Total pages in book: 121
Estimated words: 113319 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 567(@200wpm)___ 453(@250wpm)___ 378(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 113319 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 567(@200wpm)___ 453(@250wpm)___ 378(@300wpm)
“Hello,” she said, probably in her early thirties, with short blond hair, cheekbones to die for, and green contact lenses. Her mauve A-line dress was tasteful and conservative, and her chunky black boots were super cute and somehow worked. “I don’t believe I’ve met you two.” She pointed between them, including Aurora in the conversation just as much as Sue. “You’re here with Jacinta’s group, aren’t you? Didn’t I hear that…” She pointed at Aurora. “She’s your daughter, right?”
“I’m his”—Aurora gestured toward Uncle Auzzie—“niece.”
The woman blinked in confusion. “But aren’t you”—she pointed at Sue—“his brother?” Then she pointed between Aurora and Sue again. She did love waving that finger around. “Doesn’t that make you…”
“Ah.” Aurora nodded, seeing that Sue intended to make her do all the work here. That wouldn’t last much longer. “I see the confusion. They are both my uncles, actually. This one was adopted.” She hooked her thumb at Sue. “But we’re all family. My dad lives in Wyoming. I’m with these uncles for a work thing.”
“Oh.” The woman breathed out with a smile, bent, and gestured with her hand. Very expressive, this Jane. “I wondered because”—more pointing—“you two don’t look the right ages. Well…unless you”—another point at Sue—“started very young.”
“He would have needed to get started when he was about…fifteen, right, Sue?” Aurora prodded.
“Fourteen,” he growled. “I’m thirty-nine for four more months.”
“Possible, but improbable,” Aurora said, noticing the woman’s dazed, star-struck expression as she gazed up at Sue. She clearly wanted alone time and a phone number. Or maybe one of those quiet corners Jasper was so good at finding.
“Wait…did she call you…Sue?” the woman asked.
“I’ll leave you to explain that one, Susan,” Aurora said, stepping away.
He looked down at her, and his body screamed, Don’t you dare leave me with her!
Aurora angled her head and twitched up her shoulder just a bit. Good luck, sucka.
She stepped away just as Uncle Auzzie and Jessie started toward her.
“Hey,” she said, falling in with Jessie as they headed back toward the dining room. “What’d Jimmy get?”
“He always gets weird presents from this side of the family,” Jessie said softly. “A puzzle box and an obscure comic book and some other things. The only good one was from his dad. Because Camila bought it.”
“Was that the woman on the couch?”
“Yeah. She’s had a couple hard days because of me. I feel—”
“It’s not because of you,” Uncle Auzzie cut in. “It’s because of him. You are not in charge of how another adult behaves.”
It sounded like he had said that before.
Jessie sighed as they reached the dining room, where she checked in at the breakfast bar and asked for another glass of sparkling wine.
“I know,” she said sullenly. “I just feel so awful for her. I think she’s afraid to call and talk. He handles the bill. He can look and see who she’s called.”
“Yeah, but…” Aurora topped up her wine, spotting Niamh just outside the room with her cooler in hand, chatting with a man who was doing a terrible job hiding the fact that he was enraged. Niamh showed zero signs of a similar emotion. “What are the odds he’d look and spot your number, though?”
Jessie gave Aurora a look that said volumes.
“He checked my calls every month and quizzed me on several of them,” she murmured as they headed toward the front of the house this time, slowly meandering. “If it was a call to a friend that was a half-hour or more, he interrogated me on what I was talking about.”
“Hey, babe, I’m going to head back and save Brochan,” Uncle Auzzie said, touching Jessie lightly on the arm. “You’re good?”
“Yeah, I’m fine.”
Uncle Auzzie headed off. As he went, Aurora noticed Jessie’s ex heading back toward the kitchen area from somewhere deeper within the house. The guy saw her uncle heading his way and stopped dead. Fear lined every inch of his body. Uncle Auzzie had clearly made an impression. The ex quickly about-faced and headed back in the direction he’d come.
Not a minute later, three women about Jessie’s age sidled toward them from the living room area, where Patty was still chatting up a storm and Mimi was standing by listening. Mimi was probably gathering the information Patty was sussing out and figuring out ways to blow up conversations with it. That or start trouble by gossiping about it. Mimi could be incredibly destructive when someone threatened her people. Her and Patty didn’t always get along, but it seemed they could forget their differences when facing a mutual enemy.
“Dang it,” Jessie muttered. “Spoke too soon.”
She threw on a big smile for the newcomers, the women all kinda looking like different renditions of each other. Similar short or cap-sleeved dresses with reasonably high necklines, loose waists and skirts, simple necklaces with a few gems or diamonds, and a draping scarf and three-inch or less pump. They were conservative to the point of bland. Aurora would bet anything these were the people who’d convinced Jessie that a woman hitting middle age had to dress a certain way or be faced with ridicule.