So Jennifer had been right about the situation when she'd called Julia yesterday. Something was up between the two. He smiled to himself.

Couldn't have happened to a nicer pair.

"I thought I'd leave that as a surprise. Besides, as I remember it, you're pretty d.a.m.n stubborn yourself. I figured you'd hold your own against him."

Yes, but it wasn't easy. She didn't feel like admitting that , even to Brom, with whom she had shared all her girlhood secrets. She began keying in another set of numbers. "I always do."

He was going to have to leave for the casino shortly. Brom decided to get to the point of the call. "Is he around?"

"Nik? Probably." She hit the Enter key and smiled at another screen materialized. "He's never far off from his pots: She moved her chair away from the desk. " I'll get him for you: '

"Thanks: Brom realized he hadn't asked Sara about heI father's condition. He was slipping. " Wait, how's your father doing? Did the surgery go well? "

Things felt a little less awkward between her and her father, but still no less painful. She twisted the cord arounc her finger. " "

Perfectly. He came through the operation with flying colors . "

Brom heard things in her voice that weren't being said. There had been a time when he had known Sara very well. " " And you? "

She laughed cryptically. "I've got some colors of my own." Scars, mostly, she thought, but there was no point in dragging Brom into it.

She'd cried on his shoulder enough as it was, all those years ago.

He knew how sensitive she was beneath the banter and the ready wit.

"Hang in there, Sara."

Sara felt a little self-conscious. "Don't waste time worrying about me. I'm completely resilient." She hurried on before he could ask anything further. "I'll get Nik for you "

She laid the receiver down on the desk and went in search of Nik.

Sara pushed open the door to the kitchen and looked around. Antonio and Chris were conferring by the worktable' Anyone seen Nik? "

Antonio jerked a thumb toward the walk-in refrigerator. "In there.

He's talking to the vegetables."

" Of course, " she murmured under her breath.

Sara stopped at the entrance of the huge refrigerator. Nik was standing inside, muttering to himself as he scanned the selection of vegetables on the shelves before him. He exhaled and she could almost see his breath forming. " " d.a.m.n : '

He wrinkled his nose when he was angry, she noticed. It took the edge off. An amused smile lifted the corners of her lips. "What's the matter?"

He half turned, surprised to see her there. He gestured at the shelves. "I distinctly remember ordering kohlrabi."

Sara wouldn't have known kohlrabi from a cold rabbit , but she a.s.sumed that it wasn't there.

"Throw extra parsley on the plate. n.o.body'll miss it." She heard Chris trying to stifle a laugh behind her.

But Nik didn't appear to be amused. He leveled a steely look at her. "

" It's pretty easy to be cavalier with something you know nothing about. "

His statement only served to make her look triumphant. "I hope you're listening to yourself and taking notes."

He'd have to subst.i.tute Swiss chard until he could get a delivery, he thought. It wasn't the biggest tragedy. Running out of lobster would have taken that prize. At least this week.

When he looked up she was still there. "Why are you standing in the refrigerator doorway, annoying me?"

She nodded toward the hall. "Because Brom's on the phone. He says he wants to talk to you, although why is beyond me."

Nik walked out of the refrigerator and shut the heavy steel door behind him. "Why didn't you just say so in the first place? " " " I kind of liked listening to you curse at the vegetables. " She grinned as she moved aside to let him pa.s.s. " It's nice to see you get annoyed with something else besides me, even if they are inanimate objects. "

He filed away the look on her face. There was no tension evident, merely humor. It seemed that the only way they were going to carry on a conversation where she wasn't freezing up on him or retreating was if she was needling him, Nik thought.

He could put up with that. For the time being.

Nik crossed to the desk in the office and picked up the telephone.

"h.e.l.lo, Brom? What's up?"

Brom had begun to wonder if anyone was ever returning to the phone. His impatience evaporated at the sound of Nikqs voice. "I'm calling your bluff."

Nik had no idea what Brom was referring to. "What bluff is that? "

"You promised to come up here and give the restaurant a proper once-over now that the new staff is finally in place, remember? "

Nik moved aside to let Sara sit down at the desk. He watched absently as she began to type in numbers that aligned themselves into columns on the blue screenq "Yeah

I-".

"Did," Brom concluded for him. "A.J's asking when her Uncle Nik is coming up to see her. It's been a while, you know."

Nik cradled the phone between his neck and shoulder as he picked up a list for next week's meat and poultry order. He began to leaf through it. "A.J's six months old. She can't talk yet."

Brom's laugh contradicted Nik's a.s.sumption. "She's a miniature Sinclair woman. She'll be talking by the time you get up here."

" Probably, " Nik agreed.

Nik looked at Sara, toying with a thought. Maybe she'd be more relaxed at Tahoe, around Brom. Antonio wasn't going on vacation for another three weeks and Chris was coming along well, albeit slowly. Perhaps a break this weekend wouldn't be such a bad idea, after all.

"Just a second," he said into the receiver.

He leaned over Sara and pulled the desk calendar to him. He flipped two pages, scanning each intently. There was nothing special planned on either date. No large parties booked. Nothing out of the ordinary.

Antonio could handle it without any difficulty.

Nik replaced the calendar, sliding it next to Sara's elbow. "Okay, Brom, you're on for this weekend."

"Good. I was thinking in terms of having everyone come up," Brom elaborated now that the first part of his plan was falling into place.

"Think you can drag your sister and that husband of hers up?"

He knew Jennifer didn't need an excuse. Unlike him, she wasn't wedded to the restaurant. Hers was a fuller life. He glanced at Sara.