Savage in a Stetson (Crossroads #4) - Em Petrova Page 0,3
her head. She tugged it over her hips, and it fell from the waistband to the ruffled hem. The perfect mix of country and vintage. It would sell out of her sister’s web shop within a day, if she knew anything about Joss’s clientele.
When she opened the curtain, Joss gasped. “Oh my goodness, you look radiant in that color! I knew you would, with your blonde hair and brown eyes. Turn around for me please.” Her inner designer appeared, her expression serious as she critically examined the dress on Jada.
As she turned forward again to face her sister, Joss’s stare landed on her face. “Oh no. You’re not happy.”
Her throat tightened. “It isn’t the dress. The dress is beautiful, Joss.”
A sympathetic look creased her sister’s face. “Take it off. I’ll put on the teakettle and we’ll have a good chat.”
She’d come here exactly for that reason, but now that Joss suggested it, Jada wished she’d gone home instead. She got out of the dress, replaced it on the hanger and then stepped out of the dressing room in her slumpy old scrubs again.
The scent of chamomile tea filled the air, and she followed it to the back room where her sister had a small kitchenette set up with a microwave, a mini fridge and an electric teakettle. On the wooden table she had mugs set out and dunked the teabags into the hot water.
“You look like you could use a talk. Are you okay?” Joss settled in a chair and picked up her mug, cradling it between both hands. Her wedding and engagement ring glinted in the afternoon sunlight, a reminder to Jada that she wouldn’t have anything that came close to her sister’s relationship with Cort, and soon their family would grow.
What did she have? A lot of heartache.
“What happened today?” Joss asked quietly.
She lifted her eyes from her steaming mug. “Today we lost Mrs. Greenwich.”
“Oh no. She was one of your favorite patients.”
She nodded, throat thickening with the tears that kept threatening to erupt. She sipped the tea, tasting nothing but sorrow. “I don’t know how much longer I can go on this way, Joss.”
Her sister’s eyes went round. “What do you mean? Leave the nursing home? But you love it!”
“I do. But all my friends are dying. One by one, by the week sometimes. We had such a hard winter, losing all those patients. Today felt like the final blow.” She lifted her shoulders and let them drop in a heavy shrug. “I don’t know…”
Joss reached over the table and placed her hand over Jada’s. “I’m so sorry, sis. Are you…thinking of finding another job?”
“Maybe.”
“You should work at the pediatrician’s office with kids instead of old people. Easier and more fun.”
She nodded. “I’ll think about it.”
They sipped their tea, and she appreciated that Joss didn’t feel the need to fill all the silence with chatter. She understood Jada needed some quiet to process the loss of the day plus the dilemma she faced.
After they finished their tea, Joss rolled her eyes. “Gotta make a potty run. CT is sitting right on my bladder.” She’d been calling the baby CT for Cort the third for months, even though her husband groaned each time she did. Jada wondered if her sister would get her way on this matter. Knowing her, she would.
Jada chuckled as her sister scampered to the bathroom. She walked out into the front of the boutique and browsed the clothing, each item made by her sister’s hands. She would be jealous if she wasn’t so thrilled for Joss for living her dream. She slipped a deep purple scarf around her neck.
“Wow, that color’s fabulous on you. Your dark eyes make it possible for you to wear all the deep jewel tones, but your blonde hair means you can wear the pastels of the season too.” Jada tilted her head. “When can I get you in a photoshoot?”
“I don’t know about that…”
Joss drew near and tied the scarf around Jada’s neck. “Think about it, Jada. And keep the scarf.”
“I can’t do that. At least let me pay for it.”
“No, it’s a gift. Take it. And think about the pediatrician’s office.” She studied her. “Okay?”
“I will. I’m heading home and get out of these scrubs. Text me later after Lamaze.”
After she left the boutique, she felt a bit cheered by the tea and her sister’s company. Joss had so much happiness to add to the world, and her designs were only a part of it. Jada only offered