Perfect Fit (Serendipity's Finest) - By Carly Phillips Page 0,67

won’t leave her heart stomped beneath your feet.”

Mike groaned. “All I can tell you is that I’ve been honest with her from day one.” He opened and closed his hands, fisting them beneath the table. “I don’t want her hurt any more than you do.”

Sam expelled a harsh breath. “I believe you. I just…her father’s a bastard. Her mother takes it. Cara’s never stayed in a relationship long. She won’t put herself out there for fear of being hurt, but she’s different with you.” He shook his head. “And I can see disaster coming from a mile away. But I love you both, so…” He raised his hands in front of him. “I’ll stay out of it.”

Mike knew what it took for Sam to step back. There was no better man, no one more loyal than his brother. “Thanks, man.”

“Okay, now that you two have settled things, what happened in Vegas?” Erin asked.

Mike drew a deep breath. “I met him.”

“And?” Erin asked in a whisper.

Mike closed his eyes, and the memory of Rex Bransom flashed before him. “We look alike,” Mike admitted. “We…spoke alike. He’s more outgoing. He enjoys being the center of attention. I don’t. But I’m afraid that in here”—he tapped his chest, over his heart—“we’re more alike than I want to believe.”

He felt his brother’s hand slap him on the shoulder. “That’s bullshit,” Sam said, defending Mike so strongly that he almost believed it himself.

Almost.

“He left. So did I. He abandoned a woman—”

“Don’t go there,” Sam warned him. “Tiffany was nothing like Mom.”

That, at least, was true.

“Mike, you’re one of the best men I know.” Erin, her eyes wide and damp, met his gaze. “And that’s because you’re like Simon, not Rex.”

He didn’t reply.

His sister covered his hand with hers. “Hey. You have to believe me.”

Mike didn’t know how to feel or what to believe. It was Rex’s blood running through his veins. Rex, who couldn’t stay in one place, who never gave a piece of himself to anyone he came into contact with. Mike’s search for Rex had revealed that the man jumped from state to state, never forming ties or relationships. Mike was much the same.

“Forget him,” Sam said. “Call the case cold for good and put it behind you.”

Mike didn’t know if he could. “He called me son. And afterward, I never felt more dirty in my life.”

His siblings looked at him with pity, which had him squirming in his seat.

“What about Mom and Dad? You going to tell them what happened?” Sam asked.

“I’ve spoken to Mom. And as soon as Dad finishes his last treatment, we agreed to sit him down and explain everything, including that Rex contacted her through Facebook.” He’d already told his brother and sister the background before he went to Vegas.

“Oh, to be a fly on the wall for that conversation,” Erin said, with a shake of her head. “Good thing their bond is tight enough to withstand anything.”

“Amen,” Mike said.

“So. Does anyone have any good news to talk about?” Erin grinned.

“Same old,” Sam muttered.

They finished eating in relative peace, for which Mike was grateful. His cell rang as he was finishing, and he took the call from work.

He listened without much interest. “Just leave it on my desk,” he said to the desk sergeant on call. “I’ll get to it when I come in tomorrow.” He disconnected the line.

“Anything important?” Erin asked.

Mike shook his head. “Someone left an envelope for me.” And he hoped that was the most interesting thing that happened to him for the rest of the week. He could do without drama and excitement for a little while.

Cara had been back in Serendipity for almost a week when Alexa finally had time to meet her at Cuppa Café Saturday morning. Cara needed a female friend fix desperately, and she’d had to wait until her friend’s day off.

“Sit. I have your drink ready and waiting,” Cara said when Alexa arrived. “I have so much to tell you!”

Alexa shrugged off her winter coat. “I wish you’d told me you needed to talk! I’d have made time sooner,” she chided.

Cara waved a hand. “As if I’d ever ask you to drop a patient or turn down an emergency. You’re a workaholic, but don’t worry. I know that if I needed you, you’d be there for me. I guess I wasn’t ready to share just yet.”

Alexa listened, her eyes glazing with a bit of envy at the description of Las Vegas—at least before meeting Rex. From the suite in