Read Online Always the Best Man by Michelle Major - Free Book Online Page B

Any requests?”
    â€œYou don’t need to—”
    â€œIt’s the least I can do, Emily. The way you transformed the office went beyond anything Donna could have done. It feels good not to be surrounded by my usual mess.”
    One side of her mouth curved. “I’m glad to be useful.”
    What had her ex-husband done to beat down the spirited girl he’d known into this brittle, unsure woman? Jase wasn’t a fighter, but he would have liked to punch Henry Whitaker.
    Instead, he gave Emily a reassuring smile. “You’re the best.”
    Her smile dimmed, but before he could figure out why, she tapped her watch. “You need to go or you’re going to be late.”
    â€œThey’re used to me being late.”
    â€œNot with me running the show.” She pointed to the door. “Now go. I’ve got your inner sanctum to tackle.”
    He laughed, then wished her luck and headed back out into the bright sunshine. It was the best start to a morning he’d had in ages.
    * * *
    By the time he parked in front of his father’s trailer a few minutes before noon, Jase’s mood had disintegrated into a black hole of frustration. Even though he expected it from Emily’s text, seeing the Crawfords’ 4Runner at the side of the mobile home only made it worse.
    He didn’t want Emily here. This part of his life was private, protected. Most people in town knew his father, or knew of him if they’d lived in Crimson long enough. But even as a kid, Jase had never let anyone visit the run-down home where he’d lived. Not even Noah.
    He stood on the crumbling front step for a moment trying to rein in his clamoring emotions. Then he heard Emily’s laughter spill out from the open window and pushed through the door.
    Her back was to him as she faced the tiny counter in the kitchen. “Canned spaghetti is not real food,” she said with another laugh.
    â€œIt’s real food if I eat it and like it,” his dad growled in response, but there was humor in his tone. His father sat in one of the rickety wooden chairs at the table. He watched Emily like she was some sort of mystical being come to life inside his tumbledown home.
    â€œI’m not a great cook,” she shot back, “but even I can make homemade meatballs. I’ll teach you.” He could see she was dumping the can of bright red sauce and pasta into a ceramic bowl.
    â€œIf we’re having Italian night,” his dad said, pronouncing Italian with a long I , “you’d best bring a bottle of wine with you.”
    Jase let the door slam shut at that moment. Emily whirled to face him, her smile fading as she took in his expression. Declan shifted in the chair, his own smile growing wider.
    â€œJust in time for lunch,” his dad said, even though he knew how much Jase hated any food that came from a can.
    â€œHow was the courthouse?” Emily covered the bowl with a paper towel and put it in the microwave shoved in the corner of the counter.
    Taking a breath, he caught Emily’s scent overlaid with the stale smell of the trailer. The combination was an assault on his senses. The hold he had on his emotions unleashed as he stalked forward, shouldering Emily out of the way to punch in a minute on the microwave timer. “What the hell are you doing here?” he asked, crowding her against the kitchen sink.
    â€œMy fault,” his father said from behind him. “I forgot I had a doctor’s appointment this morning. When you didn’t answer your cell phone, I called the office. Emily explained you were unavailable but was nice enough to drive me.”
    Jase looked over his shoulder. “You should have rescheduled the appointment.”
    â€œIt wasn’t a problem,” Emily said. “Your office was organized and I—”
    â€œI offered you a job as a legal secretary,” he bit out. “That’s work with professional