“I love you too, Sissy. McKenzie has been visiting with me, and she told me that you are doing everything you can so we can be together.”
Shocked, Jewell whipped her head around to where McKenzie was standing. The woman looked away, but Jewell had seen her cheeks color. It was as if McKenzie didn’t want anyone to know that she had human kindness within her heart.
But wait. How had McKenzie been able to visit with Justin when Jewell couldn’t? Jewell didn’t know whether to feel anger over that, or relief because Justin hadn’t been abandoned utterly. What was wrong with the court system!
“You’ve been going to see my brother?” Jewell asked as Justin released his hold on her and spotted the cookies McKenzie had been setting out.
“You weren’t able to, and I know what he means to you,” McKenzie said with a sadness in her voice that hinted at an untold story from her past.
“I appreciate it, McKenzie, more than I can say,” Jewell told her, and she struggled with tears. Her happiness over such kindness to Justin won out over her ridiculous jealousy.
“I did what anyone would do. Now let’s not discuss it,” the woman said in her no-nonsense voice.
Before they could say anything more, they were interrupted again. Tyler walked into the room and headed straight for Jewell. “Hello, beautiful. I’ve missed you,” he said before lifting her off the ground in a bone-crunching hug.
“Tyler? What are you doing here?” she asked when she was able to breathe again after his viselike grip.
“I’m here for the party. You know I can’t turn a good one down,” he said with a grin.
“Party? I didn’t realize there was a party,” Jewell said as she turned to look at McKenzie.
“I’ve invited a few people over. It’s not a big deal,” McKenzie said. Then the four of them made their way out back, where music was playing and about two dozen people were milling around.
“This is more than a few people,” Jewell gasped, not knowing a single person there except for McKenzie, Tyler, and her little brother.
“The more people you have in your corner, the better, Jewell. See that man over there in the gray suit?”
Jewell nodded. He was currently laughing at something a beautiful brunette was saying to him.
“He’s the district attorney here. And that man sitting over there in the black jacket is a judge. I told you I know people in high places. It will benefit you today to mingle,” McKenzie told her.
“I don’t know how to mingle,” Jewell said in a panic as she watched her little brother run off to where a small group of children was swarming over a swing set. It didn’t take him long at all to make new friends.
“It’s a piece of cake and you know it. You just walk up to someone and start talking. If you remember that everyone loves to talk about themselves, you will get along fine. So ask about their families, work, hobbies, and interests, and you can have a full-on conversation while saying less than a dozen words yourself. The beauty of that is you get to know them well, and what they like, and they walk away thinking you’re a wonderful conversationalist.”
A man approached, and said, “Hello, McKenzie. Is this the woman you were telling me about?”
“Yes, Dr. Rice, this is Jewell Weston,” McKenzie said. “How are the twins doing?”
“Oh, they’re as active as ever. My wife doesn’t know which day of the week it is on most days, she’s so sleep deprived,” he said with a genuine laugh.
“I can understand that,” she said, laughing with him, though Jewell noticed the bleakness in the woman’s eyes.
How much of what McKenzie put forth of herself was an act, and how much of it was real? The more Jewell was around this woman, the more she wanted to know the answer to that.
Jewell soon lost count of how many people she’d spoken to and how many stories she’d heard. But after a couple of hours, she felt more optimistic. She even had a job interview with the doctor; he had an opening in his accounting office. McKenzie had more than come through on what she’d promised Jewell. Maybe she could do this without Blake.
Jewell stepped inside the house to give herself a moment to breathe and to let her face rest — pasting a constant smile on it was too much like hard work — and then she felt as if she’d just been hit by a two-ton truck.
Standing there looking devastatingly handsome was Blake. Yes, she’d seen him only two days before, but neither of them been in contact after their argument on the boat, and she wasn’t ready to see him yet.
But for that matter, how did McKenzie know Tyler? Jewell had been so shocked to see him, she hadn’t questioned his relationship with her boss. Before Jewell could say a word, Justin bolted right past her and ran straight up to Blake. With a gigantic smile on his little face, the boy held out his arms and rushed in for a hug.
“Blake! I didn’t know you were coming,” Justin cried as Blake caught him in his arms.
Blake’s smile was as wide as Justin’s. “I wouldn’t miss out on hanging with you, buddy,” he said, leaving Jewell standing there stunned.
“How do you know my brother?” she demanded.
“We’ve spent some time together,” Blake told her with a shrug.
“When have you spent time together? And why wouldn’t you have told me about it?”
“You never asked me,” Blake replied.
She was seething, but she didn’t want Justin to see it, since her brother obviously cared about the object of her wrath.
“You’re not leaving any time soon, are you, Blake?” Justin broke in.
“Nope. I’ll be here for a while,” Blake replied. “Why?”
“I’m just going to go to the bathroom and then my new friends are waiting for me,” Justin said before dashing off.
Jewell stayed silent until she heard the bathroom door slam shut. “It seems that everyone has been spending time with Justin, and no one felt the need to tell me about it,” she said between clenched teeth.
“At first I wanted to make sure you were telling me the truth about him. I don’t like women who lie,” he said easily, not at all affected by her rage.
“And then later?” she questioned bitterly.
“It never came up,” he said as he moved toward her.
“Anything that has to do with Justin is my business, and you know damn well I should have been told.”
“I’ve been working with McKenzie to help you. We’ve actually both become attached to the boy,” Blake said, stopping a few feet away from her.