little interest for him. He belonged to the proper club, moved in the proper circles, behaved in a way that was appropriate for an up-and-coming lawyer. But it was all business.
It seemed that he’d spent his whole life working toward something.
In college he’d worked to get into law school.
In law school he’d worked to pass the bar.
Then there was getting into the proper firm.
Then moving up the ladder and achieving partnership.
Jack was close to that partnership now. Ericson, Roberts, and Templeton . It had a nice ring to it. But he was tired of working toward something. When Sandy left, he’d realized he’d paid a price for his single-minded focus.
He’d gone into law to make a difference in people’s lives. He’d wanted to right wrongs and rescue the underdog. Instead he’d ended up working on endless contracts.
Now here he was on an island paradise with his best friend, but things were different between them. Now he just had to figure out what to do about it.
“Karaoke,” Carrie said firmly.
“Why on earth would you want to embarrass yourself like that?” Jack asked.
He wasn’t going to do it, he thought stubbornly. He’d spent a second day doing nothing, but he wasn’t singing in front of strangers.
He gave in to Carrie’s little whims too often. That was the problem. She didn’t realize that there were limits.
Well, there were and tonight they’d reached one. Jack Templeton did not go to karaoke bars—he didn’t drink in them and he certainly didn’t sing in them.
“You are way too old.” She grimaced sadly.
Her constant harping about his inability to have fun and his rapid aging was getting old—older than she seemed to think he was. “May I remind you I was born only two years before you were?”
“There’s old as in age and then there’s old as in spirit. You’ve got one of the oldest spirits I’ve ever met. And we are going to karaoke.”
“Carrie,” he said. Even he could hear the exasperation in his voice. He was sure that Carrie couldn’t miss it. She’d back down.
Instead she pulled her hair back into a ponytail, one that would never make it through the evening, Jack knew from experience. She smiled at him and put on some silver earrings. “You can go out in shorts,” she said. “These things are never formal.”
“Carrington Rose Delany.”
“Uh-oh. I’m always in trouble when you use my whole name.” She kissed his cheek. “Why don’t you tell me what I did now, while we walk over to the karaoke bar?”
She slipped her feet into her sandals.
“I’m not going,” he said.
She never listened to him. That was the infuriating thing about Carrie. Other people jumped when he said jump, but not Carrie.
Never Carrie.
“Okay.” She shrugged her shoulders. “You’re not going. You just stay here and have a nice quiet evening. You could probably use it, what with the work schedule you carry. A man your age can’t be too careful. I mean, men in their thirties have heart attacks all the time. What with the stress you’re under and the fact that you’re out of shape—”
“I most certainly am not out of shape,” he growled.
“Well, I did outrace you. A man in his prime would never have allowed a woman to beat him quite so easily.”
“You did no such thing. I let you win.”
She patted his head. “You just make an early night of it. As a matter of fact, you take the bed again tonight. I was quite comfortable on the floor and your old bones need all the comfort they can get.”
“There’s not a thing in the world wrong with my bones and I’m taking the floor.”
She raised her eyebrows in that maddening way of hers and gave him another one of those patronizing little smiles. “Well, suit yourself. You just go curl up and watch a movie on television. I’m sure there’s some documentary on somewhere. I’ll be quiet when I come in so I don’t wake you. And if I’m not in by the time you get up in the morning, well, I’ll be
It seemed that he’d spent his whole life working toward something.
In college he’d worked to get into law school.
In law school he’d worked to pass the bar.
Then there was getting into the proper firm.
Then moving up the ladder and achieving partnership.
Jack was close to that partnership now. Ericson, Roberts, and Templeton . It had a nice ring to it. But he was tired of working toward something. When Sandy left, he’d realized he’d paid a price for his single-minded focus.
He’d gone into law to make a difference in people’s lives. He’d wanted to right wrongs and rescue the underdog. Instead he’d ended up working on endless contracts.
Now here he was on an island paradise with his best friend, but things were different between them. Now he just had to figure out what to do about it.
“Karaoke,” Carrie said firmly.
“Why on earth would you want to embarrass yourself like that?” Jack asked.
He wasn’t going to do it, he thought stubbornly. He’d spent a second day doing nothing, but he wasn’t singing in front of strangers.
He gave in to Carrie’s little whims too often. That was the problem. She didn’t realize that there were limits.
Well, there were and tonight they’d reached one. Jack Templeton did not go to karaoke bars—he didn’t drink in them and he certainly didn’t sing in them.
“You are way too old.” She grimaced sadly.
Her constant harping about his inability to have fun and his rapid aging was getting old—older than she seemed to think he was. “May I remind you I was born only two years before you were?”
“There’s old as in age and then there’s old as in spirit. You’ve got one of the oldest spirits I’ve ever met. And we are going to karaoke.”
“Carrie,” he said. Even he could hear the exasperation in his voice. He was sure that Carrie couldn’t miss it. She’d back down.
Instead she pulled her hair back into a ponytail, one that would never make it through the evening, Jack knew from experience. She smiled at him and put on some silver earrings. “You can go out in shorts,” she said. “These things are never formal.”
“Carrington Rose Delany.”
“Uh-oh. I’m always in trouble when you use my whole name.” She kissed his cheek. “Why don’t you tell me what I did now, while we walk over to the karaoke bar?”
She slipped her feet into her sandals.
“I’m not going,” he said.
She never listened to him. That was the infuriating thing about Carrie. Other people jumped when he said jump, but not Carrie.
Never Carrie.
“Okay.” She shrugged her shoulders. “You’re not going. You just stay here and have a nice quiet evening. You could probably use it, what with the work schedule you carry. A man your age can’t be too careful. I mean, men in their thirties have heart attacks all the time. What with the stress you’re under and the fact that you’re out of shape—”
“I most certainly am not out of shape,” he growled.
“Well, I did outrace you. A man in his prime would never have allowed a woman to beat him quite so easily.”
“You did no such thing. I let you win.”
She patted his head. “You just make an early night of it. As a matter of fact, you take the bed again tonight. I was quite comfortable on the floor and your old bones need all the comfort they can get.”
“There’s not a thing in the world wrong with my bones and I’m taking the floor.”
She raised her eyebrows in that maddening way of hers and gave him another one of those patronizing little smiles. “Well, suit yourself. You just go curl up and watch a movie on television. I’m sure there’s some documentary on somewhere. I’ll be quiet when I come in so I don’t wake you. And if I’m not in by the time you get up in the morning, well, I’ll be
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