Tender Touch Read Free Page B

assistant,” Jade said with an edge
to her voice. Clarice always managed to belittle anything she
did.
    “Why, that’s nice, baby. Isn’t that nice,
Nessa?” Clarice nudged her.
    “Great, kiddo. Keep climbing. I admire the
way you make it in that jungle out there.” Lanessa took a deep
breath. “I doubt I could do it.”
    “With that hefty settlement from your second
divorce, I don’t know why you work at all.” Clarice pursed her lips
at Lanessa. “I mean really, Lanessa, wasting your time.”
    “Hey, there are lots of fine, well-to-do
businessmen hanging around the state capitol these days. More and
more African-American men, Mother.” Lanessa smoothed her dress over
her curves.
    “Re-ally?” Clarice lost her frown as she
contemplated this fact. “I hadn’t thought about it like that.”
    Jade looked from her mother to her sister.
Clarice had groomed Lanessa from the cradle to be the wife of a
wealthy man. Lanessa seemed to have the perfect temperament for it.
She hated getting up early or any activity that required too much
work on her part. Males of all ages raced each other trying to make
life easy for her since kindergarten. Jade, on the other hand, was
the “competent one” as her mother loved to tell anyone who would
listen.
    To Jade this meant unattractive and that she
needed to pursue a career since her marrying prospects were slim.
Jade had taken her height and build from her father’s side of the
family, taller than average with healthy curves. Lanessa, at five
feet three, had a lean frame and looked like Clarice had at her
age. Not only that, but Lanessa shared her mother’s temperament. An
outsider, which was what she was in her own family.
    Alton Pellerin doted on his baby girl but
was gone much of the time, tending to a successful dry cleaning
business. The familiar feeling of sad resentment flooded her as she
watched the two of them in easy camaraderie discuss men.
    “I guess we should be going if you’re going
to have time to get ready for your date.” Clarice stood and lifted
her cape to her shoulders. Jade jumped up and helped her. “Don’t
work too hard, sugar.” She pressed her lips to Jade’s cheek then
rubbed the smear of lipstick from her skin. “Such lovely skin runs
in our family.”
    “Bye, Jade-girl,” Lanessa said. “Really,
it’s great about your promotion. You deserve it.” She held Jade’s
hand a moment before letting go.
    “Thanks, Nessa.” Jade felt a rush of
affection. A fleeting shadow of...something passed over her
sister’s face. Sadness? Regret? “Are you okay?”
    “Hey, fine as wine.” The old Lanessa,
confident and self-possessed flashed a dazzling smile. “Child, I’ve
got a sweater dress that is going to have old Alex’s tongue hanging
out all night. With any luck I’ll have a diamond necklace this
Christmas. Then it’s so long, sucker.”
    Jade laughed in spite of herself. “You ought
to be ashamed of yourself, girl.” Even with all her vanity and
being favored by Clarice, Jade could not help but have a deep
sister-love for her.
    “Don’t you sit around alone every night.
With your looks you could have a dozen fine men to choose from.”
Lanessa shrugged into her leather pant coat.
    “Oh, yeah. I had to change my phone number
three times to avoid them,” Jade said with a snort. “Besides, I’ve
had my fill of men for a while.”
    “Hey, your divorce was final a year ago.
Forget about Nick, he didn’t deserve you.”
    “I’m over Nick. My life has gotten one
hundred percent better since he’s out of it. And no other
look-so-good brother is going to mess with my mind again,” Jade
blurted out with force—too much force not to make Lanessa take
note.
    “Who have you met? Some man has got you more
turned on than you want to be.” Lanessa was never so self-involved
that she could not read her little sister like a book. The accuracy
never ceased to amaze Jade, or annoy her.
    “Don’t be ridiculous,” Jade said. She