Page 5 of Steel & Jenna
“What’s that?”
“Little sisters can be just as stubborn.” She gifted him with a smile.
Fuck, that smile. Jack knew he’d burn the world down for that smile. He needed to figure out a way to earn enough money to get them out of this shit town. Lilly was destined for so much better thana leaking mobile home trailer, secondhand clothes, and library books.
Jack was just about to rebut her sassy statement when movement out of the corner of his eye caught his attention. The bookshop owner, Mr. Saget, was grabbing theNarniabox set out of the display window. Both Lilly and Jack watched in silence as he carried the books and the lion stuffed animal over to the register. The bookcases blocked who was the one doing the purchasing, but it wasn’t like it mattered overall.
The box set was gone before Jack even had a chance to ask if Mr. Saget would hold it for him until he got the money.
Though Lilly looked back at Jack with sad eyes, she still tried to smile at him. “It’s okay. Today is someone else’s chance to enjoy the books.”
Fuck, she was too good for this world.
“How did you get so sweet?” he asked her in all sincerity. “Certainly didn’t learn it from me.”
“It’s all the candy Mrs. Mallory gives me,” Lilly said with a wide, cheeky smile.
Kathleen Mallory was their next door neighbor. She was a single mom with a three year old son. Some days when Jack couldn’t take Lilly with him, he was able to arrange with Mrs. Mallory to watch Lilly in exchange for yardwork or babysitting her son, Billy. It wasn’t the greatest arrangement, but it helped on occasion.
Lilly didn’t know that Jack left her behind so he could rummage through the junkyard and landfill for anything he could either pawn or fix and then pawn. Plus, he wanted her nowhere near that area of town.
Standing, Jack chuckled. “Remind me to thank her.” He reached out his hand to her.
Lilly put her much smaller hand in his. She knew to always be on whichever side was nearest to the building when they were walking down the sidewalk.
The candy shoppe was just down the block. Glancing at the setting sun, Jack debated on taking her there. He knew he had at least twopennies in his pocket. She deserved something nice after spending the day waiting for him to finish mowing lawns and then shopping for school supplies.
He could spare a few pennies. If they were quick, they could still make it home before the sun set.
Jack was opening his mouth to tell Lilly his plan when someone shouted, “Wait!” from behind them.
He glanced over his shoulder, so certain that whoever was speaking wasn’t calling out to them—and did a double take.
Running towards them in a cute, long dress was the most beautiful girl Jack had ever seen. She had flaming orange hair, piercing hazel eyes, and a dusting of freckles over her nose and cheeks. As she skidded to a halt in front of them, Jack noted that she was only a few inches shorter than he was. Maybe five-seven. The yellow dress revealed just a teasing amount of cleavage. Her arms were covered by a white sweater, which Jack desperately wanted to take off of her to see if those freckles could be located there too.
Though fifteen, he’d never had a girlfriend before. It wasn’t that he hadn’t noticed the girls in his class or around him. He’d had crushes before, and the occasional eye contact with one made his heart—and other things—jump to attention, but never enough to actually follow through or commit to anything.
But this girl…
Just…wow.
She was a flame in the darkness, as mesmerizing as the beauty of a flickering fire. And thatsmile. It stole his breath.
Her hair was in an intricate braid that looped around the top of her head like a crown. It seemed fitting in a way.Queen of Hearts.Then he corrected it to,Queen ofmyheart.Maybe even clichéd, but damn if Jack cared.
The girl smiled at Jack before turning her attention to Lilly. “I really hope I’m not overstepping, but I have a rule to do one kind thing a day.” She held out a brown paper shopping bag to Lilly.
Lilly looked up at Jack, unsure of what to do. It was rare that townspeople talked to them or engaged them in any way. Small townstalked, and it was widely known that John Duncan did not believe Lilly was his daughter. No one wanted anything to do with the illegitimate child, not even John Duncan.
Cautiously, Jack nodded down to Lilly. He didn’t know what was in the bag, but instincts—or maybe his lizard brain—was telling him that he could trust this teenage girl.
Lilly let go of Jack’s hand to grab the handles of the bag with both of hers. It was heavy enough that she had to place it on the sidewalk. The girl watched in expectation as Lilly reached into the bag. With a gasp, Lilly pulled out the lion stuffed animal from the bookshop window for Jack to see.
His eyebrows raised in surprise.
Lilly tipped the bag enough for him to see inside. Sure enough, there was the box set ofNarniabooks. Ribbon and all.
“Wow!” Lilly looked up at the teenage girl with flaming orange hair. “Is this for me?”
