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she d finished that, she flipped the tomato on its side and diced through, the tomato falling onto the
cutting board in perfect, ripe cubes.
She set down the knife, and looked at Vaughn with satisfaction as she wagged her fingers.  Still
have all five of them. Then she popped one of the tomato cubes into her mouth.
Kathleen came around to check out Sidney s handiwork.  Somebody knows how to cook, she
said, impressed.
 Only a little, Sidney said, with a conceding smile.  Back in New York, one of my friends roped
me into taking a Knife Skills class. I thought it was a self-defense course.
Kathleen laughed at the joke, and then turned around to get something out of the refrigerator.
Sidney grabbed the second tomato and saw Vaughn watching her.
She glared. What?
His hazel eyes crinkled at the corners as he kept right on looking.
Her scowl deepened. Go away.
He winked.
Clearly, the man lived to annoy her.
When Kathleen shut the refrigerator door and turned around, both Sidney and Vaughn resumed their
normal expressions. Kathleen put a bottle of what appeared to be homemade salad dressing in the
middle of the farm table that sat on the other side of the island.
As she passed by Vaughn, she gave her son s unshaven jaw another once-over.  So that s the look
now, is it?
With a mischievous smile that said he d gotten more than a handful of lectures from his mother
over the years, Vaughn got up from the stool and walked over to the sideboard across from the kitchen
table.  It s only temporary, Mom. He opened one of the cabinets and pulled out a stack of plates.
 Sidney, is that what you girls go for these days? Kathleen asked, pointing toward her oldest son.
 All this scruffy whatnot?
Well, nothing like putting her on the spot here. Personally, Sidney thought that the dark hint of
scruff along Vaughn s angular jaw looked fine. Better than fine, actually. She would, however, rather
be trapped for the next thirty-six hours in a car with the crazy pregnant lady before admitting that in
front of him.
 I generally prefer clean-shaven men. She shrugged sorry when Vaughn gave her the side-eye
as he began setting the table.
 See? If you don t believe me, at least listen to her, Kathleen said, while peeling a carrot over a
bowl at the island.  If you want to find a woman of quality, you can t be running around looking like
you just rolled out of bed.
 I ll keep that in mind. But for now, the  scruffy whatnot stays. I need it for an undercover role,
Vaughn said.
Surprised to hear that, Sidney looked over as she dumped the tomatoes into a large salad bowl
filled with lettuce.  You re working undercover now?
 Well, I m not in the other identity right this second, Vaughn said.  I m kind of guessing my
mother would be able to ID me.
Thank you, yes, she got that.  I meant, how does that work? Sidney asked him.  You just walk
around like normal, being yourself, when you re not . . . the other you?
 That s exactly how it works. At least, when we re talking about a case that involves only part-
time undercover work.
 But what if I were to run into the other you somewhere? Say . . . at a coffee shop. A little inside
reference there.  If I called you  Vaughn without realizing that you were working, wouldn t that blow
your cover?
 First of all, like all agents who regularly do undercover work, I tell my friends and family not to
approach me if they happen to run into me somewhere for that very reason. Second of all, in this
case, the  other me doesn t hang out at coffee shops.
 Where does the other you hang out? Sidney asked. Not to contribute to his already healthy ego,
but this was pretty interesting stuff.
 In dark, sketchy alleys doing dark, sketchy things, Vaughn said as he set the table with salad
bowls.
 So the other you is a bad guy, then. Sidney paused, realizing something.  Is what you re doing
dangerous?
 The joke around my office is that the agents on the white-collar crime squad never do anything
dangerous.
Sidney noticed that wasn t an actual answer to her question.
When the room fell momentarily quiet, Kathleen looked between Sidney and Vaughn.  You know,
Sidney, when you girls first came in, I spent so much time catching up with Isabelle, that I feel like we
didn t get to talk much. Tell me more about yourself. What is it that you do for a living?
 I m a director at a private equity firm.
 Oh, that sounds impressive. Have you always worked in Chicago? Finished with her peeling,
Kathleen grabbed a shredder out of the cabinet in the base of the island.
Sidney rinsed off her knife at the sink.  Actually, I first worked in New York as an investment
banker after finishing business school. I just moved back to Chicago two months ago.
 Your father must be so glad to have you back in town.
Sidney kept her expression nonchalant, not wanting to reveal the complexity of her relationship
with her father. Professionally speaking, she had a great deal of respect for him. Coming from a
middle-class background, he d put himself through business school and now ran one of the most
lucrative hedge funds in Chicago. He was a natural leader: sharp, decisive, and cool and collected
when taking risks. Her father knew how to command a room; she remembered being in awe of him
when she was younger, watching him at her parents parties and noticing how he always seemed to be
the center of attention no matter who he was talking to. But his devotion to his career, and the egotism
that had sprung from his success, had put a distance between him and his daughters and had
undoubtedly contributed to the problems in his later marriages.
Clearly, their upbringing had been a lot different from that of Vaughn and Simon. This whole cozy
scene, the sit-down family lunch on a Saturday afternoon, was something she hadn t experienced since
she was a young girl, before her mom died. But for simplicity s sake, Sidney nodded and gave the
expected response.  Yes, he is.
Over in the adjacent family room, whatever sporting event Adam had been watching must have
ended. He shut off the television and stood up from the couch.  What time is lunch? he called over.
 Now, Kathleen said.
 That s the best time, he said.
Vaughn was dispatched to alert Simon and Isabelle that lunch was ready, and within moments they
were all seated around the knotted pine farm table. There was a bounty of food on the table: freshly
baked soda bread, salad, and the main course, shepherd s pie. Kathleen led them in saying grace, and
Sidney and Isabelle shot each other we re-such-heathens looks as they bowed their heads, not having
done this in years. After a chorus of amens, Vaughn and the other Robertses all made the sign of the
cross, and then everyone heartily reached for whatever dish was closest.
 Oh! I almost forgot. Kathleen momentarily left the table and came back with a bottle of wine.
 Since this is a special occasion, our first time meeting our future daughter-in-law, I thought we
should celebrate. She handed the bottle to Vaughn, along with a corkscrew.  I can never work those
things. She turned back to the rest of the table, explaining.  One of Adam s clients gave him this
bottle years ago. We ve been saving it for the right moment. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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