Page 45 of About Last Night

She shrugged. "Not much to tell. My father is an appliance repairman. My mother is a teacher. I have a terrific older sister Marie who's a massage therapist. We all love each other."

Very middle-class, he acknowledged. "How did you meet Steve?"

"On the job." Her voice sounded high and tight. "I work at the clinic in the hospital where he performs surgery."

A stark reminder of his friend's career success and Derek's relative failure. At a time when most men his age were hitting their stride, he was struggling to pay the office electric bill. He cleared his throat. "Steve certainly has a lot going for him. I can see why you're looking forward to marrying him." When she didn't respond, he set the cards on the table between them. "Your deal."

Janine shuffled the cards, then dealt a new hand. "So what do you do for fun?"

Derek lifted an eyebrow. "Fun?"

"You know—hobbies and stuff."

He scoffed. "I haven’t had time for that lately."

"But when you do?" she pressed.

"I like to travel," he admitted. "I thought I'd see more of the world by now."

"You still have plenty of time."

He nodded in concession, then played a card. She was right—he'd gotten so mired in the logistics of his failing family business, he hadn't given much thought to future adventures.

"Where would you most like to go?" she asked.

"It's a little cliché, but Hawaii's at the top of the list. Most people have been there, I guess."

"I haven't," Janine said, playing a card. "It's where I wanted to go on our honeymoon, but Steve suggested Paris."

"Also nice," he offered.

"Yes," she murmured. "What's Lexington like?"

"Much smaller than Atlanta. Beautiful, though. Very green, lots of farmland. Horses. And I like the people."

She played a card. "Tell me more."

Her simple question sent wonder bleeding through his chest. He couldn't remember the last time a woman had seemed interested in his opinion on anything. "The people there would help a stranger. They're solid, sturdy. Dependable." Then he gave a laugh. "Except for my brother."

"I don't know Jack, but it sounds as if the two of you are very different."

He played a card. "Dad always said we were two sides of the same coin."

"So you make good business partners?"

"We should," he countered. "We could… if Jack would settle down."

Janine played a card. "Are you angry with him because he's out there exploring, and you're stuck at home running the business?"

"No," Derek said, then bit down on his tongue. "Maybe."

"It's your play," she prodded.

He drew a few cards, so distracted by the woman sitting across from him that he drew too many and when he played, was left with a handful. He couldn't remember when he'd felt more comfortable and had enjoyed something so simple as playing cards. When she wasn't being accident-prone, Janine Murphy was very good company. "How about you?" he asked. "What do you do for fun?"

"Nothing too exciting," she said. "I like to hike. The approach trail to the Appalachian Trail is just north of here."

"I don't remember Steve being much of an outdoorsman."

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