Victim of Deception by Lynn LaFleur Page B

and briefcase from the bookcase and shoved them into her boss’s arms. “Go somewhere and lie down.”
    “You know, I could fire you for this abuse.”
    “No, you couldn’t.” Joy grinned. “I’m indispensable.”
    “That’s true.” Lying down sounded like a wonderful idea. They weren’t getting any work done with her in pain. Shifting her purse and briefcase so she could carry them, she stood. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
    “Only if you’re better.”
    “Yes, Mother,” Karessa said dryly.
    Once in her car, she thumped her fingers against the steering wheel while deciding where to go. Her condo would be the logical choice. No dust, no noise, no interruptions. If she went to the house, the buzz of electric saws and the pounding of hammers wouldn’t let her get any rest.
    Besides, she’d see Max.
    He’d kept his word. She knew he was still working because she’d casually asked Kevin about him, but she never saw him. Going to the house in the middle of the day meant she would surely see him.
    That would be incredibly stupid.
     
     
     
    “I like him.”
    “How can you like him?” Aaron asked. “You know Karessa doesn’t.”
    Mary moved to Max’s right side and watched him swing hishammer. “There’s something…good about him. And Karessa may not like him, but she loves him.”
    “So you think.”
    “So I know .”
    Mary had no doubt of Karessa’s feelings for Max. The problem lay in getting Karessa and Max back together. She didn’t know what had happened between them in the past. Until they got beyond that, they couldn’t have a future together.
    She wanted her great-great-granddaughter to be happy.
    The erotic dreams seemed to be working for Karessa to help her remember Max. Maybe a few erotic memories would work for him, too.
    Mary touched his shoulder. Max jerked and stopped hammering. He whipped his head in her direction, his eyes wide.
    Aaron moved closer to her. “Mary, what are you doing?”
    “Helping him to remember Karessa.”
    “He’s reacting to you. That’s never happened except with a member of our family.”
    “He’ll be a member of our family, Aaron…in time.”
    She closed her eyes and concentrated, letting her energy flow into Max. She could feel him trying to fight it. Refusing to give up, she continued to touch him, telling him with her mind to remember how much he’d loved Karessa.
    How much he still loved Karessa.
    Mary opened her eyes when she felt him lower his arm. His chest rose and fell with a deep breath. She smiled to herself.
    Gotcha .
     
     
     
    Max stopped hammering when Kevin walked up to him. “It’s almost noon. You wanna go with C. J. and me to grab a burger?”
    Food held no appeal at all to Max right now. He didn’t understand that for he rarely missed a meal. “Thanks, but I’m not hungry. I think I’ll keep on working awhile.”
    “Suit yourself. See you later.”
    Max continued nailing two-by-fours into place until he noticed all was quiet in the house. The guys had left for lunch, or were eating outside beneath the huge oak tree in the backyard. That gave him time alone with his thoughts.
    He couldn’t help but think of Karessa since he was in her house. Usually he could push the thoughts away and focus on finding the bond. Not now. Memories filled his head and stayed there, no matter how much he tried to push them aside.
    When he hit his thumb instead of a nail, Max knew it was time to take a break.
    Grabbing a Pepsi from his cooler, he held it against his throbbing thumb as he walked outside to the veranda. A gentle breeze blew from the south, bringing the smell of rain. Thunderstorms were predicted for later today and the rest of the week. He hoped it poured. The rain and gray skies would remind him of his home on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State.
    He’d never planned to settle in the Pacific Northwest. In his line of business, he traveled more than he stayed home. He’d bought a condo in Florida and lived there