"Diprovan again." I sniffed, trying to hide my disappointment, placing the food and flowers on the kitchen counter. Ellen's cat, Popeye, brushed against my leg."Hey, Pops."

"I can't help it, Nick." Ellen's eyes went to the flowers. She smiled, making the correct connection to a meadow in the Chianti District outside of Siena, an amorous urge we couldn't hold back a couple of summers ago.

"Jeez, what'd you get fired or something?"

"Just a little carried away, I guess."

"No." She shook her head and sighed as if to say,Nothing's going right for us, lately."Not carried away. I'm sorry, Nicky. They're waiting on me. I can't even put these in a vase."

"No sweat." I shrugged."Actually, they were for me."

Ellen had these red glasses on that I found sexy as hell for some reason. Her small breasts peeked from under a tight-fitting top. I found myself getting aroused. Foolish. Maybe it was just this momentary feeling that I was free from the anticipation of the case. Or the sense that I had to do something… for us. I don't even know. As she tossed a few things in her purse, I put my hands on her shoulders.

"Nick, Ican't. I'm AWOL." She tensed against me."I gotta go. Hey, I almost forgot. How'd it go today?"

"Well." I nodded."We got a decent jury. Everybody's ready. Let's just hope Cavello and his lawyers don't pull any fast ones."

"Nick, you've done everything humanly possible, so stop killing yourself. Manny would be proud." She gave me a soft kiss on the cheek, not what I had in mind, but it made me smile.

"Tell Diprovan hello."

"Nick…" Ellen shook her head, unamused. She turned back in the doorway."I'm sorry about the dinner. It was a nice thought." Then she looked at the sunflowers on the counter."You're such a romantic."

Chapter 8