Falling for his Step-Sister by Alie Garnett

Chapter Thirteen

Goingfor a run at 6 a.m. wasn’t what Jonas usually did, especially not in the dead of winter. But he had to do something to keep his mind and body from thinking about Bea Bradford. A three-mile run should have done it, but instead, once he got into the house, he checked the kitchen for her and was disappointed that she wasn’t there.

Once he was showered and dressed, he went looking for her again but instead, ran into his dad in the dining room. Since the man had a plate of food, it seemed she was there.

“Breakfast is on the sideboard, Jonas,” George stated as he cut his bacon.

He didn’t have to be told; it was supposed to be served from there. He could see the full warming plates and the smells that the food brought. Grabbing a plate, he filled it and sat with his dad. At least Judith wasn’t there.

“Have you talked to Judith yet?” Jonas asked, though he wasn’t as ready to be out of the house as he had been at this time the day before. Suddenly, there were so many reasons to stay. Or just one.

“I tried yesterday, but it didn’t go well.” George set down his knife and fork and pushed his plate away in defeat.

“What happened?” he asked skeptically, not liking the tone of his dad’s voice.

“She’s a very good-looking woman. Always has been. You must know that.”

“What does that have to do with anything?”

“Just got me thinking about old times.”

“You mean when you left her the other times?” Jonas asked but was sure that wasn’t what he was talking about.

“Back when our romance was a bit forbidden, and we were hiding it from everyone. It would probably still be hidden if she hadn’t gotten pregnant. I had asked her before, but she had wanted her freedom. After that, I needed the stability of being there for Louisa. It really brings everything into focus when your girl tells you she’s pregnant.”

“She was over thirty, Dad. Not a girl. How long was this secret relationship?”

“Over a year. I knew I loved her right away. We had great chemistry, but she loved being single and on her own, making her own way. She was very liberated before I met her. It was that woman I fell for.

“Are you staying with her now then? That independent woman you fell for?” If his dad wasn’t over her, there was no reason for Jonas to be at the house anymore.

“God, no. I just enjoy having sex with her still. Can’t seem to stop scratching that itch.” George smiled.

“Not listening to you anymore.” He got up and left the room. He was not listening to how good she was in bed.

Jonas headed straight for the kitchen to check on the new chef, who has become his new obsession. As he walked in, he caught her on her phone and so absorbed, she didn’t even notice he was there. The kitchen was completely clean, and there weren’t even dishes drying in the sink. If he hadn’t eaten some himself, he would have questioned whether or not there’d been food at all. All he knew was that the food hadn’t been cooked in this room.

“Can I help you with something? Did I forget something important?” She looked up slowly as she asked, no indication that he’d had her breasts in his hands just the day before.

“Just looking for the chef to compliment her on an amazing breakfast.”

“Thank you. It was nothing.” She actually blushed as she said the words.

“It was a nice spread; it wasn’t nothing—unless you stumbled upon it and hadn’t actually made it.” His words made her bristle.

“When did your parents move to town?” She slid her phone into her coat pocket. He wasn’t a big fan of the coat.

“Dad moved three years ago, and Judith followed over the summer. They’re in a rocky patch.”

“That’s too bad.”

“It’s not. She’s a witch, and always has been.” He moved to get on the same side of the island as her, but she slowly moved in the opposite direction.

“How old were you when they got together?”

“Around fourteen, but she wasn’t much of a mom to me. Not like with Louisa.”

“She’s hers, right?”

“Yes, Judith loves only those that she reproduces.”

“Yeah, right,” Bea stated, and her face went red at her answer. “Some moms are better than others.”

“Yours is probably the best.”

“Amazing. I lucked out completely. Well, all my sisters did actually,” Bea said.

“How many are ‘all’?”

“Seven.”

“Are they all as gorgeous as you are?”

“Um, no. I mean, yes, they are all pretty … I guess.” She shook her head and added, “How am I supposed to answer that?”

“By saying, ‘No, Jonas, I am the most gorgeous of them all. They all say it to me all the time.’”

She laughed at him and let her guard down, but not enough that she wasn’t keeping the island between them. It seemed her resolve to keep them apart was strong this morning.

Since he had to go to work that day, he would let her keep her space. Tonight, however, he would try a little harder. No matter what, she was still going to be on his mind.

Harrison had said he should try and go in every day like normal this week since neither of them knew when the feds were coming. Jonas hoped it was soon. He was tired of being on edge.

By evening when she served them chicken in a sauce with baby red potatoes, she looked more tired than happy with her excellent meal. Any excitement he had surrounding her new job was completely gone.

Tonight, it was a full table, meaning the entire six from the household since the boys had chosen to stay in. Brett and Louisa kept looking at each other, which was awkward since Jonas sat between them. Ross seemed more interested in his phone than those in the room.

Conversation was left to Judith, and Jonas was completely ignoring her that night. All he knew was that she was going from person to person, trying to get information from them, but only getting one-word answers. Even Louisa wasn’t talking too much to her mom. George was completely silent again tonight. This meal couldn’t get done soon enough.

Bea spent the meal flittering in and out of the room with more dishes or things that people had requested. From butter to more beverages. She was nothing but fake smiles; he had seen the real thing, and this was not it.

He tried to touch her when she was close, but she kept her distance from him. Though he had caught Ross grabbing her butt as she took his empty plate from him, and she had pushed him away and then avoided him even more than she was avoiding Jonas. At least he knew she wanted his touches.

Maybe he could interest her in a nightcap that evening. Maybe one in his room; then she wouldn’t have to waste her time going home.

“Jonas, how was work today?” George actually spoke.

Surprised, he looked at the old man and smiled. “Good, like always.”

“Boring, though, right?” Judith asked. She always said that.

“No, I love my job. Just because you haven’t worked in years doesn’t mean others haven’t.”

“I’ve been raising my children,” Judith defended herself.

“Who are all adults. Maybe you should go back to work. What was it you did again?” He saw Bea crack a smile as she poured his father more water. She liked his joke.

“I have a doctorate, Jonas. I can get a job at any moment.”

“I would like to see that. Have you regaled Bea on your accomplishments? Or Brett and Ross? I think they would be hard-pressed to be interested in your forty-year-old doctorate.”

“Quit talking to the staff, Jonas. And it is only half that old!” Judith stated, and Bea headed for the kitchen, her expression unreadable.

“I can talk to anyone I want to.”

“Just leave the staff alone. Bea is on thin ice after yesterday as it is.” Judith watched her go as well.

“What happened yesterday?” George looked up and asked.

“She was flirting with Jonas. It was sickening,” Judith told her husband but shot Jonas daggers.

“She wasn’t flirting with me; I was flirting with her,” Jonas argued. It had been him flirting; even he knew that.

“Don’t flirt with the staff, Jonas,” George said and turned back to his plate.

“You too?” he demanded of his father and got up and left the room. He was tired of the entire thing.

Not to be deterred, he went back downstairs an hour later, the back ones that ended in the kitchen this time. No need for his dad or stepmom to see him. But when he got there, the kitchen was completely clean, and she was gone. Outside, her vehicle was gone as well. He had missed her. Now he had to wait another day, but maybe she would have lost her control by then. Bea not in control was what he wanted.