“There’s my brother Leslie—or Lee as he prefers.” He frowns at the thought of his more than comely brother. “He’s got the auto shop out in Scooter Springs to keep him busy. And Kelly whom you’ve met.”
“I sure as heck did.” In fact, I tackled her at one of Shep’s book events a few weeks back because I thought she was a deranged fan. It turns out, I was the one who looked deranged in that scenario. Kelly is blonde, has about five years on me—so that puts her in her mid-thirties—and as far as I know, she’s single. “What’s she up to?”
His lips pull tight. “Kelly is a hedge fund manager at Financial Premier. She still lives out in Maple Grove. That’s where we grew up, blew up, and reunite every now and again.”
My shoulders sag. “Be grateful. I’d give anything to have one more Sunday dinner with my motley crew. My brother, Lorenzo, is probably still schmoozing the ladies two at a time. And Steph, my sister—she’s way too involved with her loser of a boyfriend to notice there are actually other people in the world. Don’t tell her I said that.” We share a quick laugh.
“I’m sorry.” He reaches over and gives my hand a quick squeeze.
“Don’t be sorry. I’m the dodo bird who got herself into this predicament to begin with. I don’t even know what I was thinking. Scratch that, I know exactly what I was thinking. I was going to get ahead by way of cheating the mob. Not the brightest idea I’ve ever had. But now that I’ve had a chance to think about it, I wonder if that came from the fact my dad was sitting in a prison cell because of his dicey connections. Okay, so his decision to squeal may have played a part in it. But do you know why he did it?”
Shep gives a sorrowful nod. “I do know because he told me.”
Shep met up with my father in prison before we ever met—for research purposes for his books. Come to find out, his books read like a who’s who of the crime families of New Jersey—namely mine.
Shep leans in. “He did it for his family. He wanted out. He wanted a better life for his children.”
Tears come to my eyes. “That’s exactly why.” I sniff hard in an effort to get ahold of my emotions. “Come here.” I scoot over and pat the spot next to me. “Don’t think I didn’t notice there were two forks here.”
“Did I do that?” A devilish grin twitches on his lips as he scoots in close. That musky cologne of his clings to his skin and electrifies my senses.
Shep and I indulge in a pancake breakfast while reliving my short-lived career as a llama jockey. I tell him all about my new friends, Sugar and Cinnamon, and we laugh until we cry. Okay, so I laugh until I cry. Shep winces a lot and chuckles.
It feels good to laugh with Shep.
As much as I hate to admit it, I’m falling hard for this ornery sourpuss of a man.
What’s not to love? He checks off all the sexy boxes, with intelligence and dark humor being the two most important.
Love.
Now there’s something that will never happen for the two of us.
That last vision I had before I opened my eyes sealed the depressing deal.
Too bad.
I think we would have made a good team.
Chapter 9
It turns out, Parker Goldman is Dr. Parker Goldman. And not only does he own the Biogen Laboratory, but he’s also a practicing plastic surgeon who specializes in youth and beauty treatments.
As soon as I got to the café this morning, I started to research the guy. I called his office as soon as I spotted his number and, sure enough, there was a cancelation this afternoon I was able to procure. Of course, I’m not actually having the consultation myself. The last thing I need is Dr. Feel Good digging around and discovering that I have no medical history, so Tilly volunteered for the effort. I didn’t tell her why I didn’t want Parker poking around in any part of my fictitious history, but no sooner did I mention that Dr. Goldman has the ability to erase the effects of Father Time, than not only did Tilly hop into my beat-up Honda, Wanda, but Opal did, too.
Wanda was a parting gift from my Uncle Vinnie that he gave me when I took off from Hastings in an effort to ditch the mob and the feds. Wanda and I had our sights set on Canada, but she gave up the vehicular ghost as soon as we rolled into Starry Falls.
I guess you could say I have Wanda to thank for my new life in Vermont. And even though she sputters and stutters far more than she zooms or vrooms, I sort of consider her my good luck charm.
The Fountain of Youth Clinic owned by Dr. Parker Goldman is in the heart of Sterling Lake’s posh downtown district. The building is a conglomerate of squares smooshed together and the inside is a modern sea of glass and stainless steel.
I somehow manage to parlay our single office visit into a two-fer and the nurse allows both Opal and Tilly to be seen in the same room at once.
Both Opal and Tilly are commanded to strip from the waist up and put on a paper gown.
“I cry foul,” Opal huffs as she cinches her gown in the front. “I don’t see why it’s necessary for us to undress if we’re simply here to have our faces ironed out.”
“I’ll tell you why.” Tilly knocks her shoulder to Opal’s. “Because the good doctor is a pervert. But don’t worry. I plan on using my blooming bosom to garner us a major discount. I’ve got an arsenal that will take
