Standing by the window, he crossed his arms over his chest. “Glad to see you’re wearing a decent amount of clothes today. If you’re not stripping off on a public beach, you’re plastered all over the internet wearing practically nothing.”
Jade rolled her eyes and sat next to Kaitlin and grabbed a handful of popcorn. “You’re being so dramatic,” she said before she shoved it in her mouth.
Connor pushed his fingers through his dark auburn hair, the waves so cooperative, they fell back into place. Why did she have to get the carrot-top and wild, untameable locks? Even Kaitlin’s hair fell neatly to her shoulders.
“You think I’m being dramatic! Have you seen your bare arse online?” he said.
She inhaled sharply, and a piece of popcorn lodged in her throat. She coughed, and Kaitlin slapped her hard on her back to help dislodge it. Jade held out her hand for her to stop; she liked her lungs where they were.
When Jade got her breathing under control, she frowned at Connor. “Firstly, my arse was not bare. The photo was front-on, with all my bits covered. And secondly, this isn’t my fault, so stop glaring at me like I did this on purpose.”
“Wake up, Jade. He’s a freaking famous musician who must have paparazzi following him everywhere. God, you were skinny-dipping with one guy the other night and half-naked with another the next. What the hell is wrong with you?”
Jade had enough of her brother yelling at her like a naughty child. Who was he to judge? Before becoming a police officer, he used to get up to some crazy shit too. Now the uniform he wore was like a stick up his arse.
“Wish I had a sex life like that,” Kaitlin mumbled into her popcorn.
“Not that it’s any of your business, but it’s not what it looks like. And will you sit down? My neck is getting sore looking up at you.”
He dropped onto the couch in front of her. It surprised Jade that he did what she’d asked.
“How the hell is this not what it looks like?” The belligerent tone was still the same.
Jade blew out a frustrated breath. “I wasn’t with two different men. Not that it’s anyone’s business if I was.” She glanced briefly at her mother who was sitting quietly through the conversation. Yes, she was an adult who could do as she pleased, but it didn’t make it any easier talking about her sex life in front of her mother.
“Oh, really? Because the two guys I’ve seen you with look nothing alike.”
“I’m glad. It works,” she said.
Connor shook his head. “What the hell does that mean? What works?”
“Nate’s disguise. Nate Miller is the guy you met the other night. Nathan Harvey is the musician. They are the same person.”
Her family sat still and silent. Then Connor and Kaitlin shot questions like bullets at her.
She held up her hand. “Whoa. I can only answer one question at a time. And none of yours, Kait, you perve. God, can’t you see Ma’s in the room?”
The next hour Jade filled her family in on who Nate was and why he used a disguise. Once Connor learned she wasn’t planning on doing most of the men in Brimland Point, he calmed down a touch. Kaitlin was beaming from ear to ear. She was hoping to get VIP tickets to their next concert.
From the moment Jade had walked into the house, her mother had remained silent, just watched and listened. Now her scrutiny was making Jade squirm in her seat.
Finally, not able to take the silence from her any longer, she said, “Just say it, Ma. You’re ashamed of me, aren’t you? Your good, Catholic girl is an embarrassment.”
“That’s not what I was thinking at all,” her mother replied. “Yes, having my daughter half-naked on the internet wasn’t what I wanted to see. But it’s not your fault.”
When Connor started to object, their mother threw him a sharp look, and he kept quiet. Jade wished she had that kind of control over him.
“No one’s privacy should be invaded like that no matter who you are,” her mother continued. “It’s the dirty paparazzi who should be ashamed of themselves. Not my daughter.”
“Go, Ma!” Kaitlin cheered.
“But I don’t want this Nate leading you astray. You’ve had an upbringing with strong morals. I’d hate for you to throw all that away. I’m hoping there is more of a connection between the two of you than just…just…”
“Are you trying to say sex, Ma?” Kaitlin giggled.
Connor scrubbed a hand over his face.
Their mother blushed rosy red.
