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Jenna-Jayne Justice could strut that sweet ass away now, but this was a small town and a girl like her was easy to find.
Colt grinned.
And he had thought he was going to be bored all summer.
Chapter Four
“Isn’t it illegal to follow people around everywhere?” Lily asked before taking a sip of her beer.
“Yeah. It’s called stalking,” Penny Diamond, Jenna’s other best friend, answered, narrowing her green cat eyes. “So basically, this team of asshats on the other side of the state are coming here to stake you out?”
Penny Diamond and her older brother, Ryder, were the last generation of Diamonds. Penny owned and ran the family barbecue restaurant and Ryder managed his own construction business and was a successful land developer.
Jenna looked between Lily and Penny. They were her best friends and naturally concerned.
“No, they aren’t stalking me. The state board has discussed the terms with the local school board here in Diamond, and in a few weeks when they have their meeting, the Diamond board will vote on who they want to handle the after-school program.”
Lily held up a hand. “Wait. Is there someone else they’re considering?”
“Yvonne Taylor.” Jenna barely kept herself from growling the name of her colleague.
“What! She’s the superintendent’s daughter. Not to mention a witch. Poor Alex is terrified to have her for a first-grade teacher.”
Oh, Jenna knew. Yvonne, with her fake smile and condescending tone, could fool anyone into thinking she was sugary sweet. But Jenna didn’t handle processed corn syrup well.
“Why is she even teaching? She doesn’t seem to like kids,” Penny added.
Jenna shrugged. “She likes being in charge.”
To say the woman was on a power trip would be an understatement. And working at the school enabled Yvonne to dig into several different factions of the community. But going off about Yvonne would make Jenna no better than the gossipy w
oman herself.
“She also likes making your life miserable,” Lily said.
Jenna nodded. That was true. It was no secret Yvonne hated her. Jenna was paying for sins her mother committed years ago, like sleeping with Yvonne’s father and breaking up her parents’ marriage. Any chance Yvonne had to make Jenna feel awful, she did. She also was the town’s major source of gossip and nasty rumors.
Yvonne’s big blabbermouth and intricate homemade doilies were rivaled only by her mother, Flo Taylor. Flo might look like a sweet old lady who sat comfortably as the chief school administrator, but her nose was in everyone’s affairs. Which was why Jenna never had any.
Problem was, Miranda had enough affairs for the both of them. After she was caught with Mr. Taylor, it wasn’t long after that Jenna’s mom was on—literally—the next married man.
When Flo had taken up most of Sunday’s service whispering about Jenna’s mother and the married mayor of Diamond, the story raced around town like wildfire. That was twenty years ago, and still people scowled at Miranda Justice. Not that Jenna could blame them. Her mother didn’t have a discreet bone in her body. And every time the newest scandal broke and the rumors peaked, Jenna suffered the aftermath. “Guilty by association” was a term Jenna understood very well. She was Miranda’s daughter, therefore must be just like her.
I’m not my mother. She had assured herself of that over and over, so hopefully one of these days she’d start believing it…right? It had taken her years to outrun her mother’s irresponsible shadow. Despite her efforts, she had never fully gotten away from it.
Jenna’s blood heated. After college, teaching, endless volunteering, and even flying to Kansas City to pitch to the state board herself—all while maintaining a spotless record—now Yvonne-freaking-Taylor was waltzing in and stomping all over Jenna’s dream. This program was everything to Jenna. Kids like Abigail were counting on it, and Jenna wanted to be there to not only teach, but support. Two things Yvonne Taylor wasn’t known to be good at.
She didn’t even help me host swimming lessons this year!
“But they approved the grant, right?” Penny clapped her hands and smiled wide.
“Yeah, the money is there.”
“So now it just comes down to the person. Piece of cake.” Lily winked at Jenna. Her tone was laced with such confidence that Jenna wanted to hug her. But the fact that, yes, it came down to her and Yvonne made Jenna feel queasy. If she didn’t show the town and the board that she was the absolute best person for this job, there was no way she would win the majority vote.
Of course, she already knew whom Superintendent Taylor would support, which didn’t help the rising nausea. She needed to stay focused. Both Taylor women would be watching her, waiting for her to screw up. Jenna could already see their gums flapping, happily informing the Diamond population of her shortcomings.
Well, Jenna wouldn’t give them any ammo to use against her. They could take their overworked pieholes, slandering words, and mean glares somewhere else. She’d show them, and everyone else, just how wholesome and competent Jenna Justice was.
