The Sweetheart Bargain (A Sweetheart Sisters Novel) by Shirley Jump

the neighbor, enjoying a little afternoon delight?
    That would be a mistake, because she knew, as sure as she knew her own name, that getting involved with Luke Winslow would shatter her world in new ways. He had an edge about him, about his touch, his kiss, his words, that tempted and scared her, all at the same time.
    Right now, she didn’t need complicated. Didn’t need to fall for a self-proclaimed ogre. Even if he was sexy as hell and could kiss like . . .
    Like no man she’d ever met.
    He fished a cell phone out of his pocket, flipped it open, pressed a couple keys, then cursed. “Damn type is so small.”
    “Let me.” She put out her hand. “Please?”
    “Fine.” He plopped the phone into her hand. “It should be under Tuttle. Diana Tuttle.”
    Olivia’s hand stilled, her finger poised over the keypad. “Did you say Tuttle?”
    “Yeah.” He glanced at Olivia. “Maybe you know her? She’s the daughter of the woman who owned that house you live in.”
    Her gaze dropped to the screen. Luke had already typed the first three letters. Olivia hit search, and in a second, the name returned. She traced over the letters. Diana Tuttle.
    Her sister.

Five

    “Greta,” Esther whispered, “this is crazy.”
    “No, it’s not. It’s a good idea,” she said, shushing Esther with her free hand while she waved at Pauline to angle the car farther into the parking lot. After she’d left Luke’s house earlier, she’d dug her cell phone out of the suitcase she called a purse, then called the girls for some necessary backup. By the time Pauline got her teeth in and her hair poufed, Greta about had a conniption fit. It took a good fifteen minutes for Pauline’s giant white Cadillac to prowl down the street, at Pauline’s usual speed of turtle .
    “What are we doing here anyway?” Esther asked. “I’m missing my shows, you know. I hate to miss my shows.”
    “We’re here to make sure we . . . give the right advice.” That was what Greta had told the girls they were doing—offering their wisdom to Olivia. She didn’t mention the meddling she intended to do, which would hopefully result in pushing Olivia and Luke together.
    “If you ask me,” Pauline said, “the best advice comes from the heart and—”
    “Oh, for Pete’s sake, Pauline, it does not. It comes from making the decisions for people and shoving them toward those choices. If you ask me, most people don’t know what the hell to do with themselves.”
    “We aren’t making decisions. We might even be breaking the law.” Esther put up her hands, as if that would shield her in the car from such bad choices. Maybe she should have done the same with the bright orange dress she had on today. The thing could be used to direct airplanes on the runway. “Isn’t this trespassing?”
    “We are observing. That’s not illegal,” Greta said. Lord, there were days when these women drove her to drink. Where was their sense of adventure? Their penchant for a little trouble? “Were you all nuns as teenagers or something?”
    “I went to a Catholic girls’ school,” Esther said.
    “That explains a lot.” Greta muttered the words. Pauline bit her lip to keep from laughing, and Esther’s face scrunched.
    Across from them, Olivia’s car had pulled into the veterinarian’s parking lot. Greta waited, sure the passenger-side door would open and her grandson would emerge. But no, only the driver got out. Olivia. She went to the back door and carefully drew out the golden, balancing the big dog in her arms and shutting the car door with her knee.
    No Luke.
    Hmmmph. Greta sat in Pauline’s Cadillac and turned that over in her mind. Somehow, she needed to get Olivia and Luke to talk, maybe go on a date. She’d expected that they would take the dog to the vet together. She’d been so sure when she left that Luke’s love for animals would win over his need to be alone.
    Clearly, his pain ran deeper than she’d thought. She sighed, her heart breaking for