Blame It On Christmas by Janice Maynard

Author:Janice Maynard
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Published: 2018-01-17T16:00:00+00:00

Eleven

Mazie leaned her back against J.B.’s front door for half a second, barely long enough to catch her breath, and then she fled. She jogged three blocks before she called a car service, desperate to make sure J.B. wasn’t going to follow her. With her heart pounding and her eyes blinking back tears, she felt like a crazy woman.

Her whole world was upended.

How could puppy love have stayed alive all these years? She knew what kind of man J.B. was. Thanks to his sister’s candid remarks, Mazie also knew J.B.’s views on relationships and marriage.

Only the worst kind of masochist would allow herself to be sucked back into his realm. Pretending like morning sex was no big deal had required all of her acting abilities. Harder still was erasing the mental image of a naked J.B. sprawled on the plush carpet.

The man had a seriously ripped body.

He was also funny and smart, and kind to his mother and the rest of his family. That didn’t erase his willingness to squash other people in his drive to get what he wanted in business.

He had hurt her once before. If she allowed him to get too close, odds were, it would happen again.

Despite her panic and all-out flight from J.B., she arrived home in a slightly calmer frame of mind. She would survive whatever this was. She had to...the past was not worth repeating.

Jonathan was at work, of course. She had texted him from the car to let him know Mrs. Vaughan was stable. He had answered with a single word. Good. That kind of clipped response was typical of her brother when he was neck deep in shipping crises.

Her father was dozing in the living room with a paperback novel in his lap. Mazie sat down beside him and touched his arm. “Hi, Daddy.”

He opened his eyes. “Hello, baby. What are you doing home this time of day?”

She explained about Mrs. Vaughan’s heart attack, glossing over the details about her date with J.B. and why Mazie was at the hospital at all.

Her father nodded. “I’ll have Jonathan’s assistant send flowers.”

“That would be lovely.” She paused, shifting gears. “How was your dinner last night? Did you have a good time?”

He grew animated as he shared details of his evening.

Mazie spotted an opportunity and took it. “Daddy, have you ever thought about moving to one of those places where your friends live? Here at the house you’re awfully isolated and lonely, and besides, you know that Jonathan and I might not always be around.”

“I like it here,” he said. “It’s safe.” Then his smile grew wistful. “Are you planning on leaving your old dad, Mazie? I knew it would happen one day.”

“No plans,” she said lightly, witnessing his frail emotions. This thing with J.B. had made her even more aware of how dysfunctional her family was. She sighed, needing reassurance, wanting answers. “Daddy, please tell me what happened with Hartley. Jonathan won’t talk about it.”

His face darkened. “And neither will I. It’s best you don’t know.

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