Write to Me by Nona Raines Read Free Book Online Page B

utensils they needed. He even found a lemon in the refrigerator that wasn’t too shriveled. Gloria cut it into slices while he peered into an open cupboard. “Sugar or honey?”
    “Honey, please.”
    He spooned a generous amount of honey into both their cups, and Gloria topped them off with a slice of lemon. Their elbows bumped as they worked side by side. He liked having her in his kitchen and allowed himself to imagine her beside him every morning, preparing tea or coffee.
    Hold on. Back that train up, Professor.
    How the hell did he get from wanting her in his bed to dreaming of her as a daily companion?
    Frowning, he picked up both mugs and carried them into the living room. He set hers on the coffee table and waved at the sofa. “Sit.” He took the armchair.
    She picked up her tea, cradled the mug as though her hands were cold, watching him curiously. She’d caught on to his sudden shift in mood.
    “Tell me more about your daughter.” He’d blurted the words on impulse. “How long has she worked with you?”
    “Since she graduated beauty school and got her license. Why do you ask?”
    “You’re so devoted to her. She’s obviously a huge part of your life.” What he didn’t say was I want to know about you. What’s important to you, what you care about. Everything about you .
    “She is my life.” Gloria shrugged as though asking what else is there to say ? “We only had each other after her father died.”
    “You mentioned the rest of your family and Abuelita —”
    “Oh, yes. They were great support. But at the end of the day, it was Desiree and me. We’d both lost the most important man in our lives.”
    “How did you manage after his death?” Again, he wanted to know her intimately, not only sexually. Something he’d never felt before, with any of his former lovers.
    “Before I was married, I’d been a stylist for a couple of years. I stayed home when Desi was young and went back to work after Emilio died. Gradually, I learned the business side, too, and moved up from stylist to opening my own place.”
    “So you’ve gone from stay at home mom to business owner. That’s quite an accomplishment.” Especially considering she’d done it while caring for her daughter and struggling with grief.
    Her expression glowed with warmth. “Thank you.”
    “How did your husband…no.” He quickly shook his head. “I’m sorry, never mind.” He felt ashamed of his ghoulish impulse to ask how her husband had died. What difference did it make?
    But Gloria was undisturbed. Perhaps she was used to fielding the question. “How did he die? He was a construction worker. He fell sixty feet off a bridge and…” She shook her head. “It was terrible. The company tried to make it seem as though Emilio had done something wrong, but we later discovered it had a history of unsafe practices.”
    “My God. That’s unforgivable. I hope you sued their asses.”
    Her jaw tightened. “I did. I had a little girl to raise, and they’d taken away her father. My husband. I wasn’t about to let them get away with that or with trying to blacken his name when he wasn’t alive to defend himself. I had to fight them, but I finally got a settlement.”
    He nodded in approval. “Good for you.”
    “It shouldn’t have had to come to that, though.” Her shoulders fell in a slump. “There are times I feel so guilty…”
    “What on earth for?”
    “For all of it. Construction’s an iffy business, you know. There are boom times and lean times. Emilio had been out of work for a few months before taking the job. I was staying home at the time, but he wouldn’t hear about me going back to work. He was so proud. You know, old fashioned. He wanted to be the breadwinner. He was so happy when he got hired. Then he started coming home worried, saying things were sketchy. People were hired who didn’t know their job, they weren’t being trained properly. I begged him to quit, but he wouldn’t listen. He just stopped