Sweet Revenge by Katherine Allred

think depression is A my’s problem.”
    “What else could it be?”
    She thought for a minute. “You said she was loading the dishwasher earlier. Does she do things like that a lot?”
    “I guess. She’s always been pretty neat.”
    “A lways?”
    It was his turn to think. “Well, since Becky’s been gone anyway.”
    “Is it possible that she feels like it’s her responsibility to take care of you now?” He studied her face. “I hope not, but you think that’s it, don’t you?”
    “I think it could be, yes.”
    Chase straightened and ran a hand through his hair. “Then I need to have a talk with her.”
    “No, you don’t. Not yet. If I’m right, A my herself may not even realize what she’s doing. A nd if you push her, she’ll just deny it. Let’s try getting her out of the house and busy first.”
    “If this works, I’m going to owe you a lot.” He reached out and ran a finger down her cheek.
    Jessie forced herself not to pull away in spite of the fact that she’d started vibrating on high speed as soon as his hand lifted. How could he do that to her so easily?
    Self-consciously, she lowered her eyes. “If you don’t have to go right back, there are a few other things we should talk about.”
    “I’m not in a hurry. A my will call if she needs me.”
    “Okay.” It felt like someone had replaced her blood with champagne. Tiny bubbles were exploding in every vein as her gaze met his.

Chapter Eight
    “What did you want to talk about?”
    Somehow, they had managed to edge closer together on the couch. She sat next to him, trying to ignore his thigh pressed against hers, and his arm stretched along the back of the seat.
    “A my, mostly. Why don’t you want her listening to the scanner?”
    “Because she worries about my job too much as it is. With her imagination, she sees danger in every call I go on.” He hesitated. “A nd on the off chance that something ever does happen, I’d rather she not be listening.” Jessie studied his profile. “I suppose there is an element of danger in every call.”
    “The potential is always there, but that’s why we go through training. We know how to minimize the risk.” A bsently, he picked up a strand of her hair and wound it around his finger. “I could just as easily get hit by a truck crossing the street. A unt Ruth and I are the only family A my has. If anything happened to me A unt Ruth would do her best, but she’s not really able to care for A my on a full-time basis. A my knows that.”
    “What about Becky?”
    His hand in her hair stopped moving. “Becky doesn’t want her. A nd I think I’d rather see her go to a foster home than let her back into her mother’s clutches.”
    “She doesn’t try to see A my, or ever call her?”
    “She called a few times the year after she left. But only when she needed money. I stopped sending it to her and she stopped calling. A my never talks about her. It’s like her mother doesn’t exist for her.”
    “Oh, she exists. It just hurts A my too much to talk about it. She’s keeping it bottled up inside and that’s not good.” He shifted, turning so he could see her better. “How do you know so much about kids?” Jessie smiled at him. “I used to be one.”
    “So did I, but it doesn’t seem to be doing me much good with A my.”
    “That’s because you had a fairly normal childhood. I had some of the same problems A my does, although maybe not as extreme. Then, when I first went to New York, I got a job with a dance studio that catered to rich kids. I worked there two years, and those kids had every problem you can think of.”
    “A nd you helped them.”
    It wasn’t a question but she answered it anyway. “I tried. Not always successfully.”
    “You must have loved doing that job. I can hear it in your voice. Why did you quit?” She shrugged. “Because it wasn’t mine. I’ve always wanted my own studio and I knew I’d never make enough money working for someone else to afford