“Oh, no. I think it’s wonderful that you kept her on. It’s obvious that she loves you all.”
“And we love her,” Adam said, leaning in Jenny’s direction.
“Now don’t be shy about eating your fill,” Luke said, his eyes resting on Jenny. “Since you’ve recovered so well from the other night, we thought we’d take you out again. Saturday dances at the Raven’s Cove is a great way to work off dinner.”
“That’s a good idea,” Jack said, his eyes meeting her mother’s. Her mother looked away, reaching for her water glass.
Jenny wasn’t blind. She knew Jack was planning to be alone with her mother and Luke was all for making sure they had the opportunity. She had no intention of going out dancing again, especially after the way Luke had spoken to her before she had shut the door in his face. She felt her face flush slightly. When she looked up from her plate, both Adam and Luke were staring at her with sly grins on their face. They knew exactly what she was thinking.
If it hadn’t been unladylike and she wasn’t in the company of their father and her mother, she swore she would have stuck her tongue out at them. Instead, she turned to Justin, who she realized was also staring at her, and said with a slightly flirtatious edge to her voice, “I want to hear all about your construction business. Jack seems to think you’re quite the businessman.”
Justin smiled a lazy smile that told her he knew exactly why she was suddenly interested in his business. He had read Luke’s and Adam’s expressions and knew she was using him to get to them.
“And there’s nothing I want more than to tell you all about the man behind the business. I think you’ll find that Luke, Adam, and I are very much alike.”
His sultry tone and the way he leaned into her implied a sexual awareness that she had not noticed before. This one was every bit as handsome and dangerous as his cousins. Suddenly, she was all ears. He may not technically be a Rowan, but there was something about him that told her he wasn’t kidding when he said that he and his cousins were three of a kind.
Chapter Five
Again, she saw a look pass between him and her mother. This might be her mother’s last night with the man. Could she really be heartless enough to ask her to give it up? Dinner passed quickly with everyone raving about the food. Justin kept her entertained with funny stories about growing up with Luke and Adam. It seemed Luke was the instigator even back then and had gotten them all into trouble on more than one occasion.
“Now, you’re not painting a very favorable picture of me,” Luke had said at one point.
“Hell, I’m not even telling her the real good stuff,” Justin shot back. “Unless you want me to?”
“No, I think Jenny’s heard enough for one sitting. Let’s save some stories for the next dinner.”
For some reason, she was really enjoying their stories. She was just glad neither Luke nor Adam had brought up the story of how they had tried to examine her when she was six years old. Her father had brought her with him to the office. She had been sitting in the waiting room when the boys had run in for a cookie and saw her sitting there. She remembered them telling her to come out and play. They had taken her out back of the house and taken her clothes off and just stared at her before they started asking her questions about how she felt and argued about which one of them should test her reflexes. Her mother had been right. They had just been curious and meant no harm.
Her father and Jack had found them. She remembered a lot of yelling. Jack assured her father they wouldn’t be examining anyone else in the near future. Both boys had been made to apologize, and that, as far as she was concerned, had been the end of it. However, her father had never seemed too fond of them.
Bringing her mind back to the present, she had to admit, Astrid’s cooking was every bit as good as she had anticipated. The steak melted in her mouth. The two apple pies that were for dessert had been eaten with gusto. She had said just a small slice, but with a look from Luke, Cassie had cut her a rather large piece.
“You would have just asked for another piece,” he said, catching her glare.
She wouldn’t have, but she wanted to. The crust was light and flakey and the apples tasted of cinnamon and sugar with a hint of something else. When she had put the last forkful in her mouth, she sat back and sighed.
Her mother looked over at her. “You enjoyed that. It’s good to see you eat.” Turning to Jack, she said, “She barely eats at home, just picks, except, that is, when I make my garlic mashed potatoes.”
“You do make the best garlic mashed potatoes ever. Daddy used to make you whip up a double batch just so he could eat the leftovers by himself,” she said, forgetting for a moment that she was sitting at her mother’s boyfriend’s dinner table.
“Your father always bragged about them as well as about you and your mother. He was a good man. I know how much you miss him. We miss my Abigail, too.”
For the second time that day, she felt tears threatening to spill down her cheeks. She watched her mother reach over and squeeze Jack’s hand. There were tears in her eyes, too.
“Well, I’d say it’s time we took our coffee out back on the deck,” Luke said, breaking the heavy silence. “The ducks are swimming around the pond, and the sun’s about to set.”
“Good idea,” Jack said, rising to his feet. He helped her mother from her chair.
Once they were all seated on the outside deck, she made herself yawn. “I think I’m going to have to pass on the dancing tonight,” she said. “I’m actually getting sleepy.”
“Oh, no,” Luke said quickly. “You need to go dancing. You don’t want all that food sitting in your stomach. Trust the doctor to know what’s best for you.”
“I second that,” Adam said. “We’re only concerned for your health.”
“I’m not a doctor,” Justin said, “but if I continue to sit here much longer without moving around, I think I’m going to gain at least ten pounds.”
Her mother glanced over at her. She knew what her mother wanted her to do. If she didn’t go dancing, her mother would feel obligated to go home with her. And that would certainly put a wrench in Jack’s plans for the evening.
“Now, if you are that tired and you’re not up for going out,” her mother began, “we can go.”
“Of course,” Jack agreed. “Don’t let these boys bully you into going out if you don’t want to.”
Even if he was the reason for her mother’s fall from grace? But in his defense, he didn’t know that.
All eyes were on her. “Okay, but I don’t want to stay out real late.”
“Not a problem,” Luke said. “Whatever it takes.”
Jenny could read the unfinished sentence in his eyes. Whatever it takes to get you out of here so our parents can be alone.
* * * *
The Raven’s Cove was in the next town. It had taken them a good forty-five minutes to get there. Adam drove the Lexus. She and Justin sat in the back, however, Luke and Adam kept the conversation going between all four of them. Justin didn’t relay any more stories of their childhood. He mostly talked about the house he was renting. He invited her to come over for a visit.
“I could use a woman’s perspective,” he said. “It’s a little rundown, but I think it has possibilities.”
“We’ll see,” she had said noncommittally. The last thing she wanted was to get too friendly with their cousin. She had a feeling that Justin would have liked nothing better. He was sitting a little too close to her, and his arm had sneaked over the back of the seat. He wasn’t touching her, but it was a level of intimacy she wasn’t sure she entirely liked, although she had to admit she was attracted to him.
The fact was, she was attracted to all three of them. The thought crossed her mind that part of the reason for Justin’s move to Brilliance could be because they wanted a woman they could enjoy together. She had no doubt that April would be up for it once she met their handsome cousin if she hadn’t already. Why did that thought bother her? It shouldn’t. She h
ad no reason to be jealous of April’s relationship with any of them. She wasn’t vying for their attention. The only reason she was in their company now was because of her mother’s relationship with their father.
Once they started dancing, she was glad she had relented to come out with them. Justin was every bit as good a dancer as his cousins. When Luke ordered beers for the table, she was glad to have it to drown her thirst. The beers were going down all too easily between the band’s sets. By the end of the evening, she was feeling a little tipsy.
“You want another beer?” Luke asked, looking at her empty bottle.
“No, I think I’ve had enough. This was fun.”
“I told you the doctor knows best,” he said, taking her hand. She started to pull away, but he held it firmly. “Let’s see,” he said, turning her hand palm up. “I’m not a palm reader, but you can tell a lot about a person by their hand.”
“Did they teach you that in med school?” she asked.
“No. I learned this technique from a friend of mine. She’s into future-telling kind of stuff.”
“He means,” Adam said, leaning across the table to grab her other hand, “Alisha’s into holistic medicine. I think we were peeing green tea for months.” He ended with a laugh that made her laugh, too.
“You see this line,” he said, pointing to her palm, “that one means you’re stubborn, and this one,” he continued, “means you’re very sensual. I think I got that line, too.”
She took her hand back. “You’re quacks,” she said with a giggle.
“Quacks,” both Adam and Luke said in unison.
Justin joined in. “It was only a matter of time before the truth came out.”
“Damn, and here we thought our secret was safe,” Luke said.
“Speaking of secrets,” Jenny said, looking directly at Luke, “Why haven’t you told your father you’re seeing April Mathews? According to her, you guys are practically married.” As soon as she said it, she wanted to take it back. It was a bitchy thing to say. If there had been a hole somewhere, she would have dove into it.
“Should you tell her or should I?” Adam asked.
“Tell me what?”
“You’ve ruined us for all other women,” Luke said with mock seriousness.
“It was seeing you naked,” Adam added.
“Whoa there,” Justin all but shouted. “You’ve seen her without her clothes on?”
“You know, Adam…I’m beginning to think you’re as bad as Luke,” Jenny said, glaring between the two men.
“When did this happen?” Justin asked.
“When I was maybe six,” Jenny said, grabbing her bottle of beer. She took a long swig.
“That’s why your father hated us, you know,” Adam said. “Well, maybe he didn’t hate us, but whenever we ran into him, we both got the feeling he didn’t want us anywhere near you.”
“We were just kids.”
“Kids or not, we pretty much knew that you were off-limits,” Luke answered.
“But she’s not off-limits anymore, right?” Justin asked with a big smile on his face. “I mean, seeing her without her clothes now might inspire me to be a doctor.”
“Don’t go there, Justin,” Luke warned.
“Okay,” Jenny said, thinking this would be a good place to end the night. “It’s time for me to go home.”
“Sorry, Jenny. I was just teasing you,” Justin said. “Don’t run away.”
“I’m not. It really is time to go.”
She was surprised there was no argument. Justin picked up their tab, and they left the Raven’s Cove without delay. Once again, she and Justin sat in the backseat together. No one said much. It was a quiet ride. They were approaching her street when Justin suddenly turned to her.
“I know you’re tired, but I’d love it if you came over to see my place. It isn’t that late. How about it? I promise I’ll watch my mouth and you don’t have to stay that long.”
He was looking back at her expectantly. She knew it was a bad idea, but he pleaded so nicely. His dark hair was even longer than Luke’s and hung down into his eyes that were magnetic. Powerless to look away, he seemed to be willing her to say what he wanted to hear.
“Okay. But just for a few minutes.”
His smile widened to show even, white teeth. She was glad she had made him happy. It was such a little thing to see his place, and it would most likely be her only chance. He would probably blame her, too, when her mother broke up with his Uncle Jack.
“You two okay with that?” he yelled toward the front of the car, not breaking his gaze with her.
“Whatever Jenny wants,” Adam began.
“Jenny gets,” Luke finished.
Chapter Six
Justin opened the door and turned on the hall light. The house was old and in need of repair. The wooden floors held no shine, and many of the outlets had been pulled. The furniture was new, but everything else, from the faded wallpaper to the worn drapes looked like they had seen better days. There was a toolbox sitting on the one of the steps that led to the upstairs.
“It does need work,” he said. “It’s going to take time. However, before I get into the heavy stuff, I want to be sure that I’m settling here.”
“Well, the place has a lot of potential,” Jenny said kindly.
“I think so,” Justin said with a smile. “Come and sit down. The sofa is new and clean.”
“Holy shit,” Luke said, looking around. “Maybe you should be staying with us until you get this place fixed up a bit. Looks like something out of a horror movie.”
“Now, it doesn’t look that bad,” Adam said. “Jenny’s right. It has a lot of potential.”
“After that remark,” Justin said, giving Luke a look of disgust, “I’m not sure I even want to show you the kitchen.”
Jenny was about to sit down on the sofa, when she stopped herself. “I want to see the kitchen.”
The three of them followed Justin down the hall and into what had one time probably been a very workable kitchen. Now the sink was rusty, and the stove didn’t even look like it worked. The refrigerator was one of the small ones that people used for their offices. The cupboards for the most part had no doors, and the counters were stained.
“Okay, I stand corrected,” Luke joked. “It’s beautiful.”
Justin laughed. “I know, it’s a mess. But for now, it’s all I’ve got.”
“It’s good you’re in construction,” Adam said.
“Construction.” Luke all but hooted. “I think demolition is what this place needs.”
“If I buy it, I’m getting it pretty cheap. I’ll have the money to fix it up.”
“They should pay you to take it,” Luke said. “However, if anyone can make this place look great, it’s you, Justin.”
“Why thank you, Luke. Did you just give me a compliment?”
“I think he did,” Jenny said, walking over to the sink and looking out the window that was above it. It was dark, but for a small outdoor light. She could see it had a nice big backyard.
Justin walked over and stood behind her. “Your mother told me she had a few things she needed fixing. I’d be glad to help her out. I wouldn’t charge.”
“Did she? I think the house is fine. But regardless, we don’t do freebies.”
“Hell, we’re practically family,” he said, taking a step closer. “Families help each other.”
“Well, we’re not family…yet,” she added, not wanting to sound too severe. “So, let’s keep it business for now.”
“I’ve got a few beers in the frig,” Justin said, taking a step back.
“I’ll have one,” Luke said from behind them.
“Me, too,” Adam said going to the small frig to help himself. He pulled out four bottles. “One for you, too, Jenny?” he asked, looking her way.
“Sure.”
They wandered back into the living room and sat down. She found herself between Luke and Adam. Justin sat in the chair across from them.<
br />
“What are your plans now that you’re staying home, Jenny?” Luke asked, reaching for her bottle and twisting off the cap.
“Thanks,” she said before she took a sip. “Get a job and make some money.”
“Doing what?” You said something about helping out your mother? I thought maybe you were going into the real estate business with her?”
She wished Luke would stop with the questions. She should have just gone home and put an end to the evening. Now she had all three of them staring at her like she had three heads. None of them, including their father, liked the idea that she wasn’t going back to school. She had a feeling they suspected something was going on that neither she nor her mother was telling them.
“Look, I know you all think it’s a mistake that I’m not going back to school. Why you care, I have no idea. But for the record, I’m not going back because I don’t want to. Sometimes you need a break and the comment about my mom needing help…well, she’s my mom, and I’ve been away from her too long as Adam pointed out to me the other night. And to be honest, she’s still not over my dad’s death.”
“It’s been awhile, and from what I’ve seen,” Adam said, reaching for Jenny’s hand, “she seems to be coping with it okay, and I think my Dad’s helped. I know she’s helped him.”
“That’s nice,” Jenny said, knowing she was treading on dangerous ground. “But things aren’t always what they seem. You’ll just have to trust me on that one.”
“Are you against her marrying our father?” Adam asked, still holding her hand.
“I don’t think she’s ready to marry anyone.”
Justin leaned closer to them. “And what about you, Jenny, are you seeing anyone?”
Although she was happy to take the conversation in another direction, she wasn’t about to discuss her sex life with them. “No. I’m not seeing anyone.” She wasn’t lying. She hadn’t been seeing anyone steady since she had broken up with Michael before the end of the previous semester.
Taking a Gamble on Three of a Kind (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Page 5
