Free 3 Men and a Body by Stephanie Bond Page A

exciting to me. I
    know my life has certainly picked up since I met you and
    Wesley.”
    “Exciting isn’t quite the same as glamorous.”
    “Neiman’s is a pretty glamorous place to work, isn’t it?”
    “It has its moments,” she agreed. “But most of the time I
    feel like I’m on the outside looking into the lives of other
    glamorous people.”
    “You have something better than glam,” he said. “You
    have strength and character. I don’t know many women
    who would give up everything to raise a younger sibling on
    their own.”
    She looked at Coop and shook her head. “You give me too
    much credit. I didn’t raise Wesley out of a sense of
    nobility. My parents didn’t leave me a choice.”
    “You had a choice. You could have abandoned him,” he
    said quietly, “like they did.”
    “I’d never do that,” she stated, her voice tight.
    “Exactly. That’s why you’re worth a dozen of those empty
    girls who have too much money and too much time on
    their hands.”
    “But I used to be like Kiki Deerling,” she murmured. “I
    guess that’s why I relate to her.”
    “Your parents were that wealthy?”
    She nodded. “Or at least they lived like they were. Wesley
    and I had a British nanny. My parents bought the best of
    everything—cars, jewelry, art, vacations. My dad had a
    private plane. We even had a chef.”
    “Wow, I had no idea.”
    “When the charges were brought against my father and he
    was fired, my family lost everything. We moved to the
    town house where Wesley and I live now. They put it in my
    name to protect it from being seized, so at least we had a
    place to live after they…left.”
    “It was paid for?”
    She nodded. “But several years ago I had to take out a
    home equity loan to buy a new heating and air-
    conditioning unit, replace the kitchen appliances and get
    caught up on bil s. I’m stil paying it off.”
    “I didn’t mean to pry.”
    His pained expression tugged at her heart. “It’s okay. I
    don’t know why I’m unloading on you.”
    “It’s my big, broad shoulders,” he said rueful y. “Happens
    all the time.”
    She smiled at his attempt to lighten the mood. “So when
    was the last time you had a vacation?”
    “I can’t remember. But I take off a couple of days a week
    to go hiking, or attend a film festival, or whatever looks
    fun.”
    “You seem content.”
    He nodded. “I am, mostly.”
    “Do you miss your old job?”
    “As chief medical examiner? I see you’ve been informed of
    my checkered past.”
    “Just the CliffsNotes version. And none of it was told in an
    unkind way.”
    He lifted his shoulders in a philosophical shrug. “I do miss
    being the chief M.E. sometimes. Dr. Abrams and I didn’t
    see eye to eye when we worked together at the morgue.
    Stil don’t. But he’s been good enough to contract me for
    body hauling. It keeps me on the periphery of doing what I
    love, what I’m good at.”
    “Sounds like you’re good at lots of things.”
    A sly smile curved his mouth. “You don’t really expect me
    to brag, do you?”
    “No. That’s not your style.”
    “I have a style?”
    “Yeah,” she said, angling her head. “You’re…understated.”
    “Oh, gee, that’s just what every man wants to hear.”
    She laughed. “I meant it as a compliment.”
    “No, I like it,” he said, pul ing on his chin. “I think I’l put it on a T-shirt.”
    She laughed harder. From her bag, her cel phone rang.
    She glanced at the display screen and bit her lip. It was
    Hannah, who’d made it abundantly clear that she wasn’t
    happy about Carlotta being alone with Coop all weekend
    at the beach. “I need to get this,” she murmured, then
    flipped up the phone. “Hel o?”
    Stony silence rang over the line.
    “Hel o?” Carlotta said, louder.
    Silence.
    Carlotta sighed. “Okay, be that way.” She flipped the
    phone closed, shaking her head.
    “What was that all about?”
    “Hannah. She was cal ing to let me know she’s stil