Page 12 of Jack Raider

He grinned.“I’m teasing.”

With a kiss on my forehead, he turned and walked away. I watched them drive off, feeling strangely…empty.

Shaking it off, I locked up and crawled into bed. Sleep didn’t come right away, but when it did, I dreamed of Jack Raider. And oh, was it a good dream.

Until the pounding on my door woke me up—again.

I groaned and rolled out of bed, hoping for a moment that maybe it was Jack.

It wasn’t.

“Why are you still sleeping?”

I squinted at my grandmother, standing on my doorstep with her arms crossed. “Grandma, I had a late night.”

She sniffed. “About time you went out and had some fun. All you do is bury yourself in work.”Her eyes narrowed with sudden interest. “Did he stay late? Is he still here?”

“Did who stay late?”

“The man you had a late night with.”

I sighed. “Grandma, I was up taking care of animals—not entertaining a man. Why are you here this early?”

“Maggie and I are taking you out today.”

Peering past her, I spotted Maggie sitting in the car, chatting with Mable it looked like she was talking a hundred miles an hour.

I chuckled and waved them over.

Maggie stepped out and then went around to help Mable, who latched onto her arm like it was the only thing keeping her alive.

“Mable, let go of Maggie. You’re digging your nails into her skin for crying out loud,”Grandma scolded.

“I am not hurting Margaret.” Mable huffed, giving Grandma a sharp look. “And why do you insist on calling her Maggie when she has such a beautiful name?”

“Hush up, Elizabeth,” Grandma shot back.

Mable ignored her and turned to me. “Eloise, are you going to get dressed? We’re going to the beach! And there’s a fair! We’re going to have a blast. So hurry up.”

I rubbed my temples. The ‘beach’ was a lake forty-five miles from here. I shook my head. Everyone called it the beach. “It’s not a beach,” I said, waiting for Mable to tell me what everyone called it. I knew what she would say.

“It’s still a beach,” Mable said, undeterred.

“I know,” I said.

Memories of summers spent there as kids flashed through my mind. Itwasbeautiful. But…

“I have to work,” I said. “I can’t just leave. It’s Tuesday.”

I glanced at Maggie. “Are you off today?”

She smirked.“Easter vacation. Somehow, Grandma found out, and here we are.”

I exhaled slowly. I was doomed.

“I don’t get the day off,” I said, though I wasn’t entirely upset about it. Work was a great excuse to avoid a forced day of fun.

“Jenny said she fixed everything. She’s coming with us. Oh, here she is now,” Grandma announced.

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