THE PERFECT TEN (Boxed Set)

glass.
    Angel started to ask why Trish didn’t call Zane’s cell phone, but changed her mind. The more she let Trish talk, the less she had to say.
    “So anyhow, I jumped the bus and took a chance he was here. But it’s just as well. I’m getting to know you instead. Can’t say that I’ve met any female friends of Zane’s since he moved here.”
    Interesting. “Why not?” Angel asked.
    Trish’s thick black lashes met when she smiled. She shoved her shoulders up in another shrug. “He’s never had a problem meeting women. They fall all over him. But a twit in Texas burned him years ago. They were pretty intense for two months, until he found out she was engaged to somebody else.”
    What a bitch .
    Trish continued swishing the cubes around in her glass and rambled on. “I don’t think he ever got over it. These days he sees everything in a hard line, right or wrong. If there’s one thing my brother hates, it’s being deceived. Personally, I was glad to see the gold digger gone. My brother’s generous to a fault and I can’t stand anyone taking advantage of him.”
    Trish glanced at Angel and her eyes narrowed for just a second, then lit with a smile again.
    In spite of all Trish’s flighty mannerisms, she had a solid core of strength where Zane’s welfare was concerned. A strength that maybe even Zane didn’t realize.
    The smile of a charming young woman replaced Trish’s vexed reaction over the gold digger. She glanced at her jangling bracelet watch.
    “I can’t stay long. My friend, Heidi, is picking me up after she gets off work.”  Trish bounced up holding her glass out for examination. “Looks like I’m empty. Hang on. I’ll be right back. You need a water or drink or anything?”
    “I’m fine.”  Shoot. It wasn’t bad enough that Angel was becoming attached to a man she’d never see again. Now she wanted to get to know his sister better.
    Some people fantasized about winning the lottery and living a life of leisure.
    She fantasized about having friends. A respectable job and a real home. Nothing elaborate, but with a man who loved her, and who would give her children.
    Now that she’d met Trish, she wished she’d had a sister.
    Because of the less-than-ideal household Angel had grown up in, she’d had few friends. She’d never brought guests home to be around her mother’s drinking. Once news of Angel’s arrest hit the papers, everyone had deserted her. She’d shunned all female relationships after the twelve months and three days she’d spent in a cell trying to survive among women who’d trade a life for a pack of cigarettes without blinking.
    Now, after years of bitter disappointments, she’d met a man dreams were made of, with a sister she’d genuinely like to know better. Creating space in her life for either one was an indulgence she couldn’t afford.
    Her timing stank. Life continued to wave her heart’s desire in front of her then snatch it away any time her fingers touched the golden ring.
    Trish hummed as she passed in front of Angel’s chair, then she bumped the coffee table and lost her balance.
    Angel leapt up to grab Trish’s drink before it hit the glass surface, but missed. When the now-full drink hit the floor, ice and cola splattered across the carpet.
    “Hang on, I’ll get some towels.”   
    With a rag from the laundry room, Angel scrubbed the soft beige carpet. She sniffed a sweet whiskey scent, but kept her thoughts to herself. With the ice picked up, the damp area was hardly noticeable. Amazingly, the drink had left no stain.
    “Hey, thanks,” Trish said, rubbing her eyes with the heels of her hands. “You should move here. Maybe Zane would stay home more often.”
    Angel smiled at her. “Well, that would be nice, but I’ve got a small problem I need to take care of before I can figure out where to live.”
    Wavy black hair bounced around Trish’s flawless complexion when she checked her watch. “Heidi must be running late. I better go catch the next bus before I miss it.”
    Angel didn’t want her to go, but neither did she want Trish to miss her bus.
    “I hope you two keep seeing each other. I really like you and my brother is the best. We’re a lot alike you know.”  Trish grinned and winked.
    His sister clearly didn’t want to leave yet.
    Angel decided to sit back and see what else Trish would tell her about Zane. Smiling at Trish, Angel said, “I’ll admit you two can’t deny being brother and sister.”
    “Well,