Total pages in book: 67
Estimated words: 60864 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 304(@200wpm)___ 243(@250wpm)___ 203(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 60864 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 304(@200wpm)___ 243(@250wpm)___ 203(@300wpm)
“I can understand that,” I said. “In my earlier days, back when I was still trying to earn the title of chef, I traveled a lot. It can be an alluring lifestyle. Just not for me anymore.” I pulled Jodi closer to me, and she cuddled in my arms.
Jack smiled. “You know, in a way the reason I am here is because of you, but not the way you think.”
“Excuse me?” Jodi said, alarm starting in her voice.
“Seriously,” Jack said. “Before you left, Mom and Dad called me while I was on the plane. They left this big, long ridiculous message about you. Said they couldn’t believe you wouldn’t do what they needed of you. They said you refused to do the, and I quote here, barest minimum you could do for the family business.”
“Barest minimum?” Jodi asked. “Allowing myself to basically be prostituted for business is the barest minimum?”
Jack held his hands up again, shaking his head.
“I know now,” he said. “They didn’t elaborate. So, when I talked to you that day, I was crabby from jet lag, the deal I had just gone to fell through, and they were being righteous assholes about everything. They didn’t elaborate on what it was you were doing or not doing, and frankly I didn’t want to ask. I should have though. That’s my fault.”
“Oh,” Jodi said.
Jack nodded. “When I found out, I was so pissed off.”
“You were?” Jodi asked, shocked.
“Of course I was,” he said. “You are my sister and a grown-ass adult. There is no reason they should be ordering you around at all, much less trying to get you to marry someone for their own purposes. It is ridiculous on its face. I went toe-to-toe with Dad about it.”
“What was that like?” Jodi asked. “I’ve never seen someone argue with him where it didn’t just end with him being louder and the other person giving up.”
“Well, it was sort of like that,” Jack said. “He got louder, and I told him he was being stupid and archaic and that it was extremely manipulative of them to hatch that plan and execute it while I was away. Then to call me and try to get me to make you go home without telling me what they did was a million times worse.”
Things were falling into place now. It made so much more sense that her brother simply didn’t know the story. I had often wondered why he didn’t stand up for her or step in, and what would make him side with her parents’ archaic view of marriage. The fact that they executed their plan while he was away only showed how close Jack and Jodi were, and how deep their bond was. It also gave me an idea of how terrified she must have been without her brother or anyone else to help her.
“I can only imagine how he blew up,” Jodi said. “It must have been something.”
“It was,” Jack said. “He flailed and screamed and cursed and said that he had disobedient children who didn’t know the first thing about sacrifice. I told him that I had sacrificed my own goals for our family business, and now you were sacrificing your entire family to keep a stupid decision from happening.”
“You didn’t tell them, did you?” Jodi asked.
“I didn’t have to,” Jack said. “An hour or so before, Linc had a meeting with his own folks and told them he was gay and introduced them to his partner. They were shockingly chill about it. I mean, they didn’t like it, but they didn’t disown him or anything. I know he was worried about that.”
“He came out?” Jodi asked. “Wow. That’s incredible.”
“It is,” Jack said. “Took a lot of chutzpah to do that. Of course, word travels fast, so Mom and Dad knew that before I opened the door. I found out when Mom yelled at Dad that it was over anyway. I asked what was over, and she told me. I swear, I haven’t laughed so hard in all my life. At least until Dad said he was so confused. He said Linc was so manly. He had all those muscles.”
Jodi and Jack broke into heavy laughter, and I smiled. It was so good to see her laugh, but even better that she was doing it with her brother.
“Dad thinks all gay men are the stereotypes from the fifties,” she said to me. “He has no clue one of his best business partners is gay either. He just thinks he has a really close friendship with his old college roommate.”
I laughed.
“So, yeah,” Jack said. “I am just beyond thrilled right now. Not only did I find you, but you found someone in the meantime, and now you are pregnant? I’m going to be an uncle! When did you find out?”