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

ignore the fact that you didn’t do a very good job of erasing his memories of you together as a couple. Or, two, you dig deep until you find a buried reserve of courage and confidence and you take another chance on love. I hardly need to add that I think the second choice is your best bet.”
    Zoe frowned. “What makes you say that I didn’t do a proper job erasing Michael’s memory?”
    “Well, from what you told me, you botched it with that woman last night.”
    Zoe couldn’t argue that point. She owed Kendra an apology. “Maybe I should send a note to apologize and offer her a free cleaning service.” And if she got the chance to try to erase Kendra’s memory of the conversation, all the better.
    “Stop digging, Zoe. That hole is deep enough.”
    Zoe resisted the urge to throw a pillow at her laptop screen. Her mother’s gift was that she was able to read her daughter’s mind. To say the least, it complicated their relationship. It amazed her that her mother hadn’t yet latched on to the fact that Michael had kissed her last night, especially considering that Zoe was having a devil of a time not thinking about how incredibly good it had felt to be in Michael’s arms again. She pulled her thoughts back to what her mother had just said. “Okay, I’ll leave well enough alone as far as Kendra is concerned.”
    “Good call. Now, what are you going to do about Michael?”
    “I need to leave him alone as well.”
    Her mother’s groan of protest could be heard all the way from Miami. “No, no, no. That’s it, I’m coming there. Let me just get a cat sitter for Precious and-”
    Zoe cursed the constitution for allowing unrestricted interstate travel. “Wait, Mother, just hold on.” It was obviously time to begin negotiations. “I don’t want you to go the trouble of coming all the way up here. Obviously you don’t think I can handle things on my own.”
    “No offense intended, my love.”
    “None taken.” Well, some, but why go there? “What is it that you think I should do?” There. She’d just opened Pandora’s Box. 
    Zoe could almost hear her mother purr with contentment at being asked for advice.
    “It’s obvious that you were unsuccessful in erasing Michael’s memories of you.”
    “Stop right there, Mother. Why do you keep saying that? If Michael remembered me at all, he’d just flat out ask me why I was pretending we’d never met before. He hasn’t so that leads me to believe that he doesn’t remember me.”
    “And what you’ve just said leads me to believe that you were switched at birth.” Her mother leaned in until her face was only an inch from her screen. “How can you know so little about men and still call yourself my daughter?”
    “Mother, please. Can we stay on topic here?”
    “Or course, my dear. Where were we? Ah, yes, you were asking my advice. Now, let’s be honest here. You’ve failed to erase Michael’s memory. It’s okay. Everyone, no matter how gifted, occasionally isn’t able to accomplish what they set out to do. It’s more than likely there is a reason that you weren’t successful. Have you thought about that?”
    Zoe hadn’t. Neither did she want to start thinking about it now. It meant looking backward and that was too painful.
    “Too painful?” her mother’s words echoed Zoe's thoughts. “That’s also very telling, isn’t it?”
    Zoe hugged her pillow close to her chest. She didn’t want to have this conversation. The pain she was experiencing now reminded her of how she’d felt when her father had died suddenly of a heart attack. One minute he’d been there and the next he’d been gone. Just like that. She’d been ten at the time and she’d vowed never to let herself get hurt that way again.
    “Zoe, love, I know you’re thinking of Daddy.”
    She nodded and hugged the pillow tighter. As much as her mother’s gift often annoyed her, sometimes it made life easier when her mother read her thoughts.
    “It isn’t the same, honey.