Hang Tough by Lorelei James

Author:Lorelei James
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
Published: 2016-10-05T10:36:20+00:00

Chapter Fourteen

Jade fussed with the pitcher of lemonade.

“Girlie, why are you so nervous?” GG asked.

“Because you know that’s just the type of person I am.”

“Oh pooh.”

“These women are your friends. Your best friends. I want to make a good impression on them.”

“Why? Because I don’t give a hoot if they like you or not. I like you.” GG squeezed her from behind. “I love you, Jade doll. You know that. I’ve managed to hold them off for two weeks, but they ain’t havin’ none of it anymore.”

“Why did you wait so long?”

GG moved to stand in front of her. She adjusted the lace collar on Jade’s blouse. “I wasn’t sure how long you’d be here. Heck, I wasn’t sure how long I’d be here since I imagined moving vans showing up out of the blue.”

That was the first time GG had said that to her directly. Jade put her hand on her grandmother’s shoulder. “Where did you get that idea anyway? Dad never said anything to me that that was his plan.” She paused. “Did he threaten you with that?”

“It’s kind of a blur, to be honest. I heard, ‘blah blah blah, you shootin’ off guns and blah blah blah, can’t trust you not to do crazy stuff and blah blah blah, you oughta be someplace where someone can keep a better eye on you.’”

Jade frowned at her. Something didn’t fit. “GG. That is a long ways off from what you told Tobin. Like miles and miles away.”

“Well, sweetheart. Tobin is one of them kind of protective men. You mess with someone he cares about and he sees red. He acts first. His first action was to move in here to make sure that no one could move me out. What was I supposed to say? No? There is no sayin’ no to that man.”

Don’t I know that.

She let her hand drop and turned away so her grandmother couldn’t see the heat staining her cheeks when she thought about how thoroughly Tobin had . . . ravished her. That wasn’t a word she’d ever thought would apply to her, but it did in this case. The heat in his eyes, the hunger in his mouth, the greed in those big hands, the intuitive way he made her completely unravel. She’d never experienced anything like it.

“Jade? Is everything all right? You’ve been distracted the last day or so.”

She manufactured a smile before she turned around. “I’m just muddling over my life choices.”

“The world is wide open to you, sweets.”

“I never know what to think when people say that. What does that mean? It’s not advice. It doesn’t give me a direction.”

“Oh goodie.” GG rubbed her hand on the outside of Jade’s upper arm. Her eyes twinkled. “I’ve been waiting to play this what-if game with you.”

Jade remembered Tobin muttering about “what-if” being useless words when put together.

“What if money wasn’t an issue? How would you spend your days?”

“I don’t know.”

GG frowned. “That’s not how this game works.”

“I know. But I get stuck on that question every time because believe me, I’ve asked myself.

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