Naked Games (Hard to Get 3)

Catherine frowned. “According to my mother, Gracie’s father isn’t my father. In fact, she was never sure who my father was, actually.”

“Yikes.”

Catherine ran a hand through her hair. She was suddenly exhausted. “The letters read like a confession, Mary. It turns out that Bridget was dying from liver disease. Too many years of drinking, she said. But she wanted me to know that I had a sister.”

“I wonder what this Gracie person is like,” Mary said, staring at the letters. “Liver disease?” she asked, her gaze meeting Catherine’s once more. “Does this mean your birth mother died?”

“I think it does. In the last letter she said she wouldn’t be able to continue to correspond.” Catherine picked up the envelope and took the old, worn paper back out. The handwriting had gotten progressively worse with each letter. To the point that the last one was nearly impossible to read.

“This is going to be my last letter, I’m afraid. My hope is that when the time comes for you to tell Catherine about her adoption that she’ll be able to forgive me for giving her up. She’ll see that she was better off with you and Russell. I don’t know if her sister could ever forgive me, however. I left her to be raised by her father because I wasn’t fit to be a mother. Nevertheless, I’m concerned that was a terrible mistake. And now it’s too late to fix it.”

“A mistake?” Mary asked. “I wonder why.”

“I don’t know, but I want to find her, Mary.” She dropped the letter in the drawer and felt her heartbeat kick into overdrive. “I want to find my sister. I’ve lost too many years already, and I don’t want to lose another minute.”

Mary stood and held out a hand. “We will, I promise. First, you and I need a good night’s sleep. We’ll start our search in the morning.”

Catherine took her friend’s outstretched hand and let her pull her to her feet. She swayed a bit but didn’t fall over. She figured that was good, at least. “Thank you for being here,” she said, emotion clogging her throat. “And for helping me through all this.”

“Oh, geez.” Mary rolled her eyes and started for the door. “Don’t start getting all mushy on me.”

Tired and emotionally worn out, Catherine still managed to laugh at her friend’s belligerent tone. “I love you too,” she called out as she followed Mary out of the room.

“Ditto. Now get to bed before you fall on your face. I really don’t want to carry your ass.”

Catherine shook her head as she watched Mary head to the guest room, where she’d stayed on hundreds of occasions before. “See you in the morning.”

“Morning, yeah.” She yawned, then added, “I’m going to want pancakes.”

“You got it,” Catherine tossed back. After Mary disappeared inside the room, Catherine opened the door to her bedroom and flipped on the light. That’s when an important nugget of truth hit her. She had a sister. “I’m not alone,” she whispered to herself. Soon, she would be meeting Gracie in person, Catherine vowed. She wouldn’t just be reading about her in an old letter. For the first time in months, Catherine smiled.

3

It’d been six weeks since she’d found the letters in her mother’s bedside table. Now, as Catherine stood on the porch of what appeared to be an old abandoned warehouse, fear skated up and down her spine. She checked the address once more to make sure she had the right place. The numbers definitely matched. As she reached up to knock on the door, her phone buzzed. She grabbed it out of her purse and looked at the name of the caller. She grinned and hit ANSWER.

“I haven’t met her yet,” Catherine quickly said, trying to keep her voice down. “Stop calling.”

She heard Mary curse. “What’s taking so long, woman? The waiting is killing me.”

If Catherine wasn’t so nervous she would’ve laughed at Mary’s anxious tone. “I’m standing on Gracie’s porch now.” She looked at a few cracked bricks above the door frame and said, “At least I think it’s her porch. Anyway, I’ll call you with all the details later. I promise.”

Mary heaved a deep sigh. “Fine. But don’t leave me hanging.”

Catherine chuckled. “I wouldn’t dream of it.”

They said their good-byes, and Catherine had barely managed to get her phone put away when the door suddenly swung open. For the first time in her life she was face-to-face with her sister. God, the pictures in the e-mails didn’t lie. They really could be twins. They had the same red hair, the only difference being Gracie’s was fine and wavy. Catherine’s hair had always been pin straight and thick. Same green eyes too. Their build was even similar. Curvy. Gracie was shorter by an inch or so though. Still, it was strange. Like looking at a different version of herself.

After Catherine had found out about Gracie in the letters, it’d only been a matter of searching the Internet. She’d located Gracie on a social networking site. It’d all been a whirlwind since.

“Catherine,” Gracie said in a quiet voice. “You’re finally here.”

Despite telling herself not to, Catherine found herself crying. “Finally,” she said, her voice shaking.

Without another word, Gracie stepped onto the porch and wrapped her in a tight embrace. For several seconds, Catherine just stood there, too stunned to move and both of them crying. She swiftly snapped out of it and returned the hug for all she was worth. After several seconds, they both stood back. Catherine was the first to speak. “I’m so glad I came.”

“Oh, me too.” Gracie winced and slapped a hand against her forehead. “I’m making you stand out in the cold. Geez, I’m so sorry. Please, come in.”

“Thank you.” As Catherine stepped inside the warehouse her gaze quickly scanned her surroundings. She stopped dead at how gorgeous the place was and said as much. “Your home is beautiful.”