wasn’t sure what Sebastian Savas deserved.
His sister, however, gave Harm a fierce hug and looked up at Neely with her luminous green eyes suddenly awash with tears. “I just hope I do,” she said, and the tears started rolling down her cheeks.
Good grief. Not given to drop-of-the-hat emotional displays herself, Neely stared, nonplussed for several seconds before she said, “Are you all right?” which was a stupid question because who burst into tears if she was?
Vangie gulped and blinking rapidly stood up again. “I’m f-fine. I just…wanted to talk to Seb. He gets me through everything. Always has. And I know he wouldn’t expect me to show up here, but I thought he would understand…and help and…” She broke off and wiped her eyes on the back of her hand.
“Do you want to come in?” Neely asked because somehow she didn’t feel she could just shut the door on Sebastian’s sister, especially when she was crying.
Vangie gulped, then brightened visibly. “Would it…be okay? I mean, you don’t know me. But you do know Seb,” she added a bit more cheerfully. “You live with Seb, and—”
“Not the way you’re using the term,” Neely said again.
But Vangie had apparently decided that, yes, she did want to come in because she stepped past Neely into the hallway, then followed a tail-wagging Harm into the living area beyond.
“Ohhh,” she exclaimed, looking around avidly. “I love it! It’s so much nicer than Seb’s penthouse.”
“It is?” Neely blinked.
“Well, you know what I mean—friendlier, homier.” Her eyes went straight to the guinea pig and the rabbits. Then one of the kittens who was on the back of the sofa launched himself at her and she gave a little shriek as she caught him in her hands.
Her gaze turned to meet Neely’s, “It’s a miracle.”
“What’s a miracle?”
“You…them—” she waved the kitten around as if encompassing the whole room “—this. And Seb. Unbelievable.”
“The dog isn’t his. Neither are the kittens. Or anything else—except the computer,” Neely said stiffly.
“I’m sooo happy for you. And him.”
Obviously his sister didn’t listen any better than Sebastian did. For the moment Neely gave up.
“Can I get you some iced tea? A soda?”
“Iced tea would be lovely.” She had better manners than her brother at least.
While Neely poured two glasses, she watched as Vangie explored, as politely as possible—definitely not like her brother—the downstairs living area. She ran appreciative fingers along the tops of the waist-high bookcases, studied the books on the bookshelves, all the while cuddling the kitten who’d leaped at her. Then scooping up another one, she went to kneel on the window seat and look out at the deck and the lake beyond.
“Here we are, then,” Neely said, coming up behind her and holding out the glass.
“Oh, thank you.” Vangie turned, blinking, and Neely could see more tear tracks on her face.
“Oh, dear,” Neely said involuntarily. “You’re not all right.”
Vangie blinked rapidly and set down a kitten to take the glass. “I am,” she said,
