The Billionaire's Jackpot: Betting on You Series: Book Four Read Free Page A

hadn’t taken its toll on her. But losing her baby sister? That pain went deep to the core, and she still struggled with it daily. I miss you so much, Sis.
    Blossom was trained to sense Katherine’s change of mood. Getting off her doggie bed across the room, she came and laid her monstrous head on KJ’s lap. Good girl. Wrapping her arms around her bull mastiff’s huge neck and pulling her closer, the tears flowed. First for the loss of her sister, which felt like it was only yesterday, then for the feelings of not belonging, as she struggled to fit into her civilian lifestyle. Why were these feeling coming back to her now? For almost two years she had successfully suppressed them. It wasn’t a healthy choice, but it had been hers. She sobbed. Why now? Over the years she had cared for so many soldiers facing a loss of one form or another. She knew exactly what she needed to do: face it head on. That was much easier said than done. Somehow meeting Drew at the Wounded Soldiers fundraising event opened her emotions all over again. He’d made her laugh, smile. It had been a nice change. Can’t feel the good without feeling the bad. The words she herself had spoken many times to the injured as she encouraged them not to give up. Always easier to give advice than take it.
    Understanding the issue wasn’t helping any. It was like removing a Band-Aid: you know it’s going to hurt, and you have to take it off, but you tell yourself you’ll leave it on. Maybe it will fall off on its own in the shower tomorrow, and then it won’t hurt much—if at all. The more she got to know Drew, the worse this internal pain was going to get, and he, naturally, was clueless. How was she going to explain her emotional roller coaster? Should she tell him, give him some sort of heads-up? Not unless you want him to run. What was she going to say anyway?
    “Hi, I’m KJ, and I have emotionally shut myself down so nothing can ever hurt me again.” Not really prime first-date conversation. No, this was something she was going to have to figure out for herself. Alone. God, she had learned to hate that word. When will things go back to normal? The truth was, what was once normal no longer existed. She would need to find a new path, a new direction in life, and through that, somehow find her new normal. And maybe, just maybe, some happiness again.
    Not only did she miss her sister, she also missed the day-by-day purpose and direction. She’d always been so driven, so active. She didn’t excel at civilian life, which only made accepting it as her life that much harder.
    Blossom didn’t move until the last tear was shed and wiped away. Only then did she raise her head and sit by KJ’s side, leaning against her. Rewarding her with a scratch behind the ears, she said, “What would I do without you, girl?” She wouldn’t allow herself to dwell too long on that subject. She knew too many who had those same struggles and lost the battle.
    The clock on the mantle chimed, one, two, then three. Oh God, I better get to the store. Drew was expecting dinner tonight. The choices were limited. Blossom’s kibble or the only human food in the cupboard—a can of tuna. Grabbing her purse, she bolted out the door searching for ideas of what to make tonight. Three thousand miles was a long way to travel for a sandwich.

Chapter Three
    ‡
    A quick shopping adventure somehow turned into stocking her condo as though she actually cooked there every day. This is one night. I must be losing my mind; I like take-out.
    It had taken her almost an hour to put the groceries away before she could even begin the food prep. Since she wasn’t sure what his tastes in food were, except for dessert, she opted for surf and turf—lobster tail, a petite filet mignon wrapped in bacon, and a side of steamed asparagus with vinaigrette dressing. Just because I don’t cook doesn’t mean I can’t. When she’d purchased her bungalow more than a year ago, she made sure she’d also