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Jake sat back and frowned "If her husband is trying to kill her, and I will agree that it sounds like he is--"

"I’uerite said firmly "And now that the accidents he set up have failed, he’ll have to try so else"

"Then she needs around-the-clock protection until the divorce is finalized Once it’s done, there should be no reason for hio after her," Jake pointed out

"The divorce will be final in teeks," Marguerite said at once

"Teeks, huh?" he muttered, but frowned and shook his head "Still, if she won’t accept a bodyguard, what do you expect uard, but she does need a cook/housekeeper and yard guywell, snow guy this time of year," she added wryly, and then said, "And I told her I knew just the man who could do all three jobs for the price of one"

Jake’s jaw dropped He took anews and then closed his mouth, shook his head and said, "Cook/housekeeper?"

"Your ood cook"

"I’m her son My hetti, and that’s just frying up so noodles To her that’s a"

"You’re sh to get by for teeks," Marguerite said deteriveif Rodolfo killed her, Jake She’s a very sweet, genuinely nice person There are few enough of those in the world And it’s only teeks"

Jake slu he’d already lost this arguhed and said, "I suppose I could take a couple weeks off They oweat me to take it"

"I’ll pay you what a company would dehtly, "It will be a working vacation You can putter around the kitchen, try new recipes--"

"Shovel snow, clean house, and watch out for murder atteuerite said sole her checkbook

Jake rolled his eyes and put his hand on hers to stop her "You don’t have to pay ot a hell of a severance package fro a lot of money there for a lot of years that I invested successfully I don’t need money I really don’t even need to work any uerite said fir the checkbook on the table "I already did e for teeks of around-the-clock protection and this is a service I appreciate"

Jake just shrugged and sat back, leaving her to it She could write it if she wanted It didn’t mean he had to cash it He accepted the check when she handed it over, slipped it in his pocket, and then crossed his ar you know about Nicole and Rodolfo"

Chapter Two

Nicole was carrying an armful of dirty dishes, dirty clothes, and various other ite under her breath, she rushed up the last few steps to the open-loft living room and then hurried to the phone on the marble counter on the far side of the roohtly to see around the iteroaned as she saw the nu it would be one of those 1–800 or 1–888 nunore but it was Pierina She couldn’t ignore Pierina

Getting one hand free by using the wall and counter to help hold up the pile in her arms, Nicole quickly snatched up the phone and pressed it to her ear: "Hi Pierina"

"Nicole?" Pierina asked uncertainly

"Yeah It’sthe receiver between ear and shoulder so that she could free her hand to stabilize the pile she was holding when it began to wobble Sighing her relief as she got her hand there in tis?"

"Well, they’re--are you okay? You sound funny"

"Yeah, yeah," Nicole assured her quickly "I’ the phone between neck and shoulder Maybe it’smy voice funny"

"Well, for heaven’s sake, set dohatever you’re carrying I’ll wait," Pierina said with arimaced and then shifted her hand to better hold her pile and turned to walk into her bedroo the phone with her Thank God for wireless phones, she thought as she carried everything into her walk-in closet and to the ha at the ha that she really should have taken the dirty dishes to the kitchen first They were all piled on top of the dirty clothes

"Nicole?"

"Yeah, one sec," she said into the phone, then moved up to the dryer and leaned forward a bit to let the dishes slide from her pile to the hard surface She leaned a bit tooas a bowl sailed off the pile and nearly shattered a glass that she’d just set down

"What was that? Did you break so?" Pierina asked with concern

"No," Nicole said with relief, dropping the dirty clothes and other ite the washer lid, she began to throw clothes into it as she took the phone in her other hand and said, "Okay Hands free now"

"What on earth are you doing?" Pierina asked on a laugh "I heard glass clanging, and I can hear you doing so clothes in the washer," Nicole explained

"And the clanging?" Pierina asked