The Prince's Devious Proposal - Holly Rayner Page 0,58

to do anything, Sarah. Seriously. I’m not bored. I just don’t want to be an inconvenience.”

“You’re nothing of the sort,” Sarah assured her. “Besides, you enjoyed performing the other night, didn’t you?”

Naomi had enjoyed it. The bar Sarah and Harry had taken her to had been small and intimate, not at all the kind of place she was used to performing in. When she’d played to big arenas, she had felt huge swells of energy from the crowd powering her playing. But she hadn’t felt able to personally engage with the people in her audiences.

At the bar, she had been able to look people in the eye while she was singing. That had been intimidating at first—some of them had stared right at her, making her feel scrutinized, while others had been distracted with conversations with their friends, making her feel ignored.

After a while, though, she had begun to view it as a challenge. She would try to capture an individual’s attention, then sing to them directly until she saw some kind of emotion register on their face. Seeing how many people in the crowd she could affect had been a fun game.

“We’re going to take you to more bars in the city,” Sarah said. “Find you more opportunities to perform. So you really can’t leave yet.”

“There are open mic spots in Los Angeles,” Naomi said. Suddenly, she was imagining Petr singing to her at the Crystal Lounge. Much as she wanted to put him out of her mind, she had never been able to do it, not completely.

“It’s better in New York,” Sarah said firmly. “Besides, you’re too newly back on the horse. If you go home, you might give up on the idea of performing live, and I’m not going to let you do that. You were too good the other night, and when we came home, you were happier than I’ve seen you in years.”

Naomi was surprised her sister had picked up on that. After all, it wasn’t like they had spent much time together over the past few years.

Maybe she’s been paying more attention to me than I realized.

It was a heartwarming idea. She had thought, after the loss of her mother, that she and Sarah would need to build their relationship from the ground up. But being here had given her the opportunity to realize that there was a lot more between them than she had been aware of. They weren’t starting from square one. There was already a very valuable relationship there.

“All right,” Naomi agreed. “I’ll stay a bit longer.”

The truth was that she wanted to stay. She wasn’t at all ready to go back to Los Angeles, to job hunting and lonely days and nights. She wanted to be here, in the warm embrace of a family that loved her.

Harry flipped the omelet he’d been working on onto a plate and set it before Naomi. “You didn’t ask for parsley, but try this anyway,” he said. “I think you’re going to like the way it turned out.”

Naomi took a bite. She smiled. “It’s great, Harry,” she said. “Everything you cook is.”

The doorbell interrupted them. Sarah frowned. “Are we expecting someone?”

“I’m not,” Harry said.

“I’ll get it!” Ella yelled, starting to get up.

Harry pointed at her. “You stay put and eat those eggs. I’ll get it.” He wiped his hands on a towel, turned off the stove, and went down the hall to the front door.

A moment later, he called back to them. “Naomi? It’s for you.”

Naomi frowned. “For me?” she said to Sarah. “How could it be for me?”

“Who even knows you’re here?” Sarah asked.

Naomi shrugged, feeling edgy and nervous. Was it possible someone had followed her home after her performance at the bar the other night? That seemed incredibly farfetched, but she would never forgive herself if she had led some kind of stalker to her sister’s home.

She stepped into the hall—and froze.

Petr was standing in the doorway.

For a moment, her mind couldn’t process what she was seeing. It just didn’t make any sense.

What is he doing here? How did he find me?

“Hi, Naomi,” he said.

“Petr,” she said quietly, her stomach in knots.

“So this is Petr?” Harry asked, frowning.

Naomi nodded.

“Do you want me to get rid of him?” Harry asked her.

“No, I’ll talk to him,” Naomi said. She was going to have to face him eventually. She hesitated, feeling awkward. “Um, do you want us to go somewhere else? We don’t have to do this here.”

“Of course you’re not going to go somewhere