He was playing her. The jerk. “No one around here wants your opinions. Believe me.”
“You’d better start, or damn soon there won’t be a business.”
She turned and headed for the house. Why did she bother? Conversing with Jared was like the worst version of a “Who’s on First” Abbott and Costello skit. All they did was talk in circles, but even so, he always seemed to come out ahead.
Just as she reached the front porch, a car pulled into the driveway. Shielding a hand over her eyes, she looked up the hill and saw a silver Volvo. Fan-freakin’-tastic. A run-in with her sister was the last thing she wanted.
Dropping her hand, she made her way to the parking area and waited for Anna. It took forever. Mr. Wilson on his tractor drove faster than her sister.
Finally, her sister angled into a parking spot and turned off the engine. Jenny smiled, trying to muster up some enthusiasm. She saw her nephew was in the backseat. She waved. He didn’t wave back. Great, just what she needed. Another ornery male.
Several moments passed before her sister got out of the car; Cody stayed put.
Jenny tried not to feel underdressed. Even on a weekend morning, her sister managed to look like she’d just come from a Paris boutique. The pale lilac skirt and matching fitted jacket had exquisite, exclusive, and expensive stamped all over it. “This is a surprise.”
“Good one, I hope.”
“Always,” Jenny said and wished it was true. At one time it had been.
Anna looked around the yard. “Grandmother’s garden looks lovely. She always knew you’d be the best care-taker.”
If her sister’s compliment hadn’t instantly put Jenny on guard, then the affectionate tone would have. As far as Jenny could remember, the last time Anna had said something nice to Jenny was when they were kids and Jenny had roasted Anna’s marshmallows during their cookouts on the beach. But then Anna had outgrown Barbies and grown boobs and decided everyone needed a life plan by the time they were thirteen. Her tolerance for her younger, less driven sister had all but evaporated.
“Thanks,” Jenny said warily.
Her sister looked past her, toward the hangar. “Zeke sounds busy.”
It wasn’t Zeke, but there was no way Jenny was going to tell that to her sister. She was sick and tired of having every aspect of her life analyzed by her family. “So, what brings you all the way out here?”
“Well, I—” Anna broke off midsentence. “
That
is not Zeke.”
Jenny turned and saw that Jared—still shirtless—had emerged from the hangar. He grabbed something, then headed back in.
“Is that who I think it is?” Anna asked, sounding like a breathless schoolgirl.
“It’s no one you know.”
“I think I can make an accurate guess.”
Yes,
Jenny thought. Unfortunately, her sister could.
“You sure know how to pick them,” Anna continued. “I’ll give you that.”
“I didn’t pick him.”
Anna grinned at her. “I would have.”
“Anna!”
“What?”
“You’re married.”
“Married, not buried.”
Something in her sister’s tone caught Jenny, and she found herself looking more closely at Anna. But as she searched her sister’s features, Jenny knew she must have been mistaken. The tentativeness. The trace of uncertainty Jenny had thought she heard had been an illusion. Anna had never had an unsure moment in her life.
“Come on, this I have to see.”
Her sister was halfway across the yard before Jenny could react.
Jenny hustled to catch up, knowing there was no way she could stop her sister. For a woman who drove a good ten miles under the speed limit, Anna was a surprisingly fast walker. “Don’t you mean meet?” Jenny asked when she reached Anna.
Anna flashed her a huge smile, the kind that Jenny hadn’t seen for years—if ever. “Yeah, right. Meet.” She smiled again.
The hangar’s large front doors were open, and sunlight flooded most of the vast interior. Toward the far end, Jared was working on one of the hydraulic flaps. The muscles on his chest and arms bunched and rippled as he worked underneath the plane’s flap. Every time he reached forward, his Levi’s slipped a little lower on his hips, exposing more of his rock-hard abs and the thin, dark line of hair that spiraled around his navel and disappeared into the waistband of his jeans.
Jenny felt a sudden rush of anger, and it had nothing to do with his working on her plane and everything to do with him standing half-naked in front of them making her remember the way the heat of his hand had felt against her skin as he’d held her, steadied her, while she put on her flip-flops.
Anna let out a long-drawn-out breath. “
That’s
your partner?”
“Don’t call him that.”
“I never expected him to be so—”
“Arrogant? Obnoxious? Overbearing?”
Her sister tore her gaze away from Jared. “Gorgeous.”
He was turning them all into besotted fools. “Let’s go,” Jenny said and started to turn away.
“Not on your life. I’ve been dying to meet your partner ever since Mom described him.”
Her sister had never been infatuated with a guy. Ever. Not even with her husband. She and Phillip had had the perfect relationship. They’d met, fallen in love, and gotten married all in six months. The fact that Anna was now ogling the man wreaking havoc in Jenny’s life was just plain wrong. “He’s working.”
“I can see that.”
“We shouldn’t interrupt him. We both know how much you hate to be interrupted at work. Jared’s the same way.” Okay, she’d made that up, but it was probably true.
“I don’t think he’ll mind. I’m sure he’s anxious to meet your family.” Anna’s look was a clear reminder that Jenny could have avoided this if she had brought him to their father’s party.
Jenny considered dragging her sister back to the house. The last thing she wanted was for Anna and Jared to meet. For Jared and any of her family to meet for that matter. Like the rest of them, he had no trouble trotting out all of her flaws. She could just imagine what a field day he and her family would have comparing notes on all of Jenny’s shortcomings.
But before Jenny could act, Anna called out, “Hello.” Her voice carried loud and clear.
Jared paused and turned their way.
Anna waved, and Jenny rolled her eyes. Her normally reserved and studious sister was making a spectacle of herself. And that was before she motioned for him to join them.
Jared set down the tool he’d been working with and made his way toward them, wiping his hands off on the seat of his jeans. His long legs ate up the distance.
Jenny glared at him as he drew near. Glared at him and then at the shirt he still hadn’t put on.
He flashed her sister one of the bone-melting grins he reserved for women other than Jenny. “I don’t think I’ve had the pleasure.”
“Dr. Anna Adams. Jenny’s sister.”
Doctor.
Of course her sister had to throw that in.
“Jared Worth. It’s nice to meet you.”
“I’m sorry we couldn’t meet last Friday.”
“Friday?” he questioned, his brow creasing.
“Yes. At our father’s birthday party. Jenny said you had a previous commitment.”
Jenny found herself the object of Jared’s full attention. While that might be most girls’ dreams, it wasn’t hers.
She made sure to tell herself that twice.
“Yes,” he answered Anna, still looking at Jenny. “Maybe next time.”
“Will you be staying long?” Anna asked.
“No,” Jenny said at the same time Jared replied, “Depends.”
Anna looked from one to the other, then laughed softly. “Interesting.” She held out her hand. “I wish I could stay longer and chat, but I’ve got to get going. It was nice meeting you.”
He shook her hand. “Likewise.”
Anna smiled one last time, then finally followed Jenny back to her car.
“You didn’t have to do that,” Jenny said the moment they were out of his earshot.
“Do what?”
“You know what. Introduce yourself.”
“Why ever not? He’s your partner.”
“Stop calling him that. And he’s not going to be around long enough for it to matter if he meets any of you. He’s leaving. Soon.” They reached the car. Her nephew was still in the backseat listening to his iPod and doing a good imitation of ignoring the world.
“Hmmm,” was her sister’s only reply.
Jenny let the subject drop, like she always did when she and her sister disagreed. “Before you arrived I was just about to head inside for a glass of lemonade. Would you and Cody care to join me?” She didn’t really care if her teenage mutant nephew ever got out of the car, but excluding him would be rude. Besides, she’d only have to endure his company for a short while until they left.
“Mix or homemade?”
Lusting over the enemy and insulting her culinary skills. Perfect. “Homemade.”
“No thanks,” Anna said on a laugh. “But I do have a favor to ask.”
“A favor?” Jenny was certain her surprise showed. She couldn’t remember the last time her sister had asked her for anything.
“I got the promotion.”
Of course she had. “Congratulations.” Jenny tried to put some enthusiasm behind the compliment.
“The new job means a lot of overtime. More hours. Longer days. Weekends.”
“Sounds tough.”
“Nothing I can’t handle.”
It was true, and they both knew it.
“I’m actually heading in to work now,” she added.
“On a Saturday?”
Her sister let out a sigh. “Do you listen to anything I say? I just explained how I’ll have to work weekends.”
“Right,” Jenny said. Frankly, her sister’s work schedule didn’t interest her in the least. She had enough to deal with.
“That’s why I’m here.” Anna paused. “I need you to watch Cody.”
“What?”
Anna crossed her arms. “Believe me, you were my last choice.”
“Thanks a lot.” Not that Jenny wanted to watch her nephew, but the insult hurt, nonetheless.
“I didn’t mean it like that.”
“Yes, you did.”
“I’m sorry. It’s just that we both know you’re not the most organized individual.”
“If I’m such a poor choice, why not take him to Mom’s? She loves having Cody.”
“I would, except she’s buried under work.”
“And I’m not?”
Anna took a slow, sweeping look around the property. “No.”
Jenny felt like a dartboard her sister kept taking aim at. “What about Paul?” It seemed to her that if her brother had time for early morning calls to pester his baby sister, then he obviously had time to watch his nephew.
“He works nearly as many hours as I do. You know that. Come on, Jen, it would only be for the weekend. Cody’s excited to come to the lake.”
Jenny glanced into the back of Anna’s car. Cody didn’t look at all excited. Like mother, like son. Anna had never fallen in love with the lake like Jenny had. She’d never liked the water or fishing with Grandpa or gardening with Nana. To her, it had all been an interference, a waste of time for a girl who only wanted to set the medical world on fire.
And then the full impact of her sister’s words hit her. “Weekend? As in today
and
tomorrow?”
“And possibly next weekend, too. Until I can make other arrangements for the summer. He has a baseball game late Sunday afternoon and a book report due on Monday. Please make sure he gets that done.”
Jenny looked back at her nephew. He was turned sideways in the seat, facing as far away from them as possible and slouched so far down on the expensive beige leather seat all Jenny could see was the top of his spiky blue hair. But that still didn’t hide the fact that he wore a big Back Off sign.
“This was a mistake,” her sister said, uncrossing her arms. “I told Mom you couldn’t handle it. Forget I stopped by. I’ll figure something else out.”
Her sister opened the car door, and Jenny waited for the sense of relief she was sure would come. She didn’t need this. She didn’t need her nephew hanging around giving her attitude. Her gaze strayed toward the hangar. She had enough to deal with at the moment.
I told Mom you couldn’t handle it.
She could handle it; she just didn’t want to.
Through the open car door, Cody shifted his position, and their eyes met. But this time, instead of seeing a brooding teenager, she saw something else, something more: a kid trying his hardest to act like he didn’t care. But each time Anna talked about him staying for the weekend, Cody seemed to collapse into himself a little more. It was almost as if he expected to be rejected. Watching him, Jenny felt a pull on her heart. If anyone in this family knew about building barricades and pretending not to hurt, it was her.
“He can stay,” Jenny heard herself say.
TEN
Before her sister’s car even crested the driveway, Jenny knew she had made a mistake. Why hadn’t she just said no?
Because she’d never been good at turning anyone down, particularly not family and most certainly not her sister. And especially when her sister was asking her for a favor. It had been such a novelty, Jenny had said yes before she’d fully thought it through.
Twenty-six years old and still trying to prove herself to her family. Pathetic.
Anna’s Volvo turned left onto Lakeshore Drive. Soon the silver car disappeared around a long, sweeping bend, and the only evidence of her sister’s visit was the low cloud of dirt hovering above the gravel drive, two brown grocery sacks at Jenny’s feet, and the sullen teenager standing next to her.
Jenny faced her nephew and put on a brave face. Just because she knew it was a mistake that Cody was here, he didn’t have to. Besides, it was only for the weekend. Two short little days. How bad could it be? “Why don’t we head inside and—”