blue polo shirt and jeans, he was definitely worth looking at. They talked about their childhoods, their work, and their dreams. As a bonus, he was well read and opinionated; they found themselves debating current affairs and having some hotly contested opposing views. Then their differences would dissolve in laughter as one or the other quipped and both laughed. And laughter led to sizzling glances and a warm feeling that spread all the way to her toes.
Reluctantly, Kelly broke the spell. “This has been lovely, Brett. I almost don’t want to spoil the evening by asking you what it was you wanted to explain?”
“Then don’t.” He reached over and held her hand again, his thumb brushing the tender spot on her palm. Heat flickered along her arm as awareness of the man enveloped her and she had to shake herself back into reality.
It would be nice to just forget everything and have fun. But his statement about an illegal sale still bothered her and she needed to clear the air. “You more or less accused me of buying stolen goods or maybe of stealing a dress myself. It’s going to niggle at me until I find out what you meant, so spill.”
He sighed and reached for his coffee.
• • •
How do you explain something like this without making your family sound like nut jobs?
Brett wondered, frowning. The last thing he wanted to do right now was to give Kelly a poor opinion of him. He was startled at that thought. After all, he barely knew the woman and already it was important what she thought of him. He found it hard to keep his hands away from hers, and man, that sizzling sensation when he touched her …
Drawing in a deep breath, he started: “I’m an engineer working for a non-profit organization and a lot of my work is overseas. I’ve been out of the country for about five months, working in sub-Saharan Africa. When I came home, I discovered my aunt was in a nursing home.”
He signaled to the waitress for more coffee, waited until she’d filled both their cups and left a selection of little creamer pots, and then went on. “I should back up a bit. My aunt Mary is the only relative I have left besides my sister, Sasha. Aunt Mary is my father’s sister. When I’m away I usually keep in touch, but where this assignment was, well, let’s just say there wasn’t much by way of communications infrastructure.
“Aunt Mary is something of a recluse and aside from myself and Sasha, she doesn’t see many people. Or any people, really. Sasha was supposed to be keeping an eye on her. My sister has just gone through her second divorce and decided to move into the family home while she got herself straight. “
Kelly was watching him, those lovely eyes of hers a deeper blue; he suddenly had the thought that he could spend hours watching them change from lighter to darker blue and to stormy gray, reminding him of the ocean in all its many moods. He drew in a deep breath and shook himself back into the topic at hand.
“So, to cut a long story short, Mary had a bout of pneumonia and Sasha, not being the nurturing type, decided she should go to a nursing home where she could get proper care while she regained her health. Unfortunately, my sister is enjoying having the house to herself and has left Mary in the home far longer than necessary. My aunt has become quite depressed. She’s got the idea that because she’s been under nursing care for so long, there’s really something very wrong with her and that we’re trying to hide it from her.
“She thinks she doesn’t have long to live, which is nonsense. She’s as strong as an ox, and not really all that old, either. She turned 65 last year and Sasha—my sister—and I wanted to have a party for her but she went ballistic and said she didn’t want to have to cope with a houseful of people she hardly knew poking about. But the idea that she’s dying has got into her head.
“Anyway, I’m going to get her home as soon as I can get a proper support system in
Reluctantly, Kelly broke the spell. “This has been lovely, Brett. I almost don’t want to spoil the evening by asking you what it was you wanted to explain?”
“Then don’t.” He reached over and held her hand again, his thumb brushing the tender spot on her palm. Heat flickered along her arm as awareness of the man enveloped her and she had to shake herself back into reality.
It would be nice to just forget everything and have fun. But his statement about an illegal sale still bothered her and she needed to clear the air. “You more or less accused me of buying stolen goods or maybe of stealing a dress myself. It’s going to niggle at me until I find out what you meant, so spill.”
He sighed and reached for his coffee.
• • •
How do you explain something like this without making your family sound like nut jobs?
Brett wondered, frowning. The last thing he wanted to do right now was to give Kelly a poor opinion of him. He was startled at that thought. After all, he barely knew the woman and already it was important what she thought of him. He found it hard to keep his hands away from hers, and man, that sizzling sensation when he touched her …
Drawing in a deep breath, he started: “I’m an engineer working for a non-profit organization and a lot of my work is overseas. I’ve been out of the country for about five months, working in sub-Saharan Africa. When I came home, I discovered my aunt was in a nursing home.”
He signaled to the waitress for more coffee, waited until she’d filled both their cups and left a selection of little creamer pots, and then went on. “I should back up a bit. My aunt Mary is the only relative I have left besides my sister, Sasha. Aunt Mary is my father’s sister. When I’m away I usually keep in touch, but where this assignment was, well, let’s just say there wasn’t much by way of communications infrastructure.
“Aunt Mary is something of a recluse and aside from myself and Sasha, she doesn’t see many people. Or any people, really. Sasha was supposed to be keeping an eye on her. My sister has just gone through her second divorce and decided to move into the family home while she got herself straight. “
Kelly was watching him, those lovely eyes of hers a deeper blue; he suddenly had the thought that he could spend hours watching them change from lighter to darker blue and to stormy gray, reminding him of the ocean in all its many moods. He drew in a deep breath and shook himself back into the topic at hand.
“So, to cut a long story short, Mary had a bout of pneumonia and Sasha, not being the nurturing type, decided she should go to a nursing home where she could get proper care while she regained her health. Unfortunately, my sister is enjoying having the house to herself and has left Mary in the home far longer than necessary. My aunt has become quite depressed. She’s got the idea that because she’s been under nursing care for so long, there’s really something very wrong with her and that we’re trying to hide it from her.
“She thinks she doesn’t have long to live, which is nonsense. She’s as strong as an ox, and not really all that old, either. She turned 65 last year and Sasha—my sister—and I wanted to have a party for her but she went ballistic and said she didn’t want to have to cope with a houseful of people she hardly knew poking about. But the idea that she’s dying has got into her head.
“Anyway, I’m going to get her home as soon as I can get a proper support system in
Similar Books
