Page 46 of Tempted

Chapter Fifteen

“Your Star is such a pretty little girl, Jasmine. Chelsea won’t stop talking about her new best friend. I don’t know how you can stand being away from her.” Madeline took a sip of her coffee and grimaced. “The coffee used to be much better here.”

Jasmine lowered her head at the reminder. Words couldn’t express how it felt to say goodbye to her daughter whenever they parted. “I don’t know either,” she finally answered, swirling her spoon in her tea.

Madeline winced. “Oh, Jasmine, that was thoughtless of me. I do have a way of running off at the mouth without thinking first. I didn’t mean to—”

Jasmine held her hand up. “It’s all right. I know you didn’t mean anything by it. And thank you. I’m sure every one thinks their child is beautiful but I believe Star really is. When I look at her, I can’t believe she’s mine.”

Madeline placed her coffee cup down with care. “Why is that dear? She looks exactly like you.”

Losing all interest in her tea, Jasmine pushed it away from her with a sigh. “She has my eyes and facial structure, but otherwise she looks a lot like her father. He was a good looking man but his personality left a lot to be desired. Thankfully, Star has such a sweet temperament. She’s such a gift to me. ” There was a time when it was difficult to even think about Phillip, so it surprised her at how she could now reference him without shuddering. The wounds, however, were still deep and the pain just as raw. Jasmine believed this anguish, this bleeding ache, was a thing of the past but now she realized she’d only been suppressing these feelings. It hurt just as much now as it had before.

“Do you mind talking about him?”

Jasmine caught her bottom lip between her teeth and shook her head.

“I understand, dear. I shouldn’t have brought it up.”

“It’s okay. I was the one who brought him up. It’s natural that you’d be curious. I guess after all this time I thought I’d be over what happened to me.

“That’s not something one gets over so easily. Maybe I’m prying but have you considered counseling?”

Jasmine shook her head. “There were counselors in prison but it was on a group basis. I wasn’t ready to open up in the amount of time I was there. Besides, during my stint I was still in a bit of a haze. I couldn’t believe how I’d ended up in a place like that. I’d worked so hard to make something decent of my life. I didn’t hang out late at night or run with the wrong crowds. I studied hard enough to earn a full academic scholarship. When Star came along I was even more determined to succeed and give her the kind of life I never had. I graduated college summa cum lade. I was working on my master’s degree for chrissake. I wasn’t supposed to be in prison. I had my entire life ahead of me.”

She shuddered as she thought about her experience in prison. It had been a constant struggle to get through the day without losing a bit of her soul. She’d kept to herself mostly in order to stay out of trouble, but there were always those who wanted to start something for the hell of it.

Some inmates accused her of thinking she was better than everyone else for not being social. Along the way she’d gotten into a few near scraps and had even been jumped but eventually she’d made it out with her sanity. Had it not been for Star she wouldn’t have had a reason to.

So no, shenever had time to reflect on her life prior to prison and the mental repercussions it had caused her. Jasmine had been too busy trying to survive.

Madeline patted Jasmine on the hand in a comforting gesture. “I think you’re very brave, dear. To look at you, one wouldn’t think you could make it in a place like that.”

Jasmine laughed humorlessly. “Believe me, I had to fly under the radar a lot. And thankfully my time behind bars was relatively short considering the conviction.”

“I wish there was something else I could do for you, Jasmine. As much as I think you’re the best thing that’s ever happened to my grandchildren, you were meant to be more than a nanny.”

A genuine smile touched Jasmine’s lips. She was truly blessed to have met someone as nice as Madeline Meade. There was still hope for humanity as long as there were people like her around. “Thank you. I appreciate everything you’ve already done for me. I’d love to work in the field I went to school for, but not a lot of people are looking to hire someone with a criminal record. It’s bad enough that I’m keeping the truth from your son.”

Madeline waved her hand dismissively. “Don’t worry your pretty little head about Victor. You let me take care of him.”

“Fancy seeing you here.”

Jasmine’s blood chilled at the sound of that familiar high-pitched voice.

Madeline straightened up in her seat, her posture unwelcoming, but ever the lady she smiled and nodded her head in greeting. “Madison.”

How much had Madison heard, Jasmine wondered? The blonde’s face gave nothing away. Her attention remained focused on the older woman and she totally ignoredJasmine. “I was just having lunch with an old friend and I thought I’d come by and say hello. How are you doing?”

“I’m fine dear. What a surprise to see you here.”

“It’s a small world. But I’m sure we would have seen each other again eventually, I mean Victor and I are such dear friends. When we had our little tiff, I really wasn’t myself and I think he realizes it now.”

Jasmine wanted to gag at how thick Madison was laying it on. She had a bad vibe about this woman and there was only one instance in her life when her instincts had let her down.

Madeline raised a brow. “Does he? He hasn’t mentioned you since that dinner.”

A faint tinge of red colored Madison’s cheeks, but she quickly regained her composure. “I’m sure there’s a lot of things Victor probably doesn’t tell you. Or maybe it slipped your mind. My grandmother often forgets things too, bless her little heart.Actually seeing you here has reminded me to give Victor a call soon.”

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