Page 99 of Fierce-Matt

Matt was right—she was fortunate to have the flexibility to help her mother out and be there for her.

Those were the things she had to focus on.

“Don’t be,” she said, smiling. “Life happens and we are making the best of it.”

“That’s the spirit,” Jolene said.

Justin came in before the doors opened and got behind the bar. “Sorry I’m late. There was an accident on my way in and I got stuck behind the traffic.”

“I’m all set up for us,” she said.

“I never worry when Anya is working,” Justin said to Jolene. “She’s got everything under control.”

Jolene sent her a bright smile. “It looks as if she does.”

Jolene tookoff out of the tasting room and went in search of Ben.

She found him on the floor and didn’t care she wasn’t wearing her neon vest and goggles.

“I don’t have any information for you,” Ben said. “I just found out a few minutes before you showed up.”

That stunk.

“Really?” she asked.

“Yep. You’ll have to get what you want from my mother since we know you two talk.”

There was no reason to dispute what everyone knew.

“I’ll go find out now,” she said with her chin up, marching off the floor and back to the offices to find a quiet place to talk.

She called Grace, expecting it to go to voicemail, but Grace answered.

“You’re fast,” Grace said. “Matt just texted me to give me a heads up I was caught. I put two and two together.”

“Your boys think they are so funny,” she said.

“Try living with them,” Grace said.

“I had Cade. He tortured his other four siblings. One was enough,” she said. “Fill me in if you’ve got time. Anya and Matt worked things out?”

“It seems it,” Grace said. “I don’t have all the details, but I’m sure my son had to work hard to get Anya to even listen to him.”

“He seems like a smooth talker,” she said. Just like Cade. Must come with being a prankster.

“He is. He says he has it under control. The fact he went there today makes me wonder though. I assumed he was going to call or text Ben, but Anya must be working and he shouldn’t be bugging her.”

“He’s smitten,” Jolene said. “I could see it in his eyes when he was looking at her. Don’t worry, she put him in his place.”

Grace laughed. “Good. He doesn’t need to be bothering her.”

“I got the impression that he wanted to make sure Ben didn’t think he was pulling a prank. They look very cute together.”

“I’ll have to get on my son’s case to bring her to dinner so I can see for myself.”

“This is only the beginning,” she said. “You know as well as I do, they will have difficulties.”

“With the way my son opens his mouth, I expect it,” Grace said. “How they get through that will determine their future.”