Page 59 of Forbidden Kisses
“Mom?” Grace said, looking back at her mother. “You’ll stay, too, right?”
“Of course.” Her mother offered a smile to him that he didn’t return. And he couldn’t even be bothered to feel like a jackass about it. He’d be staying for dinner, but it didn’t mean he had to make nice.
“Great.” Grace pressed her hands together in front of her chest, almost in a prayer position. “Okay. First thing’s first. I’m making drinks for you two while I finish cooking. Lucky you, you have an ex-bartender at your beck and call tonight.”
“Make mine nonalcoholic,” Grace’s mother said.
Jack noticed the tremor in Tammy’s hand as she raised it to get Grace’s attention.
“I can’t mix alcohol with my meds.”
“Right.” Grace nodded. “Nonalcoholic for you.” She headed behind the kitchen counter. “Just make yourselves comfortable,” she called to them across the room.
Jack was still standing. He looked between his sitting options, wanting to take the one farthest from Tammy. He chose a stiff chair and sat.
“How long have you been dating my daughter?” Tammy asked after several minutes.
Jack looked up. “A little while.”
Tammy laughed quietly. “You always did give as little information as possible when it came to me. I remember when I first met you. I asked how old you were and instead of telling me, you held up ten fingers.”
Jack nodded, getting away with no words this time.
“They say Parkinson’s will start to affect my memory at some point, but I still remember everything just like it happened yesterday.”
An ache resonated over Jack’s chest, right above where his heart was beating.
“Parents aren’t supposed to have favorites, but there’s no such rule for stepparents. I always liked you best.” Tammy leaned back awkwardly into the couch cushion. Her movements weren’t fluid and graceful the way he remembered they’d been when she’d first come into their lives. She was right. He’d been ten years old, almost eleven. He remembered thinking she’d looked like a queen with her long, flowing hair. Jack hadn’t wanted a new mother, but he’d liked Tammy. He’d wanted her to stay. Maybe not forever, but for a while at least.
Grace appeared back in the room and handed them both a drink. “A Coke for you, Mom. And a rum and Coke for you,” she told Jack.
“I haven’t had one of these in years,” he said.
Grace dipped and kissed his mouth before walking away. “Food’s almost ready. Just a few finishing touches and then we’ll sit.”
Jack stared into his glass, finally taking a sip. The carbonation of the drink stung in a satisfying way.
“I always knew you two would end up together,” Tammy said.
Jack sighed. “No, you didn’t. We were brother and sister.”
“For a little while. But I always suspected Grace and I wouldn’t stay long. I have a way of sabotaging things that make me happy. I’ve always been that way.”
“So I should feel sorry for you? Is that what you want? You sold off my mother’s things one by one because you don’t know how to be happy?”
Tammy wasn’t smiling anymore. Instead her hands shook around her glass.
And he felt like an asshole.
“No,” she said. “Don’t feel sorry for me. I do enough of that for myself.” She shook her head. “Grace needs someone like you. I’m not sure she knows how to be happy, either, but I’ve noticed a difference in her over the last few couple weeks. I’m guessing it’s because of you.”
Jack didn’t say anything. If he did, he might say something else that made him feel like a jerk. There was a lot of anger bubbling at his surface when he was around Tammy Donner. He didn’t want to see her any differently. He wanted to keep harboring these feelings of dislike for her. She deserved his bitterness.
“All right. Dinner is served.” Grace stepped in front of them proudly. “Let’s head to the table.”
Jack stood. The sooner he ate, the sooner this night would be over.
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