Danger in a Red Dress Read Online Free Page A

know it’s ridiculous, but I learned to drink it that way when I was a kid. If you sit with me, I promise not to crook my pinkie.” And he smiled.
    Hannah stood there, awestruck by his straight white teeth, his long black lashes, the dimple in his cheek.
    “Wow,” Sophia said out loud.
    Grabbing her cup, Hannah said, “I drink coffee. Black.” She winced. Scintillating, Hannah.
    “That is so much more sensible.” He took the tea Sophia placed on the counter. “Let me pay for Miss . . . ?” He looked an inquiry at Hannah.
    “Grey. Hannah Grey.”
    “Let me pay for Miss Grey’s order, also. I don’t want the manager to come back when I’m gone and make trouble.”
    “He’s the owner,” Sophia said.
    At the same time, Hannah said, “I can pay for it.”
    “He’s the owner? All the more reason.” He smiled at Sophia, whose jaw dropped at the gorgeous sight. Then he turned to Hannah. “Miss Grey, my mother is from one of the founding families in Maine. She lives in a hundred-fifty-year-old mansion on the coast, and as far as I can tell, she’s never left the twentieth century. She would kick my rear if she ever heard I let a lady buy her own coffee. So please spare my mother—she has arthritis and simply getting around is an effort.”
    With indecent eagerness, Sophia said, “Really? Arthritis? What a coincidence. Hannah is a home-care nurse who specializes in arthritis cases. She’s the best!” She made eyes at Hannah, and used little shooing motions with her hands.
    She was right. Hannah knew she was right. An arthritis patient? In Maine? Hannah couldn’t afford to let this opportunity slip through her fingers. She looked right into the stranger ’s eyes and said, “If you should ever need help with your mother, I am the best, and I’m between cases.”
    “My mother won’t hear of a nurse, but she’s definitely getting to the point where I’m going to have to insist. . . .” He quirked an eyebrow, appealing to Hannah’s understanding.
    She felt squeamish. She didn’t lie well, not even lies of omission. Her nursing certificate had been suspended. She should tell him that. She should, but if she didn’t get a job soon . . .
    He sighed heavily. “One of us should be ashamed of ourselves.”
    She jumped. He already knew? “What? Who?”
    “Me, of course. I’m leading you on.” He shook his head as if disgusted by his own deception. “Mother has other problems, more serious than merely arthritis. She’s diabetic, has a heart condition, and she can’t or won’t control it or her weight. She’s agoraphobic—she hasn’t stepped foot out of our house since my father walked out fifteen years ago. She’s under investigation by the government, which has put a huge amount of pressure on her, and I’m afraid she’s starting to crack. ”
    “Investigation?” Hannah said tentatively.
    “My father is Nathan Manly.” He spoke stoically.
    “Oh.” Everyone in New England knew the name and the disgrace attached to it. Fifteen years ago, Nathan Manly had destroyed his multibillion-dollar company, stolen the capital, and fled to parts unknown, humiliating his wife and leaving his family without funds. His illegitimate sons (rumors claimed there were a dozen and the number climbed every time the story was told) were abandoned, too. Best of all, Nathan Manly and his money had never been found, lending the Manly scandal the status of legend.
    “I knew I recognized you. From TV!” Sophia almost leaped across the counter. “You’re Carrick Manly!”
    He smiled at her excitement. “Don’t hold it against me,” he said wryly.
    “I would never do that.” Sophia backed up and leaned against the wall, her knees wobbling.
    In the years since Nathan Manly had fled to parts unknown, his son—this son, his legitimate son, his handsome, gifted, and formerly wealthy son—had assumed the status of the protagonist in a Greek tragedy.
    “I’m still interested in the job.” Hannah felt less guilty