Seduced by the Sheik (The Raminar Family #1)- Elizabeth Lennox Page 0,27

home, I’d hurry into her room, eager to hear about all her adventures, all the men she’d met and fallen madly in love with, only to have her slam the door in my face.” Talia grimaced at the memory.

Harper nodded with understanding. “That’s typical.”

“But…?” Talia started, only to slump forward again, shoulders bowed.

Harper smiled slightly, looking out at the flowers and trees. “I have a secret weapon I tell to every older sibling that complains about their siblings annoying them.”

Talia slowly turned her head, sniffling a little as she looked at Harper with barely concealed excitement. “A secret?”

Harper smiled. “Yeah. So many older brothers and sisters are horrified when I tell them initially, but it’s like a magic bullet.”

Talia was almost vibrating with curiosity. “You’ve got to tell me!” she whispered. “What’s the secret?”

Harper glanced right and left, as if ensuring they were alone. Then she looked at Talia. “It’s…” she paused for dramatic effect, “a hug!” she whispered.

Talia blinked at Harper, confused. “A hug?”

Harper laughed. “Yeah. Think about it. What would you have done if Orella had given you a hug when she arrived home? Or when you’d go into her room?”

Fresh, painful tears poured down Talia’s cheeks at the thought. “Yeah. That…” she choked and scrubbed at her face with her handkerchief. “That would have been magical.”

Harper nodded. “I remember wearing a pink dress one day. I was probably around eleven years old. I was so proud of that pink dress. I thought I looked pretty and incredibly fashionable in that dress.”

Talia blinked. “A dress?”

Harper grinned. “A pink dress!”

Curiosity replaced the pain in Talia’s eyes. “What happened?”

“My sister told me that I looked prissy in pink.” Harper laughed with derision. “There was such disdain in her voice when she’d said it.” She turned to look at Talia. “I didn’t wear pink for ten years afterward.” She nodded. “Older sibling superpowers,” she explained, watching as Talia’s mouth fell open in surprise. “They don’t understand the power they have. Just one disdainful comment eliminated that color from my world for more than ten years.”

“That’s awful!” she whispered. “So…?”

“Yeah, my sister didn’t understand the power she had. I don’t think younger siblings understand their older sibling’s power either. But it manifests itself in many ways. And yet, every time I have a family come into my office, many of them talk about how their kids don’t get along, how the fighting in the house is becoming overwhelming…as soon as I tell this secret to the older sibling, peace reigns supreme. Younger siblings desperately need approval and love from their older counterparts. Most of them don’t figure that out until they reach adulthood.” She turned to look at Talia. “You and Orella never reached that understanding. And I doubt she ever hugged you, did she?”

Talia blinked rapidly, but Harper’s words didn’t stop the flow of tears. They spilled over those long lashes, forming a river of diamonds down her cheeks. “You’re right. A hug from Orella would have been…,” she paused, looking down at her hands. “It would have been really nice.”

Harper lightly touched the other woman’s forearm. “Talia, its okay to be angry with your sister. And it’s healthy to admit it. Feel free to admit, if only to yourself, that you are angry with her. For the way she treated you, for the loss of a friendship between you, for the way she died and the selfish way she lived…all of it.” She paused, looking into Talia’s eyes. “I’d encourage you to acknowledge your anger towards your sister, work through it and talk about it, maybe with your brothers because they might feel it as well.” She took Talia’s hand and squeezed it lightly. “Once you get over that anger, I’m betting that you’ll start to remember the good things about Orella. But that won’t happen until you work through the anger.”

Talia smiled, then impulsively, she leaned forward and hugged Harper, squeezing her tightly. “Thank you!” she whispered. A moment later, she released Harper and hurried off, disappearing into one of the hallways that created this massive maze they called a home.

Harper smiled, thinking that the young woman was going to be okay. It might take a while, but eventually, Talia would start to heal. Then she’d remember happy memories of her sister.

Standing up, she was about to head towards the stables again when she froze. There, standing off to the side in the shadows, was Amit. And he was looking at her as if she were some sort of