"Bennett, Cherie - Sunset Island 011 - Sunset Paradise" - читать интересную книгу автора (Bennett Cherie)

"Me?" Carrie squeaked. "You're inviting me?"
"Actually," Emma said slowly. "I'm inviting you and Sam."
Sam's head snapped around. "Say what?"
"I said Fm inviting the two of you to share the prize with me."
"But you only won a trip for two!" Sam pointed out.
"Yes, but as you so rudely pointed out, I can afford it," Emma said with a grin. "Besides, how could I possibly go without both of you?"
"You mean you'd just pay for the third person?" Sam asked.
"You got it," Emma said. "Now will we have a blast or will we have a blast?"
"Am I dreaming?" Sam cried. "Because if I am, I refuse to ever, ever wake up!"
"How are we going to get the time off, though?" Carrie wondered.
"We have to, that's all," Sam said.
"As far as we're concerned, you can have the time off permanently," Allie told Sam.
"Hey, girls, you were great!" Graham Templeton said, walking over to them.
"Thanks," Sam said, grinning at him.
"You know, when I heard the Flirts' new originals, it really made me want to do more songwriting. I never seem to write when I'm here on the island."
"Right," Claudia said, coming up next to her husband and slipping her arm through his. "I hope he'll feel like writing on a great big yacht, though," she teased him.
"I've decided to go out on Billy Joel's yacht with him for a couple of weeks," Graham told them.
"We're all going," Claudia added. "You, too, Carrie. Billy and Graham can write songs, and you and I can loll in the sun with Christie. There'll be two nannies on board for all the kids, so your life will be easy!"
"I'm going, too?" Carrie asked in surprise.
"Consider it a bonus from us, because you're so terrific," Claudia said, kissing Carrie's cheek.
"Oh, that's . . . that's fabulous!" Carrie said wonderingly.
"If you really mean that, what Carrie would like to do instead is to go to Paradise Island with Emma and me," Sam blurted out.
"Sam!" Carrie hissed.
"Emma just won a trip and she invited us," Sam continued, ignoring Carrie.
"Is that true?" Claudia asked. "Would you rather do that than go with us on the yacht?"
"Well, I . . . I . . ."Carrie stammered.
"Hey, don't put her on the spot," Graham said with a laugh. "You know our Carrie prefers jazz. Now, if it were Wynton Marsa-lis's yacht ..."
"I'm certainly willing to go with you," Carrie told them earnestly. "It's my job."
"This trip isn't part of your job, honest," Claudia told her. "I mean it. There's a huge staff to look after the kids. If you want to go to Paradise Island, go."
"Are you serious?" Carrie asked incredulously.
Claudia laughed. "Bye-bye!" she sang, waving at Carrie.
"How can I thank you? I mean, this is incredible!" Carrie babbled.
Sam was so happy for Carrie. As determined as she was to try to get the time off
from work herself, she really didn't think she had a shot. But at least Carrie would be able to go with Emma.
"Believe me," Claudia continued, "I'm doing you a bigger favor than you know. lan has talked us into inviting his entire bandЧ all the Zit PeopleЧto come with us on the yacht. He says they can't afford to miss the practice time."
"Did . . . did you say lan gets to bring his band?" Allie asked in a hushed voice.
Claudia and Graham turned to the twins, realizing for the first time that they were there.
"You two are in the band, aren't you?" Claudia said.
"We are! We are!" Becky shrieked. "Are you telling me that we're going on a cruise on Billy Joel's yacht?" .
"lan was supposed to get to tell you himself, but the answer is yes," Claudia said with a smile.
Allie and Becky stared at each other for a moment, then grabbed each other and screamed so loudly that Sam had to put her hands over her ears.
"We're going on Billy Joel's yacht! We're going on Billy Joel's yacht!" they screeched, dancing around.
"Gee, isn't Billy Joel over the hill, musically speaking?" Sam teased them.
"Billy Joel is almost as good as Jim Mor-rison," Becky said. "Besides, he's married to Christie Brinkley,"
"You've got to get Dad to say we can go," Allie told Sam, grabbing her arm. "Because I will die if he says no."
"I don't think he'll say no, as long as lan's parents are going," Sam said. "And yes, I'll talk to him," she added.
"You're the greatest!" Becky cried. She turned to her sister. "Let's go tell everybody!"
"But wait for meЧ" Sam began.
"We know, by the door," Allie finished. "See ya in a few!"
Carrie watched as the twins ran back into the crowd. "Whew! One minute they hate you, the next minute they love you. It's nerve-wracking!"