Pandora's Box Read Online Free Page A

called fear of bankruptcy. I don’t have health insurance.” Dumb. Stupid. Tell her contractor she has money troubles
     right after he knocks down her wall.
    He lowered his voice. “Look, you need to see someone. Most of these scrapes look okay–I could even clean them out for you
     if you want. But something slugged you damn hard. You were out cold. You might even need stitches there at your temple, and
     there’s no telling what kind of internal damage you’ve got.”
    “I’ll be fine.”
    “Look, I get the insurance problem. A visit to the emergency room could be pricey. But I can’t just leave you like this. What
     if . . .” His eyes, which had gone stormy with worried impatience, suddenly cleared. “Hey, I got it. It’s perfect. My neighbor’s
     a doctor. Let me just call her and ask what I should do for you. If she says you need to see someone we can—”
    “I don’t want charity.”
    “You’re not getting charity.” He raised his eyebrows, his smile grim. “I’m covering my butt. Get it? This is purely self-interest.
     Does that work for you?”
    She studied him through squinted eyes, not quite buying the self-interest argument. The guy’s first instinct had been charitable,
     which could only raise the hackles of an otherwise responsible, proud-of-her-independence single female. Especially when it
     was so tempting to play damsel to his rough-edged white knight. Remember caution, Mina?
    “Hey, I’m a small business owner. Legal liability is something I have to take seriously for me and my employees. And no money’s
     gonna change hands, if that’s what’s bugging you. We’re just bartering. My neighbor owes me, seeing as I fixed her door last
     weekend.”
    Mina didn’t respond.
    “You could consider her like a subcontractor, already included in that bid I made you. Sound reasonable?” He certainly sounded pleased with this interpretation.
    Well, it was pretty ingenious of him, she had to admit. “Yeah, fine. Whatever.” She closed her eyes again. It wasn’t like
     she really had a choice at this point anyway; Teague fully intended to call his neighbor and was arguing now just to appease
     Mina’s dignity.
    So much for gratitude. A snide rumble of a voice. Hollow again.
    Which irritated her. “Look, I’ll be grateful later, okay? My head hurts.”
    A pause. “Sure, okay.” Teague sounded doubtful and very alert. “Let me call the doc now and see if I can put some ice on that
     head.”
    She closed her eyes, vaguely registering a muffled click and conversation.
    Whine much lately?
    “What?” She opened her eyes and saw that Teague was attending solely to his cell phone. She blinked, then glanced over his
     shoulder to see two men on the far side of her kitchen, busily sweeping up debris in front of her cabinets. They seemed to
     be razzing each other in between instructions. Neither was even glancing in Mina’s direction, much less talking to her.
    From what I’ve heard, you people have been whining for three hundred years and counting. Still, you used to be a hardier bunch. Old Gladbags wasn’t such a whiner. She didn’t have much, but she worked her tail off and she was an ex-pat. So it must be the soft living, then.
    “Oh, god.” Her uncertainty mounting, Mina glanced from corner to shadow to window, from person to person to person. Nothing.
     What the hell? She worked her elbows under her with a groan and tried to—
    “Damn it, I told you not to move. Hold on, Nell.” Teague set his phone down and stalked over to her. “You. Lie back down.
     Or I’m hauling your ass to the emergency room.”
    “But, I heard—”
    “Yeah, she’s coming over. The woman’s married to her Hippocratic Oath. Whaddya want? You’d think people would appreciate that
     in this day and age. Janelle just cares about people and she takes her job seriously. So lie still, damn it.” He raised his
     eyebrows.
    With a baffled grunt, Mina carefully slid low on her elbows and let her head