Page 161 of The Sinner's Bargain

She hadn’t even been a virgin. Everyone knew she’d had at least two boyfriends before TJ. It made her fine to fool around with but TJ deserved a pure woman with morals. Now, Jeannette was the one dealing with her boundaries.

Boundaries.

What a ridiculous notion.

That was her first grandchild. As the grandmother, she had a God given right to that child. It was part TJ, after all.

But the moment Jeannette started mentioning nursery colors and names, Charlotte was overwhelmed and didn’t want to think about it.

When Jeannette started collecting baby essentials, little gifts to get them started, she fussed that Jeannette was making her mother feel bad.

How was it Jeannette’s fault if Charlotte’s mother scrubbed beer stains off tables in a cut off top and panties and didn’t make enough money from the line of men she took home?

That was the family TJ decided to give his seed to. Lord, help them.

Jeannette sighed. She couldn’t fathom where she’d gone wrong, but beds were made, and Charlotte was in Jeannette’s life for better or worse.

Jeannette tried to like Charlotte, but the ditz really didn’t know what she was doing. She was young and needed someone to guide her and show her how to be a proper wife to a man like TJ. He wasn’t the bums she was used to in her bed. He had a sterling education. Infinite roots that stretched to the very conception of the village and a career ... well, a doctor was nothing to sneer at, especially one coming from a long line of doctors with their own practice. Although Charlotte seemed too stupid to realize how lucky she had it. Her biggest accomplishment was flashing her tits for men during Mardi Gras for bead. A moment she showcased proudly on the fridge.

Jeannette hoped she would take it down once the child was born but doubted it. Even TJ seemed strangely attached to the photo of his wife baring her chest to a crowd of onlookers, ropes of colored beads strung around her neck like some badge of honor.

It’s how they met, according to him. She flashed him, he gave her the green beads he had and somehow, now she was set to be the mother of his child.

“Ugh!” Jeannette rubbed two fingers into her temple.

Well, maybe a child would tame her, and she will grow and get closer to God. Maybe Jeannette needed to get her a Bible. Something she could read out loud and find the path. TJ had mentioned she wasn’t religious when Jeannette asked why TJ and the pile of loose morals he married in Vegas like some hooker, didn’t attend Sunday church. So, not only was she a Godless heathen, but she was corrupting Jeannette’s sweet boy.

She sucked in a breath to calm the rage building in her chest. She told herself she would make sure to put a stop to that lunacy first chance she got. She just needed to be patient. This was God’s test.

Jostling the groceries higher on the crook of her elbow, Jeannette persisted. She stalked the cobblestone path towards Diane’s vintage boutique. She’d seen an adorable christening gown in the window a few weeks back that Charlotte had said she would think about but hadn’t bought yet. It could be a fun gift during that evening’s Friday dinners at Jeannette’s house.

The bell above Diane’s door pinged once, then again when Jeannette closed the door. The scent of dust and old parchment were still prominent beneath the sharp sting of chemical floor cleaner and wood polish. Jeannette made a mental note to urge Diane to use apple cider vinegar. It was more natural and well, better than that heavily chemical trash from the market.

“Hi! I’ll be right with you!” Diane called.

The woman in question had her back to Jeannette as she stood whispering in the phone. Jeannette couldn’t hear the conversation beyond snatches that made the back of her neck prickle.

“I heard. I would immediately move,” Diane was saying as Jeannette drew closer.

The phone in Jeannette’s purse took that moment to spring to life, making them both jump. Diane said a hasty goodbye to whoever she was talking to and hung up. She spun to face Jeannette and her smile faltered. Her dark brown eyes darted between Jeannette and the door as if baffled how it was Jeannette in her shop.

An uncertain smile wavered across Diane’s face. “Jeannette, hi!”

A new snap of fury lanced through Jeannette at the blatant disrespect. At the audacity that a woman she’d known her entire life was talking and whispering behind her back. She and Diane went back to school days. Jeannette had always been so good to her. This was a new level of betrayal.

“How are you?” Diane tittered the sound of a guilty person. “I was just talking to Stephanie—”

Stephanie Hollis, that traitorous bitch. She practically flew home to tell everyone what happened at that trash bookstore. By the time Jeannette had made it home to her husband, the entire village had heard about the rabid slut who nearly sliced Jeannette’s throat with a blade. It was a wonder she hadn’t needed stitches. She could have died. That seemed to be the point everyone kept missing.

“Did you need something?” Diane was asking when Jeannette tore out of that traumatic memory.

Her phone went off again in her purse. Jeannette fished it free and peered down at Tom Junior’s number. She ignored the woman watching her uncomfortably and brought the device to her ear.

“Hi TJ. I’m not home, but if you and Charlotte want to come by around the usual time—”

“We’re not coming for dinner, Mom,” he cut in sharply.

“What do you mean you’re not...?” Feeling Diane’s eyes burning into her face, Jeannette turned and hurried from the store. The bell announced her escape back into the rain. She darted around the side to slip into the crevices between the shops, away from all the eyes and ears she knew were listening. “What do you mean you’re not coming? It’s Friday. We always have dinner—”

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