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He glanced at her hand, then accepted it and shook firmly "You’re more than welcohing, Nicole retrieved her hand and got into the SUV

"I have your number," Dan said as she settled in the driver’s seat "I’ll call you later in the week and see how you are Find out if you’ve recovered, had anyyou wild," he teased "You ht," she said on a laugh, pulling on her seatbelt "Thanks again"

"My pleasure," Dan assured her and closed the door, gave her a little wave, and backed up

Nicole started the engine, still sht after the near ain, and while she was a little stiff and bruised, coffee with Dan had cheered her up The h to uy He definitely had issues with men in non-conformist positions, but he was nice

Nicole shifted into reverse, waved at Dan, then backed out of her parking spot to drive around to the grocery store to nize that car?" Jake asked, eyes narrowing on the little sports car waiting in the drivehen Nicole turned into it

"It’s Joey My brother," Nicole added as she eased up the driveway and hit the button to open the garage door She shtly, and said, "He’swell, you’ll either love hiround with Joey"

Jake raised his eyebrows at the co him the details about Nicole and her husband, but he’d understood that while the man had ot out of the rat race and retired down to the Southern states Marguerite hadn’t been sure if it was Florida or Hawaii Other than that, all he knew about the ht, Nicole’s half brother froe That his birth , he accepted Nicole’s mom, Zaira, as his mother now, and that he adored Nicole as much as she adored him

Jake peered at the man curiously as they drove slowly past hie and stopped the SUV Once she’d put it in park, he opened the door and slid out

"Yo! What’s going on? I come out to see my shut-in, workaholic sister who never leaves ho up to the garage just as Nicole closed her door and hurried to the back of the vehicle to greet her brother

"Sorry, sorry, sorry," she laughed as she hugged hi What are you doing here anyway? I thought you had headed for warmer cliuilt thing so I came back," he said with exasperation

"Mom isn’t Jewish," Nicole pointed out with amusement as she pulled out of the lanced to Jake with raised eyebrows "Replaced Rodolfo already, have we, Nicki? Nice"

"No!" Nicole flushed with eetic look as she made the introductions "Joey, this is my new cook/housekeeper, Jake"

"Cook/housekeeper," Joey repeated, eyebrows askance as he looked Jake over again Despite that hehis hand "Is that a euphemism or are you really a cook/housekeeper?"

"I really work for your sister," Jake assured hiood-looking guy: golden hair and eyes, a nicely chiseled face, tight black jeans, a black leather jacket, expensive watch, and a confident swagger Jake suspected women swooned over He looked a lot like his sister in the face and hair, but otherwise not so much Nicole was short and curvaceous to his tall and lanky, and a jeans and T-shirt type gal compared to his er She washere and there with an anxious air

"Well, cool then," Joey said, shaking his hand firh ti up with soht now"

"So I understand," Jake said with a nod, and then glanced to the SUV as Nicole opened the back

"Good God, girl!" Joey exclais "What did you do? Buy out all of don Ottawa?"

"I’s," Nicole assured hi a s one," she added with a frown as she looked over the bags "Geez, Jake, you did get an awful lot"

"Don’t worry about the groceries, I’ll get those," Jake said quickly,up to shoo theo in and visit I’ll bring these up andyou’ll be staying for dinner, Joey?"

"Thank you, I think I will," Joey said, walking Nicole to the door As they went inside, Jake heard hiood idea Whose was it? I know you didn’t couerite," Nicole answered "She suggested a cook/housekeeper would ease my burden quite a bit so I could concentrate on work She even found me Jake He’s a family member of hers so I know he’s trustworthy"

"Ah, yes Clever Marguerite," Joey responded as the door closed behind theather grocery bags, and wondering what the hell he was going to do about supper He’d made several atte the peppercorn steak sauce that was to be poured over the steaks after they were grilled, but the recipe had been for two steaks Of course, he could feed that to the else to eat It wasn’t like they’d welco his head, he turned his attention to the groceries

"This one’s als she and Joey had just carried into her studio to see that Joey had lifted the cover to peer at the portrait of the actress Turning her attention back to searching the bags, she said distractedly, "Yeah I’ll probably finish it tonight"

"And this one?" Joey asked, peering under the cover over the stern olderthe painting a glance before returning to her search She was looking for thethe of it

"Who’s this?"

Nicole glanced up again Joey had uncovered the sketch of the couple "Marguerite’s stepson, Christian, and his fiancée, Carolyn"

"Geez, she uy if he has a kid this old," Joey co"

"No" Nicole suerite He calls her Mom and she calls him her son rather than her stepson If they weren’t so close in age, I wouldn’t know they were steps It’s really very sweet"

"H that well He’s probably got the hots for her and hoping to slip in there when the old uerite’s a hottie How old is she anyway?"

"I don’t know Jake says she isn’t forty yet and that she lanced at the picture with a frown "But Christian doesn’t look any older than Lucern, Etienne or Bastien" She tilted her head "I wonder if they were Jean Claude’s kids and not hers"