Home for the Holidays by Irene Hannon

Author:Irene Hannon [Hannon, Irene]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781488024191
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 1997-12-15T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER NINE

Laura lay in bed sleepless for a long time Tuesday night, thinking about the past four days. Nick had been unusually quiet on the ride back from Jersey, and it was clear she need not have worried about being alone with him in the car. He was probably regretting that he’d ever made the offer to take her home, she thought miserably, punching her pillow. And if she was honest about it, she couldn’t blame him. From his standpoint, the weekend had probably been a disaster. Forced to take part in a family gathering where the only person he knew avoided him like the plague was not conducive to a pleasant experience, she had to admit. He had obviously come to the same conclusion, silently carrying her bag upstairs when they’d arrived at her apartment and leaving her at the door, making his escape as quickly as possible.

Well, she’d wanted to discourage him, she told herself. The success of her plan should make her happy. So then why was she so miserable? And why did the loneliness she’d long ago learned to deal with now suddenly leave her feeling so empty and restless?

Laura tossed back the covers, the hot night air feeling much more oppressive here than it had in Jersey. She briefly considered turning on the air conditioner, but the older window unit was inefficient and one night’s indulgence would probably boost her electric bill twenty dollars, she thought glumly. That was more than she was willing to spend. The heat would dissipate eventually, she told herself, and sleep would come.

Sleep did come, but not until nearly three, and when the alarm went off at five-thirty Laura moaned. So much for coming back from the weekend refreshed and rested, she thought dryly as she swung her legs to the floor and yawned.

By the time she was dressed, Ken, her foreman, had arrived per arrangement to take her to the office. He had also agreed to drop her at the garage tonight so she could pick up her car.

“Morning, Ken,” she said sleepily, taking a last gulp of coffee from the mug cradled in her hands.

“Hi, Laura.” He tilted his head and regarded her quizzically. “You look tired.”

“Yeah, well, that’s what happens when you only have two and a half hours’ sleep,” she said wryly.

“Did you get back late?”

“No. Just couldn’t sleep.” She grabbed her portfolio case and headed for the door. “Let’s stop by the job sites first. How did things go yesterday?”

Laura now had two crews working, and Ken filled her in as they drove, dropping her at the office by nine-thirty.

“I’ll be back about four to give you a progress report, if that’s okay,” he said.

“Fine,” she assured him. “I have plenty of paperwork to keep me busy. It sure will seem odd to spend a whole day in the office, though,” she said.

He grinned. “Yeah, the crews won’t know what to think.”

“Well, I’ll be back on the sites tomorrow,” she said with a smile. “So don’t let anybody slip up.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.