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I'll do better, Mom, I vowed.
Adam opened his mouth as if to argue, but when Anne folded her arms, he tapped a couple more buttons then tucked the device into his back pocket. It seemed yet another male fell to doing what Anne Hart bid them.
She t
urned back to face the yard, and her face softened as she watched the scene before her. "And that's Faith and Adam's son, Caleb, and my husband. Ev!" She made a waving gesture at the cute little boy and the grumpy looking man I'd already identified. "Come on over."
Dressed in jeans and a white button-down shirt, he strode across the yard like a soldier ready for battle. "This is Jaxson Carter, Carolyn's son."
"Please, call me Jax," I responded, holding out my hand. He accepted it with a true man's grip, but I didn't flinch, giving as good as I got. If I wasn't mistaken, I saw a slight life of his mouth on his otherwise stoic face.
"Everett," he replied and dropped my hand. It seemed Grace's dad was a man of few words. I bet his parishioners loved his sermons.
Anne kept up the conversation in a cheery voice. "So, tell us, Jax, how do you like living here in Passion?
"It's been great. It's made Mom happy being back."
"Oh, it has, I can tell, and I know Julie was thrilled. What made you decide to return with her?"
"I'd been considering moving anyway, but opportunities here were limited. When I learned about the lithium discovery, I anticipated the economy here would turn, and I decided to make the jump."
"So, you're an opportunist?" Everett finally spoke. He crossed his arms as he stared at me.
There was no mistaking the challenge. I chose my words carefully. "I'd say more of a business strategist."
"A risk taker, then."
"More like an entrepreneur."
"So, it's all about money?" His gaze grew even harder. I wondered if this was how spontaneous combustion happened.
"More like recognizing an opportunity to grow and diversify. I'd say it's paid off for the community as well as myself. I'm proud of my contributions to the revitalization project."
"You think you're pretty smart, huh?"
"Well, sir, at the risk of continuing this argument, I'll stop here and say I agree with you on that point."
Everyone appeared to hold their breath. Everett held my gaze for exactly eight seconds—I was counting. Suddenly he burst out laughing and slapped me on the back. "Very good. You can stay. Anne said I'd like you." He continued to chuckle, and I drew my first deep breath since the interrogation began.
"From what I've met of your wife, sir, I'm not sure you had a choice."
He snorted and drew his wife close, tucking her under his arm and pressing a kiss to the top of her head. "You've taken her measure well."
Laughing alongside us, Anne herded her family into the house for dinner. I looked around for Grace. She was standing off to the side, silently studying me.
Angela nudged me with her elbow as she passed. "Impressive. But I think the person you need to convince the most is still over there."
Convince of what? I wanted to ask, but she'd already walked away.
Grace stepped to my side. "Is there a Round Three coming up that I should be aware of?" I asked dryly. "Is your mom going to offer me a drink laced with truth serum during dinner or anything?"
She sighed. "I love my family, but they can be a little nuts. I told you that you should run while you could. I knew it would be like an interview process, probably because they don't think I'm capable of making good decisions anymore."
I wondered what it was she'd done that she kept making a vague reference to. She came across to me as someone smart and dependable, not someone who'd make rash decisions that needed to be kept in check. Then again, this was the same woman who impulsively lured me to the teen center. Look where that had gotten me—a troubled boy that I now had to find work for. Not that I minded, if I was completely honest with myself. Something about him resonated with me, and I liked that I was able to help him. He was kind of a cool kid. Not that I'd tell him, though!
"Maybe they're just looking out for you," I offered. I hated the defeated roundness of her shoulders.
"Yes, I'm sure that's how they see it. I feel like I'm ten years old again. I made a mistake, granted a big one, but I'll never finish apologizing for it. My dad's the worst. He's so protective it's embarrassing. I didn't want you to have to suffer through it because he misunderstands our connection. You're not my boyfriend. You're not even a candidate."
