Page 123 of Already Home

She gave him the address and directions. “Hurry. We’re cookingdinner.”

He hesitated. “What are we serving?”

“A little from both worlds. I’ll throw on another steak.”

“You’re my favorite sister. I’ll be right there.”

She hung up. “Dragon’s coming. He should be here in a fewminutes.”

“Wonderful,” Serenity said from her perch on the counter.“Jenna, be a love and stir that back pot.”

Beth shook her head. “I’ll do it. Serenity, honey, don’t takethis wrong, but you sure can’t hold your liquor.”

“I know. It’s always been a failing. I should drink more to getbetter at it.”

“That’s one way to handle the situation,” Jenna said, thenrealized Violet was gone.

She ducked out of the kitchen and found Violet franticallyapplying makeup to her cheek.

“I don’t want him to know,” she said when she saw Jenna. “Don’tsay anything.”

“I won’t,” Jenna promised, knowing it wouldn’t matter. Therewas no way to completely cover what had happened. Plus he’d been at his parents’house when she’d gotten the call.

“He’ll think I’m an idiot,” Violet said, studying herself, thenpressing powder onto the liquid foundation.

“He’ll think some guy is a total jerk and want to go beat himup.”

Violet shook her head. “You don’t understand.”

Which was true, Jenna thought. When had Dragon’s opinion begunto matter?

The doorbell rang.

She went to go answer it and found her brother on the porch.He’d obviously flown in right from work. He’d removed his suit jacket and tie,but still had on suit pants and a white shirt.

“You really are a lawyer,” Jenna said, feigning surprise. “Ithought you were lying.”

Dragon chuckled, then pulled her into a bear hug. “I heardthere was a party.”

“There is now.”

She led him inside. He glanced around at the large house andwhistled.

“Here I thought she’d given you to the first couple willing totake you off her hands. Didn’t you get lucky?”

“Yes,” she said, leading him into the kitchen. “But with thepeople more so than the place.”

“Very PC,” he whispered, before hugging his mom and greetingBeth.

Dragon quickly joined the men on the patio where the gameplayed and meat cooked. Violet returned to the kitchen, slightly more subduedthan when she’d left. Jenna noticed her friend kept looking toward the patio, asif bracing herself for the inevitable meeting.

From what Jenna knew, Dragon and Violet had barely spent anytime together the last time he’d visited. Plus, Violet had been involved withCliff. But maybe their meeting had been more significant than she realized.

About ten minutes later, her brother strolled back inside. Bethand Serenity were discussing the thrill of grandchildren versus the reality ofgetting old. Neither of them noticed Dragon’s return nor his sudden stillnesswhen he saw Violet.

Jenna saw his gaze lock on her friend’s cheek. It traveledlower, to where she’d pulled her long sleeves up to her elbows, exposing morebruises. Violet self-consciously drew the shirtsleeves down to her wrists.

Dragon’s expression darkened. Jenna moved closer to her friend,prepared to get between them if she had to. She wasn’t sure what was going tohappen, but she knew her friend didn’t need to be any more hurt than she alreadywas.

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