Page 22 of Jack

"What?"

"Dad." She lifted her head tolook at him. "He never got over our mother. And yet, he stillmanaged to do good by us. Yes, there were times he neglected us andwould go off in his little world, but that's to be expected, right?He had lost the woman he loved and was suddenly in charge of twobabies." She shook her head. "He must have been terrified.He could have dumped us with relatives. But he didn't."

"No." He watched her and sighedinwardly. His sister was on a crusade and nothing he or anyone saidwas going to stop her from looking out for that kid. He just had tohope that she did not get caught in the crossfire.

"Zoo--"

"That kid is so unhappy." Puttingthe photo back, she turned to look at him. "And if he wants totalk, wants to reach out, I am not going to turn him away."

"He's not coming back here."

She lifted her shoulders in a shrug andresponded airily. "He'll be back in school in a week, if thatmonster does not make good on his threat to send him to boardingschool. So, we'll see."

"Zoo--"

"I'm going down to help with thecleanup. I'll see you down there."

He sat where she left him and felt thetension building. Damn her stubbornness!

Chapter6

She just wanted to get away from it all.Just take a break from everything. And she loved the arts. Sherelished going to galleries and museums, taking in the creativity,the way people have about them – capturing a scene on canvas ora sculpture that catches the eyes with the lines and sinuous curves.She loved it all and had tried her hand at pottery and a littlepainting. She was not very good at either, but it relaxed her.

And besides, her brother was barelyspeaking to her. So, she decided to hell with it and invited Jazmineto go with her. It was a fairly new gallery – not on a largescale, but one where Jackson and Jason Colby would be displayingtheir amazing talents.

"This is lovely," Jazmine's eyesbrightened as she looked around the lofty room with the glitteringchandeliers, people in their finest clothing and the artworksdisplayed on the walls.

She had gone all out and dressed to kill.The dress was probably a bit much, the emerald silk overlaid withtiny rhinestones, just went south of indecent, showcasing her longand well-toned legs. She had clamped a gold bracelet on her upper armand hammered gold dripped from her lobes with tiny gold knobs in theother four holes in each ear. Her makeup was flawless, and she hadbrushed back her hair severely in a single ponytail that laid overher left breast.

"Isn't it?" her golden-brown eyesglowed as she too looked around, a smile curving her lips.

Across the room, Jack had no idea what madehim look up. The minute he did, his gaze was zeroed in on her and hefelt the heat flowing through his body - slow, insidious and hot –very hot. His fingers clenched on the delicate stem of the glass andfor that moment, he had no idea what the people around him weretalking about. Including his date. If someone had asked him what hername was, he wouldn't have a clue. His entire focus was on theinfuriatingly rude woman who had burst into his house and lashed himwith her razor-sharp tongue.

As if he had willed it that way, she lookedup and met his eyes. The jolt arrowed through his body with thesharpness of glass and had him stiffening. He saw disdain curving herlips, lips that had his attention drawn and a coil of tension in hislower body.

Furious with himself, he stared at her withicy contempt, letting his gaze wander down her body, lingering on theindecent glimpse of flesh displayed by the cut of the dress.

What did he expect for a woman who works ina damn bar? He thought bitterly. Turning away deliberately, he forcedhimself to pay attention to the cool blonde beauty he had invited tothe opening.

But even though he was not looking at her,his awareness of her was so keen, he could barely concentrate. Damnthe woman to hell!

Zuri told herself that she would ignorehim. Could ignore him. Of all the places to see him again, but shesupposed this was his kind of scenery. It was a Colby's showing afterall. And to her mind, he did not look any less of a jerk than when hetried to intimidate her at his fricking mansion. He might be wearinga silk sweater and dress pants, with his hair immaculately styled,but he still had jerk written all over him.

And he was welcome to that icy bottleblonde, clinging to his damn arms as if she was glued there. Shewondered how the woman could stand to be with someone like him. Butmoney shouted.

Mentally shrugging away her anger, sheturned towards the painting her friend was gushing over. "Isn'tit just wonderful?" she whispered. "Not that I can affordanything in here. And I happen to have money."

Zuri studied the scene, admiring the cleanlines and the attention to details. It was by some obscure artist,but whoever E. Ennis was, he was clearly going places. He or she hadpainted the fall weather in all its glory. Leaves ranging from russetto gold, some on the hard baked ground and others drifting from thetrees. A fiery sunset peeped through the branches and behind thegroup of trees, a sad-looking cabinstoodin a clearing. Smoke drifted and if one looked closely enough, theycould see a face peeping through tattered curtains.

It jerked at her, touched somewhere deepinside and she wished she had the money to purchase the painting.

"It would look very good in the bar,"she murmured, touching the canvas lightly.

"You should buy it."

She laughed at that. "If only I could.I have savings and the bar is doing very well, but this is afrivolous buy, and Zach would have my head. We're not exactly on thebest of terms."

"Because of that child."

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