Free Nearly Departed (Spring Cleaning Mysteries) by JB Lynn Page A

didn't like how he seemed to be laughing at my discomfort or that she was trying to organize my life. "I don't have enough food to feed four, Mom."
    " Of course you do. We brought over the lasagna."
    " Lasagna's my favorite," Smoke said.
    " I thought Dad wasn't supposed to eat the lasagna," I said through gritted teeth and a glued on smile.
    " A little bit won't kill him," my mother assured me, despite the concerns she'd expressed during our lunch time phone call.
    " Don't be such a party pooper, Vicky," Dad chimed in. "You should get that window fixed," he added, examining the shots he'd taken on the viewfinder of his camera.
    Outnumbered, I threw up my hands in surrender, stalked over to the van, and yanked open the door. I grabbed the big bag of debris my newest employee and dinner companion had pulled from the frat boy house. I 'd forgotten how heavy it was, and I stumbled backward as I heaved it out.
    " Let me take that." I hadn't heard him come up behind me, but there he was. I didn't need to look back at him to know he was only inches away.
    " I've got it." I swayed unsteadily beneath the weight for a moment before stumbling toward the garage. "Last time I checked, it's still my life, and I'm entitled to do what I want."
    If he heard me, he had the good sense not to comment. Instead, he followed me into the garage , carrying an overloaded armful of stuff that would have taken me three trips to carry myself. Together we finished unloading the van in record time. Meanwhile my parents went inside to prepare the feast of leftovers.
    I started pulling the supplies we 'd need for the next day from the shelves.
    " I forgot to mention to you earlier that I've got something I've got to do tomorrow morning, so we won't start work until eleven. I'll pay you for the whole day though."
    Smoke grunted a response as he shoved a heavy box of hazardous waste disposal bags out of his way.
    I wasn't sure if he was being agreeable or if he was annoyed I hadn't given him more advance notice. I pretended to examine a shelf, running my hand along its edge. "I need a favor."
    " Name it."
    " Don't tell my parents what happened today."
    " About Detective Reed asking you out?" he teased.
    I still didn 't look at him. "I don't want them to worry. Please don't tell them about the intruder."
    " Don't tell them about the intruder or don't tell them you were assaulted?" He backed up against the wall beside me so that he could see my face.
    I raised my chin defensively and looked him in the eye. "Both."
    " And how are you going to explain this?" He raised a hand to trace the bruise forming beneath my eye.
    My breath caught as his fingers hovered over the injured area, but he didn 't actually touch me. His focus shifted from the shiner to my eyes as he waited for my answer.
    " If they ask, I'll tell them I banged it working in the bathroom. As long as you don't give them a reason to think otherwise, they'll believe it. My klutziness is legendary."
    He lowered his hand but kept that unnerving gaze locked on my face. "It'll cost you."
    I frowned, wondering what the going rate for my parents ' peace of mind would be.
    " I want you to promise me you won't be at the job alone again."
    " That's it?"
    " You were expecting me to ask for something else?"
    I shrugged. "I've never been blackmailed before."
    " Don't think of it as me blackmailing you. Think of it as you developing your self-preservation instincts."
    " It sounded like blackmail."
    " Humor me. Mike would kill me if anything happened to you."
    Before I could ask him just what Mike had said about me, my dad poked his head in to the garage. "Your mother says dinner will be ready in ten minutes."
    Smoke pushed himself off the wall and away from me.
    "Jerry, my son, built all these shelves," Dad boasted. "Pretty impressive, isn't it?"
    " Great use of the space," Smoke replied easily. Picking up the heaviest box of supplies, he walked out to the van.
    " Your mother said you should wash your hands and face