Page 24 of Faith

It had almost made him run to the nearest dealer. That scared the bloody hell out of him. He couldn’t go down that hole again. The fact that Nic had become so damned vital to him, to his way of life, petrified him. When had she become so damned important to him?

Before he could get too morose, his phone rang. He looked at the number and cringed.His mother.

The day just kept getting better and better.

He clicked it on. He didn’t have a choice. No one did when his mother called.

“Mother.”

“Jensen. How are things in Hawaii?”

“Fine. Nicola and I just finished going over some information, and she’s doing a little bit of digging on the family who owns the resort. How is England?”

She paused, and that wasn’t at all like his mother. His father had always compared her to an admiral. Full steam ahead and never stopping until she got what she wanted.

“We have an issue.”

“An issue?”

“Julienne broke off her engagement.”

It was his turn to be silent. His sister was the good girl, the one that always seemed to do exactly as expected.

“She what?”

“She broke off her engagement from Gregor.”

“When did this happen?”

“Last night. Nothing has hit the rags, but you know that isn’t far behind.”

He rubbed his temple. “Bloody hell. Did she give a reason?”

“No, and that’s what worries me the most. She doesn’t seem to care that they broke up.”

“Are you sure? You know what she’s like.”

His sister was a competent businesswoman. Jensen never doubted that she would pull her weight. Emotions, though, were not as easy for her. It had been like that since their father died.

“I asked, and she answered.”

“Mother.”

“I know, I know. She hides a lot from us but pushing now would be a mistake.”

“You’re probably right,” Jensen said. For all of his mother’s failings, knowing her children was not on that list. She knew what made them all tick. That’s why she was so good at controlling them. Or she had been.

“Do you need me to come back home?”

“I have been handling my children for thirty-five years.”

Handling. Yes, his mother was very good at that.

“Right-o. But be sure to call and let me know what is going on.”

“So, you are headed over to Maui next week?”

Subject changed, no use trying to get his mother to talk any more about his sister right now.

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