Page 95 of Finding Hope

Put me out of my misery.

I turn to Jimmy, the one person I vowed to ignore only minutes ago,and stare. I stare so hard at the line of his nose, that hemustfeel the burn. I need someone to break the tension it seems only I can feel.

Like he really can feel it, he turns and his eyes meet mine.

Here it is. Here it comes. Brace my body. Legs bent. Hands fisted.

He smiles sweetly. “Mornin’, Bambie.”

Turning back to his daughter, he flips the page in their chapter book and goes about his life like I don’t exist.

I simply blink. Blink. Blink.

That’s it?

“Here you go.” Jack places a hot mug in my hands and smiles until his dimple flashes.He knows his power! He knows what he’s doing.Bending lower, he looks into my eyes. “It’s okay, Bambie. Relax. Breathe.”

“Morning, Miss T.”

I look into Evie’s eyes. No sass. No trouble. Just a simple hello. She walks by me with a mug of hot chocolate in her hands. She’s her mama’s twin. Both in jeans. Both in Rollin tank tops. Both with a mug in their hands.

“Good morning, Evie.”

Sliding into her seat at the table, Evie smiles. “Since you’re Uncle Jack’s friend now, remember I told you, you can call me Smalls, too.” She shrugs. “If you wanna. Everyone else does.”

“Oh…kay.”

Smiling sweetly, she turns to the second sexiest man in this room –I really need to stop crushing on Aiden Kincaid!– and begins chatting about stuff other than the fact he – Aiden – and Jack are sexy as hell.

I watch them a minute longer, but they simply chat and smile, then Lucy tunes in, nods to the living room, and they take off at a trot.

This is all too surreal. I feel like their lack of jokingisthe joke.

“Morning, Britt.”

Turning to Kit, I smile and finally begin to relax. I think the worst is over.

“Morn–” She tosses her toddler daughter into my arms so hard, I let out a grunt.

“You wake her, her whiny ass is your problem.”

And there it is.

Everyone in the room –everyone, including the twin boys – bursts into peals of laughter. Jimmy’s the loudest. Of course he is. He slaps the table, swipes tears from his eyes, and flaps his arms like an idiot baby bird.

Closing my eyes, Ifeelthe force of their laughter batter at my body.

“Leave her alone.” Tink stands and shushes her family. She slaps herchuckling husband on the back of the head as she passes with dirty dishes. “She’ll never come back if you don’t stop.”

I’d like to say that was true. I’m dying here, but then I look at Jack again, at his dimple, and I know I’ll be back.

An older lady stands from within the group. I hadn’t even noticed her before, but as she stands and slaps every guy on the back of the head as she walks by, even Aiden, who wasn’t actually laughing at all, the whole group falls silent.

I’ve never met her before, but I recognize her from pictures hanging in Jack’s office.

I swallow down dread as the Kincaid family matriarch walks toward me.

She’s not old at all; mid-fifties, at the most. A long, fit body, neat hair that sits around her shoulders, an easy smile that lessens my dread, but inquisitive eyes that bring it back.

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