Mark has been raising his niece since she was a small child. Abandoning his own life in the big city, he settles in a small town and devotes himself to Jenny. When Mark’s sister dies in an accident, Mark is given full custody of his precocious twelve-year-old niece. Just when he thinks the worst is over, he finds out that his sister left instructions to contact Jenny’s father, a man she had always refused to name.
Mark is terrified that Jenny’s father will try to take Jenny away from him but Cole Waters is not anything like he expects at all.
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All About Jenny
Copyright © 2011 D.J. Manly
ISBN: 978-1-55487-918-2
Cover art by Martine Jardin
All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher.
Published by eXtasy Books
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Smashwords Edition
All About Jenny
By
D.J. Manly
Dedication
For children everywhere who long for a real family.
Chapter One
“Come on, muffin,” Mark called out, “you’re going to be late.”
“No, I’m not. I’m not going!”
Mark sighed. A faint smile settled on his lips as he headed back upstairs and stopped at the entrance of his twelve year old niece’s bedroom door.
She stood in front of the mirror, flipping her long brown hair this way and that, a look of pure frustration on her young face.
“You look beautiful,” he offered.
“Not going,” she muttered between clenched teeth, throwing down her hairbrush.
“I know I’m going to regret this…but why not?”
She yanked her hair up again, then dropped it and looked at him. “You don’t understand.”
“Well, how about we go downstairs and get into the car, then you explain it all to me on the way…” Mark paused, “to school?” He checked his watch. He should have been at the office by now. Thank heavens he didn’t have any early morning clients today.
She muttered something as she pushed by him out into the hallway. Mark followed her cautiously, trying not to let his amusement show as she stomped down the stairs. Jenny was in what he called her evil twin mode. It was a temporary affliction.
“Why couldn’t I look like Elizabeth Ulster?” she cried out.
“Who is Elizabeth Ulster again?” Mark narrowed his eyes and grabbed his briefcase off the hall table.
His niece said something as he locked the front door, which sounded like… “I already told you, but you don’t listen to me!” He’d heard that one often. He pointed his car starter at his economy rental car and the engine roared to life.
“And why can’t we drive something classier?” she demanded, opening the door and crawling into the passenger seat. “This is an old man’s car,” she exclaimed as she slammed the door.
“This is not an old man’s car,” Mark protested and slid behind the wheel. “And leave the door on its hinges, please. Do you have your lunch?”
“Uncle Mark, it’s the field trip, remember? We’re going to the stupid CN Tower again for the one hundredth time. You told me to take twenty dollars out of your wallet when you were shaving.”
“Oh, okay.” He backed out of the driveway. “I thought that was next week, the CN Tower thing.”
“I marked it on the calendar,” she groaned.
Mark was sure she was rolling her eyes.
“You’d think that stupid school would have more imagination and figure out a new place for us to take field trips to! Every year it’s the same old place! On top of that, all day long today I will have to put up with him! It’s not bad enough he sits behind me in class…no, now I have to ride on a bus with him! He better not sit near me, that’s all I’m saying.”
Mark smiled as they sat waiting for the light to change. Although it appeared his niece was talking in code, he’d learned to decipher pre-teen speak. Him, sneered with just the right measure of disgust, was actually Timothy Carter, a boy in her class. And of course he was annoying, and she didn’t want anything to do with him and that’s why every second word she said lately was about him. Jenny had developed a crush on Timothy last year in grade five and now, Timothy was all Mark heard. Next year, she’d be in high school and that was scaring the crap out of him.
Mark drove up the tree-lined streets and hit the center of the town. They’d already hung the beautiful flower baskets at every lamp post, a sure fire sign that summer was on its way. The shops on the main street were beginning to wake up, the pharmacy and the hardware store had pulled up the blinds. Mark could see a young man sweeping the entrance outside the grocery store.
He made a left and slowed down as he hit the school zone. Some of the school buses were arriving, bringing in the kids from the rural areas around Staten Belle. He pulled over to the curb and stopped.
Jenny transformed into her sweet twin again and leaned over to give him a big kiss. “I love you,” she said.
“I love you,” he told her as she got out. “Have fun today!”
He watched as she ran across the schoolyard to catch up with one of her girlfriends. She was tall and willowy for her age with the face of an angel and thick brown hair, which fell halfway down her back. She was at an awkward age, on the brink of turning thirteen. She had no idea how beautiful she was.
Thirteen. He could hardly believe it. Next year would be her first year of high school. Jenny disappeared from view now and Mark was just about to drive off. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Lois Delaney waving at him. Oh no, what does she want? He resisted the urge to roll his eyes, reminding himself that Jenny had that annoying habit as well. He knew where she’d gotten it from. Lois had been Jenny’s homeroom teacher in grade three and she’d made no secret of the fact that she was sweet on him. Grade three had been a living hell.
“Mark,” she called out, hurrying up to the passenger side window, a little breathless, “so glad I caught you.”
The first bell rang. Mark checked the clock on the dashboard. “I’m sorry, no time to talk right now. I’m running late, Ms. Delaney.”
“What is this Ms. Delaney? Call me Lois,” she giggled. “We know each other well…my goodness, Mark, how many times have we worked on committees together? Remember the senior class dance last year?”
“Yes,” he said. “I remember.” God knows he’d tried to forget. She’d groped him in the janitor’s closet.
“We’ll need a chaperone again this year at the dance of course. I’ll be there. Just single you and single me. We could kind of make it a date this time, go out to eat something before? Or you could come to my place for dinner. I make a mean meatloaf.”
“Wow,” Mark said, overwhelmed, “ah, sounds like a plan, but I’ll have to let you know. I really.”
“You really don’t want to miss my meatloaf. And it is Jenny’s big night, too. You better be there,” she pointed at him, “be there or be square. You don’t have any plans, do you?”
Plans, hell no, he didn’t have any plans. Friday nights, he and Jenny stayed up late, made popcorn and watched some romantic girlie film Jenny was just dying to see. But of course, this year Jenny would be going to the senior class dance. She probably wouldn’t want him to be a chaperone.
“Mark?” The second bell rang.
“Sorry, Lois,” he glanced at her. “I’m late. Looks like you are, too.”
“You’re right!” she scolded him. “You are so good at distracting me, Mark Donaldson!”
Oh Good Lord. He gave her a polite smile. “Have a nice day.”