family.”
“But?” he asked, and she frowned. “You grew up in a house full of people, but I hear a but coming.”
“But I was always the outsider. I wasn’t their kid. I was legally, but not really. I was the sad orphan cousin with emotional issues because her father went crazy and killed himself and his wife.”
“They said that to you?” Hawke demanded, hating her family on her behalf.
“Not in so many words, but it was how I felt,” she explained. “I guess it was probably more of my own emotional insecurities than the way they treated me. They put me through the same private school that my cousins went to, and helped me pay for my first year of college until I got an academic scholarship to pay for the rest. They were as good to me as I could ask.”
Hawke remained quiet, processing this new information about Jeanette. To know that she was an orphan from painful circumstances just like him made him rethink his entire plan to seduce her. Not that he was giving up, but he was certainly going to use their newfound similarities to his advantage.
“How old were you?” he asked.
“Eight.”
He nodded, “I was five when my grandma lost custody of me. She broke her hip and had to be put in a nursing facility for recovery. The state put me in the custody of a family temporarily, but when Grandma died of pneumonia a short time later, they had to move me to a more permanent placement. They brought me to Crawley Creek, and I never left. I’ve been here for twenty-three years.”
“What about your biological parents?”
“According to the records they tried to find my mom—Grandma was her mother—but never managed to track her down. She’s dead for all I know. There was no biological father listed on my records, so he could be anyone.”
They rode in silence the rest of the way to the house, each immersed in their own thoughts, memories, and newfound commonality. Hawke hoped that Jeanette hadn’t been scared off by his past, but he also wasn’t quite sure what to do with the new information he had about hers. It explained why she was so determined to help people suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, but if she grew up in a house full of family, why did she still resist attachments? And why was she against an intimate relationship with him specifically? With each question he thought of a new question, but he couldn’t bring himself to ask them. He wasn’t sure he could handle the answers just yet. He needed to take a step back and give her room to breathe while he absorbed the new info.
----
D estiny heard the commotion outside and it drew her out of her room and her self-imposed isolation. Going down the main staircase, she watched in wonder as Hawke, Romeo, and Vin carried a massive tree into the house. Green needles littered the hardwood floors behind them, but no one else seemed to notice. They were all focused on the magnificent tree.
“It’s perfect, guys. Thank you so much for going to get it,” Lauren gushed, giving Jeanette a one-armed hug.
Jeanette smiled and pulled her coveralls off, “You’re welcome. It was fun. I’ve never had a live Christmas tree before.”
“Well, after the hunt, we always have hot cocoa and cookies,” Lauren said, glancing toward the kitchen door.
Marilyn called out, “Just about ready, come and get it.”
Destiny watched as Lauren and Jeanette headed that way, followed by Franki, and Lacy who was carting Michael on her hip. She stayed at the top of the staircase for another moment and then quietly crept down to see how the men were getting along setting up the tree. It really was magnificent. It stood before the large windows on the front side of the living room, and filled the space Lauren had made for it perfectly.
For a moment, Destiny felt the first hint of a smile, before painful memories filled her mind. She’s spent last Christmas in captivity, servicing the johns as she was bid. There were no presents, or decorations, or family
“But?” he asked, and she frowned. “You grew up in a house full of people, but I hear a but coming.”
“But I was always the outsider. I wasn’t their kid. I was legally, but not really. I was the sad orphan cousin with emotional issues because her father went crazy and killed himself and his wife.”
“They said that to you?” Hawke demanded, hating her family on her behalf.
“Not in so many words, but it was how I felt,” she explained. “I guess it was probably more of my own emotional insecurities than the way they treated me. They put me through the same private school that my cousins went to, and helped me pay for my first year of college until I got an academic scholarship to pay for the rest. They were as good to me as I could ask.”
Hawke remained quiet, processing this new information about Jeanette. To know that she was an orphan from painful circumstances just like him made him rethink his entire plan to seduce her. Not that he was giving up, but he was certainly going to use their newfound similarities to his advantage.
“How old were you?” he asked.
“Eight.”
He nodded, “I was five when my grandma lost custody of me. She broke her hip and had to be put in a nursing facility for recovery. The state put me in the custody of a family temporarily, but when Grandma died of pneumonia a short time later, they had to move me to a more permanent placement. They brought me to Crawley Creek, and I never left. I’ve been here for twenty-three years.”
“What about your biological parents?”
“According to the records they tried to find my mom—Grandma was her mother—but never managed to track her down. She’s dead for all I know. There was no biological father listed on my records, so he could be anyone.”
They rode in silence the rest of the way to the house, each immersed in their own thoughts, memories, and newfound commonality. Hawke hoped that Jeanette hadn’t been scared off by his past, but he also wasn’t quite sure what to do with the new information he had about hers. It explained why she was so determined to help people suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, but if she grew up in a house full of family, why did she still resist attachments? And why was she against an intimate relationship with him specifically? With each question he thought of a new question, but he couldn’t bring himself to ask them. He wasn’t sure he could handle the answers just yet. He needed to take a step back and give her room to breathe while he absorbed the new info.
----
D estiny heard the commotion outside and it drew her out of her room and her self-imposed isolation. Going down the main staircase, she watched in wonder as Hawke, Romeo, and Vin carried a massive tree into the house. Green needles littered the hardwood floors behind them, but no one else seemed to notice. They were all focused on the magnificent tree.
“It’s perfect, guys. Thank you so much for going to get it,” Lauren gushed, giving Jeanette a one-armed hug.
Jeanette smiled and pulled her coveralls off, “You’re welcome. It was fun. I’ve never had a live Christmas tree before.”
“Well, after the hunt, we always have hot cocoa and cookies,” Lauren said, glancing toward the kitchen door.
Marilyn called out, “Just about ready, come and get it.”
Destiny watched as Lauren and Jeanette headed that way, followed by Franki, and Lacy who was carting Michael on her hip. She stayed at the top of the staircase for another moment and then quietly crept down to see how the men were getting along setting up the tree. It really was magnificent. It stood before the large windows on the front side of the living room, and filled the space Lauren had made for it perfectly.
For a moment, Destiny felt the first hint of a smile, before painful memories filled her mind. She’s spent last Christmas in captivity, servicing the johns as she was bid. There were no presents, or decorations, or family
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