fault to be found. She had a partner—one she had known nothing about. Revealing that to anyone was humiliating; admitting it to her perfect sister was unthinkable.
But Jenny knew she wouldn’t have to admit anything. No doubt her whole family knew the entire story by now, thanks to her mother and brother.
Jenny sipped her wine. She knew her sister was expecting a recap of all the events from the moment Jared Worth had walked into her mother’s restaurant and announced he was her partner to five minutes before Anna showed up. But Jenny wasn’t in the mood to rehash all the mortifying details. If her sister wanted to know something, she was going to have to ask.
An uneasy silence descended between them. In the near distance, shallow waves washed against the wooden pilings, an owl hooted, and the widening distance between two sisters who’d once been so close became all the more clear.
“Jenny, I only have a half an hour,” her sister said finally, breaking the silence.
“So go.”
“You know I can’t do that.”
She could, but she wouldn’t. Jenny wrapped the afghan back around her, still hurting from her sister’s earlier comment. When she spoke, she lashed out. “How is my nephew? Flunked out of any other classes lately?”
“He didn’t flunk.”
“I thought a B minus was as good as failing in your house.”
“Refusing to live up to your potential is as good as failing. Cody understands this. Learning to work hard from an early age is the only way to achieve success. What do you think Phillip and I should do? Wait until he’s fifteen? Twenty?” Anna’s gaze turned hard and direct. “Twenty-five?”
“I’m twenty-six.”
Her sister’s look said it all.
Jenny should just shut up and drop the subject. What did she know about raising kids? But lately her nephew had turned into a little monster, a fact only she seemed to notice. The one time she’d tried saying something to her mother, Mom had gotten so upset that Jenny would even suggest such a thing, Jenny had quickly and permanently dropped the subject.
“I went to Cody’s last baseball game,” Jenny said. “Mom told me he was going to be the starting pitcher, but he wasn’t there.”
For a moment, Jenny thought her sister looked rattled, but when she continued in her same condescending tone, Jenny was sure she must have imagined it.
“Cody had a prior school commitment and had to miss the game. But discussing my son is not the reason I am here; you know that. This is about you, Jenny. And your business. Success is not something that just happens. You have to be willing to work hard.”
“And you think I don’t?”
“No,” her sister said with a brutal honesty. “I don’t.”
She should have been prepared for her sister’s answer. Should have, but wasn’t.
“Mom’s upset you haven’t returned her calls.”
Jenny took another drink of her wine seeking fortification, finding none. “I’ve been busy.”
“So I’ve heard. Just who is this Jared Worth?”
“I’m sure Paul told all of you exactly who he is.”
“Of course he did,” Anna said without the slightest pause. Discussing Jenny’s life was a favorite pastime with her family. “But I’d like to hear it from you.”
“There’s nothing to say.”
“That’s not what I heard.”
Of course it wasn’t.
“When you and Steven started the business, you took out a loan from him?”
Jenny eyed the front door, wondering if she could make her escape. But she knew even if she made it inside, her sister would just follow. Anna hadn’t become one of the country’s leading neonatal obstetricians by backing down. Giving into the inevitable, and hoping it meant her sister would leave all that much sooner, Jenny answered. “Yes.”
“And a condition of this loan was that he was made a partner?”
“Silent partner,” Jenny amended, feeling a small bit of satisfaction.
“It doesn’t sound like he’s silent any longer,” her sister pointed out, and what tiny bit of triumph Jenny had felt instantly evaporated.
“So, Jennifer, what are you going to do?”
Jennifer. Like she was two years old. And when was that damn wine going to kick in? “Anna, I just learned about the loan. I think I’m allowed a day or two to mull things over.”
Her sister sat all the way back in the rocker and crossed her legs. “That’s always been your problem, Jenny. You think and dwell but never act. You can’t go through life sitting in the bleachers.”