Employed by the Boss (Managing the Bosses 7)

***

Jamie could still feel the grip of Alex’s hands on her hips the next morning, a pleasant ache that kept pulling her thoughts back to the way he’d felt moving inside her. She wet her lips with her tongue, and decided they’d be letting Briana watch the baby monitor at night a little more often.

The passenger door of her car opened, and Christine slipped into the seat, setting her purse down beside her. “Hey, Jamie,” she said as she closed the door, offering a smile. “Good morning.”

“Good morning,” Jamie said, shifting the car back into drive and heading out. “How are you?”

“Looking forward to today,” Christine answered, the smile still in her voice. “I’m really glad that you decided to go with me.” The words got a little softer, almost shy. “It’ll be really nice to have a little sister time.”

When Christine had first asked to spend a day together, Jamie hadn’t been entirely sure what to think. They’d been doing well. She’d stopped coming over to watch the twins as often since she’d started working at Mark’s club, but when she did Jamie enjoyed the time with her. She enjoyed Sunday dinners. But a few hours at a time with kids or the rest of the family between them was different than a whole day to just the two of them. Jamie couldn’t quite shake the memory of the way Christine had treated her before her breakdown.

But Christine was trying. She’d been nothing but kind, and her attempts to rebuild their relationship had gone a long way toward Jamie feeling better about it. So here they were, heading out for a shopping day, and Jamie found to her surprise that she was excited, too.

“It will be,” she said firmly. “We’re going to have a great time.” She turned her head briefly to grin at her sister. “Not quite as great for Alex’s credit card, maybe, but he can afford it.”

Christine laughed, and Jamie smiled at the road. It was good to hear her laughing. To see her really, genuinely happy. It had been a long climb up from the bottom, but Jamie was confident that Christine was going to make it.

Four hours later, she wasn’t quite so confident that she was going to make it much longer if she didn’t get some food. They’d hit up three different stores, trying on more clothes than any one person should ever have access to, and she was starting to hear the siren call of lunch.

“What do you say we drop the bags off at the car and go find somewhere to eat?” she suggested.

“That sounds great, actually,” Christine said. “I’m honestly starving.”

It wasn’t something that her sister would’ve admitted six months ago, and Jamie felt the thrill of triumph again. Her sister wasn’t nearly so bony these days. Still thin, but not so much that it looked painful. And it was nice to be able to sit down to a meal with her where she finished her plate, and didn’t comment on the content of anyone else’s.

“What do you feel like?” Jamie asked as they started into the parking lot. “There are a lot of places to eat around here. Basically anything that you can think of. Italian? Mexican? Chinese?”

“Chinese sounds great, actually. I’ve been craving—”

Christine stopped dead, and Jamie leaned around her to see what had caught her attention.

Their mother stood leaning against the side of Jamie’s car.

Jamie took a step back, but it was too late. The woman had already seen them, and a smile stretched across her face.

“Christine!” she said, hurrying toward them while Christine stood frozen in front of Jamie. “It’s so good to see you.”

“Hi, Mom,” Christine finally said, her voice very quiet. Jamie caught the tremor in it.

“What? No ‘It’s nice to see you, too’? Haven’t you missed me?” She laid her hand on Christine’s shoulder, looking into her eyes. “I know that Jamie doesn’t care whether I live or die, but you were always my good girl, Christine.”

“Don’t touch her,” Jamie said, finding her own voice suddenly. “You abandoned her and you expect her to be glad to see you?”

Their mother’s hand dropped from Christine’s shoulder as she turned to face Jamie. “I didn’t abandon my daughter. I just couldn’t bear to see her in that place, where she wouldn’t have been if you hadn’t been such a slut. Letting Stephen film you together. Seducing him while he was with Christine. Everything that happened is your fault. You’re the reason her husband is in jail.”

“Seduced—”

Christine’s voice cut Jamie off. “Don’t talk to her like that.”

Jamie was stunned. Their mother was more stunned. She turned to look at Christine, her mouth half open in shock. “What did you say?” she demanded.

“I said, don’t talk to Jamie like that,” Christine said, her voice growing stronger. “None of what happened with Stephen was her fault. It was his.” She clutched the handles of the bags she was holding a little tighter, and lifted her chin, meeting their mother’s eyes. “He’s a bastard, and I’ve already started the divorce proceedings.”

“Stephen loved you!” their mother protested. “Jamie…”

“Jamie what, Mom? Jamie didn’t do anything. She’s always just been trying to live her life, and you’ve treated her like trash. I’m not going to let you do it anymore.”

“You’ve let her brainwash you!” their mother shrieked. “Spending so much time with her. She’s turned you into something that you aren’t, Christine. You have to get away from her. Then you’ll see. You’re only acting like Jamie because she took you when you were vulnerable and used that opportunity to mold you into the same kind of ungrateful little bitch she’s always been.”