Still groggy with sleep, Jenny scooched up in bed, pulling her pillow with her. Checking caller ID could have saved her a world of hurt. Then again, knowing her mother, Catherine would have just driven over if Jenny hadn’t picked up the phone. “Hi, Mom. How was your trip?”
“Fine. Relaxing. Your father decided to stay an extra week for more fishing.” Her mother said fishing like it was one of the seven mortal sins. She also sounded anything but relaxed. “But don’t change the subject. Is it true?”
Twenty-six years had taught Jenny that stalling only made the situation worse. “It’s true.”
“Jennifer. He’s living with you?”
“Sort of.”
“Either he is or he isn’t.”
Jenny squeezed her eyes shut, knowing a headache was only minutes away. “Only temporarily.”
There was a long pause, and Jenny braced herself. She’d been so sure a week would have been plenty of time to get rid of Jared. That he’d be long gone before her parents found out.
“Hmmm.”
Hmmm?What the heck did hmmm mean?
“Maybe this isn’t as bad as I first thought.”
Jenny’s eyes flew open, and she jackknifed to a sit. “Excuse me?”
“Well, I’ve never liked you living out there all by yourself. You know that. It’s too isolated. I really wish you would move back here. This is your home. And it’s only a ten-minute drive to your place. An easy enough commute to your business.”
Jenny’s headache came on full force. They’d had this same discussion a hundred different times, a hundred different ways, and it always ended the same way, with her mother still holding out hope that Jenny would “come to her senses” and move back home.
“You have nothing to worry about,” Jenny said, bringing the conversation back around. “I have everything under control. He won’t be here that long.”
“That’s not what your brother told me.”
“You’ve talked to Paul?”
“Naturally. He was kind enough to fill me in on everything.”
Jenny had no idea what “everything” meant, but she wasn’t about to ask. Turns out, she didn’t need to.
“After Paul explained exactly who Jared Worth is and what his relationship had been to Steven, I’m feeling much better about the situation.” There was a pause while her mother took a drink of her ritual one cup of coffee in the morning. “I think it will be a good thing for you to have someone living out on the lake with you.”
Jenny fell back against her headboard. “You’re kidding, right?”
“You know your father and I are always here if you need anything, but if you choose to go your own route on this, well, like I said, I feel better knowing you have some . . . protection.”
Jenny let the protection comment slide—the crime rate in Hidden Lake was practically nonexistent—but they both knew what anything meant. All Jenny had to do was ask her parents for the money to repay Jared, and he’d be gone.
She couldn’t kid herself; she was tempted. Like she had been several times before. But unlike before, she was determined to find her own way out of this.
Jenny assured her mother that she had everything handled and not to worry. After enduring a few minutes more of her mother’s advice, the call ended.
The moment she hung up, the phone rang again almost immediately. This time she had the presence of mind to check the caller ID.
“Morning, Paul,” Jenny said.
“Mother called.”
“Surprise, surprise.”
“Sarcasm doesn’t suit you.”
Jenny couldn’t disagree more.
“We’re just worried about you, Jelly Belly,” her brother continued. “You have to know that.”
The familiar nickname and the concern in her brother’s voice was her undoing. Her throat clogged with a week’s full of stress and strain. “Don’t be. You know Steven couldn’t even stand to live with me full-time.” She tried to hide her hurt behind a teasing tone.
“That’s not true.”
Tears welled in her eyes, and she wiped them away. “You’re right. He only kept the apartment above his parents’ garage to escape my family’s early phone calls.”
Paul’s laughter was a little too loud and a little too forced, but Jenny loved him all the more for it. “Could you blame the guy?”
Jenny felt herself start to get back onto even ground. “Heck no.” She drew in a breath, then confided to her brother, “Jared’s the Ghost, Paul.”
There was a pause while the impact of her words sank in. “You’re sure?” Paul finally said.
“Yes.”
“Wow.” Paul paused. “The way Steven used to talk about that guy. Remember that time we were at Steven’s parents’ house