Billionaire Wolf's MateDate - Serena Meadows Page 0,9

it,” Ryan said. “You’re going to have to go back, Reggie, if for no other reason than to protect Janice, but I think we both know there’s more going on between the two of you than you’re willing to admit.”

***Janice***

Janice looked at Heather, her heart sinking. “How can we know for sure though?” she asked.

“There’s no such thing as a perfect forgery,” Heather said. “And that’s where I’ll start.”

“I’m going to make you some lunch, and then you’re going to take a nap,” Melanie said. “You need to get away from all this for a while. In fact, maybe we should have a little dinner party tonight.”

“Tonight?” Janice asked, not sure she had the energy.

“We’ll take care of everything,” Heather said. “It won’t do you any good sitting here alone worrying and fretting. Melanie’s right, you need something to get your mind off this, something to distract you until I find out if Jacob is telling the truth or not.”

Hearing his name brought it all rushing back, and for a second, she couldn’t breathe, but then Melanie put her hand on her arm and whispered something under her breath. A feeling of comfort washed over her, and she was able to breathe again, letting out a sigh she looked over at Melanie.

“I don’t know what you just did, but thank you,” she said.

“Just a little spell to take away some of the negative energy,” Melanie said, getting to her feet. “Now, I think you need to eat something.”

It was late afternoon when Janice woke from a sound sleep, feeling more rested but still conflicted. She climbed out of bed, noticing the smell of something cooking, and couldn’t help but smile at the thought of one of Melanie’s meals. Sleep had numbed the shock to a dull throb, and her mind felt much clearer, but she knew that until she knew the truth, she’d be living in constant turmoil.

Determined to put it from her mind if only for a few hours, she climbed into a hot shower, dressed, and put a smile on her face. But it wasn’t hard to maintain the smile when she saw Heather and Melanie dancing around the kitchen to the faint music coming from one of their phones.

“Looks like I’m missing the party,” she said from the doorway, laughing when they both jumped.

Melanie reached over and turned off the music. “I hope we didn’t wake you up,” she said. “Are you feeling better?”

Janice walked over, turned the music back on. “I’m feeling a lot better, still a little shocked and not sure what to think, but better,” she said, then turned the volume up. “But for tonight, I’m going to do my best to just forget about it. Jacob will still be there waiting tomorrow, and until we know more, there’s nothing I can do.”

“You can come over here and make the salad,” Heather said, holding up a head of lettuce. “The boys will be here in a little while.”

Janice laughed. “I think I can manage that,” she said.

She didn’t miss the look that passed between Heather and Melanie, but she ignored it and started making the salad. It wasn’t long before the comfort of the familiar had soothed her enough that Jacob faded from her mind, but she wasn’t prepared when Reggie walked through the door with Ryan and Julie. Her already fragile emotions went wild, and she had an overwhelming urge to throw herself into his arms.

Quickly looking away, hoping her face hadn’t betrayed her, she waited for it to pass, aware of his eyes on her as she cut tomatoes and put them into the salad. When she finished and looked up, he’d disappeared out the back door, leaving only Ryan and Julie. For the first time, she wondered how much Heather and Melanie had told everyone and was suddenly embarrassed.

But if they knew anything, they didn’t show it. “It’s about time you had us all over to your house,” Ryan said, taking the soda she offered him.

Julie elbowed him in the ribs. “He’s just kidding,” she said. “Can I help?”

“I think everything is about ready,” Janice said, looking over at Melanie, who nodded. “Why don’t you go outside and make yourselves comfortable?”

By the time they were all seated in her backyard, the turmoil of the day had faded with the warmth of friendship, and she realized that no matter what happened, this was her family. As they passed the food, she couldn’t help but notice that Reggie was watching her, a speculative