"Bennett, Cherie - Sunset Island 009 - Sunset Scandal" - читать интересную книгу автора (Bennett Cherie)

"You're right," Emma sighed. "I'll just have to wing it."
Altogether too soon they reached the first house they were going to try. It was a modern structure made of wood and glass with a wraparound deck. Emma took a deep breath. "Here goes," she said under her breath, and marched up to the front door. She lifted Katie up so that she could ring the bell.
"Yes?" A slender woman with short brown hair answered the door. She wore white shorts and held a tennis racquet in her hand.
"Hello," Emma said in what she hoped was a pleasant voice. "I'm Emma Cresswell, and I'm here representing COPE. COPE
isЧ"
"Katie Hewitt!" the woman cried, bending down to the little girl. "I'm Jennifer Tolan's aunt! I remember you from last summer! And you've grown so much!"
"Is Jennifer here?" Katie asked excitedly.
"She's coming up next week," the woman said. "I'm sure you'll see her at the club." The woman stood up. "I'm Leslie Dar-rington," she said, reaching out to shake Emma's hand. "My niece, Jennifer, was up here last summer and she just fell in love with Katie! In fact, Jennifer's parents are friends of Jeff and Jane."
"I'm their au pair," Emma said.
"Right!" Leslie said, nodding. "I remember seeing you last summer. Come on in!"
Emma and Katie entered the cool front hallway, and Emma quickly explained about COPE and their fundraising drive.
"Well, sure I'll give you a donation," Leslie said. "Let me get my checkbook out." She rummaged through her purse, which sat on a small marble table under a mirror, and
quickly scribbled a check. "There," she said, handing it to Emma. "I hope that helps."
"Yes, thank you so much," Emma said, sliding the check into her pocket.
"Happy to help," Leslie said.
"Can Jennifer come and play when she gets here?" Katie asked.
"Sure thing!" Leslie agreed. 'Til have her call you, okay?"
"Okay!" Katie echoed happily, waving good-bye.
"She was nice," Katie said as she and Emma walked back to the street.
"You, young lady, are one great sales tool!" Emma said laughingly. She pulled the check out of her pocket. It was for one hundred dollars. Although to Emma this was a piddling amount of money, the people from COPE had told them that they probably wouldn't get donations of more than twenty dollars.
"Katie, we are off to a great start!" Emma said, squeezing the little girl's hand.
"Did I help?" Katie asked.
"Big time!" She felt so much better! It hadn't been nearly as hard as she'd expected it to be.
"Okay, here we go again," she said a couple of minutes later as they walked up a stone path toward a white clapboard house with light blue trim.
"This house is pretty," Katie decided.
"It looks a lot like yours," Emma observed as she knocked on the front door. A middle-aged man with thinning blond hair answered the door. "Yes?" he asked in a guarded voice.
"Hello," Emma began, "I'm Emma CresswellЧ"
"If you're another friend of Sheila's, she's not here," he said curtly.
Emma was taken aback. She had no idea what he was talking about. "Uh, no, I'm not a friend of Sheila's," she answered.
"Well, you look like her friends," he growled, eyeing Emma's expensive designer outfit. "You all spend a small fortune on clothes."
"Look, I don't even know who Sheila is," Emma said stiffly.
"My daughter," the man informed her. "So if you're not here for Sheila, then what?"
Emma took a deep breath. This was not going to be easy. "I'm here for COPE," she began. "COPE is an organization thatЧ"
"I know what COPE is," the man interrupted. "It's that crazy bunch of malcontents. There was an article in The Breakers about them last summer," he added, naming the island's only newspaper.
"They-^I mean we are certainly not malcontents," Emma said in her frostiest voice. "It just so happens that there are some very poor people on this island who lost the little they had during the hurricane, andЧ"
"Look, IrmaЧ" the man cut in.
"Emma," Emma corrected him in a steely tone.
"Whatever," the man sniffed dismissively. "The deal is, you're here trying to get a handout for these people, am I right?"
"I certainly wouldn't refer to it as a handout," Emma began.
"I worked for every penny I ever made," the man interrupted Emma again, "and I expect the rest of the world to do likewise. Get it?"
"Got it," Emma replied. She looked him over coolly, in the supercilious tradition of her mother, the inimitable Kat. "Thank you so much for your valuable time," she added, her voice dripping false sincerity. Emma
grabbed Katie's hand and turned on her heel.
"But he didn't give us any money!" Katie protested.
"And he's not likely to, either," Emma said, trying to put some distance between herself and the horribly rude man.
"But I thought people were supposed to give you money," Katie said.
"It's their choice," Emma explained. "They don't have to contribute if they don't want to."
Katie walked along in silence for a moment. "You could have my allowance," she finally said.
Emma smiled down at her. "You are a good person, Katie Hewitt."
Katie grinned back up at her. "You are a good person, too, Emma Cresswell."
Emma laughed. She couldn't stay upset at that rude man for very long with Katie by her side.