Jade (Rare Gems Series) (2 page)

“I
can’t have her destroying the place before she leaves, can I?” She moved out of his way but followed him. By the time he figured out where she might have gone, Jade was gone. He went to the front of the shop again to see a cab pulling away. He got the number and went back inside. He asked Margo to show him around the place and asked Debra to wait for him.

“She
didn’t touch that woman.” Quentin had thought he’d have to threaten her for answers, but she blurted it out as soon as they were away from the tiny office. “Jade’s a good girl, and I did her wrong because…well, because I thought it would save me a job, but I can’t do that to her. She’s a good girl and don’t deserve me lying on her like I did.”

“So Debra hit her.”
She nodded. “And Jade, I’m assuming she didn’t retaliate like Debra claimed.”

“No, she
didn’t hurt her none. You could tell she wanted to, but she didn’t. Now she’s going to hate me and I didn’t do nothing to stop her.” He told her it would be all right, he’d make it right for her. “I don’t think you can. She was going to take that job in the city, and I’m thinking she’ll be moving soon. Her family will be upset. They’re real close, you see.”

Quentin didn’t
, but that wasn’t anything new. He loved his daughter to death, but she was all he had, all he wanted. Then he realized that Margo was still talking; he tried to cut her off when he realized what she’d said.

“What do you mean Jade is
already depressed? You think she might try to hurt herself?” The older woman shrugged. “Where does she live?”

Christ, all he needed was one of his
employees killing themselves over Debra. He moved to the back of the office to find his daughter when he remembered Debra. He thought about how to get her to go back to the hotel when Roger spoke.

“I’m going to find me a place to stay tonight and then have some drinks.
Do you think it would be okay if I didn’t have dinner with you guys tonight?” He looked at Debra, who was smiling at him as if she knew something wonderful.

“That’s fine. I just heard from Thad
, and he wants me to meet him at his house and meet his family. I think he has like, five kids.” Not true, of course, but maybe Debra wouldn’t want to go if she thought children were involved. “What do you think, Debra? Want to go and meet my new business partner?”

“I’ve had
enough excitement for one day. Would you mind terribly if I went with Roger back to the hotel? I’m exhausted and want to turn in early.” She smiled at him, her teeth barely showing through her lips. He thought of Jade’s mouth and wondered how she looked when she smiled. Shaking his head, he asked Angie if she wanted to go with him. She, of course, jumped at the chance.

They
were on the highway to the address he’d punched into his phone’s GPS when he looked at his daughter in the back seat. He couldn’t let her go to this house expecting a bunch of kids and being disappointed. He glanced at her in the mirror before speaking.

“I’m not going to Thad’s house
, baby. We’re going to Jade’s house.” She looked at him with a grin. “I don’t know if she has children or not, but I told a fib to Debra.”

“So she wouldn’t want to go with us.”
He tried to hide his laughter, but he was pretty sure she’d heard him. “I don’t like her. She’s mean to everybody, and she only wants to be with me on account of you having a nice bank. Why does she care if you have a piggy bank or not?”

“
Did you hear her say that?” Angie nodded. “I see. I think she wants Daddy to marry her, and I’m not going to do that. I have enough going on in my life right now without Debra as my wife.”

Angie laughed
, and he joined her. Leave it to a child to see right to the heart of things. When he pulled in front of the large house, he thought of all the things he’d do with something this big, and decided that he was going to have to find him and Angie a house soon. Living out of a hotel wasn’t fun for a six-year-old.

The woman who was sitting on the porch waved at them as he got Angie out of the car. When she
came forward, Quentin thought she was lovely and decided that he’d love to have a woman like this as a grandmother of his child, and not one like his own mom. The woman smiled at him.

“You’re either lost or you was looking for one of my granddaughters.
There are only two here now, but they’ll be home for dinner around six. Which one you looking for?”

“Jade? Does a Jade live here?”
She nodded at him and frowned. “I’m sorry, I’m Quentin Witt, and this is my daughter Angie. We just bought the Green Touch. There was a misunderstanding at the shop today, and I believe your granddaughter might have been hurt by it.”

“Hurt or pissed off?” He felt his body tense at the sound of the male voice behind him.
The man sounded like he was a little pissed himself. Quentin turned. “Hurt or did you piss her off?”

“Pissed.
There was an incident where she was wrongly accused and then Margo, the previous owner, said that Jade had been depressed lately and I wanted to make sure she was all right.” The man looked over his shoulder, and Quentin turned. He felt as if he’d walked in on a fashion shoot and the models were all there before him.

“My wife said she’s not here.”
Quentin turned back to the man. “You can wait, but if you pissed her off, Jade might be out where she won’t come home until she’s cooled off. And she won’t come here at all if she knows you’re here.”

“I’m staying in town at the bed and breakfast on Taylor.
I would like to speak to her if possible.” The man nodded. “I’m supposed to meet a friend of mine for dinner. Perhaps you know him…Thad Galloway.”

“
You’re that prissy ass that bought the Green Touch?” The man laughed. “You should come on up to the house then. Thad is married to my sister-in-law, Diamond. I’m Blair Henson, and that lovely woman in the blue blouse is my wife, Sapphire. Welcome to the home of the rare gems.”

Chapter 2

Jade sat in the lobby for another forty-five minutes before she went to the desk again. This was just stupid.
She’d been here for over two hours for an interview, and the time for it had come and gone and still nobody had come to get her.

“I’m sorry. But do you know if the interviews are still going on? I’ve been waiting for my ten o’clock appointment for some time.” The woman at the desk barely glanced up from the phone she was texting on.
Jade had a sudden urge to reach out and take it from her. “Excuse me.”

“You
missed it.” Jade started to point out she’d been thirty minutes early for her appointment, but the woman continued. “He’s already hired someone for the job. Yesterday, I think.”

“Yesterday? Then why did you allow me to set up this interview this morning?” The girl shrugged
, and Jade reached out for the phone. “When someone talks to you, it’s polite to look at them. Why did you make this appointment for me to come in to an interview when the job has been filled?”

“I do all kinds of shit like that to people
. Get over it.” The girl snatched her phone back. “And for the record, Mr. Wright isn’t even in today. He’s on vacation with his wife. They left this morning.”

Jade had to count to ten
, then to forty before she felt she could speak again. But by then little Miss Texting was back at her “job” and no doubt using stupid words like
lol
,
omg,
and
ttyl
. She was nearly to the lower floors when she realized that she was still unemployed, and she had to find a way back home before her family came after her.

“Not a good day, huh?”
Jade wanted to ignore her sister, Sapphire, when she touched her mind, but knew that it would do little good.
“I’m guessing that now that you’ve done whatever it is that you felt the need to hide from us, you’ll be home tonight.”

“Not unless one of you come and get me
, and I’m really in no mood for chit chat. Just leave me alone and I’ll be home tomorrow.”
Sapphire wasn’t usually one to take no for an answer, and today was one of those days.

“I’ve got someone coming to pick you up. And you’ll be nice to him. He’s Thad’s business partner
, and we want to play nice with him.”
She didn’t know why she had to play nice with him when she wasn’t going to be working for him, but before she could comment, Sapphire continued.
“And when you get here, I expect you to be nice to everyone, too. I mean it, Jade, you’ve been in this snit long enough. Either tell me what’s going on or I’ll have to get it some other way.”

Jade stopped walking
, and a woman bumped into her from behind. It took Jade a few seconds to realize that the woman had called her a fucking cunt. But she was too busy thinking what her sister would do to find out information to bother with her.

“
Why?”
When Sapphire didn’t answer her, she continued.
“I mean, what do you care if I’m having a shitty life, am unemployed, broke, and have no prospects of getting a better life, a job, or more money? I’m sure you have more important things to do than to be concerned with me and my troubles.”

“Not really.”
Jade wanted to believe that, but she knew better.
“For your information, you can have a better car if you want it. Money, too, if that’s all this is about. As for your job, I’ve told you numerous times that I’d hire you and pay you well, too. So, I believe, has Blair. As for the better life? You have to want that or it’ll never come to you.”

“Says the person who has it all.” Sapphire asked her what she
’d said, and Jade told her nothing
. “I’ll make my own way home. And I’ll be nice from my bedroom. I’m in no mood to fuck with anyone else today, and unless you want me to stay here, then you’ll agree.”

Jade was packing up her things at the motel when her sister finally answered her.
She agreed that she might be better off in her room if she was going to be a bitch.

“
I do that so well. And you’ll not give me shit about the car or a job. I’m doing this on my own.”
Sapphire wouldn’t agree to that, but Jade didn’t care. She’d either leave her alone or she’d move out. It was as simple as that. And if she had to live on the streets, it would be a great deal better than having them look at her with pity. She saw enough of that when she looked in the mirror every day.

Jade started walking toward home.
She could have shifted and ran through the woods, but she didn’t want to get home any faster than she had to. There was just too much happiness going on there right now.

She didn’t begrudge her sisters their happiness. Jade was thrilled to death for
them. Sapphire and Blair were so sweet together, and Thad was getting used to being a wolf and made her laugh whenever he came to her or one of the others with a question. Even her other sisters were happy. Ruby was in her last year of her residency before being a full-time doctor, Emerald was doing what she loved more than life, and even Opal was having some pretty good success at selling her art online. Jade was doing nothing.

The cars drove by her without stopping. She supposed that was a good thing. It wasn’t like she was going to ride with anyone she didn’t know.
It was only eight miles from the house to town, and she walked a good deal more than that daily at either job. Especially at the forestry one.

She was a naturalist there
, and one that would have more people show up to her walks and talks than any other worker. Mostly she thought because she’d run with most of the animals in the park, and all of them knew her. She had the most bear sightings of any other person who worked there.

The horn startled her out of her musings.
She turned to see the large vehicle pacing her, and she waved the driver around her. He beeped his horn again and pulled up across from her. It was the man from the Green Touch.

“You headed home?” She nodded before thinking about how he knew where she was headed.
“Come on, Angie and I will give you a lift. We’re headed that way, too.”

“I can walk.” He laughed. “
Seriously, I’d rather walk, and I’m sure my house is out of the way. Just be on your way.”

“We’re headed to your house, Jade.” His voice was still full of humor
, but there was a hardness to it, like he didn’t like that she’d told him no. Well, he’d have to get over it.

“Then you’ll tell them I’m on my way.”
She waved him on. But he stopped his car altogether and got out on his side. Jade heard the little girl laughing from within the car, but was too pissed off to think how cute it was. The man currently stalking toward her had her undivided attention.

“I said I’d walk.” He nodded and opened the door near her. “I’m not getting in that thing with you. I don’t even like you
, much less know you. You’re stupider than that cow you sleep with if you think that—”

“Get in the car
, or so help me, I’ll leave it parked here and my daughter and I will walk the rest of the way with you just to piss you off more.” She glared and he didn’t even blink. “I’m going to count to ten, then I’m going to—”

“I’m not five.
Don’t talk to me—”

“Then fucking act like it.
Get in the fucking car before I do something you’re going to be even more pissed about.” Another car drove around them, honking his horn and cursing at them. “You’re going to cause an accident if you don’t get in. Is that what you want?”

Two more cars drove around them
, and she knew that if she didn’t get in he was going to do just what he said he’d do. And it was at least another five miles to her house. She jerked the door from him and got in the car. He slammed the door shut and moved to the other side. He had to wait for several minutes before he could get in, as there was a line of cars now trying to get around him.

He didn’t speak to her
, which was good because she wasn’t sure she’d have been able to hold her temper with the little girl in the car. When Angie said her name, she turned to look at her and saw the large scratch on her face.

“Who did that to you?” She
had to take several deep breaths before she could speak again, because she knew she’d frightened the little girl. “I’m sorry, honey. Who scratched you?”

“I fell.”
It was a lie and they both knew it. The only person who didn’t seem to know that someone, not something, had hurt his daughter was the man driving. Jade watched the little girl as she squirmed on her seat, but she didn’t say anything else. Jade would bet her last buck that Angie’s uncle had done it.

As soon as they stopped in front of her house
, she jumped out of the car. She might have made it to her room without incident, but Emerald caught her coming in and asked to speak to her. She went to Blair’s office with her and shut the door.

“I have to tell you something. I don’t want you to freak out or anything
, but I applied for you a job.” Jade sat down on the chair just behind her. “It’s not much, but it’s full-time. They needed someone to help out with the building, and I knew you’d lost your job at the Touch so I put your name in.”

“How?”
Emerald sat down, too. “You just filled out an application for me? Why would you do that?”

“Because you’re my sister and I love you.” She smiled at her.
“It was easy enough. I knew all your background information, and your social security number was easy to get. Grandma gave it to me from your tax returns. I don’t know whether you’re a shoo-in or not, but it’s something, right?”

“Yes. It’s something.”
Jade wanted to find a corner and sob her eyes out, but she knew that wouldn’t fix anything. “I’m going to be sued in a few days. The guy I dated a year ago put my information on a loan and a few credit cards and defaulted. I have to come up with over two hundred thousand dollars by the middle of next month or they’re going to prosecute me.”

“Oh honey, I didn’t know.
Did you talk to Blair? Maybe he can help you?” She was shaking her head before Emerald finished. “Why not? He’d do it, wouldn’t he?”

“I’m sure he would
, but I feel stupid enough already without him knowing, too. And you won’t tell him either.” Emerald was torn, Jade could see that, but she promised her. “Thank you. I’m going up to my room. I’m not in the mood for company tonight.”

She was nearly to the door when Emerald said her name.
“I’m really sorry, Jade, that this happened to you. If you need to talk or…well anything, just let me know. Okay?”

“
Yes, and thank you.” She opened the door and saw the little girl going into the kitchen with her dad. “The little girl? Will you do me a favor and see if you can get close enough to her to see if a wolf put those marks on her face?”

“I will. Do you think
it’s Quentin’s brother?” She asked her who Quentin was. “The man who gave you a ride. His name is Quentin Witt. He’s a friend of Thad’s.”

After she left the office
, she went to her room. Turning on the taps to the big tub, she decided to have a long bath and relax, then go to bed. She had to work tomorrow and then go job hunting, and she wanted to have one good night’s sleep. She was just stripping down when someone knocked on the door.

~~~

Quentin had no idea why he’d volunteered to go up and get Jade from her room. Blair had said he would, but his wife had called for him from the kitchen and Quentin had said he’d do it. He wanted to talk to the girl but didn’t know if doing it at her family home was such a good idea. She was a spoiled brat as far as he could see. He was going to simply tell her that he was sorry for forcing her hand in riding with him, and to ask her why she’d been so upset about Angie’s cut. But when she opened the door, he lost his entire train of thought.

“Well?”
He shook his head, trying to dispel some of the thoughts of her and him together in a big bed when she just stood there. “You’re a moron, aren’t you?”

“No. I’m
very intelligent, as a matter of fact. I came up here to tell you dinner was ready. And though I wouldn’t mind you coming down dressed like that, I’m sure your family might.” Christ, when she blushed and turned from him, he nearly whimpered. He had no idea why the sight of her in a ratty old robe had made his cock ache to be inside of her. “You don’t have to change on my account.”

But she did. When she came back out of the bathroom
, she had on a pair of baggy sweats and a too big sweatshirt. He wasn’t sure if it was better or worse. Her nipples were poking hard at the thick material, and he wanted to beg her to sample them. Quentin tried to get his sexually hazed mind back under control when he realized she was speaking to him.

“…
then I was going to bed. And if you wouldn’t mind getting the hell out of here, I’ll do that.” Not a good thing to say, his body was screaming at him. The word
bed
did not help him. “Are you listening to me?”

“I’m trying to.
But I’m distracted. What is it about you that makes me want to strip you down to your bare skin and taste every inch of you?” He should have expected the slap, but he was shocked by it. The woman had a hell of a right. And for as much as he wanted to protest, it was well deserved. “Look, I’m sorry. I don’t know what it is about you that makes me stupid.”