Designed for Love by Erin Dutton

Author:Erin Dutton [Dutton, Erin]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: Fiction, Contemporary, Romance, Thrillers
ISBN: 9781602820388
Google: DgGk5pPFFUMC
Amazon: 1602820384
Publisher: Bold Strokes Books
Published: 2008-11-03T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eight

Jillian stepped out of her BMW and shaded her eyes against the late-afternoon sun hanging low in the sky. Wil sat on the front porch of Mary’s house, elbows resting on her knees. As she popped the trunk, Wil stood. Dressed completely in black, she looked lean, dangerous, and exciting. And though Jillian was exhausted after the nine-hour drive from Ohio, she couldn’t think of anything she’d rather come home to. Except this wasn’t home, and Wil wasn’t hers.

“Welcome back.” Wil joined her next to the car. “Did you have a nice trip?”

“Two days with my entire family,” Jillian answered sarcastically, pulling her suitcase and laptop bag from her trunk. “It was a laugh a minute.”

“Not close to your folks?”

“Actually, I am. But they maintain a level of pretense that can be exhausting.”

Jillian had always known that about her parents, but it had never been so obvious as these past couple of days. When she’d told her mother about her work on Mary’s house, she’d received only a condescending look and a snippy comment about working among rednecks rubbing off on her. Her father hadn’t reacted much better, saying that she should sell the house under market value and get back home. He warned she was wasting her time. But as she thought about how much more relaxed and stress-free life felt there, she didn’t think it was a waste. And she still believed she would make more profit on the house after the work was done. But she’d have to decide soon about whether to continue the renovation.

She’d gone by her condo to check on things and retrieved a voice mail from her former firm’s biggest competitor. The president had called her personally, kissing ass on her answering machine and imploring her to return his call so they could discuss a “mutually beneficial proposal.” She’d let him wait one more day before phoning him back and he’d offered her a top spot at his firm, but he wanted her there next week. She’d asked for two more weeks, claiming she still had matters in her aunt’s estate to wrap up.

Wil picked up Jillian’s suitcase and followed her toward the house. “Do you have any siblings?”

“One brother. He and his wife have four boys.”

“Wow. I’ll bet that’s a handful.”

“They kept hoping for a girl. His wife would give it one more try, if he’d agree. But I think he’s done.”

“I can’t imagine such a big family. It’s just been me and my dad for so long.” Wil held the front door open.

“Do you see your mother often?” Jillian dropped her luggage right inside.

“More than I used to. When she first left, I was angry and didn’t want to have anything to do with her. Plus, Dad needed me. We had a rough time for a while.”

“And now?”

“Now I’m trying to understand that it wasn’t really about us, because we couldn’t make her happy. She had to do that for herself.”

Jillian was curious about how the emotionally injured child Wil described had grown into the strong woman standing before her.

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