Page 1 of A Love So Wrong
Chapter 1
Bracing his feet at the edge of the dock, Gideon crossed his arms and stared out at the skiff in the middle of the pond. With no engine, the boat floated quietly on the water's placid surface. The only sign of life on the algae-covered body of water was the bare leg hanging over the boat's edge. Too far from the house to be seen and unnoticed by his target, Gideon let his eyes trace undeterred up the length of the honey-brown leg. With one barefoot nearly grazing the water's dark surface and the other propped up on one of the boat's benches, Gideon would bet money that the girl was asleep.
Sweeping through the trees, the wind created a gentle, fluttering chorus of leaves. Gideon closed his eyes at the cool feeling against his hot, grimy skin. Today had been hard, the muscles in his shoulders ached from loading and unloading heavy cases, and his stomach grumbled, reminding him why he had come out here in the first place. Pulling up his jeans a bit, Gideon crouched and hit the switch on the winch at the edge of the dock. With a mechanical whir, the winch did its job and slowly pulled the skiff in. Coming into view, the boat pulled forward, and Gideon watched with steady breaths as more of the girl was revealed. With her head pillowed on her shoulder-length brown curls and turned to the side, there was a book laying open across the NASA space-camp logo on her t-shirt, all signs that confirmed his suspicion as he examined her sleeping figure.
The boat stopped a few inches out from the dock as the winch pulled in the last of the line. Shutting the machine off, Gideon stared at the girl a few seconds longer, letting this rare unobserved moment linger before he slipped the mask of familial indifference back into place.
Standing up, he placed one boot on the boat's stern. "Jade, wake up,” he called softly at first. “It's time to attend your womanly duties," he added with a grin.
Brown, softly arched eyebrows knitted together as she stirred awake. Turning her head with slow, tired grace, she squinted from the sharp afternoon sun. Hazel eyes so clear and striking, glittered in the light as they met his, a perfect complement to her name. Gideon couldn't stop the immediate thought that sprung to mind, toying with and tempting his imagination, of her laying in his bed, turning to give him the same sleepy smile.
Ignoring his goading comment, Jade wordlessly slid her book from her chest and dog-eared the page. Standing up with a skilled balance on the shifting boat, her jean shorts rode up higher on her thighs as she bit her full bottom-lip in concentration and reached out her hand to the dock's metal handle, but Gideon beat her to it. Grabbing her by the forearm, he hauled her out of the boat with ease, enjoying the brief look of shock on her face at the sudden action.
Steadying herself on the wooden dock, she gave him a serene little smile before looking towards the house. "Is dad back too?"
Nodding, Gideon led the way back up the dock towards the house. "Yeah, he got in when I did, just a few minutes ago."
Reaching the back door of the house, he held it open and let her walk in ahead of him. Walking through the den, a space decorated in football paraphernalia, a big-screen TV, and two worn but comfy couches, they headed through the laundry room hallway and past Gideon's room, turning into the galley-style kitchen.
Standing at the kitchen counter, taking a foil cover off what looked to be a large pan of green-bean casserole, was Sandra Lattimore. With her greying blond hair pulled up into her usual ponytail, she turned to give Gideon a warm smile. "Go and get washed up, dear," she instructed before turning to Jade, who was already washing her hands at the sink. "And Jade darling, can you make a quick pitcher of tea? You know how Henry loves it when you make it."
Obediently, Jade started moving to the pantry cabinet as she quickly tied up her long curls into a matching ponytail. "Yes, momma."
Unable to resist taking a glance, Gideon watched as Sandra's smile widened at the title. Like a bright ray of sunlight warming the earth, Sandra savored the title of mother coming from her favorite hand-picked child as if this was the first time she heard it and not the millionth.
Controlling the urge to shake his head, Gideon stepped back through the laundry room and into the bathroom on the right. Sometimes, he wondered if Jade was even conscious of her constant need to please Sandra Lattimore, or was it now second nature.
After a few minutes of gathering hot pans and covered dishes, the round oak dining table was covered with enough food to put a Sunday night dinner at a Baptist church to shame. There were rolls, mashed potatoes, green-beans, a huge pot of roast beef, cornbread, black-eyed peas, and even a chocolate pie, all of which made Gideon's stomach growl with desperate need. Sitting down, Gideon waited as Jade and Sandra served each plate their portions before passing one to him and one to Henry, who was pulling out a chair to sit at his right.
With his hair still damp from his shower, Henry, a large formidable-looking man, gave his family a warm, genial smile as he held each hand out to his side in a silent request. Just as they did practically every night since the moment Gideon and Jade arrived at the Lattimores’ house, they both held out their hands, linking them together as one family, and respectfully bowed their heads as Henry led them in a short grace.
Opening his hands, Gideon focused on Jade's hand sliding from his left hand as his father's slid from his right.
"So, how did that haul go today?" Henry asked just before he took a huge bite of roast beef.
Swallowing his own bite of food, Gideon nodded as he wiped his mouth with a napkin. "It went fine. Thought I wasn't going to make it back in time, though,” he confessed, annoyance coloring his tone. “They added three more pallets of beer to the order at three-o-clock, knowing damn well I leave at five."
"Gideon!" Sandra's hushed reprimand whispered across the table as she gave him a reproachful little shake of her head at his language.
With practiced ease, Gideon gave her a large smile. A smile he had used plenty on girls around the university, knowing the effect his broad smile and dimpled cheeks had.
Working just as intended, Sandra shook her head with a relenting smile.
"Shameless," he heard the delicate whisper from his left.
Grabbing another roll from the covered bowl, Gideon tore off a hunk of it with his teeth as he leveled his gaze on Jade. "What was that?" he asked between bites, purposely baiting her. "Did you say something?"
Lifting her chin, she didn't turn to look at him, forcing him to view only the profile of her freckled cheeks. Looking to Henry instead, Jade gave him a beaming smile that only stoked the fires of annoyance within Gideon higher.
"Would you like some more pot roast?" she asked, gesturing to the massive crockpot sitting on the kitchen counter. "I hope you like it. I made it a bit spicier for you this time," her voice dripping with bootlicking flattery.
As usual, Henry basked in his daughter's attention and shook his head. "No, no, I have got plenty, sweetheart. And it's all absolutely amazing." He cast an appreciative look over to his wife, who smiled gratefully in return, though Gideon wasn't sure why. They all knew it was Jade who did most of the work as Sandra probably sat on a barstool and cheerfully dictated instructions while knitting or something.
Not at all ready to let their battle end, Gideon took another huge spoonful of his food and swallowed. "Fishing for compliments, huh?"
He could see her stiffen out of the corner of his eye, and he smiled inwardly at the easy victory.
Whipping around to face him, a few brown curling tendrils of her hair glided around her face and stopped as she set those cat-like eyes on him with seething intensity. Reaching for his plate, she grabbed the edge of the china and began to pull it away from him as she smiled evilly. "Well, since you don’t find it good, there's no reason you would want to continue, right?"
Henry chuckled, but Gideon ignored him. Grabbing her slender wrist, Gideon stopped his absconding plate. "If you even think about it, I will make you regret it," he threatened, though everyone at the table knew the words were empty.
"Then maybe you will hush and just eat your food from here on out," she said, picking up a roll and attempting to shove it in his mouth.
Plucking the roll swiftly out of her hand, he gave her a look of surprise. "Why, you sassy little…"
"Gideon," the familiar tone of reproach stopped his words immediately. Looking over to Sandra, Gideon paused. She gave both of them a quieting glare before settling back onto him. "Don't fight with your sister."
