Page 35 of The Last Second Chance
Jax squeezed her hand, his grip strong and firm. “She’s all yours. For now.”
As soon as he released her, Joey swiped her hand over the seat of her jeans to disrupt the tingles firing through her palm.
Jax slapped his brother on the shoulder and headed in the direction of the stable’s new tenants.
“You got a minute?” Carter asked, sinking into the scarred metal chair in front of her desk.
Joey returned to the desk chair and flopped down. “This feels oddly official.”
Carter propped his work boots up on the corner of the desk. “Better?”
Joey kicked back in her chair, her feet joined his on the battered top. “Much.”
“I have a proposition for you,” Carter began.
“I’m not sleeping with you either,” Joey quipped.
Carter looked pained.
“Sorry, couldn’t help it,” Joey smirked and reached for the dredges of her cold coffee.
“Funny. We want to make you a partner.”
The coffee lodged in her throat like a brick before shooting out of her facial orifices.
She was still gasping when Carter handed her a paper towel.
“What did you say?” Joey choked out, pressing the towel to her face.
Carter moved the coffee mug out of her reach. “We’ve decided to make you a partner in the stables.”
“I’m…not sure you’re speaking English. Or if I’m awake. Or having a stroke. This is afamilyfarm, Carter.”
“You’re family. Always have been, always will be. Regardless of who you are or aren’t sleeping with.”
Joey slapped a hand to her forehead. This had Jax’s fingerprints all over it.
“Before you say it, this was my idea,” Carter said, reading her like a billboard.
She closed her mouth with a snap.
“I pitched it, my brothers were on board.”
“Simple as that?” Joey asked.
Carter nodded. “Simple as that. You want it?”
She wanted it more than the box of candied bacon she’d squirreled away in the bottom desk drawer. Joey took a slow breath, let it out. “That depends. You swear on the lives of your twins that Jax didn’t put you up to this? Because if you lie, you’ll be punished with hellion children.”
“It’s me and Summer, we can only create hellion children,” Carter cracked.
“Har har. Swear?”
“Swear. But Jax is obviously in favor of it. He told me it was ‘about fucking time’ and then went horse shopping.”
Her father’s words chose that moment to cycle through her head.You’ll never be anything to them…
But she was. She was a solid, fucking investment, a friend. She was family. She had a bright future. Here, with the Pierces in her corner and she in theirs.
