The Hot Flash Club Strikes Again Read Online Free PDF Page A

grief! She didn’t know she could be devious! She buried her head in his chest, hiding a triumphant grin.
    Sonny drew her against him in a bear hug. “I guess it’s time for you to meet my family.”
    “Oh?”
    “You want to know where I am Sundays or nights when I’m not with you? I’m over at their house, helping Dad with the yard. Mom fixes a great Sunday dinner. We watch baseball or football, whatever. My younger brother, Mark, and my sister, Suze, still live at home. I mean, we’re a close family. They’re really nice. They’re just kind of overwhelming, in a noisy kind of way. I guess I was enjoying having you all to myself for a while. But it’s time you met them, definitely.”
    Beth bit her lip. “Do you think they’ll like me?”
    “God, Beth,” Sonny said. “How could anyone not like you?”

3
    She was going to be late!
    Carolyn Sperry gunned her black Mercedes off the highway onto a two-lane country road with so many bends and curves she had to brake frequently. Finally she was forced to drop her speed to a sluggish forty miles an hour. She looked at the clock on the dash, then at her watch. That damned personnel meeting had run over its allotted time.
    Cursing, she almost drove past the handsome stone gates she’d been seeking. She slammed on her brakes, jerked the steering wheel to the right, and squealed through the entrance to The Haven.
    Mums and impatiens bobbed from the windows of the gatehouse. Green lawns dipped and flowed gracefully from the long stone driveway into the distance. The main building, an impressive stone castle, was brightened with flower beds. Pots of hibiscus bordered the massive front door, and the cars parked near the house were all sleek and costly. Good. It looked expensive. She
liked
expensive. Anyway, she could afford anything, would gladly pay anything, if they could help.
    But
could
they help?
    She hurried up the steps. The stone lions reclining majestically on either side wore wreaths of fresh flowers. She frowned, trying to judge what that touch of whimsy implied about this place.
    Inside, she crossed the marble foyer and gave her name to the receptionist, who immediately showed her through tall double doors into a handsome lounge. Another point for The Haven. Carolyn hated being kept waiting.
    The grandeur of the white marble fireplace and the floor-to-ceiling, leaded-glass casement windows was softened by rugs, sofas, chairs, and lamps in shades of rose and cream and emerald.
    A door at the far end of the room opened, and a striking woman entered. Slender, attractive, she wore violet silk slacks and a lavender top with a swirling scarf.
    “Hello,” she said, holding out her hand. “I’m Shirley Gold, director of The Haven. You must be Carolyn Sperry.” Shirley gestured toward a sofa and took one across from her. “Someone will be bringing tea in a moment. Apple spice, no caffeine, but delicious for this time of year. It’s a gorgeous day, isn’t it?”
    “Yes.” Nervousness made Carolyn’s voice crack. “Yes, it is.”
    “Well, now,” Shirley said. “Let’s talk about what The Haven can do for you. You read our brochure?”
    “Yes.”
    “Great.” Shirley slipped a purple pen from a notebook and turned to a fresh, lavender page. “Do you mind if I take notes? It will help me organize a path for you. I assure you, everything you tell me will be held in the strictest confidence.”
    Carolyn laughed. “In my case, that may not be necessary. I feel like everyone in the world knows about my problems.” She twisted her hands together, realized what she was doing, and laid them in her lap.
    “Really? Why is that?”
    “Because the Sperry name is so well-known.”
    “Oh, yes.” Shirley nodded, tapping her pen against her mouth. “I believe I have seen several pictures of you in the
Globe
and the
Herald.
You and your husband are patrons of the arts—”
    “True,” Carolyn interrupted, “but what matters is my company. The Sperry Paper