Read Online Sarah Woods Mystery Series (1-6) Boxed Set by Jennifer L. Jennings - Free Book Online

pizza tonight.”
       “ Hey, either way sounds good to me,” Max said agreeably.  
    “ Well, at least now we have the wine,” I said, heading towards the kitchen for the corkscrew. “The more we drink, the better the food will taste.”  
    Max followed me. “Your son is pretty funny,” he said, handing me the wine bottle.  
    “ He’s a good kid,” I said, extracting the cork and filling two glasses, “but I never see him anymore. It’s all about the friends these days.”
    “ He’s a teenager,” Max replied. “You’re lucky he even talks to you.”  
    I laughed as I handed him one of the goblets and picked up the other one.
    “ To Beth,” I said, raising the glass.
    Max smiled and nodded. We sipped the wine and sat opposite one another at the kitchen table.
    “ So, what was your relationship with your sister like growing up?” I asked.
    Max set his glass on the table, placed his hands in his lap, and stared up at the ceiling. “Oh, typical I guess. She was five years younger and I suppose I was a little protective of her. She thought I was a big snore.” He smiled. “Anyway, we’d grown much closer since our parents died a few years ago.”  
    “ I’m so sorry. What happened?”  
    “ Car accident. They had both retired the year before and were always talking about going on a cross-country road trip, just the two of them. They kept putting it off for one reason or another. Finally, Beth and I convinced them to go. For their anniversary we got them a GPS.” He picked up his glass and swished the wine around a few times.  
    “ That is so awful. I’m sorry,” I said.
    I tried to compensate for the awkwardness of the moment by getting up to check on our dinner. When I looked over at him, the stem of his wine glass was in the air. I felt such profound sadness for him. Life had dealt him some pretty shitty cards. His parents were gone, and now his sister. I was almost afraid to ask about a girlfriend. But I did.  
    “ So, Max, do you have a pretty young lady in your life?”  
    “ Her name is Marsha Brady. She’s been living with me for two years now,” he said, smiling up at me as I refilled his wine glass.  
    “ Her name is really Marsha Brady?” I said, laughing.  
    “ Well, that’s what I named her two years ago when I brought her home from the breeder,” he said, trying to keep a straight face.
    I couldn’t suppress a giggle. “Aren’t you a little young to remember that show? You weren’t even alive in the seventies,” I said, immediately regretting opening the Pandora’s box of the age thing.  
    “ Well, you’re not much older than me, Sarah,” he said, raising one eyebrow.  
    “ Ha, you’re funny.”
    “ What? How old are you?”  
    “ You know it’s not polite to ask a woman her age, but I’ll tell you anyway. I’m forty-two.” I smiled at his seemingly genuine look of surprise.  
    “ Well, you look great,” he said, elevating his wine glass and winking.  
    “ So what kind of dog is Marsha Brady?” I asked, trying to ignore his flattery.  
    “ She’s an English Bulldog, and the love of my life.”  
    “ Oh God,” I said, rolling my eyes. “You’re one of those.”  
    After dinner, Max announced that he and Brian would clean up. Max refilled my wine glass and told me to sit back and relax. I didn’t object. In fact, I took great pride in watching my son doing chores.
    They were just about finished when the phone rang. I ignored it, but Brian ran over and answered it.  
    “ Hi Dad,” he said, taking it into the other room.  
    Max looked over at me and gave me a look I couldn’t quite read. He wiped his hands on a dishtowel and joined me at the kitchen table.  
    “ So, can I ask you a personal question?” he asked, and blinked at me.  
    “ Sure.”
    “ Are you happily married?”
    I was hoping the topic wouldn’t come up, but I’d stalled as long as I could.  
    “ Wow. That’s a loaded question,”