Page 44 of Burning Love
“Because it’s not anyone you know,” he said.
Though Talia grew up in Fayetteville, there were multiple high schools and they weren’t in the same district.
“Leave your brother alone,” his father said. “He’s entitled to his personal life.”
“How come Jace gets a personal life that is private, but everyone wants to know what is going on in mine?” Janey asked.
“Because I can clean up any mess I get in and you not so much.”
“That’s not fair,” Janey said. “Trey was a dick.”
“And he’s left you alone since, right?”
No one pushed his sister around. Trey insisted he’d never laid a hand on her, but the bruises on Janey’s arm from being yanked said otherwise.
He didn’t care the guy was drunk, you keep your hands off a woman.
“It’s been two years,” Janey said. “Yes. I appreciated you stepping in, but I was going to break up with him anyway.”
“If Jace hadn’t stepped in, I would have broken his fingers,” his father said. “Be lucky it was only your older brother having a talk with him at a bar one night.”
He would have loved to break more than fingers on Trey’s hand, but wouldn’t risk his career either.
“It’s over with,” Janey said. “Moving back to Jace.”
“Nothing to talk about,” he said firmly. “And Lauren is all alone in the kitchen. I’ll see if she needs help.”
He left his family and returned to the house.
“Is my youngest being a pain again?” Lauren asked.
“As always,” he said. “Let me help you.”
“I’m not going to argue. You can carry the plates to the dining room.”
He put his beer down and set the table. If it reminded him of doing this with his mother when he was younger. He pushed that thought away.
There were some memories he didn’t want anymore and wasn’t sure why it was so hard to keep them locked up.
14
A NICE SURPRISE
“Can I bring some beer back with me?”
“You want to bring beer back home?” her brother Elias asked. “The ones you like? I’ve got some here.”
“A bunch of different things.”
“Why?” Elias asked.
“Because Talia is dating someone and won’t tell me who and I bet he likes your beer.”
“Who is it?” her brother asked.
“No one anyone needs to be concerned about. It’s been three dates and not much is going on.”
“Nothing much should be going on until you’re married,” Elias said. “Unlike Mom over there who is laughing and lied to us all for years.”
