Free Feels Like Family by Sherryl Woods Page A

you think I was anything before that?” he inquired.
    “Because you’d just graduated from the Atlanta Culinary Institute when Dana Sue hired you. Unless you’re a very slow learner, which I doubt is the case, you must have done something before you went there.”
    He seemed increasingly uncomfortable with the direction of the conversation. “Look, the only reason we’re herein Wharton’s is so you can get whatever’s bothering you off your chest,” he reminded her. “This isn’t supposed to be about me.”
    “But you’re so much more interesting, or at least your reaction is. What are you hiding, Erik?”
    He regarded her incredulously. “What makes you think I’m hiding something? And what exactly do you think I’m hiding? Some nefarious past as a bank robber, perhaps? Or maybe you think I’m AWOL from the marines?”
    “I’m an attorney. I deal in facts. I try not to have any preconceived ideas, which is why I’m asking you.” She tilted her head and noted the closed expression on his face. “You know what I find absolutely fascinating?”
    “Not a clue.”
    “You’ve gone all secretive and strong, silent type all of a sudden. Why is that, especially if you have nothing to hide?”
    “No particular reason other than not liking to dwell on the past,” he said, his tone indifferent, but a tic in his jaw suggested he was anything but indifferent.
    “Well, just so you know, it’s the kind of thing that kicks a lawyer’s curiosity into high gear. The art of a successful cross-examination depends on being able to read body language and expressions.” She surveyed him lingeringly, then added, “I’m considered to be very, very good at it.”
    “It’s hardly the big deal you’re trying to turn it into,” he said. When she continued to pin him with her gaze, he finally shrugged. “Okay, here’s the condensed version. I was an EMT. I decided it was time for a change. There’s not a lot of drama in that.”
    Helen was less surprised by the revelation than she probably should have been. It explained a lot about how observant he was when it came to Dana Sue’s monitoringher diabetes and the close eye he always kept on Annie and her eating patterns. Still, it didn’t seem as if it were something he’d want to hide, yet he’d obviously been very reluctant to reveal it. She couldn’t help wondering why.
    “Did you like the work?” she asked.
    “For a long time, yes,” he said, his expression still guarded. “Look, if you’re feeling better, I need to get back to the restaurant.”
    “Running out on me just when things are getting interesting?” She shook her head. “It intrigues me that a man who was trying to dig around in my psyche just minutes ago can’t handle the idea of me asking personal questions.”
    “I wasn’t the one having a public meltdown,” he said. “If you spot me having one, feel free to ask all the questions you want.” He tossed some bills on the table and was gone before Helen could formulate a response.
    She stared after him, then distractedly picked up her spoon and ate the last few bites of her now-melted sundae.
    “Now there goes one very sexy man,” Grace Wharton declared as she joined Helen. “How’d you let him get away?”
    “I think I scared him off,” Helen admitted, vaguely unnerved by how guilty that made her feel. He’d been kind to her and he’d given her an excuse to take a few minutes to gather the composure she’d lost after her conversation earlier with Maddie. What had she done in return? She’d cross-examined him as if he were some kind of criminal.
    “A man like that doesn’t scare too easily,” Grace said. “You didn’t mention marriage or something like that, did you? That’s the only thing I can think of that scares a confirmed bachelor.”
    “The subject of marriage most definitely did not comeup,” Helen assured her. “What makes you think he’s a confirmed bachelor?”
    “I’ve seen just about every single