lifestyle. No one but his grandmother had ever tried to do that before. He supposed he ought to appreciate Abbyâs interest in his welfare. If only he believed it was for real.
âOkay, listen. Iâm giving you this as a gift.â He waited until she was looking into his eyes again, then he gave her a grimace of satisfaction. âI stopped at the Hungry Corner and had a three-egg omelet this morning. Satisfied?â
Her eyes actually did light up. âIâm so glad!â
His wide mouth tilted in a half smile. âYes, it appears I may just live another day.â
Abby grinned. âAnd for that, you can thank a chicken, mister.â
Phoebe laughed out loud, and then Danielcouldnât help but join her, with Abby pealing in a moment later.
âYou two,â Phoebe said as she regained her composure. âThe way you do go on. One minute Iâm afraid Iâm going to have to call in a referee to keep you from coming to blows, and the next youâre chortling together like old friends. Make up your minds! Friend or foe?â
âBoth,â Daniel said acidly. âWeâve got issues.â
âDo we?â Abby said, looking surprised.
âYes,â Daniel said firmly. âOnly we canât talk about them.â
She blinked at him, looking blank. âWhy not?â
He shrugged. He couldnât tell her the whole truth. Still, he had to say something. âI donât know. It seems to be a rule or something.â He glared at her, leaving no doubt that he didnât want to go on with this line of conversation.
âOh.â
That obviously left her puzzled. What the hell. She was hardly the Lone Ranger when it came to puzzlement. He was puzzled by everything life was throwing at him right now.
A nurse came in to check Phoebeâs temperature and blood pressure, and Daniel and Abby roseand stepped outside to give her some privacy. They stood side by side, leaning against the hallway wall.
âListen,â he said, giving Abby his hard-as-nails stare, developed over the years to make perps come clean. âTell me about the atomizer.â
âThe atomizer?â Her puzzlement was deepening in a regrettably believable way. âWhat atomizer?â
âThe atomizer used by the clinic.â
Her brow furled, making her look cuter than a beagle puppy, and she thought hard, then shook her head. âI donât know anything about any atomizer,â she told him.
He believed her. He had experience with liars and what they were was exactly what she wasnât.
âYouâve got the new product list printed, donât you?â he asked.
She nodded. âI can look again, but Iâm pretty sure Iâve got a handle on the whole line now, and I havenât seen anything about any atomizer.â
He caught a hint of her scent, and glancing down, his gaze fell on her beautiful mouth and suddenly all thoughts of atomizers faded from his mind. Here she was, pretty in pink and closeenough to grab, and he wanted her so badly he could hardly see straight. Who cared about the clinic? Who cared if her attraction to him wasnât real? He wanted her anyway, wanted her so much he actually glanced at the next-door room, wondering if it was empty, before he caught himself and let out an unpleasant expletive.
âHey,â Abby said, looking disapproving, âwatch out. There are children around.â
For some reason that made him laugh, and she joined in, although it was obvious she had no idea what was so funny. Her gaze met his and something passed between them. Daniel steeled himself. This was no good.
The nurse left and they went back into the room.
âIâve got to get going,â Daniel said to his grandmother.
âMe, too,â Abby said.
Phoebe grabbed her hand, not letting her go. âWait a minute. I have something I want to say. Daniel, did you get that envelope out of the top drawer of the desk in the
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