Maid for Love (A Romantic Comedy) by Caroline Mickelson Read Free Book Online

such terrible denial but it was as if her spirit rebelled against her resolve. And won. When Michael brushed his lips gently across hers, an overwhelming desire rose up within her. She leaned into him as he slid an arm around her waist and kissed her again.
    She could have stayed lost in his kiss forever, except that the front door slammed shut and Kathryn’s voice carried through the night. “See, I told you that she’d say yes.”
    Reluctantly, Zoe and Michael stepped apart. She could have sworn she heard him curse softly under his breath. Weren’t teenagers by nature supposed to make themselves scarce? These two, as delightful as they were, seemed to be constantly just a heartbeat away.
    “So we’re set?” Josh asked. “Because that sure looked like a yes to me.”
    Michael frowned at his nephew. “I haven’t asked her yet.”
    Zoe decided that she’d had just about enough of the cryptic conversation. She looked up at Michael. “What are they talking about?”   
    “We were wondering if we could…if you would…that is-”
    “Come to Nantucket with us,” Kathryn blurted out.
    Zoe knew she hadn’t just heard that right. “Nantucket?”
    “Yeah, Uncle Michael rented this really epic house on the water. You should see the pics on the website. It’s really cool.”
    “And we want you to come,” Kathryn chimed in after her brother. “Please say yes, Zoe. It will be so much better if you're with us.”
    She looked from brother to sister. “I don’t think I understand. What do you want me to do there?” She turned to Michael. “If you need help with meal planning, I’m sure I can help you line up a catering company.”
    Michael shook his head. “I don't need a cook. We want you to come.”
    “We do,” Kathryn echoed. “Say yes.”
    She glanced at Josh, who nodded and smiled. “It’ll be more fun if you come.” Zoe knew this was high praise from a teenage boy.
    But she couldn’t go with them. The last thing she needed to do, for either her sake or Michael’s, was to spend any more time with him, even if it was exactly what she wanted to do. Her reaction to his kiss had just proven that much.
    The last thing she needed to do was get in any deeper than she already was.
    “Come with us, Zoe.” Michael’s smile was sweet, genuine and charming.
    And dangerous. Being drawn any closer to him spelled heartbreak. She shook her head. “I can’t. I’m sorry.” She took her keys from her purse and went around to her door before they could respond. She quickly unlocked it, slipped into the driver’s seat and started the engine. Without a backwards glance she pulled away from the curb and headed for her apartment, all the while stubbornly ignoring the tears that escaped from the corner of her eyes.

CHAPTER FIVE
               
    “I’ll be on the next flight out of Miami, darling. You just sit tight and wait until I get there. Mother will fix everything.”
    Zoe suppressed a shudder. Her mother rushing in to ‘fix everything’ was exactly what she was most afraid of. Experience had taught her that when her parent referred to herself in the third person, nothing good could come from it. “No, Mother, please don’t. Stay in Miami.”
    “What kind of a mother abandons her child in need?”
    “You haven’t abandoned me. When you Skype with me, it’s almost the same as being together. And I’m not in need.” But Zoe recognized the words as a lie as soon as they were out of her mouth. She was in need. Of Michael. Of a more honest life, of an open heart, there was a great deal she needed. But one thing she didn’t need was her mother rushing in to take over. “But I appreciate that you want to help. It’s a mess but it’s one I need to straighten out myself. You can’t do it for me.”
    “More’s the shame.” Her mother sighed dramatically. “Dearest, you have two choices here. One, and I know it’s the way you’re leaning, you avoid Michael, don’t listen to your heart, and