Page 21 of Completely Captivated
The three men eyed her suspiciously for a moment, then slowly closed in on Jen.“That sounds like an insult to me.What do you think, Josh?”Jessie spoke with a crazy half grin and a completely wicked look in his eyes while he approached from her right.
“Oh, most definitely, Jessie.That wasdefinitelyan insult about growing up with the awesome Miller brothers,” Josh agreed, moving toward her left.
“You’d think she’d know better after being under our guidance for the last twenty-one years,” Jared chimed in, walking directly toward her.Her gaze darted nervously between her three brothers.They were all crazy-eyed, and she watched them with a guarded stance.
They always found the most humiliating way of making her succumb to their requests.When she was eight, her parents had instructed the older boys to babysit her while they went out.Her brothers decided she was possessed and needed to be baptized to exorcise the demons.They proceeded to try to baptize her head in the toilet while holding her upside down by her ankles and trying to stuff her head into the toilet bowl water.When she got free, she chased the three of them around the yard with a baseball bat for an hour.
Being grown now didn’t change the relationship between them very much.They would still try to baptize her in the commode water, and she would still beat the shit out of them with a baseball bat for even attempting.
But there was also a lot of love in their family, and they could always count on each other.If Jared pushed this, Jen knew she would be pitted between her brother and her friends.There was no easy way out.
“I have my Louisville Slugger, and I know how to use it.”Jen warned them with her sternest expression, but she still looked around for a way out.
“Boys, leave her alone,” the older, gruff male voice called out.Even grown, Ethan’s voice stilled the brothers’ movements.“Jared, you’re a man now, son.No games.Get the woman on your own and quit trying to use your little sister to get dates for you.”
Jen breathed a sigh of relief and smiled at her daddy.He winked at her and smiled when the boys weren’t looking.“Don’t let them push you around, baby girl,” he said with a kiss on her cheek.
Being the baby and the only girl, she’d always been treated a little differently.But she was also “Daddy’s girl,” and the boys had always been jealous of his protection of her.
“Thanks, Daddy.”She laughed and kissed his cheek.“I didn’t know how I was going to get out of that.”
Ethan walked off, and Jared approached Jen nonchalantly.“Don’t think you’re off the hook, little sister,” he muttered under his breath as he lifted his glass to his lips.
Jen smiled at Jared and whispered back, “Iamoff the hook, big brother.You’re on your own.”
“You still have a thing for Rory, don’t you?”Jared asked calmly, knowing damn well she did and that Rory was her one and only weakness.Rory also happened to be one of Jared’s best friends.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she stated defiantly.
“Oh, I think you do, little sis.In fact, I know you do.What if I had a talk with him?Let him know that you’ve carried a secret flame for him for the last several years?How would that be?”he asked coolly.
“You wouldn’t,” she said, but her voice lacked conviction.In fact, she knew he would.She mused to herself, “Why did I have to have brothers?”
Jared didn’t respond verbally.He simply tilted his head and gave her a devilish grin that told her she should know better.
Resigned to the fact that she had no other choice, she conceded.“I won’t help you hurt her, Jared.If Christa is happy with someone else, she deserves to be happy with no interference from us.”
Jared flinched at that statement.He wanted Christa to be happy.Of course he did—she deserved so much more than she’d been given.But he also wanted her to be happy withhim.Though he’d never told her, he just always assumed she’d be there waiting for him when he returned home.He hadn’t considered any other scenario when it came to Christa.Now he was being forced to envision her with another man.That scenario just didn’t sit well with him.
“I just need a chance with her, Jen.I should’ve done so many things differently with her, but at the time, I thought I was doing her a favor.I didn’t want to ask her to wait for me.To just…take a few visits now and then when I came home on breaks.I don’t want to be too late.”
Jared’s explanation somewhat made sense to her, even though she, along with the rest of her family, had stressed how wrong he was on a regular basis.But his voice was filled with disappointment that spilled over into his expression.Right or wrong, he was her brother, and she loved him.
Jen sighed deeply as she thought about what he’d just shared with her and what it would require of her.“I will do what I can to help you, Jared.But don’t ask me to betray my friend.That’s not fair for you to expect me to do that.”
Jared nodded in agreement and pulled Jen to him for a hug.“I was just kidding about telling Rory.I wouldn’t do that to you.”
“Yes, you would,” she replied into his chest, and she couldn’t hold in the laugh when she felt his chuckle rumble through his chest.
He kissed her on top of her head and let her go.“I start my new job tomorrow, and I already know I’ll be swamped.Can you see what you can find out for me?”
“Yeah, okay.I’ll try to get the scoop,” Jen replied.“I need to get going.I have a full day tomorrow myself.It’s good to have you back home, Jared.”
“Christa, I need caffeine!Stat!”Jen called as she walked into The Sweet Spot.Christa was behind the counter and quickly looked up when she heard someone yelling like a lunatic.Seeing her long-time friend coming through the door warmed her heart, and the crazy-woman thought instantly made sense.
“Jen!It’s been too long!Where have you been, girl?”Christa called back to her while she started making Jen’s favorite drink—a white chocolate mocha with an extra shot of espresso.
“At work.They’re trying to kill me.”Jen laughed, acknowledging her penchant for theatrics.
