Introduction

Tori Sanderson has the professional opportunity of a lifetime. If she can prove she's executive material, she's in line for a big promotion. But there's only room for one new account executive, and her co-worker has his eye on the job--and on Tori. Her matchmaking sisters have a handsome handyman in mind for her. But how can she consider romance when she couldn't hold on to the one man who was supposed to love her forever--her own father? The time has come for answers, and Tori decides to search out the father who deserted her twelve years ago. While Tori may find the answers she craves, will she ever be able to love again? A heartwarming story of sisters, retail therapy, and love that endures, Third Time's a Charm is the satisfying conclusion to Virginia Smith's SISTER-TO-SISTER series.

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Excerpt

Chapter 1

One sign was certain to drive even the most pressing appointment

right out of a girl's head: Today Only-All Shoes

15% Off. The bright red letters snagged Tori Sanderson's

gaze as she speed-walked through the mall toward the

exit, an elegantly wrapped box clutched in her arms. She

skidded to a halt before the exclusive store. The last time

she shopped here, she'd tried on a darling pair of Bournes

that had haunted her dreams since she walked out without

them. If her sister Allie hadn't been with her at the time,

she would have bought them in addition to the two pairs

that went home with her. But Allie wasn't here now. Tori

glanced down at the pumps on her feet. They looked okay

with this new dress, but those Bournes would be perfect.

She glanced at her watch. Two o'clock. The bridal shower

started in one hour, and the drive from Lexington to Danville

would take about forty minutes. If she'd known about

the sale, she would have left the office at noon. Or maybe

she would have skipped work completely. Some people

didn't come in at all on Saturday.

But, of course, those people didn't work for Kate Bowman.

Tori thrust thoughts of the office out of her mind. She

spent far too much time at work, and even more time worrying

about her job when she wasn't there. Anybody who

worked as hard as she did deserved a reward. And was there

a better reward anywhere than a new pair of shoes?

She tucked her sister's shower gift under her arm and

tilted her chin in the air as she pressed her way into the

crowded shoe store.

Ninety minutes later Tori marched up the sidewalk and

mounted the stairs to Allie's front door, then paused to

examine the dim reflection in the storm door glass. With

nervous fingers, she plucked at her hem and guided a stray

ringlet back into the Shirley Temple mass on her head.

What was the matter with her? Why didn't she just dash

into the mall, pick up Joan's gift, and run straight back to

the car? She aimed a smile at the shoes on her feet. They

were absolutely adorable, and the matching belt had been

on sale too. But she should have ignored the sale sign.

Then she could have gotten here in time to pretend to

be enthusiastic about Joan's wedding and help set up for

this party.

No, it wasn't the shoe store. It was her job. If she had a

normal job, she wouldn't be working every Saturday. She

would have been here this morning, blowing up balloons

or something, and she wouldn't feel like such a loser of a

sister now. Kate's constant demands were taking over her

personal life lately, and she didn't like it one bit. But what

else could she do? Advertising was a fiercely competitive

business. If she slacked off even a little bit at work, she'd

find herself removed from the prestigious customer accounts

and assigned to something dull and unimportant,

like Lawton Lawn Service.

Besides, Allie probably didn't need her help planning a

bridal shower. No doubt her super-organized oldest sister

had everything under control, as always. She probably

recruited Gram to bake cookies or other goodies, much

better than the bag of Oreos Tori would have grabbed at

the store if she'd been put in charge of snacks. Allie could

handle anything: the food, the decorations, those silly

games you had to play at showers. Besides, both Joan and

Allie knew she'd been working on a big project the past

few months. They didn't expect her help.

And hopefully they didn't suspect her lack of help with

the shower was because of her lack of support for the wedding.

They wouldn't think that, would they? No, they

wouldn't.

Tori clutched at the shoulder strap of her handbag. So

why did she feel like such a slouchy sister?

A burst of muffled laughter sounded from inside the

house. The party was under way, and she was missing it.

Tori squared her shoulders and opened the door.

Inside, a jumble of clutter and chatter greeted her. Folding

chairs lined the perimeter of Allie's tiny living room,

each one occupied. Wall-to-wall women, all of them talking

and laughing and sipping something orangey out of

plastic punch cups. Tori stopped just inside the doorway

and scanned the room for a familiar face.

"Tori!"

Joan jumped off the sofa and crossed the room in two

steps. Tori found herself pulled into an embrace.

"I'm sorry I'm late." She held on to her middle sister for

an extra couple of seconds.

Joan returned her hug. "You're just in time. Allie has

been hinting at some embarrassing game she's planning

to play, and I need an ally." She pushed Tori back, hands

clutching her arms as her gaze swept downward. "Look

at that dress. On most women it would look like a baggy

T-shirt, but on you it's fantastic."

A rush of warmth for her sister thawed the edges of Tori's

discomfort. Nobody could spend more than a minute in

Joan's company and feel uncomfortable. She exuded happiness,

especially since she met her fiancé, a doctor who

moved to town last year. Of course, the guy's good looks

were spoiled by an over-the-top attitude about religion,

in Tori's opinion. An attitude that seemed to be spreading

through the Sanderson family at an alarming rate.

"This is for you." Tori thrust her gift into Joan's hands.

"I hope you like it."

"What a gorgeous package." Joan ran a finger over the

elaborate silver bow. "Go grab some punch while I put this

in the other room. Allie and Gram are in the kitchen."

Tori picked her way across the room, nodding a smile

at the chatting women. She recognized a few faces. Most

of these women went to the church where Tori and her

sisters had been raised, and where they still attended.

"Hey, long time no see." Eve Tankersley scooted her

folding chair sideways a few inches to allow Tori to squeeze

through. "We've missed you at church. Where've you been

lately?"

Tori shrugged as she angled through the opening. "Working,

mostly."

She escaped to the kitchen without having to offer any

further excuses. When she stepped through the doorway,

Allie pounced on her.

"There you are! It's about time. Here. " She thrust a

plastic container into Tori's hands. "Get a tray out of the

cabinet above the dishwasher and arrange these brownies

on it."

Tori stuck her lower lip out and sniffed loudly. "It's nice

to see you too."

Allie paused in the act of reaching for the sink. She returned

to squeeze Tori's shoulders in a quick hug. "Sorry,

I'm doing the headless chicken dance right now. It is good

to see you." She whirled away.

"Hello, Tori." Gram started to rise from her seat at the

small table, but Tori hurried to her side to save her the effort.

Gram had recovered enough from breaking her hip last

year that she no longer used a walker, but she still winced

often and moved more slowly than before.

Tori pressed a kiss into a soft cheek. "Hi, Gram."

Wrinkled eyelids drooped over the blue eyes turned up

toward her. "We missed you again last week. Sunday dinner

isn't the same without the whole family there."

"I missed you too." Tori sidestepped Allie to retrieve

the tray. "My job is crazy busy right now. Sundays are the

only day I seem to be able to get any work done, when the

phone isn't ringing constantly and someone isn't poking

their head into my cubicle every few minutes."

Gram's mouth drew into a puckered line. "You shouldn't

work on Sundays. It's supposed to be a day of rest."

Tori had a flash of irritation over the lecture, but it evaporated

as quickly as it came. Gram meant well. "I know, but

apparently my boss doesn't believe in rest." Work wasn't a

subject she wanted to discuss right now, certainly not with

Gram, so she changed the subject. "Where's Mom?"

"In the nursery, rocking the baby."

Tori brightened. Ten-month-old Joanie could sweeten

even the sourest mood. "Oh, goodie! I want to go play

with my niece."

She tossed the tray and brownie container onto the

table. Before she'd taken half a step toward the doorway,

Allie gripped her arm and pulled her to a stop.

"Oh, no you don't. Mom's trying to get her down for

a nap. If you go in there, you'll just get her all riled up

again and we'll never get anything done." She gave Tori a

gentle shove toward the table. "Now get cracking on those

brownies. We have to hurry up in here so we can go wrap

Joan in toilet paper." view abbreviated excerpt only...

Discussion Questions

1. At work, Tori is thrown into competition with a co-worker for a promotion. What's the reason for pitting Tori and Mitch against each other? Does the strategy work?

2. Tori is attracted to Ryan physically, but she resists. Why is she so hesitant to enter into a relationship with him?

3. She is also attracted to Mitch. Do office romances ever work out? What happens to convince Tori that a relationship with Mitch is not desirable?

4. When faced with the choice between obeying her boss's directive and alerting a client to a potential mistake, Tori struggles to know what to do. Did she make the right decision? Have you ever been placed in a similar situation?

5. Ryan allows himself to be guided by Joan and Allie in his romantic pursuit of Tori. What finally makes him stop listening to their advice? Were they right to feed him bits of information that would give him an edge in winning her affections?

6. Phil Osborne doesn't talk about his faith at the office, but Tori notices a framed Bible verse on his desk. Why isn't she surprised to discover that Phil is a Christian? Should Christians display their faith in a professional office environment?

7. Gordy's approach to the lessons learned from the biblical account of Jesus washing His disciples' feet is a bit unorthodox. Was it effective? Is it acceptable to teach deep biblical truths by relating them to popular trends, such as Guitar Hero?

8. When Tori searches for her father on the Internet, she's surprised to discover how much personal information is available. Discuss some pros and cons of having this type of informational publically available at the click of a mouse.

9. Tori tells Joan she does not intend to marry, because she doesn't want to risk a painful divorce like her parents. How deeply do our parents' marital difficulties affect our own romantic relationships?

10. Tori's dislike for Joan's fiancé has ballooned over the course of the three books in the Sister-to-Sister series. What finally makes her see Ken in a new light?

11. Tori wrestles with a variety of emotions about her father's desertion. Identify them, and discuss the impact those feelings have on her decisions as an adult.

12. Patricia Parker made a demand several years before the opening of Third Time's a Charm that impacted the lives of all the Sanderson sisters. How did this demand affect each of Tom Sanderson's daughters?

13. When the book opens, Tori places a lot of emphasis on designer clothes. How does her attitude toward shopping and clothes change, and why?

14. If you've read all three books in the Sister-to-Sister series, which sister did you relate to most closely-Joan, Allie, or Tori?

Weblinks

»	Author Virginia Smith's web site

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