Reclaimed(32)
Author: Diane Alberts

Sabrina sighed in exasperation before she blatantly lied. “He’s not here every day and he’s not an obsession or a toy I’ve acquired. I like him a lot and that’s all. Really. I’ll even let you meet him.”

“Oh, really? When?” Marie perked up and straightened excitedly. Sabrina couldn’t tell if she feigned eagerness, or told the truth.

“How about tomorrow night, if he’s free? We’ll all go out for dinner. I thought tonight you and I could have some time alone,” Sabrina explained.

“Sounds perfect to me.”

“Good. How long are you visiting?”

“Three days. I leave Friday morning,” Marie stated.

“Gotcha.” Sabrina sighed. “Well, you ready to head back?”

“Sure. This place is kind of creepy.” Marie shuddered.

“You think? I find it peaceful.”

Marie snickered. “You have changed. Let’s go.”

Were the changes really so obvious?

***

Sabrina fought off the butterflies attempting to overrun her stomach. Tonight, Marie and Isaac were going to meet. She knew they would get along great, if Marie let go of her preconceived notions. She also desperately hoped any creatures, be they werewolves or vampires, stayed away. That, she thought as she chuckled, was one side of her life she’d rather her sister not see.

She yawned and rubbed her temples in aggravation. She had tossed and turned on the couch all night long, getting little sleep. Geez, she probably looked like crap. Isaac would think she was a zombie and smite her on the spot. She almost laughed aloud at the thought.

Until she wondered if zombies actually existed.

A knock sounded at the door, and Sabrina—who could feel Marie’s eyes studying her every movement—walked demurely to the door to open it. She longed to run into his arms and greet him properly, and see the answering yearning in his blue gaze. It may have been one day spent apart, but it seemed like so much more.

“Come in.” She smiled at the mere sight of him. Who knew her happiness could depend so much upon simply being able to set eyes upon a man?

Fascinating.

Her heart raced excitedly, and she felt her cheeks flush with heat.

He stopped at her side to give her a sweet kiss on the cheek and a hand squeeze. “Hello, Sabrina,” he whispered in her ear, causing her to tremble.

Gathering her wits about her, she turned to Marie. “Marie, this is Isaac. Isaac, this is my sister, Marie.” She swallowed a laugh when she saw Marie staring at him with her mouth hanging open in shock.

Freaking priceless.

Isaac walked over to her and shook her hand.

“Hello, Marie. It’s a pleasure to meet you. In the short time I’ve known Sabrina”—he turned to Sabrina and winked at her over his shoulder—“I’ve heard so much about you. All good, I promise.”

Marie flushed and snatched her hand back. Though Isaac’s back faced her, Sabrina would be willing to bet a million dollars he’d just unleashed both dimples upon Marie.

“Nice to meet you, too. I’ve also heard quite a bit about you. I’ve been looking forward to meeting you.”

Walking to Sabrina’s side, Marie snatched her arm. “Shall we?”

“Ladies first,” Isaac replied.

“You could have told me he looked so unbelievably gorgeous,” she whispered furiously in Sabrina’s ear.

She laughed out loud at the anger in her sister’s voice.

“Shh,” Marie exclaimed. “He’ll hear you.”

He hears everything we’re saying, my dear.

“Okay, okay. Honestly, if I had tried to explain how incredibly hot he looked, I’d have failed miserably. Nothing prepares you for that.” She made a slight movement of her head, jerking it in Isaac’s direction to clarify exactly what she spoke of.

As if it were in question. Ha.

“Yeah, well, you could have at least tried.”

Sabrina looked over her shoulder at Isaac, only to see him glowing with male pride.

“Besides, he’s not perfect,” she whispered, conspiratorially.

“No?”

She could almost hear Isaac lean in closer to them.

“He snores.”

***

In the past few weeks, this restaurant had become a favorite of Isaac’s and Sabrina’s, and they were seated at their usual table. Soft candlelight flickered on the table and deep crimson curtains hung behind them. The only difference tonight being that they were three, instead of two. Isaac motioned for Marie to order first. She opted for the Chicken Cordon Bleu and Caesar salad.

He arched a brow at Sabrina, and she gave a nod of her head, probably imperceptible to anyone who didn’t watch her as closely as Isaac, and closed her menu.

“And the lovely lady and I will each have the filet mignon, baked potatoes, and house salad with French dressing, please. The steaks should be rare, on both.” Handing the menus to the waiter, Isaac noticed Marie smirking at him. He glanced at Sabrina in confusion, and she shrugged.

She didn’t have a clue what he had done this time. All night long, Marie had been judging him and questioning his every move. She couldn’t believe Isaac hadn’t snapped yet.

“What, did I do something wrong?”

Marie snickered and replied, “Yeah. Although the gesture is impressive in an old-fashioned kind of way, you ordered wrong.” She gloated. “Sabrina eats her steak medium well. You better get the waiter before it’s too late.”

“Actually, Marie, I’ve discovered I’m a rare kind of gal,” she interjected as she grinned at Isaac. “Why settle for the normal when you can be rare, right, Isaac?”

He laughed wholeheartedly. “Why, indeed.”

Marie looked back and forth between them and glowered silently. She muttered something under her breath Sabrina couldn’t make out, but no doubt Isaac could. She kicked her sister’s shin in an attempt to remind her to be more polite. Marie, ever the drama queen, jumped and yelped loudly. She glared at Sabrina before turning to Isaac with a plastic smile.

“So, Isaac, what do you do?”

“I’ve been fortunate enough to have acquired a rather large amount of real estate over time. I have several properties spread out here and there, and I rent them out while I am not using them.”

“Oh, and what else?” she inquired.

They both froze at her icy tone, neither daring to look at the other.

“I’m not sure I understand your question.”

“Well, you can’t earn enough to support yourself by simply renting out a few properties. I’m sure you do something else, as well.”