You Don't Know Me Read Online Free Page B

his hand. Nathan had apparently passed. “I’m Frank Harrison.” He glanced at Annalise. “Annalise’s uncle.”
    Uncle.
    Nathan opened his mouth, waiting for words. “I . . . I didn’tknow that Lise had an uncle.” He looked at her. “You didn’t tell me you had an uncle.”
    Funny, she appeared almost as shocked by this man’s pronouncement. She gave him an odd smile. “My . . . uncle Frank. From . . . Pittsburgh.”
    Nathan turned back to Frank. “This is wonderful. I thought her family was all killed in the accident.”
    Frank blinked as if he had forgotten the demise of her family. Then he nodded. “Yes. They were. Except I was out of the country. On business. I haven’t been back for . . . a while.”
    Frank let him go, and Nathan reached for a chair. “What kind of business are you in?”
    “Military.” Frank sat and leaned back, crossing one leg over the other, folding his arms. “What do you do?”
    “I’m in real estate. And I’m running for mayor.”
    Frank drew in a breath. “Really. Hmm.”
    “It’s a small town,” Lise said, almost too quickly, as if Nathan’s bid for mayor were inconsequential. “Very small.”
    “Not so small that we can’t make a difference,” Nathan said, casting a glance at her. She turned away, took a sip of her coffee. Huh. “We actually swell to about twenty thousand in the summertime with all the tourist traffic up here. The right laws on the books and we can encourage more tourism, more growth, really help the families who live here year-round survive. In fact, we’re having a luncheon tomorrow with a few media folks from Duluth to talk about fresh ideas I hope to bring to the mayor’s office.”
    Frank flicked a gaze over to Annalise, now staring at her coffee. She drew in a breath as she looked up. “Nathan will make a wonderful mayor. But I’m really very behind the scenes.”
    What was she talking about? “Hardly. This woman is on everycommittee in town—from the PTA to the blood drive. She’s the backbone of my campaign.” Nathan reached for her hand, but she had tucked it into her pocket. And her smile—yes, that was fake, like the time he’d given her touch-on lamps for Christmas.
    “We need to get going to the game.” She stood. “It’s great to see you, um, Uncle Frank.”
    What? “Lise, what are you doing? You suddenly have family and you’re sending him away?” Nathan turned to Frank. “Where are you staying?”
    He seemed to catch Frank off guard, as if the man hadn’t thought about it. His eyes flickered to Annalise’s.
    “At the Super 8,” she said.
    “No, you’re staying with us. You’re family—the first of Lise’s we’ve ever met.” Nathan stood and slipped his arm around her waist. “She’s always so quiet about her family. As if they never existed.”
    “She suffered a terrible loss,” Frank said quietly.
    “I know. Which is even more reason for you to stay with us. We’re delighted you’re here. And if you haven’t eaten dinner, I’d love to buy you a hot dog at the volleyball game. Our Lady Huskies are undefeated in the conference and my daughter—your great-niece—is a starter on varsity. She’s got a spike that will turn you cold. Probably my wife’s genes because I was never any good at sports, although she claims she never played volleyball.”
    He waited a beat for Frank to contradict him and, when he didn’t, added a shrug. “Anyway, our two boys and my mother will be at the game. They’ll be thrilled to meet you too; won’t they, honey?”
    Annalise was staring at him wide-eyed. What did she want him to do? This was her only living relative. Finally a connection to hiswife’s past. Maybe he’d get more information about the accident that had claimed her parents and two siblings. And left her with that scar on her leg. The accident that still woke her, weeping, at night.
    Nathan held out his hand again. “Welcome to Deep Haven, Uncle Frank.”

Frank sort of wished that