AllFreeNovel
Share Us
She unlocked the door.
It was a small house, but neat as a pin, and she had some nice appliances.
“Have you had breakfast?” she called as she came back from the bedroom where she’d put her bag and kicked off her shoes. “I usually make something before I go to bed. There’s no time to eat at work.”
“I’d love breakfast. Can I help?”
“You can make the toast. I’ll do the bacon and eggs.”
He grinned. “Butter?”
“Real butter,” she said, pulling it out of the fridge. “Fresh eggs from a lady down the road, and bacon from a man who makes his own and sells it to me.”
“I’ve never seen fresh eggs. Only what comes from the corner grocery back home.”
“In Chicago?” she asked as she pulled out a frying pan. “That’s a very big city.”
“Yeah, I guess it is.”
“Were you born there?”
“No. I’m from Delaware, originally.”
She broke eggs into a bowl. “Parents? Siblings?”
“Both my parents are dead. I had a sister, but she was in a bad wreck three years ago. They couldn’t save her. They really tried,” he added quietly.
“Most medical people do the best they can. But catastrophic injuries are almost impossible to heal.”
“Her organs were . . . well, they were badly damaged,” he said, choosing softer words.
“You won’t shock me, by the way,” she said, glancing at him. “I’m no stranger to injuries.”
“Where do you work?”
“At the local hospital,” she replied. “I’m a nurse.”
“Damn.”
She stopped as the burner heated, and looked at him. “What?”
“Damn! I thought you were a pole dancer.” His dark eyes twinkled. “I was looking forward to seeing you on the job.”
She chuckled. “That’ll be the day. My grandfather was a Methodist minister. My grandmother had been a missionary. I lived with them from time to time. I have very old-fashioned ideas.”
“No messing around, in other words,” he teased.
“Exactly.”
He glanced at her bare feet and laughed. “You don’t like shoes, do you?”
“No. I’m on my feet all night. When I get home, all I want to do is relax.”
“How long?”
“Have I been a nurse, you mean?” she asked. She frowned. “Let me see, I started training when I was in college, and then two years on the unit—five years, I guess.”
“How old did you say you were?” he asked.
