Chapter 3
Nina
Friends and family packed Grannie’s to celebrate Madi’s engagement.
I recognized many of the faces, but there were some I’d never seen.
“Who’s that guy with Eva?” I asked Beth.
He was gorgeous and never stopped smiling while working his way around the room.
“That’s one of her brothers, I think.”
I remembered her mentioning that she was the youngest in a large family.
Are her brothers as protective as Madi’s? I found that hard to imagine. Jamie, Jack and Jay weren’t just Madi’s brothers; they were private investigators and bodyguards. They took protecting their only sister to new levels, epitomizing the protective alpha male.
Where do I find a man like that?
I smiled to hide my disappointment. My last boyfriend, Dirk, broke up with me before leaving for a boys’ weekend in Las Vegas.
It wasn’t the first time he’d done it, but it’d be the last. I had no intention of taking him back, even if he turned on the charm and begged.
“You should go say hi,” Beth said, shooing me towards Eva. “I’m sure she’d introduce you to her brother.”
Mary, thinking it’d be nice for Eva to have a local friend her own age, had introduced us.
We became friendly acquaintances while she filled in for Meg at SSI and spent many an evening at Grannie’s.
Sometimes reading, sometimes painting. We shared the same taste in books, and she’d offered to teach me to paint, though I never took her up on the offer.
Would it be weird to date her brother? What am I thinking? I didn’t know if he was single, or if he’d be interested in me.
It doesn’t matter. I was juggling my job and caring for Nana Sue. And in the fall, I’d start my last semester of college.
The idea of dating Eva’s gorgeous, muscular brother didn’t suck, but he was family. If things didn’t work out, I’d be the one to pay the price. Just because I was on friendly terms with the Sheppard clan didn’t mean they’d take my side.
No, it’s better not to tempt fate, no matter how adorable his dimples are.
Besides, I was busy, and adding a boyfriend to the mix would complicate things. Dirk always complained about my busy schedule, claiming I never had enough time for him. But that was only because he always called at the last minute to go out.
“It’s okay, I don’t want to intrude.”
He caught me staring and flashed a toothy smile—those dimples—while nodding a greeting in that way guys do.
I blushed, smiled, and waved before turning and hiding behind my coffee cup, giving Beth my complete attention.
I reminded myself that I didn’t want or need a boyfriend. And I’m not a friends-with-benefits kind of girl.
Thankfully, Beth changed the subject. “You should come to Girls’ Night Out and get to know everyone better.”
Mary and Beth invited me every month. Even Meg had extended the occasional invitation, but I had yet to accept. I was always too busy with schoolwork and helping my sick grandmother.
Nana Sue would scold me, regardless of my age, if she ever heard me using her as an excuse to stay home. She’d remind me she did just fine while I worked or babysat.
But I hate being away more than I have to. Her health seemed to decline more with each passing day, and I’d never be able to live with myself if something happened to her.
Admit it, you’re worried they won’t like you when they really get to know you. My biggest fear was that the people I cared about would decide I wasn’t worth sticking around for and leave me.
Like my birth parents did. Like my adoptive parents did.
I didn’t know anything about my birth parents, just that they’d abandoned me when I was a baby.
The couple I was living with when I was three died in a fire, but I didn’t remember them, and for all I knew, they’d stolen me since there was no record of them having me.
After the fire, I spent time in the system before two amazing people adopted me.
Bobby and Jodie Novak were the only parents I remembered. After they died, I moved in with Nana Sue, Bobby’s mother. I’d used what little money I got from their life insurance and my inheritance to pay for their funerals.
I was sixteen. Except for two years away at college, I’d lived with her ever since.
Being twenty-six and living with my grandmother wasn’t ideal, but living at home and taking online classes had saved me a lot of money.
When her cancer worsened, taking away her independence, I took a year off from school to help her.
I couldn’t complain. She’d always been there for me.
So what if it took me forever to earn my degree? Because I didn’t want to graduate with debt, I was only taking two classes a semester so I could pay cash.
“Maybe next time.” I really should accept their invitation. I’d lost touch with most of my friends as we transitioned from high school to college to adult life, busy with jobs and families.
Looking around, I felt a wave of sadness wash over me.
No.
Nana taught me to stay positive rather than focus on the negative, so, like I did every morning, I put on a smile and recited my gratitude list.
I still had Nana Sue, and I could help her.
I had a good home.
I had a great job with supportive managers.
I would graduate debt free.
Different things made the list sometimes, like when Mary surprised me with a generous bonus at Christmas last year.
And anytime Chase told me I was his favorite babysitter.
“Miss Nina!” Speaking of Chase.
“Chase, what voice should you be using?” Beth asked.
“Sorry, Ma,” Chase hung his head and let his shoulders droop forward. “I’m just excited.”
She rubbed the top of his head. “I know, but we can show excitement without yelling.”
Chase accepted the correction before taking my hand.
“What’d you want to tell me?” I asked, wondering what could’ve changed in the last hour to make him so excited.
In typical energetic eight-year-old fashion, Chase bounded off after telling me about his new baseball team in rapid-fire bullet points.
I was still laughing when Beth said, “Is it terrible that I miss him calling me Mommy?”
“No. When’d he stop?”
“Recently. He likes mimicking the J-Squad.” She shrugged with an emotional chuckle.
Eva had coined the term J-Squad for the Sheppards while she worked at SSI. Now everyone calls them that.
“Hey gals,” Ashley greeted us as she wobbled over, her hand on her giant baby bump. “I’ll be glad when this kid vacates the premises,” she joked.
Ashley was married to Nathan, making her one of the SSI wives. But long before marrying him, she was Emily and Meg’s best friend.
“How are book sales?” I asked. She’d self-published her first rom com earlier in the year.
“Good. Luckily, I’m great at marketing, which helps sales.”
“And it’s a good book.” I’d been lucky to get an advanced copy and had binge read it in a weekend.
We talked for a few more minutes before I excused myself to use the ladies’ room.