Granny gave her sister an imperious look but shut her mouth for once. Jessica was two seconds away from telling both of them to get the heck out of her office. The job offer from Damon Brant was looking better by the minute.
Donna put her elbows on the table. “Honey, we’re not here to bawl you out.”
“No?”
“Absolutely not,” Granny said in a tone that almost sounded reasonable.
What the heck? She turned to study her grandmother, and it struck her that their relationship was built on a lie. Jessica had returned to the family fold but only after apologizing for something that had never really happened. While Granny had never apologized for something that had.
“Honey,” Donna said in a kindly voice, “just take a big breath. The gossip isn’t entirely bad, you know.”
Jessica bit her lip and said nothing even though she had a strong desire to cross the bridge and burn it down behind her.
“Of course it’s not bad. He’s rich, and he’s a Martin,” Granny said.
“What?” Jessica sat straighter in her chair. What the heck were they talking about anyway?
“We’re here to help you land the fish,” Donna said.
“Land the fish?”
“Oh, for goodness’ sake. Are you stupid?” Granny asked.
“I am not—”
Donna put up a hand. “Of course she’s not stupid. But I think we can all agree that you are inexperienced.”
“At what?”
“Seduction, my dear,” Aunt Donna said.
Jessica was rendered utterly speechless.
“Don’t play coy,” Granny said. “You know good and well what we mean. Christopher Martin has money, connections, and a family name that means something. You could become the most important woman in this town if you handled this right, and that’s saying something considering the way you behaved as a teenager.”
Jessica pulled in a breath and pushed another one out. She didn’t dare say one word for fear that something truly ugly would come out of her mouth.
“Christopher Martin is a man like your grandfather and your father,” Granny continued obliviously. “If you played your cards right, you could be a true Cinderella. You could have it all. And all you’d have to do is overlook the scars. We’re here to convince you that his scars are a very small price to pay in return for what he could do for you.”
Jessica went cold. At first she wanted to scream at them and tell them that his scars weren’t all that bad and certainly nothing she’d ever have to “get over.”
And then it hit her like a gale-force wind that Granny was right. Topher was a lot like Daddy. He had money and an important family name. He was used to giving commands. He could get angry and rude at times. He was used to being obeyed. The thought made her tremble as she pushed up from the table.
“I’m really sorry to disappoint you, but Topher is my client. That’s it. I suggest you avoid listening to or repeating the gossip in this town. Now, if you don’t mind, I have work to do.”
“But, darling, you—”
“I don’t want to be Cinderella. It didn’t work out for you, did it, Granny? And it certainly didn’t work out for Momma. Why on earth would I go looking for the same tarnished nightmare? Now, please leave.”
* * *
Later that afternoon, Topher picked up Jackie at school and drove him to the mainland. The kid had nothing much to say during the drive, and Topher felt for him.
He certainly hadn’t wanted to get Jackie into hot water with his mother. He wished that Micah St. Pierre had kept his mouth shut about Rose Howland’s letters.
After several futile attempts at getting the kid to talk, Topher drove all the way to the mainland in near silence. But as he walked the boy into the medical building for his appointment, Jackie looked up at him and said, “You know, the main public library is just around the corner. One time, we were way early for my appointment, and Mom took me there. You can walk from here.”
Topher gave the kid his best parental look, which seemed to bounce off Jackie like bullets off Superman. “Oh no. I’m not going to get you into trouble again.”
“I’m not asking you to get me into trouble. You can stay outside and I’ll go read some of the letters.”
“And you can suddenly read handwriting?”
The kid gave him an adorable look. “Please. Come on, Mom doesn’t have to know.”