Free More Than Friends (Kingsley #4) by Brandi Kennedy Page A

business . ”
     
    “ And do you date? You have n’ t mentioned any date s – I have n’ t heard of any dates . ” Her eyebrows had drawn together now, and her lips had thinned to a frustrated line.
     
    “ Well , ” Michael hedged, unwilling to tell his mother that the closest he came to dating someone was a series of random hook-ups with a cute bartender he liked but did n’ t care for .“ Uh, sure. I … date . ”
     
    “ Well , ” Eva echoed dryly, pursing her lips as she avoided meeting his eyes .“ I hope yo u’ r e … very careful, Michael. On you r … dates . ”
     
    Grimacing, he bit down on his bottom lip .“ Mom , ” he said .“ I am always careful. I wear my seatbelt. I open doors. I never leave my drinks unattended . ”
     
    Ev a’ s eyes snapped to his, flashing daggers .“ Now tha t’ s in poor taste , ” she snapped .“ If your sister were her e –“
     
    “ Mom, wait , ” Michael said, touching her hand softly to silence her .“ Alright, bad joke. But you know what I meant. You do n’ t have to keep worrying about me. I’ m a big boy, remember ? ”
     
    Finally, she looked up again and met his eyes .“ I do n’ t like seeing my son settle for lonesomeness , ” she said sadly.
     
    “ What? Eva n’ s lonesome ? ” At his mothe r’ s exasperated look, he winked .“ I know you ca n’ t mean Dre w – h e’ s happy. Everyone can tell he is. Must be Evan, then . ”
     
    Eva rolled her eyes and sighed .“ You know what I mean . ” But she laughed reluctantly, and the tension between them was broken.
     
    Michael sighed too, nodding silently as he ran one fingertip over the jagged cut that ran along the middle joint of his right ring finger .“ Yeah, I know what you mean , ” he said, his voice hardly more than a whisper. He swallowed, pressing slightly against the cut, the sudden sting bringing tears to the corners of his eyes. He blinked them away, releasing the pressure on his finger as he looked up at his mother .“ Maybe tha t’ s the life for me. And who says I’ m lonely, anyhow ? ” Shrugging one shoulder, he forced a grin .“ Maybe I like having the house to mysel f – stays pretty clean that way. No delicates always hanging over the shower rod to dry . ” Eva turned away, picking slightly at the edge of the cast on her wrist. She slipped a finger between her hand and the cast, grimacing, and Michael watched her sweep her finger back and forth, attempting to scratch her palm .“ Does it hurt much ? ” he asked.
     
    She shook her head .“ No, it does n’ t. Because I say it does n’ t, and I choose to ignore the pain. I guess tha t’ s what w e’ re doing now, right? Ignoring it ? ” She looked at him pointedly, her mouth drawn into a stern line even as her eyes were laughing .“ Sounds ridiculous, does n’ t it ? ”
     
    Chewing his lip, Michael stood up and moved to the window. In the parking lot below, an ambulance sped in, lights flashing, and came to an abrupt halt beneath the emergency overhang designated for ambulance usage. The back doors exploded open, the driver door opened, and the hospital door opened all at onc e – as if the entire scene were perfectly coordinated. Michael supposed it must be; hospitals have their own routines, in the midst of the mess .“ Pain does n’ t go away just because you ignore it , ” he conceded, nodding. He could still feel his mothe r’ s eyes on his back as he watched the paramedics below, working with the nursing staff to wheel their patient from the ambulance and into the hospital .“ But you do n’ t just dwell on it, either. You go on living anyway . ” His mother did n’ t answer, but he heard her sigh as he continued to watch the scene below. When he turned back she had gone to sleep, her broken wrist held close to her chest, the blankets smooth over her lap, save for the long narrow lump of her casted leg. Dropping back against the wall beside the window, Michael tipped his face to