SNOWFIRES by Caroline Clemmons Read Free Book Online Page B

definitely
looked great, even in rumpled clothes and unshaven.
    Yes, Geneva would have jumped at the chance
to have Trent in bed and him being ten years younger wouldn’t have
fazed her. Far from it. The age difference would only have upped
the ante for Geneva.
    A wave of jealousy swept over her with a
fury. Why would the thought of Geneva with Trent bother her so?
Certainly by now she was used to her stepmother's sexual escapades.
She no longer cared as long as the woman remained discreet enough
to spare Angie and Jenny any embarrassment.
    No, Geneva's little tricks no longer
concerned her. On the other hand, the thought of Trent with another
woman made her green with jealousy. That knowledge rocked her to
the core. Why did she care who this man slept with? She hated him
didn’t she?
    Shaken, she couldn’t look at him when she
answered. "Jenny’s nineteen and very like her mother in looks and
temperament. Angie’s almost eighteen."
    "I see. Are these girls in school?" His frown
remained.
    Maybe he really did see, but she doubted he
realized even a part of their complicated family or their financial
situation. "Jenny attends Southern Methodist University. Angie will
graduate from Highland Park High this spring and start SMU in the
fall."
    She didn't add that Jenny's tuition was
compliments of Grandpa Grayson, who was not even related to Jenny.
He had sworn not to lift one finger to help Geneva, whom he
despised, or contribute one penny to the upkeep of Geneva and her
daughters. Only after repeated pleas from Holly had he agreed to
fund her half-sisters' education.
    Trent's frown disappeared to be replaced by
an expression as guarded as her own. "Does either girl work?"
    "Geneva prefers the girls keep their
calendars clear for social events." Not that Jenny had ever asked,
but Angie wanted to work after school some days and on weekends.
She had even landed a job at a high-end chain store in Galleria
Mall. Holly could still hear the horror in Geneva's voice.
    "What will people think, my daughter working
like a common shop girl? I won't have it, I tell you. Oh, no. Your
job is to learn to be a good hostess, to mingle with the right
people, to prepare yourself for your place in society as the wife
of a suitable man."
    Angie had stood her ground for a while, but
proved no match against Geneva and Jenny united. In spite of her
attempts to be practical, the years of her mother's nagging
reminders of the importance of social position took root in Angie,
too. But Angie still tried to cut costs—when she remembered.
    Holly thought of the ruined boots, charged to
a store account she would have to pay. Paying for gifts she
received from her sisters and stepmother dampened every holiday’s
pleasure. She sighed.
    Trent's voice cut through bitter memories of
her own battle about a career. "So, you're allowed to work, but
they're not?"
    She tilted her head and gave him a rueful
smile. He would have been aghast at the lengthy battle her decision
had waged. "I pled my case years ago. Since I'm the oldest and
there are no male heirs, I convinced Geneva and Dad I needed to
carry on in the family business. Besides, Dad needed my help."
    "Only now it's no longer just a family
business, is it?" He finished his last bite of toast and leaned
back.
    She rose and stacked the plates. "No, but I'm
still a part of the company. I own fifteen percent and, unless
you've decided differently, I'm still the VP of Human
Resources."
    Due to inheriting part of her mother’s
shares, Holly thanked heaven she owned an additional ten percent
instead of only the five she and each of her half-sisters inherited
from Grandfather Tucker. Voting with Grandpa Grayson’s thirty-five
percent gave the two of them controlling interest. She didn’t
understand why Grandpa wasn’t with her on this project of Trent’s.
She’d tried to convince her grandfather, but he insisted he wanted
to see how Trent worked out as CEO.
    Trent stood and stretched like a small child
just