Page 39 of Christmas Under Fire

They needed to get Andy, then maybe it would all end.

CHAPTER 11

“I’ll be next door, if you ladies need me,” Brody said.

Jenna jerked her head away from Claudia—she couldn’t say grandmother yet—and found Brody’s face. His features were softer than she had ever seen them before. His lips were curved in a gentle smile.

“Brody.” She had no idea what she wanted to say. Only that she wasn’t sure she could do this without him by her side.

Claudia stepped away, letting them have a moment. Jenna idly realized the older woman possessed a highly skilled level of intuition. Either that, or her face was giving away more than she intended.

Brody moved closer. His hand rose to her cheek. She sighed, relaxing. “Jen. It will be fine. I’m not leaving. Not today. Take this opportunity to get to know your grandmother. Learn about her, and about your birth parents. I’m going to be right next door.”

He didn’t say it, but she knew he had some more investigating to do. She still couldn’t believe Andy would try to kill her. But no one else seemed to fit the bill for the person hiring killers. She’d always known he didn’t like her. Enough to murder, though? It was enough to break her brain.

She heaved a sigh. “Okay. But you won’t leave without telling me, will you?”

She had zero claims on his time. He’d done the job he’d been paid to do and had no obligation to her. But it hurt to think they’d go their separate ways and never explore whether or not they could develop true feelings for each other.

“Not a chance.” He winked. “In fact, once all this is done, and your grandmother is no longer a client, I plan on asking her lovely granddaughter if she was interested in going on a real date, maybe out to dinner.”

Jenna’s pulse jumped. She opened her mouth, ready to agree.

He placed a gentle finger over her lips. “Not yet. I’m still under contract, and I don’t want you to feel rushed by the circumstances we’re in. It can wait. Maybe after Christmas.”

The last thing she wanted to do was wait. All she’d done since she’d left her home was run, hide and wait.

Maybe that was why what he said made so much sense. “Fine. But I intend to hold you to it.”

Brody chuckled and walked to the door. He paused and pointed to the adjoining door between their rooms. “I’ll be on the other side of that door.”

He slipped from the room and she watched him go. A moment later, she heard the door to the room next to theirs open and shut.

Jenna turned back to Claudia. The older woman’s right eyebrow lifted. There was no judgment on her face, just avid curiosity.

Still, Jenna squirmed.

“He’s been completely professional,” she blurted.

At that, Claudia let out a low laugh. It reminded Jenna of the bells at Christmas. “I have no doubt of that, Jordyn, dear. Brody has a stellar reputation.”

She needed to address something immediately. “Claudia. I don’t mean to be rude. I believe I might be your granddaughter. Brody showed me pictures of my parents, but I have no memory of you or them.”

“I understand, dear.” Claudia’s gaze, while sad, remained direct. “I can hardly blame you. You were less than two years old when you vanished.”

Jenna nodded. “Exactly. For the last twenty-five years, I’ve been Jenna. Not Jordyn. Could you call me that?”

She hated to ask. The woman had suffered so much. But accepting the name Jordyn felt like she was giving up who she was, the person she’d grown into.

“Of course! I might slip and call you Jordyn. But in time, I’m sure I’ll become used to it. Jenna is a lovely name.”

For the first time, Jenna smiled at the woman. “Thank you.”

“Can I ask you for a favor? I know you don’t remember me. But could you call me Gram? You are my granddaughter. The only living relative I have left.”

Jenna swallowed. Saying the word, giving her that title, meant truly accepting what she’d been told. But suddenly, she straightened her shoulders. Cowardice had no place in her life. She could try to love Claudia, or Gram, and still remain faithful to her parents and brother. No one was asking her to disown her life.

She was adding another person to it, that was all.