By Request Collection April-June 2016. Оливия Гейтс
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even bother,” Kate said drily. “There’s no cell phone reception over here. Just put it away.”
Tenley stared at Kate in disbelief. “Really?”
“Why don’t you think of this as a little technology vacation?” Kate suggested, smiling. “You don’t need to worry about any of that while you’re here.”
“Mmm, you’re probably right. You always are. Ooh, my feet hurt.” Tenley turned sideways on the seat, lifted her legs and plunked her feet in Kate’s lap. “Take my boots off, Katie. I need a foot rub.”
Giving Tenley foot massages was something that Kate had always done, but usually only after a performance, when her sister had been on her feet for several hours. She laughed. “Really? You want me to give you a foot rub right now?”
“Please?” Tenley stuck out her lower lip and gave Kate her sad-puppy face. “Pretty please?”
Kate sighed, acutely aware of Chase in the front seat, listening to everything. What must he think of Tenley, and of her for that matter?
“Fine,” she relented. Grasping one boot by the toe and heel, she gave it a firm tug. “Pull, Tenley.”
The boot came free, and Tenley wiggled her toes in bliss.
“Oh, that feels so good. Now the other one.”
Kate dropped the boots on the floor and waved a hand under her nose. “Oh, man, are you sure about this? Your feet are …” She lowered her voice. “… sweaty.”
“Sorry,” Tenley said, sounding anything but. She waggled her toes in anticipation.
Taking a deep breath, Kate grasped her sister’s foot and began to massage it, digging her thumbs into the arch until Tenley moaned with pleasure. “Oh, that feels so good! Oh, yes, harder. Deeper!”
In the rearview mirror, Kate saw the driver watching them, his eyes alight with masculine interest.
“Tenley,” Kate admonished with an embarrassed laugh. “Keep it down.” Glancing at the two men in the front seat, she dropped her voice to a whisper. “You sound like you’re having an orgasm!”
“Right now, I’ll take this over any orgasm,” Tenley moaned, making no effort to lower her voice. “Any man would be lucky to have you, Kate, just for your foot massages.”
Chase twisted in his seat until he met Kate’s eyes, and she could see the amusement lurking in the green depths.
“Okay,” she said firmly, pushing Tenley’s feet aside. “We’re done.”
“Kate,” she wailed. “You didn’t even do my other foot!”
“And I won’t if you continue to embarrass me,” Kate hissed. “Honestly, Tenley, you’re behaving like a child.”
“Sorry,” Tenley said, and sat up, searching for her boots.
“Here we are,” Chase said as the Humvee drew to a stop outside the housing unit where Kate had slept the previous night.
Tenley pushed the door open and got out, staring at the unit. For a long moment, she didn’t move or say anything, but Kate knew she was thinking about Doug and wondering if his accommodations were as luxurious as this modified trailer.
“This is where we’re staying,” Kate said brightly and linked her arm through Tenley’s. “It’s actually very cozy inside. Just wait until you see the accommodations at Camp Leatherneck.”
Behind her, she heard Chase start to laugh.
THE SUN WAS BEGINNING TO SET, taking the worst of the day’s heat with it, as the entertainment got underway. Kate had stayed backstage with Tenley until it was time for her to perform, listening as she moved among the other performers, chatting and laughing with them. She had a vibrancy that drew people effortlessly to her, and she seemed to thrive on the attention. Whereas she had been exhausted when she first arrived, now she seemed upbeat and excited.
Kate watched as Tenley took her guitar and stepped onto the stage and waved to a mixed reception of cheers and clapping and a smattering of boos. Kate walked over to Chase, who stood in the entry, and shrugged.
“Well, this is it,” she said. “This is the reason we’re here. Let’s see how it goes.”
“Are you kidding me?” Chase asked. “That girl is going to be fine. Look … they love her.”
Kate laughed and together they made their way outside to stand at the edge of the parade field to watch Tenley perform. She silently acknowledged that Chase was right; the audience was cheering her sister’s performance, the sound deafening.
“She sounds great,” Chase commented.
Kate had to agree. Tenley strutted across the stage, stroking the strings on her guitar and swinging her blond hair around. Her voice was strong and pure, and she belted out the lyrics to her top hit with confidence. She wore a pair of white jeans and boots, paired with a blue corset adorned with sparkling stars. Against the backdrop of the American flag, she looked like every soldier’s fantasy of the gorgeous girl next door.
“She’s just so beautiful,” Kate said wistfully, watching her.
“I agree,” Chase said, but when Kate turned to him, he was looking at her, not Tenley.
“At least she didn’t get my freckles … I inherited those from my father,” she said, self-conscious. “When I was young, I would have given anything to have skin like Tenley’s.”
“Really? I love your freckles.”
Kate gave him a disbelieving look. “You’re kidding.”
Uncaring of who might be watching, Chase stepped closer and traced a fingertip over her cheek. “I’m not kidding. A face without freckles is like a night sky without stars.”
He shifted his gaze to hers, and for a moment Kate couldn’t breathe. Without conscious thought, she leaned toward him, her lips parting.
A sudden commotion snapped Chase’s attention away from her, and Kate turned to see what was happening.
A young soldier had pushed his way to the front of the crowd, avoiding the security guards, and pulled himself onto the stage. Kate stiffened and then sprang forward, but Chase was already moving, sprinting backstage to gain quicker access to the stage and intercept the soldier. At first, Tenley didn’t realize the young man was right behind her, but when she turned around and saw him, her fingers slipped on the guitar strings, and the amplifiers made an earsplitting screech.
She stared at him for a split second, and then he stepped forward and took her by the arms. His lips were moving urgently, but Kate couldn’t hear what he was saying. She could only see the look of disbelief on Tenley’s face. Then Chase was there, yanking the soldier away from Tenley even as the security detail leaped onto the stage.
As Kate watched, the soldier stopped struggling and allowed Chase to escort him backstage. Tenley stood there for a moment, clearly shaken, but when her band picked up the strains of her interrupted song, she rallied. Clearly it was an effort for her to continue with the performance, but she managed to get through the number without any more incidents.
As soon as she finished, the crowd erupted into applause and cheering, and Tenley waved before jogging backstage. Kate met her there, anxious to see for herself that she was okay. There was no sign of either Chase or the young soldier who had attacked Tenley.
“Are you okay?” Kate asked, framing Tenley’s face in her hands and searching her eyes.
“Yes, I think so,” Tenley replied, but she seemed shaken by the incident. “He just surprised me, is all.”
“What did he say to you?”
Tenley looked distracted, and her eyes were unfocused. Kate repeated the question.
“What?” Tenley shifted her