Page 86 of One Bride for Three Single Dads

She rolls back, ducking into the kitchen where the kids can’t see her. I follow her in a state of blind panic.

I feel like I should inspect her for wounds or something. But she holds up her hands, calming her breathing through sheer force of will.

“Jolene! Honey, tell me!” I whisper urgently.

Boone pokes his head around the corner. “Hey is everything— Oh my God, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing!” she objects, backing away from both of us. “Just… Nothing! Let’s eat dinner. Okay? I think the lasagna is almost done.”

Boone stares at me accusingly. “What did you say to her?”

I shrug innocently. “Nothing! I swear!”

Seriously, Boone looks like he could punch me in the face right now. Wow.

“Guys, stop,” Jolene insists, putting her hands between us.

“Then tell us what’s wrong,” I prod her, hopefully not too forcefully. “Did something happen? Did your jerky roommate call or something? Emily?”

Jolene shakes her head roughly and then crosses her arms. She bites her lips in concentration.

“We went to the beach today,” she starts, so quietly I have to lean in.

“That sounds amazing,” I reply helpfully. “I know you were really worried about that.”

“There were some people there. Some women. Locals.”

“It’s probably a popular spot,” Boone adds, stroking her arms soothingly.

She looks up, glaring.

“They knew who I was,” she mutters.

“Well, you’re hard to miss!” I smile back. “I’m sure everybody knows who you are. It’s a small town. You know how small towns are.”

For some reason I can’t stop talking, even though I can literally see her face changing with every word.

I am only making her more angry.

What have I done?

“They called me… a whore.”

I glance at Boone. He has gone mostly white.

“Who?” I choke out. “Who would call you that?”

“Maybe it means something different here?” Boone suggests weakly.

She glares at him. “I know what the word means!”

Ambrose. Suddenly I am furious at Ambrose. I tried to get him to take care of this, tried to tell him that he needed to remind Patrick and his crew who the bosses are. Us. Not them.

I could hear it in their voices. I could hear them snickering at telling dirty jokes and shit. I know how men talk. I may not have understood every word, but I knew they were talking shit about my girlfriend.

Ourgirlfriend.

What can I tell her? She knows how small towns are too. People are bored. They need a reason to feel superior.

---