Between the Seams Read Online Free Page A

worked his ass off, and had a capable crew that could more than take care of the day to day goings-on of his construction business.
    Owen propped his work boots up on the edge of Chase’s desk, folded his hands behind his head and said, “I hear Jo Sommers is back in town.”
    Chase pinched the bridge of his nose. “You and everyone else.”
    Owen raised an eyebrow. “Oh yeah?”
    Chase nodded his head and went back to looking over the details of the offer Frank had wanted him to draft.
    “You’re suspiciously silent.”
    “What am I supposed to say? I heard the same thing. So did Frank Wimbly. And apparently you, too. I’m guessing the entire town knows by now.”
    “Probably.”
    Chase flipped to the next page of the contract.
    “You gonna see her?”
    “Why would I see her, Owen? We’ve barely spoken since high school.”
    Owen snorted. Chase glared at him. “Come on, Chase. You were madly in love with her until we were in our twenties. You don’t want some answers?”
    Sure he wanted answers. But he didn’t want drama, and dredging up things long past did nothing but stir up drama.
    “I saw her the other night.” Why the hell had that come out?
    “And?”
    “And nothing, really. I acted like I didn’t recognize her, even though I knew it was her the minute she turned around.” He would recognize those eyes anywhere.
    Owen rolled his eyes. “Sometimes you are such a girl.”
    Chase threw a pen at him. Owen deflected and continued. “Seriously, man. It sounds like she’s gonna be in town all summer, helping take care of her grandma. Maybe now’s the time to get some of those answers you’ve been looking for for years.”
    He sighed. “It’s not important anymore, Owen. I’m over it. Her. Have been for years. I still don’t know what happened and I don’t care. I’m not a kid with an unrequited crush anymore.”
    “Says the man who’s sworn off women.”
    “Yeah, because they’re only using me to get to my brother.”
    Owen shook his head, his expression uncharacteristically hard to read. “Yeah, keep telling yourself that.”
    ~~*~~

Chapter Three
    “Hey, Gran.” Jo dropped a kiss on her grandmother’s cheek. “How was PT today?”
    Gran patted her hip before turning down the volume on the evening news. “Only needed two regular ibuprofen today.”
    Jo smiled. “That’s great!”
    Gran nodded, a satisfactory smile on her face. “That woman says I’m ‘exceeding expectations.’ Pfft. Of course I am.”
    “She obviously doesn’t know you, Gran.” No one could ever accuse her grandmother of being a quitter that was for sure.
    “How was lunch with Jenn?”
    “Good. I swear that’s the slowest Chili’s ever, though.”
    Gran clucked her tongue. “If I’d known you were going there, I would have warned you.”
    Jo chuckled. “It’s okay, Gran. It gave us time to gossip and make some tentative plans.”
    “Jolene, you know you don’t have to hover over me night and day. If you want to go have fun with your friends, go have fun.”
    Jo resisted the urge to fidget; how she could be a thirty-two-year-old woman and still feel like a teenager asking for permission was beyond her. “Well, Jenn did mention going up to the lake on Saturday for a few hours.”
    Gran waved the remote dismissively. “Go. Have fun. Lord knows you haven’t had enough of that in your life.”
    Jo swallowed past the sudden lump of emotion in her throat. “I love you, Gran.”
    “I love you too, Jolene. Now what’s for supper?”
    ~~*~~
    “You didn’t tell me Chase would be here,” Jo grumbled into Jenn’s ear.
    Jenn shrugged as she pushed her ball cap down over the braid that was somewhat taming her wild auburn curls. “I knew if I did, you wouldn’t come.”
    “You don’t know that for sure. I might have anyway.”
    Jenn’s response was lost in the wind as Chase’s big, speedy boat flew over Lake Amistad. Under them, the water was as blue as she remembered. All around them the shoreline