Cradling the warm mug, Nikki settled back into the soft cushions of the couch. It was a sturdy old couch, much like the house and Sophie herself. In a world full of chaos and constant moves, Sophie and her Victorian with its wraparound porch had long been a sanctuary to Nikki and her sisters, Tess and Erin. It was the closest thing to home the girls had ever known.
But not for long. Their days in the apartment they shared were numbered. The one thing their mother had done right was to set up an investment fund for each of the girls at birth. In spite of the stock market’s many ups and downs, the funds still managed to accrue a tidy annual yield. With help from that, an unexpected inheritance and the income Nikki had generated since purchasing her animal clinic last year, she’d amassed a down payment and the excellent credit she needed to buy a home of her own.
She glanced at her watch. She’d have to leave soon to meet with her real-estate agent. Since Nikki opened the clinic half the day on Saturdays, she took off Thursday afternoons. For the past three weeks she’d spent her free afternoons house hunting. She hadn’t had much luck in her search, but maybe today would be different.
Sophie settled beside her, nodding at her own cup. “It’s a special herb blend. It’ll chase those blues away.”
Nikki breathed in the steam before taking a long swallow. She’d learned long ago not to ask too many questions about Sophie’s brews. If her aunt said the tea would help, Nikki meant to drink every drop.
“I just don’t get it,” she said, her throat tightening. “Am I such a loser? These guys really like me. You know, I can usually tell what they’re feeling….”
She stopped. Though Sophie had been the first one to point out Nikki’s empathic nature back in the days of her childhood, they hadn’t spoken about it much since then. Perhaps her aunt thought she sounded like some babbling fool.
“You’re wondering why you don’t know in advance that they’re leaving.”
“Well, actually, it’s gotten pretty predictable. You’d think I’d get a clue.”
“It isn’t easy being empathic. Emotions can be misleading and fickle. It’s difficult to tell what you’re tapping into.”
“What is it about me that sends them all running afterward? It isn’t as though I’m trying to tie any of them down. I’d just like a guy to stick around for a little bit.”
“You’re looking at it all wrong. It isn’t that they’re rejecting you. It’s that they’re embracing the world and all it has to offer.” Sophie set her mug on the table, then offered the plate of cakes. “Try a honey cake, dear. It’ll sweeten your disposition.”
Nikki frowned. She wanted to rave and cry. Life was so unfair. She couldn’t seem to keep a guy, and Tess collected them like baubles. “I don’t feel like sweetening my disposition. I want to scream. I’m a good person. I make a decent living and I don’t think I’m so hard on the eyes. All I ask for is a little bit of happiness.”
“Ah, that you’ll have in spades, love.”
Moisture swelled in Nikki’s eyes. “When?”
Sophie patted Nikki’s knee. Her shoulders heaved in a big sigh. “I guess it’s time. I had hoped to coax that sister of mine into telling all of you girls, but she’s always been a little…”
“Flighty? Fickle? Self-indulgent? You can say it, Sophie. It isn’t as though I haven’t figured that out for myself.” The bitterness inside Nikki grew.
She had managed to forget about her mother for a short period of time. Thinking of her now brought on a fresh wave of misery. If only Maggie had been able to settle for just one great love, Nikki wouldn’t have grown up feeling like such a vagabond. Instead Maggie—daughters in tow—had roamed from lover to lover, home to home.
“You’ve never understood her, Nikki. She’s a free spirit, it’s true, but she’s got a huge heart.”
“That she wants to share with as many men as humanly possible?”
“Actually that’s about the gist of it. But what you don’t understand is that she has a special gift she’s granting to each and every one of them.”
“Oh, I know about her ‘gift’ all right.”
“I don’t think so. You don’t understand. How can I explain it? You see, you have this very same gift, love, only in you it seems to be much stronger. It takes a little longer for your mother’s magic to work, but with you…well, it seems you’re a one-shot wonder.”
“I could have told you that.” Nikki stood, then began pacing. Her vision blurred, and she blinked to clear the unwanted moisture from her eyes.
“I don’t mean that in a bad way, dear. It’s quite a marvel, actually. I remember your great-aunt Emma was the same way. Does take some getting used to, but she lived a long, love-filled life.”
“Getting used to?” Nikki stared at her aunt in disbelief. “You’re kidding, right? Because I don’t think I can get used to the idea that the rest of my life will consist of a string of one-night stands. I’ll become celibate first.”
“No, dear, that would be most unfortunate. You have a gift. To keep it to yourself would be a terrible mistake.”
Nikki stopped to stare again at her aunt. “I have the mystifying ability to send men running from my bed. How can you call that a gift?”
“Sit beside me. I’m getting a sore neck looking up at you.” Sophie patted the cushion.
With a shake of her head Nikki settled on the sofa again. Her stomach grumbled and she took a bite of cake.
“I’d wager that each and every one of them left hearty and hale and a world better for sharing your bed.”
Nikki snorted indelicately. “The only one who left a note said he was ready to go out and conquer the world.”
“Exactly.” Sophie beamed.
“Well, great. That makes it all better.”
“You make it all better. You see, the women of this family all share the gift.” Grooves formed between her eyebrows. “The gift does impact one’s life, it’s true. Relationships can be very short-term, especially in your case, and that takes maintaining a certain attitude—the ability to let go when the time comes. The empathic nature can be a terrible burden. Seems the most damaged are drawn to us. But the reward…” Bliss lightened her expression. “Well, hopefully you’ll experience it for yourself. The reward is beyond description. It’s priceless to give so selflessly—to change a life or even save one—with the gift.”
“Sophie, you’ve gone on and on, but you haven’t really told me. What exactly is this gift?”
Sophie took a deep breath and faced her niece. “I’m surprised you haven’t figured it out. It’s the gift of sexual healing, of course.”
SOPHIE WAS NUTS. NIKKI frowned into her rearview mirror as she braked at a stoplight. Sexual healing? Impossible. Ridiculous. Who’d ever heard of such a thing? Sounded like the kind of harebrained excuse her mother might have dreamed up, but how could Sophie buy into it?
Her aunt had been disappointed when Nikki had scoffed at her explanation. Then Nikki had graciously excused herself for her appointment. She was a little early, but for some reason she found the possibility that there might be a small bit of truth to Sophie’s tale most upsetting. Did this mean she was doomed to flit from man to man, following her mother’s rootless path?
God knows, Tess seemed headed that way. Erin was another story, though. Her romantic pursuits had been very low-key up to this point. Yet Sophie had said they’d all inherited the gift. Would they all end up alone in the end?
Exhaling to rid herself of the unsettling