Free With a Little T.L.C. by Teresa Southwick Page A

him to come home. Sometimes he didn’t show up at all. When he did, usually he reeked of perfume and didn’t bother to hide the lipstick smudges on his shirt.”
    He reached over and wrapped his big warm hands around her smaller ones. That comforting gesture sent a feeling through her, a sensation that she was safe and protected. It was something she had never felt before. It was a warm, cozy, wonderful feeling that,oddly enough, made her afraid too. It was something she never wanted to count on because she couldn’t trust it.
    When she tried to pull her hands away, he wouldn’t let her. He held on, gently but firmly, and squeezed reassuringly. “I’m sorry, Liz. That must have been hard for you. And it does help me understand.”
    â€œThere’s more.”
    He shook his head. “You don’t have to tell me. I can see that this hurts you a lot.”
    â€œYeah, but I need to clear the air, get it off my chest. I was terrible to you and you didn’t deserve it. I’m so ashamed. My behavior was reprehensible. The least I can do is tell all.”
    He nodded slowly. “Okay.”
    She cleared her throat. “Mom and Dad stayed together. For my sake. But he was never really there.” She thought about the day’s birthday festivities and laughed a little bitterly. “Would you believe I was envious of Stephanie tonight? Pretty funny, huh?”
    â€œWhy?”
    â€œBecause everyone in this family loves her enough to take time out of their busy lives to acknowledge her first birthday. And except for the pictures, she won’t even remember.” She looked at the pool, the light at the bottom. “It was usually just me and Mom on my momentous occasions.”
    â€œYour dad didn’t show, not even for birthdays?”
    She shook her head, willing the tears she’d never shed not to fall now. “Not graduations or awards ceremonies or prom night. Why would he when the flavor of the month was so much more exciting?”
    â€œWhere is he now?” There was an angry edge to his voice.
    She’d never heard that particular tone from him before. Was it on her behalf? What would he say if she told him it got to her even more than his charm?
    â€œHe died the year I started nursing school. My mother had thought there was life insurance. But he’d borrowed against it until everything was gone. No doubt he had to spend money to impress whatever woman was in his life. Mom and I moved to a smaller apartment. I worked my way through school.”
    â€œWhat happened to your mom?”
    â€œShe died about a year after he did. I suspect of a broken heart. She loved him, in spite of the fact that he didn’t know the meaning of the word faithful. Unlike your parents.”
    â€œYeah,” he said grimly. “Thanks to them, I’m no longer looking for someone.”

Chapter Five
    â€œI don’t understand that.” Liz was sincerely interested in his answer.
    Now that he’d shot down her suspicions, she really and truly wanted to believe he was telling the truth. She wanted to trust that he wasn’t just fabricating this story to lull her into a false sense of security. But it was awfully hard to swallow. As a boy, he’d grown up in a stable family. As a man, he had everything—looks, enough personality to charm a determined hermit, and financial security. If nothing else, women would come on to him in mind-boggling numbers increasing the probability that he would find someone. Why would a guy turn his back on that? And what did his parents have to do with his decision?
    Joe let her hands go and ran his fingers through his hair. The gesture was almost angry. He stood up and his big body blocked out the Malibu lights, putting her in the dark.
    â€œI’m a pretty competitive guy,” he said. “It’s notalways a good thing. I tend to calculate my chances of success. I hate to lose.”
    â€œFunny, I