The Money Is Green Read Online Free Page B

the better.”
    So much for getting off to a good start, Janine thought. This is going to be tougher than I thought. Oh well, I get to drop her off at her soccer practice and then she can be on her own again for a while. Jason, you’re going to owe me big time for this.
    They drove in silence until they came up to a large park that doubled as a soccer field. Janine pulled up to the curb and Crystal jumped out, not saying a word.
    “You’re welcome, Crystal,” Janine shouted at her.
    Crystal turned, gave a blank stare, and then moved on toward a group of girls who were kicking balls back and forth in the middle of the field. Janine steered the car back on the street and headed to her workplace. Her cellphone rang and she attached the Bluetooth in the console to her ear. She recognized the number of her best friend Melany.
    “Hey, Mel, what’s up?” she answered as she moved onto the freeway onramp.
    “Hey there, miss chauffeur,” Melany’s cheerful voice came through the headset. “How goes the babysitting? Are you two bonding like sisters?”
    Janine signed and looked in the rearview mirror. “Not exactly, but we’re going to give it the college try and hopefully this will be an uneventful week.” She pulled into the fast lane and accelerated to keep up with the traffic. “I haven’t been around a fifteen-year-old for a long time and it’s going to take some adjustments on my part.”
    “Don’t worry, you’ll win her over, I know it,” Melany said, a happy ring to her voice. “She’ll warm up to you, just wait and see. Like I told you the other day: Be yourself. Don’t try to bend over backward for her since she’ll see it as a sign of weakness. Treat her as if she were any other teenager you know.”
    Janine laughed nervously. “That’s easier said than done, and she’s not just some random teenager. She’s the daughter of the man I love and she’s my responsibility while he’s out of the country. I wouldn’t put up with her attitude if she were my child.”
    Mel paused a second. “Speaking of Jason, how are things going with you two love birds? Has his absence made your heart grow fonder?”
    Janine hit her blinker and headed toward the upcoming off ramp. “Of course I miss him. He and I are getting along great. I know he loves me and wants to be with me, but he’s so scared of how his daughter is going to feel and act, and sometimes that puts me on the outside looking in. I think in time I can win Crystal over, but it’s not going to be easy.”
    “Jason is a wonderful guy, Janine, and it sounds like you two are good for each other. Hang in there with him; it’ll work out.”
    She eased the car into an open spot in front of the three-story office where she worked and shut off the engine. “Thanks for the encouraging words, Mel. I’ll do my best to get to know Crystal, but I think it’s going to get tougher before it gets easier.”
    ♦
    Two hours later, Janine stood by the kitchen counter of Jason’s apartment. Reaching for the first of the dirty dishes that sat in the bottom of the stainless steel sink, she started the water and began scrubbing. After fifteen minutes she had finished and was wiping down the sink. Crystal sat at the breakfast table behind her, her face buried in her math textbook. Janine wiped her hands with a small towel, set it on the counter, and sat next to her.
    “Crystal, can we talk for a minute?” she asked in a hushed voice.
    Crystal shut the book, rolled her eyes, and placed her elbow on the table, resting her head in her hand.
    “What?” she asked.
    Janine rubbed her hands together under the table nervously. “I know you aren’t happy that your dad is dating me and that we’ve become close. I realize I’m not your mother and have no intention of trying to step into her place.” She looked at Crystal, who was staring at her with a glazed-over expression. “You’re a big girl and I’m sure you think you can take care of yourself, but that’s