Free Apple Turnover Murder by Joanne Fluke

there’s Marge. She’s got a big heart and she wants to help everybody. And I think Patsy’s the same way. It makes me feel good to be around people like that.”
    Hannah smiled. “So you changed your mind about living in Lake Eden?”
    “What do you mean?”
    “When you first moved here, you thought it was too small, that it would be like living in a fishbowl.”
    Mike shrugged. “Well, it
is
like living in a fishbowl. But I really don’t mind. I like almost everybody here in Lake Eden.”
    “Everybody?” Hannah couldn’t resist teasing him a little.
    Mike shrugged. “I said almost everybody. I even like Bertie Straub … in small doses.”
    Hannah laughed. Bertie wasn’t shy about giving people advice, and she didn’t have a tactful bone in her body. She’d decided that her niece was the right woman for Mike even though Mike wasn’t interested. And every time she saw Mike, she tried to force the issue.
    Mike opened the hall closet, glancing inside, and shut it again. Then he checked out the kitchen and the laundry room. “Everything looks good,” he told her.
    “Great. Thanks for coming in to check.” Hannah led him to the door, but she didn’t open it. Instead, she stepped closer and gave him a little hug. It was intended as a thank-you hug, the kind of hug you’d give your brother-in-law if he’d just fixed your garbage disposal. But Mike must not have recognized the imaginary blue band around the generic hug, because he pulled her up tight against him and tipped her face up to kiss her.
    Uh-oh, he’s got the wrong idea
, Hannah thought as their kiss deepened. And a few seconds later, she thought,
Uh-oh, he’s got the RIGHT idea!
And she knew she’d better break things up quickly.
    “Sorry,” Mike said, stepping away before she could even consider how to achieve the same result.
    “That’s okay,” Hannah said, hoping the little quaver in her voice didn’t give away how captivated she’d been.
    “I’d better go now, while I still can.” Mike walked to the door and turned. “You know I love you, don’t you?”
    Hannah nodded. She knew Mike loved her … in his own way. She loved him too, but Mike’s love wasn’t exactly monogamous. Of course her love wasn’t exactly monogamous either since she also loved Norman. It was … complicated. Very complicated.
    “I’ve got no right loving you. Not when I’m such a jerk.” Mike stopped speaking and sighed deeply. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me, Hannah. You’re the best thing that’s happened to me since my wife died, and I keep goofing it up right and left. It’s like I don’t want to succeed in love again. And as long as I’m fickle, I don’t have to try.”
    Hannah didn’t know what to say. Mike was being brutally honest. Everything he’d said was true. “I … I think I understand,” she said.
    “You’re too good for me, Hannah. If you hook up with me, I’m just going to break your heart. You should marry Norman. He loves you. I’m sure about that. Norman’s a really nice guy and he’ll treat you right.”
    Again, Hannah was at a loss for words. She just stared at Mike, wondering what he’d say next. And then she realized what he’d already said. “You want me to marry
Norman
?”
    “No! It’s not what I want, that’s for sure. But I think you
should
marry Norman. I know you want to get married. I’ve seen you with Tracey and Bethie, and I can tellyou want kids of your own. Norman would make a great father.”
    “True,” Hannah said, giving a tight little nod. “But I don’t want to get married to
anyone
! Not now. Maybe not ever. And you can’t palm me off on Norman like I’m some kind of bad poker hand!”
    “I wasn’t …”
    “Yes, you were!” Hannah interrupted him. “You were being all selfless and sweet, and trying to pull the wool over my eyes.”
    “What wool? What are you talking about?”
    “You don’t want to marry me anymore, and this is a good way of breaking up with me. It