want to have one with me?”
Gratitude and relief slackened the stiffness
in Caitlin’s body. She nodded.
As she changed into her swimsuit, Jenna tried
to push aside the niggles of resentment caused by Veronica's
obvious disdain. She might not have the money to dress like
Veronica, but she knew that no amount of stylish clothing could
ever hope to give Veronica the curves Jenna knew were her greatest
asset. From the way Braden had reacted when she had emerged from
the pool the other morning she guessed that pencil-slim women were
not high on his arousal scale.
For half an hour she and Caitlin swam and
played in the pool. Then Caitlin motioned to her that she wanted to
continue with her exercises, so Jenna’s professionalism took over
and for the next half hour she concentrated on ensuring that
Caitlin was receiving maximum benefit from her expertise.
During the next two days Braden spent most of
his time in his study or in his Sunshine Coast office at
Mooloolaba. Once again he had reverted to being polite but remote
in his attitude to Jenna. To Caitlin he was the same loving uncle
the child relied on. After dinner at night he would retire into his
study.
Jenna had persuaded Caitlin that massage was
essential to help strengthen her muscles and between this, the
exercises, and the extra food Caitlin was eating as a result of her
stimulated appetite, the girl’s face had taken on a healthy glow
and Jenna knew it wouldn’t be long before her body and limbs would
show improvement.
Late Saturday afternoon Braden walked into
the kitchen as Jenna was slicing carrots in preparation for the
evening meal.
"I won't be having dinner here tonight,
Jenna. I'll be eating at Veronica's."
Jenna fought down the sharp surge of jealousy
that threatened. She tossed him a casual smile. "Is Veronica a good
cook?"
He shrugged his broad shoulders in an
off-hand manner. “She has her own chef but she usually hires extra
staff for large dinner parties.”
Jenna opened the freezer door and pretended
to search for something. “And is this one of those large dinner
parties?” she asked casually.
Braden paused as he poured juice into a tall
glass. He ran an assessing look over the appealing derriere in
fitting denim shorts that turned towards him as Jenna pulled out a
low drawer of the freezer. A slow smile curved his sensual lips.
“No,” the gleam in his eye was more mischief than malice, “this is
one of those more ... intimate affairs.”
A packet of frozen peas flew past his head
and landed on the sink. The drawer was shoved closed and the door
smartly slammed. The green eyes that looked at him were wide in
their innocence.
“Sorry,” she said, “I didn’t realise you were
so close.” She walked over to the sink and sliced open the
packet.
Braden watched the knife blade dig into the
plastic and walked away, a smile playing at the corners of his
mouth.
Jenna added the peas to the chicken casserole
she was preparing. Darn! How could she let him get to her like
that! The thought of him and Veronica dining intimately together
made her fists clench. She tried to banish the image of what
Veronica might have planned for after dinner entertainment from her
mind. She didn’t know if Braden found Veronica attractive or not
but the woman definitely had a possessive streak where he was
concerned. Jenna also didn’t know how wealthy Veronica was but
Braden’s good looks, wealth and charm would certainly make him a
magnet for most women.
Deliberately she turned her mind to Caitlin.
Braden had told her that he had had Caitlin assessed by the best
psychiatrists but her passive resistance had made it difficult for
them to help her. They were hoping that Alicia would recover from
her breakdown and this would be sufficient to draw Caitlin from her
silent world. What worried Jenna was that Alicia might not recover
completely. Braden had said she had always been over-sensitive and
nervous. What would happen to Caitlin then?
Jenna
Gratitude and relief slackened the stiffness
in Caitlin’s body. She nodded.
As she changed into her swimsuit, Jenna tried
to push aside the niggles of resentment caused by Veronica's
obvious disdain. She might not have the money to dress like
Veronica, but she knew that no amount of stylish clothing could
ever hope to give Veronica the curves Jenna knew were her greatest
asset. From the way Braden had reacted when she had emerged from
the pool the other morning she guessed that pencil-slim women were
not high on his arousal scale.
For half an hour she and Caitlin swam and
played in the pool. Then Caitlin motioned to her that she wanted to
continue with her exercises, so Jenna’s professionalism took over
and for the next half hour she concentrated on ensuring that
Caitlin was receiving maximum benefit from her expertise.
During the next two days Braden spent most of
his time in his study or in his Sunshine Coast office at
Mooloolaba. Once again he had reverted to being polite but remote
in his attitude to Jenna. To Caitlin he was the same loving uncle
the child relied on. After dinner at night he would retire into his
study.
Jenna had persuaded Caitlin that massage was
essential to help strengthen her muscles and between this, the
exercises, and the extra food Caitlin was eating as a result of her
stimulated appetite, the girl’s face had taken on a healthy glow
and Jenna knew it wouldn’t be long before her body and limbs would
show improvement.
Late Saturday afternoon Braden walked into
the kitchen as Jenna was slicing carrots in preparation for the
evening meal.
"I won't be having dinner here tonight,
Jenna. I'll be eating at Veronica's."
Jenna fought down the sharp surge of jealousy
that threatened. She tossed him a casual smile. "Is Veronica a good
cook?"
He shrugged his broad shoulders in an
off-hand manner. “She has her own chef but she usually hires extra
staff for large dinner parties.”
Jenna opened the freezer door and pretended
to search for something. “And is this one of those large dinner
parties?” she asked casually.
Braden paused as he poured juice into a tall
glass. He ran an assessing look over the appealing derriere in
fitting denim shorts that turned towards him as Jenna pulled out a
low drawer of the freezer. A slow smile curved his sensual lips.
“No,” the gleam in his eye was more mischief than malice, “this is
one of those more ... intimate affairs.”
A packet of frozen peas flew past his head
and landed on the sink. The drawer was shoved closed and the door
smartly slammed. The green eyes that looked at him were wide in
their innocence.
“Sorry,” she said, “I didn’t realise you were
so close.” She walked over to the sink and sliced open the
packet.
Braden watched the knife blade dig into the
plastic and walked away, a smile playing at the corners of his
mouth.
Jenna added the peas to the chicken casserole
she was preparing. Darn! How could she let him get to her like
that! The thought of him and Veronica dining intimately together
made her fists clench. She tried to banish the image of what
Veronica might have planned for after dinner entertainment from her
mind. She didn’t know if Braden found Veronica attractive or not
but the woman definitely had a possessive streak where he was
concerned. Jenna also didn’t know how wealthy Veronica was but
Braden’s good looks, wealth and charm would certainly make him a
magnet for most women.
Deliberately she turned her mind to Caitlin.
Braden had told her that he had had Caitlin assessed by the best
psychiatrists but her passive resistance had made it difficult for
them to help her. They were hoping that Alicia would recover from
her breakdown and this would be sufficient to draw Caitlin from her
silent world. What worried Jenna was that Alicia might not recover
completely. Braden had said she had always been over-sensitive and
nervous. What would happen to Caitlin then?
Jenna
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