Mr. Miracle by Debbie Macomber

herself.”
    “You’re attracted to her.” Celeste’s tone implied he might as well transfer straight back to the pearly gates after less than a week on Earth.
    “It’s more a case of her coming on to me,” he assured his mentor. “She asked me to accompany her to the Christmas concert … I made an excuse, said I’d be late, but she insisted on saving a place for me. What do I do?” he pleaded, feeling almost desperate. His heart was pounding and hisbreathing had gone shallow. It was absolutely necessary that he find an excuse to get out of this concert.
    “Well, Harry,” Celeste said, slowly shaking her head. “It seems to me you’ve got yourself into a pickle.”
    That was the last thing he wanted to hear.

Chapter Five

    Although she had twenty-four hours to think it over, Addie knew this situation with Erich was going to be a difficult one. They needed to talk, and frankly, Addie wasn’t looking forward to the conversation. Her steps dragged, her feet heavy, as she crossed the matted winter lawn from her family home to the house in which Erich had been raised.
    Julie Simmons opened the wreath-adorned front door even before Addie had the opportunity to ring the doorbell. Her eyes, the same shade of blue as her son’s, expressed deep relief and gratitude.
    “Erich’s awake,” she whispered. “He’s home from thehospital, but he didn’t have a good night. Because it’s difficult for him to get up and down, he’ll need to sleep in a chair for the next couple of days … maybe longer.”
    In other words, Erich wasn’t in the best of moods. For that matter, neither was Addie. She hadn’t slept well, either, tossing and turning in a futile pursuit of sleep. She glanced at him and saw that both his hands from midway up his fingers to his elbows were in casts, making any kind of movement difficult. Basically, he was helpless.
    The instant she’d made the offer to take care of Erich, her mother and Julie had been filled with grateful relief. They’d gushed with appreciation, thanking her over and over again.
    Addie had assumed she’d feel good about being able to do this for her mother. Quite the contrary. Already she was filled with dread, and her mother and neighbor hadn’t even left for the airport. If Addie hadn’t been able to get along with Erich for the first eighteen years of her life, it seemed crazy to think she would now. Being his caregiver would surely prove to be her worst nightmare.
    And his, too.
    “Come in, come in,” Julie insisted, reaching out and grabbing Addie by the elbow and practically dragging her inside the house. The door slammed in her wake.
    Her reluctance couldn’t have been any more evident.Automatically, her gaze flew to Erich, who sat in the living room in a recliner, his feet raised. A hand-knit afghan covered his legs. Both wrists in their casts rested in his lap. He looked miserable and in pain. One side of his face was bruised, and his lips were swollen.
    “I’ll leave you two to chat,” Julie said, and quickly left the room.
    Addie moved into the living room and stood with her fingers tucked into the back pockets of her jeans.
    “You can sit down if you want,” Erich said. One eye had swollen completely shut, she noticed.
    “Thanks, but no thanks.” Addie preferred to stand. “If you don’t mind, I’d rather stand.”
    “Have it your way.”
    “Your mother must have mentioned my offer.”
    “Yeah, she told me. Am I supposed to be happy about that?”
    His mother was right—Erich was in a rare mood. She swallowed back a retort, doing her best to remember he was in pain and not to take it personally. She bit her tongue and managed to restrain herself from snapping back.
    “I’d rather it be anyone but you,” he said.
    Oh, he liked adding salt to a wound.
    “Trust me, the feeling is mutual.”
    He muttered, “I figured as much.”
    “Isn’t there anyone else who could step in?” she asked.At first she was embarrassed to have been so