Page 15 of Loving Words
I had no idea what they were talking about, but the man had no chance at denying Gran when she gave him that look. I’d personally succumbed to it more times than I could count.
He took a deep breath. “I can’t make you wait when you look at me like that.” His smile lit up the room, and his gaze softened when he spoke to her. A warmth spread through me as I watched him interact with Gran. He stood and went to the living room, then came back with the book I had seen him with earlier.
I stared at it, wishing a dark hole would open beneath my chair and swallow me whole. I couldn’t believe what I’d said to him. I was so mortified at my incorrect conclusion. Here I’d thought he was a romance reader when it had been a gift for Gran all along.
Gran clapped her hands together and squealed. “Is that what I think it is?” She bounced in her chair like a child. When Jack handed her the book, she hugged it to her chest. “I really hope you haven’t screwed up Rider and Eleanor’s story. They deserve a happy ending, and that girl deserves some good sex after everything you put her through.”
My brows pinched in confusion as Gran’s words did a lap through my mind. “Wait, you wrote that?” The words came out before my brain engaged again.
Harrison responded for him. “I thought you knew, sis. Jack’s written the whole Checkmate series and a few more.” Harrison ticked off the titles on his fingers. I recognized the series from the reviews the magazine had published.
I shook my head. “No, Aileen Mills wrote those.” I cocked my head as finally two and two came together, making four.
Gran stood, placing the novel on the table. “Kennedy, close your mouth. It’s unladylike to stare at anyone like that,” she said, chastising me before turning toward Jack. “I lovedA Pawn’s Sacrifice. You have such a way with words that suck you in, and before you know it, you are feeling everything the characters are. I just hope this one doesn’t make me cry like the last one.” She hugged him close for a few seconds. Gran pulled back and patted his cheek. “Thank you.”
“Of course. Just remember it’s not actually out yet. Official release isn’t until February.” Jack hugged Gran before his eyes met mine. “Not the mommy porn you thought?”
“Kennedy Lee!” Gran’s voice startled me from sudden thoughts of porn and Jack. “I’m highly disappointed in you right now. You were not raised to judge a book by its cover.” She sat and refilled her tea before she opened the book.
I hung my head, completely embarrassed by how I’d acted and what I’d said. Gran’s words didn’t require a response. I looked up and saw Jack studying me, a slight mischievous twinkle in his eyes. That look sent a tingle down my spine. It was embarrassing to be turned on by the very man I had insulted and needed to apologize to.
Jack left the room, and Harrison wasn’t far behind. I grabbed all our mugs and took them to the kitchen. I hoped the routine of washing, drying, and putting them away might help me reset and come up with an appropriate apology for Jack.
I gazed out the window above the sink and smiled at the fairy lights Gran had on a few of the smaller trees along the property. The warm glow made everything look magical. Sucking in a cleansing breath, I told myself everything would be fine as I set to organizing the dishes in the order I wanted to wash them.
“Hey, sis,” Harrison said as he grabbed a towel and started drying the silverware. “You okay?” It was a rare occasion that he showed concern for me.
I sighed. “Yeah, I just feel like a fool.”
“Tell me.” He finished putting the last fork in the drawer and leaned his hip against the counter as I worked on the last of the glasses. The only thing left to clean was the tea service and Gran’s teacup.
“In a word, I was a bitch to Jack earlier. I thought he was reading romance and teased him about reading smut.”
Harrison whistled. “That explains his attitude earlier. It’s averytouchy subject.”
“In my defense, I didn’t know he wrote romance.”
Harrison crossed his arms. “And that makes it okay?”
I hung my head. “No, it doesn’t, and honestly I don’t know why that word came out of my mouth.” I was lying, but I wasn’t going to admit to my brother that it excited me to see that Jack read romance. I had my own hidden stash of books, including his series, which I hadn’t had time to read, on a shelf in my bedroom. If Sandra ever saw me reading them, I was sure she would find a way to discredit me as a journalist, and I would never get the byline I deserved.
Sandra wasn’t the only one who looked down their nose on romance—or any type of fiction. Most of my male journalism professors were the same way. It became second nature to hide them, paperback or on my Kindle app. I hated the words I let spew from my mouth earlier. Gran had been right; she hadn’t raised me like that.
I finished putting away the dishes and put the towel back where it belonged. My phone chimed from the dining room. I walked in just as it began to ring. When I saw the name at the top of the screen, I answered.
“Give me a moment.” I stuffed my arms into my coat and my feet into a pair of boots by the door. They weren’t mine, but I didn’t care. “Yes, this is Kennedy Baker.” I listened as one of the nurses I had reached out to about the missing drugs tumbled over her words.
“Yes, I don’t have much time, but what you are looking into is true. I can’t talk here. Can we meet? Lunch?” Her voice trembled as she spoke.
“Are you okay? Are you in danger?” I asked, more concerned about her well-being than the story, no matter how big it could be.
“Yes, I’m fine.” She took a deep breath. “I’m not in any danger. I’m just nervous about talking over the phone.”
“I will be in town after the twenty-ninth. How about I call you and we can have lunch?”
“Yes, that would be great. It’s been too long. I can’t wait to catch up with you,” she said as I heard a deep male voice and a female voice get louder in the background.
“Wonderful, I’ll see you then. Bye.” I quickly stored her number in my contacts and opened my notes app. I tried to type, but my fingers were shaking from the cold, making it harder to do. Back in the house, I blew air into my hands and decided a hot toddy would help warm me up.
