Hard To Handle (Teach Me Book 2) Read Free Page B

bookshelves in the living room. The same photograph Laney always discreetly placed face down every time she visited her childhood home. Her mother wanted them to let go of the past and have a memory of their father even though he had left them, resulting in their mother going above and beyond to pick up any slack she could for his absence in their lives. Laney couldn’t understand how her mother and Foster could just shrug that off.
    Foster had stepped up to the plate, even as a young boy, and had been a tremendous help. Laney remembered times when their mother had been exhausted from working her two—sometimes three—jobs and had fallen asleep on the couch. Foster would help her with her homework, and other times tell her funny stories to cheer her up when kids made fun of her for being “the chunky girl”.
    God, just recalling how overweight she had been, basically eating her emotions back then, made her cringe. She’d been easy prey—overweight and in all gifted classes. Hence her brother’s nickname for her: Laney McBrainey. So, of course, when high school freshman Laney got attention from Rob McManus, a senior and her school’s über jock whose family was so rich they had a houseful of staff and a butler, she threw all caution to the wind. Believed him when he had said he wanted her to be his date the homecoming dance. Be his girl. Hell, she’d swallowed the lies, hook, line, and sinker. Even that list she’d created early on got shoved aside.
    What a colossal mistake that had been, because it had all been on a dare from his fellow football players and Carla, the head cheerleader from an equally as rich family. And guess who Rob chose as his homecoming date? Carla, of course. Carla’s condescending remark remained a distinct memory. “Oh, honey. Don’t you get it? Our people stick together. We don’t mess around with ‘the help’ … let alone with Lardy Laney.”
    Carla was a such a sweetheart. Not.
    After that embarrassing fiasco, she’d delved into the world of nutrition and fitness, measuring her portions and calculating the necessary calories. She’d begun exercising and soon found that she felt better, and gained more confidence from the overall change. And the entire time she had been working on herself, her brother had stood right by her side, cheering her on. Telling her how proud he was of her, how she might even give the Navy SEALs a run for their money someday.
    “Laney McBrainy, get over here and hug me.”
    Foster had just come in the door of their mother’s little house down on North Fletcher Avenue in Fernandina Beach. Laney had been living with her brother in his house until recently. Shortly after Raine had gotten engaged to Mac, she had asked Laney if she would be interested in taking over the lease on her small beach house nearby Mac’s home. Having her brother for a roommate had its perks but also its downfalls. One major downfall was his revolving door of women. She was grateful to not have any more awkward morning encounters with women who overstayed their welcome or thought they would be the one who would make her former Navy SEAL brother give up his man-whore ways.
    Raine’s rental was a cute little beach house on stilts, located right on Fernandina Beach, overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. Laney had known the owner, Ms. Tina, ever since she had worked with her mother at the telephone company before the two women retired. The price of rent per month was extremely reasonable and included all utilities except for cable. For someone on a teacher’s salary, it was a steal.
    Laney walked up to her brother and wrapped her arms around him. She held on a moment longer simply because she had missed him. It was odd having a place to herself and not seeing Foster nearly every day. However, when she got a whiff of the scent his shirt reeked of, she was reminded of the main reason she had moved out.
    “Ewwww. Dude, you stink!” Laney wrinkled her nose before covering it with her hand.