“Gah!” Jenna yelped at the sight of her brother on her couch. What the hell? He looked as though he were passed out but Jack didn’t do drunk. Growing up in a bar and seeing firsthand how stupid it was had pretty much cured all the Steely children of drinking to excess. But if he wasn’t drunk, what was he doing here?
Creeping across the living room, she studied him looking for any signs or clues as to what might be wrong. He looked fine. Rumpled and a little drool-y around the mouth but fine. Just asleep. On her couch.
Careful not to make too much noise, Jenna lowered herself onto the ottoman in front of the couch and propped her chin on her hand as she stared at him. She knew it was childish but it was something he used to do to her all the time when they were kids. Used to scare the mess out of her.
It took longer than she’d expected but several moments later he finally blinked his eyes open made a face at her. “Would you stop that?” he growled, his voice rough from sleep.
“Dang it. You were supposed to jump outta your skin,” she groused and nudged his shoulder. “What are you doing here, Jack?”
Groaning, he wrestled himself into a sitting position, taking a few moments to scrub at his face before stretching until every bone in his body seemed to crackle. He looked like he’d gone on a three day bender. His eyes were bloodshot, his face haggard and well, he just looked old. Not like her brother at all.
Finally he gave his head one last scrub and staggered to his feet. “Sorry. I meant to be gone before you got up.”
“It’s no problem. But what are you doing here? Something wrong at your place?”
He winced and shook his head. “Your mother invaded.”
“Why is she always my mother when she’s being a pain? She gave birth to you, too, you know.” Rising to follow him, she jerked her head toward the tiny kitchen. “Want some coffee?”
Shaking his head, he patted his pockets and looked around the floor. “You see my boots anywhere?”
Nudging his shoes from their sentry near the door she crossed her arms and studied him. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” Grabbing his boots, he helped himself to a chair at the kitchen table to sit to tug them on. When she merely raised an eyebrow at him, he shrugged. “Why does anything have to be wrong? You don’t want me crashing on your couch anymore, I won’t. Sorry.”
Jenna shook her head in exasperation as she made her way across the kitchen to the coffee pot. Ignoring his no to coffee, she took down two cups and filled them, adding sugar and cream to her own and a teaspoon of sugar into his. He was still wrestling with his boots when she set his mug on the table in front of him and sat in the chair opposite, her knees drawn up to her chest. “You know darned well that you’re welcome to my couch anytime you need it. But something’s up. You look like crap and my dashing devil-may-care big brother never looks like crap. I know Mama invading your place didn’t send you spiraling. What happened? You finally meet a girl who could resist your charms?” she teased, hoping to lighten his mood.
When he flinched, she dropped her feet to the floor with a thud. She was right? Jenna was never right. And who’d be smart enough to resist her brother anyway? “So who is she?” Jenna honestly couldn’t imagine any woman telling her brother no. At least, not without some promise of a yes later. Women flocked to Jack like gnats to bananas.
“Shut up. I’ve got to get going.” He lifted the coffee mug to his lips and took a long draw before setting it back down and heading to the door. “And by the way, you might want to speak with your mother about her new roommate,” he tossed as he slammed out the front door.
“What new roommate?” she hollered after him, scrambling from her seat. “Jack!” she called, yanking open the front door. But he was already in his truck and merely gave her a salute as he backed out of her drive.
“What new roommate?” she grumbled and shut the door. Leaning against it for a moment to gather her thoughts, Jenna shook her head. Nothing about this morning made any sense. Nothing about this week made any sense.
First that thing with Aiden at Steely J’s and then Jack on her couch. Now something about her mother having a roommate? Had she fallen into some kind of warped alternate universe where everyone but her was crazy?
Shaking her head, Jenna pushed away from the door and retrieved her coffee from the table to take a long gulp. Maybe it would help clear the cobwebs from her dusty mind. Or, she pondered as her stomach gave a loud growl, it would remind her to eat.
Jenna grabbed her phone as she set her mug on the counter and punched Amrys’ number in as she dug a bagel from the bag she’d bought last week. Giving it a sniff, she decided it was still good.
“This had so better be good. Gerard Butler was just about to make me orgasm,” Amrys’ voice grunted from her phone.
“Gerard who?”
“Never mind,” Amrys grumbled and Jenna heard a clatter from her sister’s end of the line. “Dammit.”
“You okay sis?”
“No. I just tripped over my own damn shoes and fell into the hamper. Thanks so much for waking me up.”
Taking a bite from the bagel, Jenna mumbled, “Not a problem. Listen, have you heard anything about Mama having a new roommate? Jack—“
“Ugh. So he did weasel it outta her. His name is spot on except they forgot to add the ass to the end of it. You know, I don’t really care to be around her gossip either but honestly the man could at least pretend to be a gentleman sometimes.” The flush of the toilet muffled over the line and Jenna winced but Amrys continued her tirade. “I mean, she’s not a bad person and it’s obvious she’s got a little crush on him. I swear I could kick his—“
“Amrys. Focus, hon. Who are you talking about? Mama? Is her new roommate some girl Jack’s sniffing after?”
“What?”
“Mama’s roommate. Jack said she had one. Do you know anything about this?”
Amrys’ yawned audibly and Jenna sighed. “He better not be chasing after Mama’s new roommate unless he’s switched teams. Which, the kind of hounddog he is I wouldn’t be surprised. He’s already gone through all the women in Beasly and half of Kessler county. Heck, half of both neighboring counties too. Makes sense he’d have to switch to dudes.”
It took Jenna a moment to figure out what the tarnation her sister was rambling about. “Wait, Mama’s new roommate is a man?”
“That’s what I heard. Listen, babe, I gotta shower. I’ll tell you all about it when I get to work.”
“Amrys, wait. Does Nate know about this Gerard guy?”
Amrys’ laugh echoed moments before the line went dead.
Clicking ‘end’ Jenna snarled as she resisted throwing the phone against the wall. “Nobody ever tells me anything,” she griped to the empty room. Her mostly stale bagel stared up at her from where she’d dropped it on the counter and she sighed, her stomach growling again.
A quick shower later, she was out the door in her customary jeans and t-shirt, her hair hanging damply down her back. She’d scrape it into a ponytail later but she was too hungry and too cantankerous to fool with the blow dryer. As she pulled into town, the scents from the bakery lured her in and she parked in front of it. An older cowboy on his way out held the door for her and she smiled her thanks before stepping across the threshold. The scents that enveloped her were luscious and seductive, causing her stomach to growl violently.
“Oh good gracious,” she murmured appreciatively as she eyed the glass case at the front of the store. It was filled with every kind of pastry imaginable and she’d almost swear that the coffee urn on the counter was filled with something magical if the aroma was anything to go by. It was enough to make her forget that she’d been annoyed at Laurel the day before. The young couple in front of her finally left and Jenna stepped the counter.
“Laurel, my friend, I think I love you,” she teased without looking up from the delicious treats. “I’ll have one of everything.” When Laurel didn’t reply, Jenna looked up to see the other woman glaring at her. “You okay?”
Laurel shrugged and tapped her fingers on the glass counter top. “I guess your brother told you then?”
“Jack? Tell me what? I swear, nothing about this morning makes any sense. Jack apparently slept on my couch last night and then muttered some nonsense about our mother having a new roommate so I called Amrys and all she did was cuss in my ear about what a jackass our brother is. Do you know anything about her seeing some guy named Gerard? I swear, nobody tells me anything.”
Laurel’s face finally relaxed into a bemused smile as she reached for a white bag and a set of tongs. “The eclaire then?”
“And two donuts. Ooo, and one of those raspberry things on the end there. And coffee. Please. It smells like heaven.”
Laurel filled the bags and rang her up before filling a to-go cup. As Jenna watched the other woman, something her sister had said finally clicked in her brain with Laurel’s initially cold greeting.
“Oh crap. My brother did something awful to you, didn’t he?” At Laurel’s shrug, Jenna grimaced. “I am so sorry. Amrys is right. Our parents forgot to add the most important part to the end of his name.”
Chuckling, Laurel slid the coffee across the counter to Jenna. “He wasn’t that bad. Just a misunderstanding, I guess.”
Despite her annoying tendency toward gossip, Jenna had always liked the red headed woman. They’d been friendly in high school though Jenna had mostly kept to herself with a book and Laurel had kept to herself because—well, Jenna didn’t really know. She’d always been a bit of a knock out and yet she’d studiously avoided all the other pretty people back then—jocks and cheerleaders—choosing instead to eat alone at lunch when she wasn’t helping in the kitchen.
Glancing behind her, Jenna took note of the three or four people who’d come in behind her. “I guess you’re too busy to talk about it but let me know if you want me to, like, break his leg or something okay? I know people,” Jenna winked as she turned to leave.
As she climbed back into Jeep, Jenna opened the bag and pulled out the raspberry pastry first, looking it over appreciatively before taking a large bite. Moaning with the joy in it, she sat in her Jeep and finished the pastry before letting the insanity of the morning invade her. The sugar and tart fruit soothed her and when she was done, she decided she didn’t really care if her sister was shacking up with strangers or if her mother had lost her mind. Hell, the idea of her brother being a jackass wasn’t a new one, either, so why let it get to her?
As for her own personal demon, well, she’d worry about Aiden later.
