Page 125 of Impulse

Jillian sat, but Lex didn’t leave.“It’s okay,” she reassured him.She waited until he went back to the game before saying, “My father owns a circus, Mrs.Fitzgerald.”

The woman went pale, her hand going to her chest.“Circus?”she asked, making the word sound like a slug.“Like Circe du Soleil?”

“No, ma’am.Nothing that fancy.Bay Area Circus is small.”

“Oh, Lord,” she murmured.“Do you work in hiscircus?”

“I did until I was eighteen.”This wasn’t so bad.Jillian leaned back and caught Lex’s worried eyes.She waved.He smiled and went back to the game.She glanced at the two women.They were watching her intently as though expecting her to continue.“Then I left for Hollywood, but I still perform with my family sometimes.”

“So you never went to college?”Aunt Siobhán asked.

“No, ma’am.I learned all I needed to know from my family.”

Color rushed back into Aunt Viv’s cheeks, and her eyes flashed.“Oh, that impossible boy.How can he do this to us?”Aunt Viv glanced at her sister.“Looks like we have our work cut out for us, my dear Siobhán.”

Jillian wasn’t sure what “our work” meant, but she was going to enjoy sparring with this woman.And if she failed, she’d send her grandmother to deal with her.

THE END