“No, I can’t. Just coffee, please. I was looking for Annie.” She accepted the cup Mrs. Williamson handed her. “I’ve got to go in early. There’s a problem at the office.” She looked at her watch. “I should be in the car already. I can’t find Annie, and I need to see if she can run the girls to school.”

“She’s gone. It’s her day for the farmers’ market.”

“Oh.” Laura pressed her fingers to her eyes. “I forgot. Then I’ll have to—”

“I’ll run them in.”

Busily rearranging her schedule, Laura blinked at him. “What?”

“I’ll run them to school.”

“I couldn’t impose, but—”

“It’s no problem, and I don’t think you have time to argue about it. Go on to work. I think I can get two girls to school without permanent damage.”

“I didn’t mean—” He was right, she admitted with another glance at her watch. She didn’t have time to argue. “I appreciate it. Thanks. It’s Hornbecker Academy. If you take 1 South to—”

“I know where it is,” he interrupted. “Same place you went.”

“Yes.” She’d had no idea he’d known where she went to school, much less remembered it. “I really appreciate this, Michael. I’m so late.” She set the coffee aside, then stood, flustered, when he took her hand.

“Relax. The hotel’s not going to collapse if you’re late for a meeting.”

“No, but my department might. Ali has to turn in her English composition this morning. She has it; I checked. But you might want to remind her. And Kayla should go over her spelling words on the drive in. She has a test. Ali can help her.”

“I said I’ll handle it.”

“Yes, but, if you’d make sure they take umbrellas. I’ve set them out. It may rain.”

“Now.” He rose and, forgetting he had an audience, took her face in his hands and kissed her. “Go away.”

“I—” She glanced over to where Mrs. Williamson was by all appearances busy humming over her pancakes. “I’m going. But they need to be reminded to feed the dog. Sometimes—”

“Out.” Because she apparently needed a boost, he pulled her to the door. “Go nag somebody else.”

When she opened her mouth again, he gave her a friendly slap on the butt to send her along. “How does anyone start a morning like that?” he wondered, then turned and found Mrs. Williamson eyeing him soberly.

He cursed, but was wise enough to do it only mentally. “Is it like that around here every day?”

Ignoring his question, she stepped forward, walked around him. He thought he had a pretty good idea of what she was seeing. A man who came in the back door because he didn’t belong at the front one.