perfect or not.”
Michael laughed. “True enough. Except then you’d have to rely on other people to tell you whether it was really any good or not. I don’t think I would like that.”
too soon FoR Love 83
By the time he’d finished his second glass of wine, Michael’s mood had mellowed and his eyelids were feeling heavy. Paperwork was the last thing he felt like doing. Still, that was why he’d invited Alan over.
Oh, really? A little voice in Michael’s head whispered. Is it really?
Of course it was. He slammed a door on that snarky little whisper and pushed back his chair.
“If you’re finished, we can move to the study.”
“Sounds good.” Alan’s chair scraped back. “If I top off our glasses that should kill the wine.”
They had just returned to the study and settled on the couch when the doorbell rang.
“Expecting someone?” Alan asked.
Michael shook his head. “No, I have no idea who that could be.”
Setting his glass on the end table, he rose. “I’ll be right back.”
He opened the door cautiously, not because it was especially late or because the neighborhood was dangerous. It wasn’t. He was just always cautious about opening the door to someone he wasn’t expecting.
“Hi, sweetie, it’s me, Karen.”
“Yeah? Karen who?”
He made it sound like a joke, like he always did. Phil’s sister never seemed to get that after knowing her for twelve years he could recognize her voice.
“Oh, Michael.” Karen laughed, just like she always did.
“What are you doing here?” With little choice, Michael stepped back and opened the door so she could come in.
“Didn’t you get my message?” She brushed past him. “I called you yesterday and said I’d be by tonight to help you get the estate stuff together for the lawyer. Tell me you didn’t get my message.”
84 Kimberly Gardner
“I didn’t get your message.” He did his best to quell his irritation. It wasn’t her fault he hadn’t listened to his messages in days.
“It doesn’t matter. I’m here now so—”
“No, really, it’s a shame. I could have saved you a trip. I’ve got the estate under control and I’m going to call the lawyer tomorrow and make the appointment.”
“How can you have it under control?”
Michael heard Alan’s footsteps, heard him join them in the foyer.
“Oh,” Karen said. “I didn’t realize you had company.”
“Hi, Karen. How’ve you been?”
There was a pause then Karen laughed. “Oh, Alan, I didn’t even recognize you without your scrubs. What are you doing here?”
“Alan’s giving me a hand with the mail and the other paperwork. That’s what I meant when I said I had it under control.” He wanted her to leave, but politeness won out. “Would you like something before you go? Coffee or tea? I think the wine is all gone or—”
“No, thanks. I don’t want to put you to any trouble.”
He didn’t say it was no trouble. Politeness only stretched so far. And he was getting a weird vibe from her. What was that about?
He heard her putting her coat back on. Good.
“Well, I guess I’ll see you later, Michael.” Karen leaned in enveloping him in a Chanel-scented cloud and kissed his cheek.
“You too, Alan. It was nice seeing you.”
The two men stood in the foyer, listening as she started her car and drove off.
“She didn’t sound like it was especially nice to see me,” Alan said.
“No, she didn’t.” Michael’s lips twitched as he realized how too soon FoR Love 85
this must have looked to Phillip’s sister. “I think she didn’t like finding me here with … with you.”
He’d been about to say finding me here with a man, but that seemed wrong somehow. Not that there was anything wrong with him having a friend over.
“If this is going to be a problem for you, me helping you, I mean …”
“Why would it be a problem for me?”
“I don’t want to cause trouble with your family.”
“They’re Phillip’s family. And it’s not
Michael laughed. “True enough. Except then you’d have to rely on other people to tell you whether it was really any good or not. I don’t think I would like that.”
too soon FoR Love 83
By the time he’d finished his second glass of wine, Michael’s mood had mellowed and his eyelids were feeling heavy. Paperwork was the last thing he felt like doing. Still, that was why he’d invited Alan over.
Oh, really? A little voice in Michael’s head whispered. Is it really?
Of course it was. He slammed a door on that snarky little whisper and pushed back his chair.
“If you’re finished, we can move to the study.”
“Sounds good.” Alan’s chair scraped back. “If I top off our glasses that should kill the wine.”
They had just returned to the study and settled on the couch when the doorbell rang.
“Expecting someone?” Alan asked.
Michael shook his head. “No, I have no idea who that could be.”
Setting his glass on the end table, he rose. “I’ll be right back.”
He opened the door cautiously, not because it was especially late or because the neighborhood was dangerous. It wasn’t. He was just always cautious about opening the door to someone he wasn’t expecting.
“Hi, sweetie, it’s me, Karen.”
“Yeah? Karen who?”
He made it sound like a joke, like he always did. Phil’s sister never seemed to get that after knowing her for twelve years he could recognize her voice.
“Oh, Michael.” Karen laughed, just like she always did.
“What are you doing here?” With little choice, Michael stepped back and opened the door so she could come in.
“Didn’t you get my message?” She brushed past him. “I called you yesterday and said I’d be by tonight to help you get the estate stuff together for the lawyer. Tell me you didn’t get my message.”
84 Kimberly Gardner
“I didn’t get your message.” He did his best to quell his irritation. It wasn’t her fault he hadn’t listened to his messages in days.
“It doesn’t matter. I’m here now so—”
“No, really, it’s a shame. I could have saved you a trip. I’ve got the estate under control and I’m going to call the lawyer tomorrow and make the appointment.”
“How can you have it under control?”
Michael heard Alan’s footsteps, heard him join them in the foyer.
“Oh,” Karen said. “I didn’t realize you had company.”
“Hi, Karen. How’ve you been?”
There was a pause then Karen laughed. “Oh, Alan, I didn’t even recognize you without your scrubs. What are you doing here?”
“Alan’s giving me a hand with the mail and the other paperwork. That’s what I meant when I said I had it under control.” He wanted her to leave, but politeness won out. “Would you like something before you go? Coffee or tea? I think the wine is all gone or—”
“No, thanks. I don’t want to put you to any trouble.”
He didn’t say it was no trouble. Politeness only stretched so far. And he was getting a weird vibe from her. What was that about?
He heard her putting her coat back on. Good.
“Well, I guess I’ll see you later, Michael.” Karen leaned in enveloping him in a Chanel-scented cloud and kissed his cheek.
“You too, Alan. It was nice seeing you.”
The two men stood in the foyer, listening as she started her car and drove off.
“She didn’t sound like it was especially nice to see me,” Alan said.
“No, she didn’t.” Michael’s lips twitched as he realized how too soon FoR Love 85
this must have looked to Phillip’s sister. “I think she didn’t like finding me here with … with you.”
He’d been about to say finding me here with a man, but that seemed wrong somehow. Not that there was anything wrong with him having a friend over.
“If this is going to be a problem for you, me helping you, I mean …”
“Why would it be a problem for me?”
“I don’t want to cause trouble with your family.”
“They’re Phillip’s family. And it’s not
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