He's No Angel (Heaven Can Wait Book 1) by Jacquie D'Alessandro Page A

it was expected I would go as well. But I wanted to get away from home, be on my own. And that meant not attending a school where both my parents taught and in a town where my academically gifted siblings had left their legacies.  My ace in the hole was the fact that my dad’s a Yale graduate, so with him in my corner, I eventually won.”
    “Something tells me you’re pretty academically gifted yourself.”
    She shrugged. “I always enjoyed school, the atmosphere of learning, the challenge of discovering something new.”
    “Do your brother and sister still live in Massachusetts?”
    “Yes. They both fulfilled their potential by earning doctorates in their respective fields. Jennifer is a microbiologist and married to the foremost cardiologist in Boston. John is a chemical engineer. His wife is one of my mother’s former students, graduated first in her class and recently made partner at Boston’s most prestigious law firm. So, if you add up my rebellious streak, my appalling lack of a Ph.D., my insignificant job, my disastrous dating history which has subsequently led to my lack of a mate who is tops in his chosen field, I am basically a disgrace to the Heely name.”
    Liam could only shake his head. “Seriously? They all think that?”
    “My uber type-A tiger-mom? Definitely. And she’s always quick to remind me of my failings whenever we speak, so we chat as infrequently as I can manage it. I was never particularly close with Jennifer and John, but some of that stems from the fact that they’re eight years older. Plus they have that whole twin bond between them. So there was never much room for me. The rest of it has to do with the fact that they share my mother’s dim view of my career choice and inexcusable lack of advanced education.”
    Liam could only shake his head and offer up a quick prayer of thanks for his own supportive family. “What about your dad?”
    “We get along very well. He’s respectful of my choices and when we don’t see eye to eye, we simply agree to disagree. He’s your stereotypical absent-minded professor.” She gave a quick laugh. “Very fond of patting the kids on the head and calling us by the wrong name. Until about three years ago his work was his entire life.”
    “What happened three years ago?”
    “He divorced my mother. She didn’t take it well. Six months later Dad met Mandy and three months after that he married her. Mom didn’t take that well, either.”
    “Is Mandy also a scientist?”
    Emma’s lips twitched. “Not even close. Mandy owns a florist shop in Cambridge. One day Dad was lost in thought and wandered into Mandy’s store by mistake. Thought it was the dry cleaner. And the rest, as they say, is history.” She chuckled. “You can imagine my very educated mother’s horror that my dad would take up with someone who’d attended community college. Heh, heh, heh.”
    Liam grinned. “That’s an evil laugh if I’ve ever heard one.”
    “Apparently I have an evil streak.” She raised her brows. “Does that alarm you?”
    “No. I don’t scare easily. Does the fact that I attended community college alarm you ?”
“Not a bit.” One corner of her mouth quirked upward. “I don’t scare easily.”
    “Good. So, do you like Mandy?”
    Emma nodded. “I love her. She’s a few years younger than my dad. Was widowed five years ago and has one grown son who lives in Texas. She’s friendly and fun, energetic and warm, and she smiles all the time. She’s the complete opposite of my very serious, very formidable mother. I’ve never seen my dad so happy. He’s like a little kid who just discovered Santa and candy. It’s really nice to see. Outwardly it might appear they have little in common, but their core values are totally in sync and their personalities complement each other perfectly. She’s fascinated by my dad’s intellect, and he simply adores everything about her. Ying and yang.”
    “Has your mother remarried?”
    “No. As far as I