"I will endeavor to keep from mentioning it even though I will be laundering the sheets and his wet clothing."
"He would appreciate that. He's asleep now, go on back to bed."
The woman hesitated a little and had him lifting his dark brows.
"Would you like some tea?"
"Absolutely not. I'm fine."
"All right." She nodded her head, curlers bobbing. "Well, have a good night."
"Thanks, Mrs. Paddy." He went into his suite before she could come up with something else to offer him.
She had been with them since David was born. Vincent had left the hiring to his mother and his sister and could not fault their excellent judgment of character. Mrs. Paddy was as reliable as sunrise and kept the household running smoothly.
When he discovered Lizzie was pregnant, he had moved out of his ultra-modern apartment and into a sprawling ranch-type residence. The large grounds, combined with the sparkling stream and stunning view, had sold him into springing for the place. He had wanted his child to be able to run freely around and not have any restrictions when it came to physical activities.
Now he was thinking it was too big for just the two of them. He had envisioned more children, but now that dream was shot to hell. David was going to be his one and only. He was finished with relationships.
He had started seeing women after staying away from them for two years. Now he just took what was offered without getting emotionally attached and he never brought anyone home. He had his son to think about after all. Striding over to the recessed cabinet, he opted for an Irish and poured a full glass. It was going to take all of it to make him shut down for the night.
*****
"What?" Andrew muttered, rubbing his throbbing temple. It felt as if his head was going to explode and he wished fervently that the good Lord would just take him here and now. He felt like crap.
"You know what." Althea, wrapped up from head to toe in her old ratty robe, handed him the concoction she had just made to help him through his misery.
"What is it?" he asked, eyeing the pale green liquid suspiciously.
"Beggars cannot be choosers and if you have any hope of going to court tomorrow, you will drink every drop. What on earth were you thinking?"
She was his dear sister, and he loved her very much, but he wished she would stop talking. Every word she uttered was like spikes driving through his skull.
"Go to bed."
In response, she just slid into the comfortable rocker and tucked in her feet.
"Drink."
"Is there any chance in hell of you just leaving me to my misery?"
"None," she said cheerfully. "And I'm going to add to it by saying I told you so."
"Bitch," he muttered mildly. Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes and opened his mouth and almost gagged. It took everything in him to swallow down the vile concoction and keep it down. He had a feeling the aftertaste was going to linger for days. Weeks.
"If you were planning on poisoning me, there are other ways to do it." Putting the glass down, he leaned back in the chair and closed his eyes.
"You'll start to feel better in a few minutes."
He cocked one eye open to give her a dubious stare. "I doubt that. You've been back for two weeks and already you're starting to boss me around. I missed you when you were gone, but I'm having second thoughts now that you're back."
She merely smiled at him and arched her back to get the kinks out. "She isn't worth one moment of your misery."
He just shrugged. "It's easy for you. You've spent your life nose-deep in your cookbooks and coming up with scrumptious menus. Baking is your thing. Your longest relationship lasted what? Three months and then you kicked the poor guy to the curb. I loved her."
Ignoring the pain his statement brought her, she folded her hands in her lap. "You're a catch. A handsome man with a very successful career as a criminal lawyer. You deserve better than a woman whose entire life was centered around shopping or flitting from one place to the next."
"She's a model; they tend to travel a lot." He sighed at the look on her beautiful face and shook his head. "But you're right. Shelby is shallow and self-centered. I just thought- "
