Page 39 of About Last Night

Maureen finally looked her way. "Surely you're not getting rid of all those lovely flowers!"

"Derek seems to be allergic," she replied.

"Would you like them for your room?" Derek asked, rankling Janine, although she couldn't identify why. After all, the flowers would otherwise be wasted.

Maureen devoured Derek with her eyes. "That would be lovely. Won't you bring them inside?"

"We're not supposed to be in each other's rooms," Janine interjected.

"Just for a minute," the woman pleaded to Derek. "And I'm having trouble with a stuck window."

He looked at Janine and shrugged. "Allergies aren't contagious."

Janine handed him the flowers and managed a smile. "Take your time."

He carried the vases into the woman's room. Maureen gave her a little wave through the opening in the door before she closed it behind them.

Absurdly unsettled, Janine returned to the room and gathered up two more vases of flowers, then set them in front of the woman's door. On the other side, Maureen's throaty laugh sounded. Unable to stem her curiosity, Janine leaned over and pressed her ear against the door.

The low rumble of Derek's voice floated to her, then Maureen's voice, then his own surprisingly deep laugh. The phony—he'd barely cracked a smile since she'd met him, much less out and out laughed.

"It works better if you have a glass."

Janine jumped, then looked around to see Manny watching her with an amused expression, holding a vacuum cleaner.

She straightened. "I was just, um, checking to see if Maureen is okay."

Another burst of his and her laughter sounded from behind the door.

One side of Manny's mouth drew up. "She sounds fine to me."

Janine lifted her chin. "Well... good." With cheeks burning, she crossed to her own door that she'd left propped open, and awkwardly waved him inside. "You didn't have to bring up the vacuum yourself."

He set the vacuum in the middle of the floor. "I might have sent someone from housekeeping, but there just isn't enough staff to go around."

A pang of regret stabbed her. "You probably haven't had a minute's peace since the quarantine was lowered."

"Not much," he admitted, then gave her a teasing grin. "But your little situation is themostentertaining distraction."

She frowned. "Don't be enjoying this, please."

"I'm sorry, I simply can't help it. This is such a feeling of déjà vu."

"Oh? You have another friend whose wedding was postponed when she was quarantined with her Best Man?"

"No, each of my female friends have gotten into their own little scrapes."

Untangling the hose-and-brush attachment, she gave him a wry look. "And where are they now?"

He ticked off on his long fingers. "Ellie is married with two impossibly gorgeous little girls, Pamela is married, and her toddler son is a musical prodigy, and Cindy got her happily ever after a couple of months ago—no kids yet."

Janine bent to the vacuum and unwound the cord, shooting him a dubious smile. "Are you saying you had something to do with all that marital bliss?"

"Well—" he splayed his hands "—I do have a perfect record to date."

"Then maybe you should rub my head," she said with a little sigh.

He laughed and helped her untangle the machinery. "May I ask if the handsome Mr. Stillman has anything to do with you needing some time to sort things out?"

---