Page 3 of Forever After All

Lying for the sake of being polite was overrated.

Hanson took her hand in his and gently shook it. “My aunt tells me you’ve lived here a long time.”

“Yep.” Not knowing what to say, she swirled her drink in the plastic cup. If he already knew she was a local, why did he want her to confirm it?

Mrs. Scott patted a hand on Hanson’s chest. “I’ll let you two get to know each other.” She gave Jess a wink before walking off like she was proud of a job well done.

Jess looked up at Hanson. He was at least six inches taller than her. His tawny hair was longer on the top and swept to one side. He had straight, white teeth.

He looked like a decent guy, but she’d always had trouble judging a person by looks alone. A handsome smile could hide an evil heart.

Great. Now he was looking at her like she was supposed to say something. Or respond?

“So, I’m new in town,” Hanson said. “My mom is getting older and needs more help now. Thankfully, I can work from anywhere. I’m an IT tech.”

“Oh, cool.”

So cool that she had no idea what he meant. If her computer issues involved anything more than turning it off and on again, she was out of her element.

“Can I get you a drink?” Hanson asked.

Jess lifted her minty punch. “Thanks, but I already have one.”

He held up his cup and studied it. “That looks different from mine.”

“It has a mint melted in it. Ben told me it was good. He was right.”

“Ben?”

Jess pointed to the kid doing the hokey-pokey with his little sister, Abby, on the dance floor.

“Ah. Sounds good.”

Hanson turned his attention back to her, and his friendly smile hadn’t faltered. Maybe he was a nice guy. They’d been talking for two whole minutes, and he hadn’t looked at her like she was horse manure on the bottom of his boot.

This guy wasn’t even wearing boots. Could she see herself with a man who wore shiny shoes?

She studied him one more time. His smile was even warmer now.

Okay. He probably deserved a chance.

“That’s nice of you to take care of your mom,” Jess said. “My mom is a narcissist, and I haven’t talked to her since I moved out five years ago.”

Hanson’s smile faltered then. “That’s terrible.”

Jess shrugged. “It is what it is.”

She’d stopped trying to win her mother’s love when she was still a kid. The woman was as mean as a snake, and the only way to escape her bite was to stay out of her sight.

And Jess intended to do just that for the rest of her life.

“What about your dad?” Hanson asked as his brows pinched together.

“He died. Murdered.”

Hanson jerked back, and his eyes widened. “Murdered?”

This was why she didn’t date. Her past was riddled with bullet holes and sad songs. It wasn’t exactly dinner talk.

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