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Jade and I hadn’t met until college, so she hadn’t been privy to my childhood décor. “What was your room decorated like when you were a kid?”
“Well, four walls and the basics. A dresser, a bed, and a desk from the Salvation Army. The occasional poster I found at a garage sale.”
I shook my head. “I’m sorry, Jade.”
“Don’t be.”
My heart twisted. Despite being the daughter of supermodel Brooke Bailey, Jade and her father had lived a modest life on his construction salary after Brooke had abandoned them. Brooke, who’d been in a terrible automobile accident several months ago, now lived in a Snow Creek townhome subsidized by Talon and Jade. Brooke and Jade had seemingly made peace, despite Brooke’s abandonment of her daughter as a child.
“Just sock me in the mouth when I start playing the ‘poor little rich girl,’ okay? Promise?”
Jade laughed again. “You know I always do.”
“You need anything? Crackers? Water?”
She shook her head. “I’m feeling a little less putrid today. Let’s hope it sticks.” She stood and shed her robe, reaching for a pair of jeans in her closet. “Bryce is a mess right now, Marj. Just give him some time.”
Bryce was a mess. So was I. What would a fuck matter?
Jade went on, “Maybe try to meet someone else in the meantime. Was there anyone interesting in your cooking class?”
“Not really.”
“Then get out of this house. Go into town. Get back to the gym. Anything.”
“You guys need me here.”
She smiled. “We can spare you for a few hours a day. You need to have your own life.”
“But the boys…”
“The boys are in school most of the day, and I’m not dead. I can still be a mother even when I’m nauseated twenty-four-seven.”
I sighed, the truth ready to pour out of me. “I don’t want to meet anyone else, Jade. I want Bryce. It’s crazy, I know. Talk about baggage. No job. A psycho father. A needy mother. A kid with another woman. He looks horrible on paper, doesn’t he?”
“Talon and his brothers are going to take care of the ‘no job’ thing, I think. At least they’re going to try. But you can’t escape the other three.”
“I don’t want to escape Henry. He’s adorable and I love him. But I worry about him. Bryce doesn’t seem to be spending much time with him these days. Before all of this came to a head, I never saw Bryce without Henry. Now? He’s never with him.”
“I know. Tal and I have talked about that. Bryce says his mom needs to focus on Henry right now. But what is Bryce focusing on? That’s a big reason why the guys decided to offer him employment here on the ranch. But it’s not a charity offer. The guys say Bryce is perfect for the job they have in mind.”
“You think he’ll take it?”
“I don’t know. Talon said he talked to him about it a little last night after dinner, but Bryce is adamant that he wants a job as a hand. He wants to do physical labor, which Talon understands. He’s trying to escape from his mind through exhaustion.”
“If anyone can understand that, Talon can.”
“Exactly. But they want to offer him more than that. A permanent position here with a profit share.”
“I had no idea. Then again, since college, I’ve always told them I’m happy being their silent partner.” And I loved the idea of Bryce being around all the time. I didn’t voice that part, though.
“They would’ve told you about i
t before they made the offer. I’m sure.”
“Maybe. It doesn’t really matter. I trust them to do what’s best for the ranch and to look after my interests. Honestly, Jade, before everything went down, I thought about asking them to buy me out so I could go off and learn to cook. I mean really cook, like the great ones.”
“I’d miss you terribly, but why not do it? Talon always talks about you studying at Le Cordon Bleu. If you don’t want to go that far away right now, what about culinary school in Denver? You’re so gifted, Marj. You could be one of the great chefs.”
