Read Microsoft Word - 49A4C18A-1A2A-28B97F.doc for Free Online

with a frown. Although strangely, the idea wasn’t completely unappealing.
    “Okay, well, I have to go so I can make a deal with the devil to keep our lights on for
    another week.”
    “You’re the best,” Perry said.
    “Yes, I am,” Theresa agreed, then hung up.
    He switched off the hands-free microphone and exhaled while loosening his tie.
    The Kendall case had already drawn out eighteen months longer than he’d expected, and
    had consumed an enormous amount of time. He’d passed on other cases and was now operating
    his law firm on a shoestring, but he’d thought it was worth it when he’d taken on security guard Thomas Kendall’s case. His employer, Deartmond Industries, had exposed Kendall to dangerous
    emissions over two decades as he manned his post in a guard shack situated next to the
    manufacturer’s exhaust system, then fired him when the man had applied for disability over the lung ailment he had developed.
    In hindsight, Perry still believed in the case. He only hoped he didn’t wind up filing for
    bankruptcy for his principles. The Kendall case was all or nothing—if they won, and if the
    reparations were as big as Perry thought they should be, Thomas Kendall could afford a lung
    transplant and he and his family would be set for the rest of their lives. And Perry’s law firm would recover. But if they lost, or if the reparations were less than the trivial amount the
    company had offered as a settlement, then Perry was sunk and his client would suffer, too.
    Maybe Theresa was right—maybe he should go back to ambulance-chasing instead of
    trying to take on the world. After all, no good deed went unpunished.
    As he approached his condo building, his mind turned away from his immediate problems
    to his more immediate problem—Jane Kurtz. He wasn’t sure why the woman had gotten under
    his skin. After all, he’d apologized for the harsh things he’d said about her.
    Perry frowned. But instead of being angry or indignant, she’d acted as if she…deserved it.
    I have a mirror. I know that I’m not…exciting. And she hadn’t been fishing for compliments—
    she’d been very matter-of-fact.
    Apparently the woman had grown up thinking—or being told—that she wasn’t as pretty as
    other girls. He didn’t like the idea that he was one of the people who had added to the woman’s impression of herself. It shouldn’t be a big thing…but somehow it was.
    When he pulled into the parking garage and rounded the corner to the guest parking area,
    he glanced over to see if she’d gotten her flat fixed and did a double-take when he noticed her sprawling on her stomach next to the tire, inserting a jack under the frame, a spare tire lying nearby. He wheeled his vehicle into the closest spot and climbed out. She turned her head as he strode toward her.
    “Thought you were going to call a repair service,” he said.
    She looked back to her task. “I did, but they were going to charge a fortune, and it wasn’t
    in my budget this month. I did this a couple of times in college.
    It’s not that hard.”
    Perry was listening—sort of. He was distracted by the sight of her shapely behind that was
    outlined as she strained to get the jack in place. Wow, plain little Jane Kurtz was hiding some curves under those boyish clothes.
    He rolled up his sleeves and lowered himself to the ground next to her. “Let me give you a
    hand.”
    “I can do it,” she said, sounding irritated.
    She probably didn’t realize that she had a streak of grease across her nose.
    “I’m sure you can,” he said easily. “But I can do it more quickly. And besides, it would
    make me feel better about this whole parking situation.”
    She hesitated.
    “Please,” he added.
    She finally gave a curt nod and scooted out to allow him access to the jack.
    He situated the jack, then retreated to reach for the wrench she had lain nearby.
    “I already loosened the lug nuts,” she offered.
    He nodded—so she did know what she was