Just Like a Hero Read Online Free Page B

wood. Maybe the landlord will cover the cost.”
    Lexie knew he wouldn’t. In any case, the entire matter was her fault. She shouldn’t have tried to take Mrs. Morgan’s attention from the hallway. The wages of sin her mother would have warned. What she should have done was tell Mrs. Morgan she had another call and would get back to her later. It would have given her enough time to scurry down the hallway. Instead, Lexie had led her to believe something was boiling over, perhaps out of her control. It was her own fault. “Thank you. Let me give you my credit card.”
    “I’ll take care of it. Mrs. Morgan, can you stay with Lexie while I’m gone?” he asked the wide-eyed lady who couldn’t seem to bring her gaze from Lexie’s blouse. Jim noticed her stare and muttered a barely heard curse as he moved to stand in front of Lexie, blocking the lady’s view. “Fix your blouse.”
    She looked down and gasped. “Oh my God, was it like that the whole time?”
    “I’m afraid it was. I was wondering why those guys couldn’t stop grinning. I’m sorry.”
    Lexie groaned as she buttoned her blouse correctly. “It’s not your fault.” She managed a sick smile at his concerned expression. “Mrs. Morgan, would you like a cup of coffee?”
    “I won’t be long,” he promised as he left to pick up another door.
    Lexie managed to regain her usual control as she went about the business of making a pot of coffee. She ground the dark beans into a powdery mix. As she worked, Mrs. Morgan chattered happily behind her. Lexie didn’t hear much of it, until the old lady said, “He is hot, isn’t he?”
    She turned to see her eighty-plus-year-old neighbor sitting at her kitchen table, fussing with a paper napkin. “Who?”
    “Why Mr. Marino, of course, and quite a catch, if I say so myself.” The lady shrugged. “He is a lawyer, after all. Must be a pretty good one. He’s been working at the DA’s office for a spell.”
    Lexie nodded. “Maybe.”
    “The thing is even mediocre lawyers make a good living. I think you should grab this one.”
    Lexie watched the lady across from her. She was greatly tempted to tell her grabbing the man was exactly what she’d been about when she’d been interrupted by the firemen. She thought better of it. Instead, she admitted, “He is good looking.” She added, “If you like the type.”
    Mrs. Morgan allowed a low, wicked snicker. “I might be old dear, but I’m not dead. Everyone likes that type.”
    She laughed at Lexie’s soft blush. “So you were at his place when the firemen came?”
    There was no sense denying the truth. It was easy enough to see where she’d been, what with Jim holding her hand and keeping his arm around her waist throughout the entire episode. “I was. For a few minutes. I needed to borrow some sugar.”
    Again the old lady smiled, this time with a bit more confidence. “But you got something else instead. Something equally as sweet?”
    Lexie only blinked in response. If this woman thought Lexie would discuss her love life, she was sadly mistaken.
    “Don’t take offense, dear. I know I’m a busybody old lady, but I love a good romance. You’ve seen my bookshelves. Why I must have two hundred romances, plus double that in storage.”
    “I saw the police leaving when I got home today. Do you know why they were here?” Lexie asked, hoping to change the subject.
    “I called them. It was that little weasel Kerrington again,” she said, speaking of the new landlord. “Each of us got a letter telling us they’re changing this place into a co-op. I asked the police if there was anything I could do to stop him.”
    “What did they say?”
    “They said it was a civil matter, and I needed to find a lawyer. They were very nice.
    “You know Mr. Kerrington was such a good man. He never had a bad thing to say about anyone. How do you suppose his nephew turned out like this?
    “He wants all the old folks out,” Mrs. Morgan mused.
    Lexie nodded.
    “We