Total pages in book: 91
Estimated words: 88290 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 441(@200wpm)___ 353(@250wpm)___ 294(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 88290 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 441(@200wpm)___ 353(@250wpm)___ 294(@300wpm)
“Really?” She sounded surprised. “I can’t imagine that. Mr. Harcourt is just the nicest, sweetest man ever. He’s been so good to me, especially after I lost my dad last year. He and Mrs. Harcourt came to the funeral, and they were so great to my mom. She talks about them all the time.”
I nodded, biting my tongue. Dane sweet. Dear God, he had her fooled.
“But I can tell neither one of them is wild about Dallas, but she’s just young,” said the woman who was no older than eighteen herself. “I did offer to loan her a pair of tights, though. I mean, even in here, she’s probably freezing.”
I was guessing yes. After several minutes, I met Aja in my kitchen, and then we went outside on our enclosed porch, where there were heaters going as well.
“You’re not being subtle about Dallas,” I told her. “Portia can tell you don’t like her.”
“It’s not that I don’t like her, it’s just that girl has no clothes, as far as I can tell, that fit her. Ever.”
“You’re being mean.”
“Jory, we both know that with what people can see on social media, with where we live, with the car Gentry drives, that he’s a target. Robert has always been far too much like his father. He has a very tight bunch of friends, like Kola does, and if you’re not one of them, forget it. He had no time for girls or anything that wasn’t school or swimming when he was Gen’s age. We never worried about him.”
“I know.”
“But Gen is—different. We made him wait until sixteen to date, and for a while there, I couldn’t keep the names of the girls straight. We had the sex talk with him, and he said not to worry and showed us his condom drawer.”
“Drawer?”
“I nearly passed out.”
“At least he’s being safe.”
“This is not funny.”
“No. Not at all.”
“Stop smiling.”
I really tried.
“Dane’s been so Dane about this.”
“Meaning?”
“Quiet. You know how he gets.”
I did. Dane mulled things over before he ever made a statement on anything. As far as I knew, the only person he’d ever blurted things at was me. “So Gen and Dallas are…”
“Oh, I’m sure they are, and this girl just scares me to death. I feel like she’s got an agenda with dating him, and I don’t like it.”
“Or you just don’t like her.”
“I’m a teacher first,” she reminded me. “I don’t judge kids just on what I can see. That’s not me. But I’m just not crazy about her. They have nothing in common, not like Portia and Robert, who I hope get married and give me beautiful grandchildren.”
“Wow.”
“What?” she snapped at me. “I don’t mean next month. I mean someday.”
If Aja had a feeling, I couldn’t fault her. I was just as protective of my kids, which was why when I saw Hannah answer the door and kiss a man on the cheek hello, not a young man, not a boy, but a man, I could barely move.
“What’s wrong with you?” Aaron asked, stopping to talk to me and carrying four glasses of my world-famous Christmas punch with him. It was very good, very strong, and he had more than just for him and Duncan.
“Two each?”
“What?” he asked me, and then realized what I meant when I tipped my head at the drinks. “Oh no. Two of these are for Sam’s folks, one is for me and one for Aja. I’m trying to keep her drinking so she stops worrying about Lolita, who her youngest is dating.”
“Stop that,” I warned him and then focused again on Hannah, who was leading the man—the older man—toward my kitchen. “Do you know that guy with my daughter?”
“No. He’s gotta be one of her teachers or something, right?”
I had no idea.
Glancing around, I saw Sam talking to Dane and Duncan, all of them drinking bourbon—Duncan had brought something in a fancy box, and they’d been enjoying it—and not paying attention to anything else. Kola was talking to Kurt, as he said he would, and Hannah…suddenly Hannah and the mystery man were joined, in the kitchen, by George.
“Oh, see, George is on it,” he told me before he left me to deliver drinks and sit back down. I watched him for a minute, waved to everyone at the table, and then moved out of the way of Sam’s brother, Michael, and his date, who were making their way to the kitchen as well.
Minutes later, Hannah threw up her arms and stalked out of the room, walking by me in a huff on her way to the stairs that led up to her room. She didn’t look sad, more mad, and she went up fast. Meanwhile, George had stepped in close to the stranger, crossing his arms and giving the man what I called the death stare when Sam did it. After another couple of minutes, the guy, who looked furious, spun around and charged out of my kitchen, to my front door, and then opened it on Dylan and Chris, pushed between them, and left. They came in and went to the kitchen to drop off the champagne they brought, and Aja was there to meet them and explain the weird food I had out. It was a bit eclectic; I would give her that.