Read Online The Truth about Us by Janet Gurtler - Free Book Online Page B

thing I’ve ever seen.
    â€œOkay, handsome.” Stella gets up and walks to Kyle, holding out her hand. “You come with me and we’ll clean you up, and then Flynn can take you to lunch.” She glances at me. “Good job finding him.”
    I lower my eyes as they leave the room, because really, if I hadn’t lost him in the first place, I wouldn’t have had to find him.
    Flynn stands. “Well, I guess you need to get back to work,” he says. His voice is slightly deeper, and Nance would say it’s sexy. Who am I kidding? I’m the one who thinks it’s sexy. The big brother thing, it works for him.
    â€œYeah.” I sneak a look up. He’s watching me. Neither one of us moves.
    â€œIt must be kind of cool to have someone little who looks up to you like that,” I say. “My sister and I, we’re nothing like that.” I don’t know why I admit that.
    â€œNo? I don’t know. Sometimes I worry I’m a bad influence.” He coughs and looks away. “I look after him when my mom works.” He glances back and smiles. “Your mom probably doesn’t work. Or does she do charity work instead of a real job? I hear lots of the moms in Tuxedo are into that.” He doesn’t say it with meanness, but it makes my stomach lurch.
    I stare at him. “You honestly believe that?” I ask.
    He hesitates. “Well, I saw your house, remember. I mean, it’s pretty huge. I guess I assumed she doesn’t have to work.” He eyes the door Stella walked out of.
    I cross my arms. “Maybe she’s the one with all the money.”
    He purses his lips but glances at me. “She is?”
    â€œWell. No. I mean, she did work. She had a good job.” I inhale deeply through my nose, trying to calm myself. “Some women like to work, you know. This isn’t the sixties.”
    â€œNo. I know. I didn’t mean it like that. Sorry. I just mean, she has a choice, right? She doesn’t have to. Anyhow, you know what they say, all the stay-at-home moms live in Tuxedo. Sorry. It was stupid. Forget it.”
    I glare at him. He doesn’t know how far from the truth he is about my mom. “You think my mom has an easy life because of where we live?” I ask. Hot anger licks at my brain because that is so far from the truth.
    â€œHey, wait. I mean…well, kind of. I thought…” Flynn sputters and stares longingly at the exit.
    â€œShe worked,” I say through clenched teeth. “No. She had a career. And she loved it. But she doesn’t anymore…” I take a breath, stopping myself before everything spills out. I won’t do that just to prove my point. I uncross my arms. “She can’t work. She doesn’t have a choice.”
    â€œHey. I’m sorry,” he says after a moment of silence. “I didn’t know.”
    I wrap my arms around my waist. My face is hot. “Whatever.” I untangle myself a second later. “I have to work.” I stand up. I want out, away from him. He’s a lot less hot now. I don’t care how cute he is, he doesn’t get to judge my family. It’s none of his business.
    He lightly grabs my arm to stop me as I try to slip by, but I pull away. He immediately lets go, but it tingles where his fingers pressed into my flesh. Treacherous arm. I frown at it.
    â€œI really am sorry,” he repeats. He clears his throat again as if he’s viewed inside my head and sorted through my thoughts. “You’re not at all what you seem, are you, Jess?”
    â€œDepends.” I bite my lip. “What do I seem?”
    He tilts his head, watching me, and then he smiles. “Entitled, reckless, and maybe a little spoiled.” He laughs at the look on my face. He holds his fingers up to show me an inch. “A little?”
    He grins then, full-on, and I try to be mad. But it’s hard.
    â€œBut you’re also good with