Ian shrugged. “Then, kick them out.”
Jannie gave him a withering look. Had Nick not been right beside her, she would have smacked Ian upside the head.
“Oh! Jannie!”
Mom.
Even before she turned, Jannie heard the emotion in her mother’s voice. Mom quickened her step, her blue eyes full of love as she sprinted to gather Jannie in her arms. Jannie hugged her back, inhaling her comforting, familiar scent of powder with a hint of the green and bergamot in her signature Chanel N°19 perfume.
“My sweet, sweet girl,” Mom murmured, her voice trembling. “I was so very worried about you. I am so sorry about what happened with the—”
“I’mfine, Mom,” Jannie interrupted, giving Nick anI-told-you-solook over her shoulder, taking comfort in his quiet presence and encouraging gaze.
Her mother hugged her a moment longer, swaying slightly, and, thankfully, changed the subject. “I’m so happy to see you. Erik is around here somewhere. I just saw him with a ridiculous plate of food, and your father is in the maintenance office catching up with Tim. You should go find him; he’s been worried sick, you know, although he never says so, of course. He told me to leave you alone and let you sort things out.” She held Jannie at arm’s length, looking her up and down. “It killed me to leave you be, but you’re looking well, thank goodness. Far better than I expected.” Her sharp gaze shifted to Nick. “Are you the reason?”
He gave her a disarming smile. “I hope so. It’s nice to see you again, Mrs. Larssen.”
Mom gave him a blank stare that quickly turned to embarrassment.
“It’s been a long time. I’m Nicholas Kent.”
Mom blinked. “Nicholas … Kent. Why does that ring a bell?”
“I went to high school with Jannie.”
Mom frowned slightly, then her face lit up with recognition. “Oh, yes! I didn’t recognize you. Now you’re… oh … my, you look very different.”
Nick grinned.
“So, you and my Jannie …?” Mom arched a brow.
“Jannie wanted to fly, and I’ve been helping her with that a bit.”
Jannie slanted him a glance. “Nick is being modest. He is an excellent flight instructor and taught me quite a lot.”
From her brothers’ direction, she heard a muffled snort and a muttered, “I’ll bet he did.” Too low to tell which of the two juveniles in adult bodies had delivered the snark, but Jannie suspected Ian.
If Mom heard, she ignored it. “How nice! Flying for fun?”
Of course, her mother would assume Jannie would pursue flying just for fun. “Flying as in the next step after private pilot.”
Mom’s eyes widened. “You’re going for your instrument rating?”
Jannie nodded.
“Why?”
Jannie swallowed back her irritation. “Why not?
“Well.” Mom smiled a little tersely. “I’m glad you found something to take your mind off things for a while.” She smoothed a wayward lock of Jannie’s hair. “And when are you going back to Florida to your job?
“Soon.”
Mom patted Jannie’s arm. “That’s good. The faster you get back to normal, the better it will be for you.”
Jannie couldn’t say anything; her mother’s heart was huge and in the right place. She meant well, thinking she knew what was best for Jannie even when it wasn’t. She also proudly told anyone and everyone who would listen that her daughter was a doctor.
Jannie was saved by Adam’s petite brunette wife, Eve, who approached with an old-fashioned in her hand and a huge smile on her face, closely followed by Claire, holding a snifter of cognac and a can of ginger ale.
