For Love Or Money. Tara Quinn Taylor

kind of bothered him, too.

      Which bothered him.

      “No. Just you.”

      “Just me? Why just me?”

      “Because you’re local.”

      She nodded. As though he’d answered all her questions. As though, if he didn’t keep talking, he’d lose what interest of hers he had.

      “My wife was a chef.” He blurted what had already been revealed during his introduction the day before. And added, “Kelsey’s mom,” as if that wasn’t self-explanatory.

      She nodded again. Seeming interested. But adding nothing.

      “She died suddenly, unexpectedly, and Kelsey’s taken it really hard.”

      Those gorgeous brows drew together and he could have sworn he saw an actual shadow cross Janie Young’s face. “I’m so sorry,” she said, the softness in her voice seeming to convey more emotion than yelling would have done. “I knew...the introductions yesterday and all...that you were a widower, but I had no idea it was recent. Or sudden.”

      Sudden seemed to make it worse for some. His jury was still out on that one. During his residency he’d seen too many families whose lives were forever changed by debilitating long-term and ultimately fatal illness.

      “It’s been almost two years,” he said. Needing her to know that he wasn’t so recently widowed made no sense to him.

      Guilt surged. Just because he was familiar with its company didn’t mean he was at peace with it. Welcomed it. Or even handled it well.

      A song started to play in the other room. Something about learning to brush your teeth. It was vaguely familiar.

      Burke could hear Kelsey singing along.

      “Because she’s been struggling, I wanted to take Kelsey on vacation over Thanksgiving. She insisted we stay home. That we cook a full dinner, using all of her mother’s recipes. And that we watch cooking shows all day.”

      Janie nodded, a sad smile spreading across her face. “That’s when she saw Family Secrets.”

      “She talked about Dawson all during dinner that day. Normally she focuses on the cooking, trying to take after her mother, I suppose. Anyway, she smiled when she talked about him. She doesn’t smile all that much these days.”