The Bodyguard and Ms. Jones Read Online Free Page A

of a car pulling up the driveway.
    â€œMommy’s home, Mommy’s home.” Both kids went flying from the room. Their feet thundered on the wooden floor.
    â€œStop pushing,” Allison ordered.
    â€œThen get out of my way.”
    â€œMo-om, Jonathan’s pushing.”
    â€œAm not. Quit being such a baby.”
    â€œI’m not a baby.”
    â€œAre, too! Allie’s a baby. Allie’s a—”
    The voices were abruptly cut off when the back door opened. For the next few minutes, there were only low murmurs, then Mike heard the woman approaching.
    She walked into the room and smiled at him. “I’m afraid to ask if you woke up on your own, or if the children are responsible.”
    â€œI think it’s a little of both.”
    She bent over the nightstand and pulled open the top drawer. After pulling out a thermometer, she shook it down and placed it under his tongue. She expertly took his pulse, then leaned close and studied his eyes. While she looked at him, he looked at her.
    She was as he remembered her. Today she wore a headband to keep her hair off her face, but the color was still light brown and it fell almost to her shoulders. Her eyes were smoky green and the corners of her mouth tilted up. A red T-shirt clung to her breasts. White shorts hugged her hips and exposed long, tanned legs. She didn’t look like any nurse he’d ever had, but he wasn’t about to complain.
    â€œYour eyes are clear,” she said. She touched his forehead, then his cheek with the back of her hand. “You feel cool, too.” She removed the thermometer and studied it. “Normal. Finally. So, Mike, how do you feel?”
    â€œNot bad for a guy who fell off a building.”
    â€œYou’ve been asleep for three days. According to your doctor, that’s exactly what you needed.” There was a shuffling at the door. She glanced over her shoulder. “Jonathan, Allison, your ride for swim team will be here in about fifteen minutes. Go get ready.”
    He heard footsteps on the stairs and the sound of childish voices. “They don’t do anything quietly, do they?”
    â€œNot if there’s a way to do it loudly.” She perched on the edge of the bed. “I can’t tell you how relieved I am to have you awake. I’ve been worried.” Her skin was smooth and slightly tanned. When she smiled, there were faint lines around her eyes. He guessed she was close to thirty.
    â€œAre you a nurse?” he asked.
    She laughed. The sweet sound caught him off guard, and he felt himself smiling. It was the second time in less than fifteen minutes. Before now, he probably hadn’t smiled twice the entire year.
    â€œHardly. I teach math at the middle school.”
    â€œExcuse me for asking, but if you’re not a nurse, what the hell are you doing looking after me in your house? This is your house, isn’t it?”
    She leaned back against the footboard. After drawing one knee up toward her chest, she clasped her hands around her calf. “I’m friends with your sister Grace. She lives next door.” She tilted her head. He recognized it as the same move Allison had made. “Grace has lived here four years. If you’re her only brother, how come we’ve never seen you here before?”
    â€œI don’t have much time to see family.” Grace was always inviting him. And she made him feel that she really wanted to see him. But Mike could never bring himself to visit. He’d always been a loner. It was easier, and in his profession, safer. “You still haven’t explained why you didn’t just dump me in the hospital.”
    â€œI owe her. My kids get out of school about an hour and a half before I get home. Grace looks after them. She won’t let me pay her. I can only buy her so many lunches. When her husband found out he would be spending the summer in Hong Kong, she wanted to go with him. Then you got