Total pages in book: 91
Estimated words: 88490 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 442(@200wpm)___ 354(@250wpm)___ 295(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 88490 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 442(@200wpm)___ 354(@250wpm)___ 295(@300wpm)
I frown. I noticed she’s been charging a lot to her Visa lately, but I hadn’t realized her cash sitch was that dire. “How bleak?” I ask slowly.
Her bottom lip drops out. “Very bleak,” she admits. “My living expenses are higher than I thought they’d be, and I already burned through all the money I got from selling my car back in Cali.”
I narrow my eyes. “Is this why you’re not going home for Thanksgiving?”
I know Jamie already bought his plane ticket home and is leaving in a couple of days, but every time I’ve asked Jess why she’s not going with him, she’s insisted she’s swamped with school work and can’t afford to take the time off. Which makes sense, because Canadian Thanksgiving was a month ago, and the school doesn’t take a break for the American holiday.
The way she guiltily averts her eyes tells me I’m right. “It’s not just the money,” she mutters. “I really can’t miss school.”
“Jamie’s only going for two days,” I point out. “I’m sure you’ll be able to catch up on two days’ worth of work.” I hesitate. “You could hit me up for a loan.”
Her jaw hardens. “No. I am not borrowing money from you. I’m not borrowing money from anyone anymore, okay?”
Then she shoots off the couch and stalks to the kitchen, where she grabs a drinking glass from the cabinet. She continues to grumble as she fills it with water from the dispenser in the fridge.
“Jamie and Wes already offered to lend me some. My mom offered to buy me a ticket so I could come home.” She turns to glare at me. “And I said thank you, but no. You want to know why?”
I bite my lip to keep from laughing. “Because you’re a Stubborn Susie who apparently hates Thanksgiving?”
Jess slams the glass on the counter without even taking a sip. “I love Thanksgiving!” she bursts out, and there’s a slight crack to her voice. “I love turkey and stuffing and cranberries, and I love California, and I love my family, and I hate relying on them for money! I hate not having five hundred measly dollars in the bank to pay for a plane ticket home! I. Hate. It.”
I’m at her side in a heartbeat, resting both hands on her shoulders. I try to pull her close. She resists at first. Then her entire body seems to sag, and she melts against me, her cheek resting on my left pec.
“I feel so guilty,” she mumbles. “My parents paid for my first college education, and now they’re paying for part of this second one. They keep helping me out even after I’ve screwed up. You know how humiliating that is sometimes?”
“Aw, Jessie.” I thread my fingers through her soft hair. “You shouldn’t feel humiliated. Your family helps you because they love you.”
“I know.” Her voice is muffled against my chest. “But I want to start helping myself. I want to start helping them. I want to pay them back every dime. I want to get a nursing job and be successful at it.”
“You will,” I say with conviction.
Her head tips up, brown eyes flickering with uncertainty. “You really believe that?”
“Of course. You’re going to be a kick-ass nurse, and soon you’ll be making dough hand over fist. You’ll be the first nurse to hit the Forbes list.”
Jess laughs. “Wow. You aim high, huh?”
“For the stars, babe. Always aim for the stars.” I sweep my thumb along her cheekbone. It’s slightly damp, as if a few tears slipped out when I wasn’t looking. “And here’s the thing—if my man Cindy offers to pay for your airfare, it’s not because she feels sorry for you or wants to rub it in your face that you’re broke. It’s because she loves you and misses you and wants to see you.”
A trace of guilt returns to her eyes. “I know. But…I can’t accept any more money from them, Blake. I just can’t.”
I grasp her chin with my hand. “Then accept it from me.”
Her mouth falls open. “No.”
“Yes.” I pin her with a stern look. “Let me buy you a plane ticket home, baby. I know you miss them.” I’ve seen the longing in her expression the last few times we’ve visited my family. The Riley clan is as loud and boisterous as the Canning crew, but I know it’s not the same as being with her own family.
“I do miss them…” She bites her lip. “But…no. I appreciate the offer, Blake, I really do, but—”
“But nothing. Let me do this for you.”
“No—”
“Yes. And you know what? It’s not even a loan. It’s a gift.”
“No—”
“Yes. I mean it, J-Babe. I want to give you this gift.”
She sighs. “You’re not going to let me say no, are you?”
I grin widely. “She’s learning.”
She starts doing the lip-biting thing again, which stirs the Blake Snake to life. I ease my hips back slightly so she doesn’t feel my semi snake pressing against her belly. I don’t want her to think I want to bone her right now. Or worse—that she has to bone me in exchange for this plane ticket.