The persistent thumping of the bass line from Lissie’s CD player drew Brenda towards the teen’s room like a magnet. The house was mostly dark; Scott had been bathed and tucked into bed, Lissie had gone to her inner sanctum to listen to music and do what remained of her homework, and Brenda was trying to distract herself from worrying about her 9 o’clock meeting with Jasper Jacks.

As she told made her way down the dimly lit hallway towards Lissie’s room, Brenda told herself that her anxiety stemmed from not accomplishing goal #3 in her "to-do" list that day. She was still chartreuse bra-less. And although it sounded ridiculous when Lissie had suggested it, somehow the thought of spending time alone with Jax in his study – so late at night – just the two of them – discussing intimate details of his life and his family – sent a shiver up Brenda’s spine.

{You’re CRAZY!! You’ve met with heads of state – you’ve shaken the hands of war heroes – you’ve visited battle sites and even braved your way through a field where land mines still dotted the landscape. One little meeting with a man who’s worried about his kids shouldn’t give you butterflies! One little meeting with a tall, gorgeous, sexy, outrageously charismatic man…….}

An older version of me

Brenda snapped out of her reverie like a shot. She stared at the closed door to Lissie’s room, narrowing one eye. {Did that singer REALLY just say what I think she said?} But despite her best intentions, her foot started tapping to the heavily accented beat of the song. Before she knew it, her displeasure at the appropriateness of Lissie’s choices melted away with the pleasure of losing herself in the music. Soon Brenda’s fingers were snapping and her arms waving to the music as she did an impromptu dance in the hallway.

Did you forget about me, Mr. Duplicity?

Brenda’s head came up and she froze in place, her eyes wide. {Now, I KNOW she said THAT!!} She was poised with her arm raised, her hand in a fist, to knock on Lissie’s door to have a little "discussion" with the teen about her listening repertoire when she heard the slamming of a door in a distant part of the house.

"Great. Jax is home." Brenda muttered the words to herself, confident nobody would hear them since Lissie still had the volume on Obnoxiously Ear-Splitting. She glanced towards the door again. "If Jax hears any of those lyrics, World War III will probably break out!" She chewed on her lip and then, with one last check to make sure the door was shut, she dashed down the hall to intercept Jax before he got within earshot.

Brenda had to do some mighty back-pedaling when she almost ran into Jax in the hallway. His suit coat was draped over his arm and the knot of his tie hung halfway down his chest. He carried two large brown paper sacks in his right hand and his briefcase in his left. Just as he was awkwardly undoing the top button of his starched shirt, he looked up to find Brenda careening her way in his direction.

"Whoa!!" Jax managed to put out his arms but Brenda caught herself before she landed squarely against him. He chuckled softly. "Your day must have been almost as bad as mine!"

"Mist……..um……..Jax!" Brenda regained her balance and clasped her hands behind her. She still found it awkward to call him by his first name, especially since she had been having fantasies all day about what would happen when they met in the dark solitude of his office that night. "I…..uh….." Then she put her hands on her hips and frowned. "Why do you think I had a bad day?"

"Well, since you were running that fast and that hard, I’d venture to say that you were trying to escape Lissie in one of her moods!" The quiet that fell between them gave way to the thumping bass from the CD player in Lissie’s room. Jax glanced in that general direction and nodded. "Yep. It sounds like she’s got it turned it up to Intolerable again." He lowered his head and sighed. "Bloody h*ll, can’t a man come home and find just a *little* peace and quiet?"

{Ohhhhhhh, if you think the volume is the only thing that’s bad, you’ve got a revelation coming, buster!} Brenda picked up immediately on the tell-tale signs that Jax was exhausted – the way his normally erect shoulders drooped, the tiny lines of fatigue that crinkled near his eyes, the disheveled state of his normally impeccably neat clothing. The last think he needed at this point was a confrontation with his equally worn-out teenager.

"You know, something smells *amazing*……." Her diversion wasn’t entirely out of the clear blue. The paper sacks in Jax’s hands were beginning to perfume the foyer with scents of cholesterol-laden goodies. She glanced down at the logo on the bag. "Is that…….." Genuine delight lit her eyes and she pointed excitedly at the golden arches on the sacks. "Do I smell McDonald’s?"

Jax wasn’t swayed at first. His eyes remained trained on the top of the stairs and the pulsing throb of music coming from down the hall. "Yeah……I stopped on the way home because I was hungry……."

"Well, come ON then!!" Brenda linked her arm through his and cheerfully led him away from the stairs and towards his office. "Those things are *terrible* if you don’t eat them while they’re hot!"

"Whyyyyy, Miss Barrett!!" She did inward somersaults when her tactics seemed to be working. "Do you mean to tell me that you *like* fast food?"

Brenda ignored the fluttery feeling in her stomach that walking side by side with Jax generated as they made their way towards his office. "Oh, yeah………you name it – McDonald’s, Burger King, Taco Bell, Crispy Crème ………" She laughed raucously as they got to the door, pleased that they were far enough away from the family quarters so that the music was only a memory. "I’m a real junk food junkie, if you must know the truth!" Actually, Brenda was ashamed to admit that she had reached the ripe old age of 22 before ever tasting a Big Mac. Once her search for Prince Albert brought her to America, Brenda quickly became a franchise addict.

Jax pushed the door open and flipped on the switch, flooding the room with light. "Well…….I guess today *is* a day for surprises." He tossed his briefcase on the couch and went straight to his desk where he pushed some of the files aside. "Why don’t you pull up a chair and share my fries while you tell me how the rest of the children’s day went."

"Hey, give this girl some McDonald’s fries and I’ll follow you *anywhere*!" When Jax looked up at her in surprise, a lock of his blonde hair falling across his forehead, Brenda caught herself. Sexual tension flooded the room and she was suddenly painfully aware that she still hadn’t found that chartreuse bra. "I…….uh……." She clasped and unclasped her hands in front of her while Jax slowly cleared a space on his desk and began to unpack the bags. "It was fine. They did fine," she answered, rocking back and forth from toes to heels.

Jax frowned a little and froze. "So Scott didn’t make any more progress, then?"

"His teacher didn’t mention anything." Brenda saw the disappointment clearly written on Jax’s face. "But you have to keep in all in perspective, you know……." She smiled and bent forward at the waist towards Jax as though trying to lift both his spirits and his chin off the floor. "The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step, or whatever it is they say."

Jax grimaced but then nodded. "You’re right. It’s just that after he did so well at breakfast this morning, I was hoping that he might have turned the corner." He sighed and pointed towards a chair in front of his desk. "So why don’t you pull that up and join me?" The words were no sooner out of his mouth than Brenda was doing just that. She dragged the chair to sit opposite him as he took a seat in his desk chair and opened a cardboard container. "I’ll just polish these off, and you can tell me what you did today."

Brenda’s hand stopped in mid-air, a french fry dangling from it. "What……..what *I* did today?"

Jax grinned as he dunked a chicken nugget in sweet and sour sauce. "Well, that *is* the point of these meetings, isn’t it? So you can bring me up to date on how you and the children are getting along"

"Ohhhhhhh…….." Brenda prayed that Jax couldn’t see her relief. "Oh, me and the *children*! Right!"

For a minute, paranoia had set in. Not that she had done anything *wrong*, really. It was just that once Brenda had made sure the children were safely tucked away at school, she had set out on her *real* purpose for becoming their nanny – finding out if Roy DeLucca was her long-lost brother, Albert.

Her first instinct was to check for any papers or files in Jax’s office that might include personal information on Roy. Of course – it couldn’t be that simple. Jasper Jacks kept his office locked during the day, as any good multi-millionaire would. And she didn’t want to make his watchdog secretary, Addie, suspicious by trying to wrangle the key from her on her first day on the job. So, she went with plan B.

After informing Addie that she had some personal business to attend to, Brenda hopped in her rental car and made her way to the closest public library. She smiled smugly as her fingers flew over the keyboard and she accessed copies of local newspapers for the previous several years. Technology was her friend. Unfortunately, her smile turned upside down when she entered the name "Roy DeLucca" and the search results were less than encouraging.

If he *wasn’t* her brother, Albert, Roy should have been. The man was a master of mystery and seclusion worthy of any monarch. Her eyes watered from staring so intently at the monitor, trying in vain to find any recent picture of Roy that wasn’t a blur. He was tall – but so were millions of men. He had dark hair – but again, that didn’t prove anything. Although she was a brunette, her sister Julia was an ash blonde. She couldn’t see his features clearly, and unfortunately there were no telltale "Barrett" physical characteristics. A smile touched her lips when she thought of how the cleft in Scott’s chin so closely resembled the one in Jax’s.

Her spirits climbed when, on a hunch, she entered the name "Jasper Jacks" and the search yielded several pages of references. But she soon found her curiosity about Albert’s whereabouts replaced by a different kind of fascination. There – in brilliant color, or black and white as the case may be – was the entire history of the marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Jasper Jacks and Mrs. Jacks’ untimely death three years earlier.

Brenda caught her breath the first time she saw a picture of Jax’s wife. The physical resemblance between them was almost frightening. She had been petite, dark-haired and olive-skinned. She couldn’t help but wonder if it was painful for Jax, having somebody who looked so much like his dead wife caring for his children. The actual data about them was minimal. There were the usual articles in the society columns about their wedding – apparently they were childhood sweethearts. Small articles punctuated the birth of their children and their appearances at various annual functions. The pictures stopped abruptly about three months before Miranda’s death, and the articles about her demise were sketchy at best.

It wasn’t really surprising, the news blackout surrounding her death. Brenda realized as she drove home from the library that Jasper Jacks was about as close to royalty as one could come in America. When anyone in the royal family in Baeristonburgh passed away, most of the eulogies printed emphasized their contributions to society and achievements, not the macabre details about how or where they died. But there was also something disturbing about Miranda Jacks’ passing. A few of the news articles hinted very broadly at suspicious circumstances and how "strange" it was that such a young, vital woman was unexpectedly stolen from her family and friends.

"Well?"

The sound of Jax’s voice brought Brenda out of her reverie. "Excuse me?"

Jax set down his chicken nugget and looked pointedly at Brenda. "I *asked* about what you did today, Brenda." He didn’t exactly seem annoyed, but obviously his curiosity had been piqued, and with Brenda’s undercover scheme just beginning, curiosity was NOT a good thing.

She put on her brightest smile and prayed. "Oh……..not much." God listened. "But wait a minute………" Brenda picked up another french fry and pointed it accusingly at Jax. "I thought you said this morning that you weren’t going to be home for dinner because you had to eat with your business associates….." When Jax paled visibly, Brenda’s spirits rose. She had found a weak spot in his defenses, and going in for the kill would distract him further. "Something about a group from Amsterdam and cementing good relations?"

"Oops." Jax hurriedly stuffed another chicken nugget in his mouth and stared self-consciously at the sweet and sour sauce.

"Ohhhhh, noooooo………" Brenda covered his hand with hers when Jax reached for another nugget. "You’re not getting away with anything here, buster."

Jax raised grim eyes to meet Brenda’s sparkling ones. "You may not be my mother, Brenda, but you’re getting that guilt thing down to a tee."

Brenda arched an eyebrow in disapproval at Jax. "If you didn’t have a dinner after all, why didn’t you come home to eat with us?"

Jax set down his chicken nugget and leaned back with a long sigh. "Well, there goes my golden image in your eyes." He gripped the arms of the chair tightly. "You’ll probably think I’m a terrible parent, now….."

Brenda rose one eyebrow but her tone was gentle. "Try me."

"I DID plan to have dinner with them – honestly." Jax tossed the chicken nugget back into the container as though his appetite had disappeared. "But then Mr. Von Ralston got a call at the last moment and had to cancel, and since he’s the head of the consortium, I found myself free after all." He sighed again. "At first, I was so happy, especially after Scott’s breakthrough this morning. But then…….."

Brenda chewed on her lower lip. "But then you started to think about it," she supplied softly.

Jax nodded. "And I wimped out. Bailed. Did the chicken limbo. All those things that Lissie says that mean being a coward and avoiding a painful situation."

"Because being around Lissie drives you nuts."

Jax’s eyes widened at Brenda’s perceptiveness but then he gave her an embarrassed half-smile. "It shows that much?"

She leaned forward to stare earnestly into his eyes. "It’s not surprising, Jax. Lissie is going through a very painful stage in her life – not only for her, but for everyone around her." Brenda laughed softly. "Take it from somebody who’s been through it and lived to talk about it."

"You? A troubled teen?" Jax finally allowed himself a small smile. "I find that very hard to believe, Brenda."

Brenda stared off into space as the memories flooded back. "When I think about it now, I can’t believe that my father didn’t ship me off to a convent somewhere and throw away the key."

"So why didn’t he?" When she looked surprised at the question, Jax hurriedly re-phrased. "I mean, obviously you and he both lived through it and you turned out pretty wonderful." A faint blush crept into her cheeks at the compliment. "What was his secret?"

Her smile mimicked the Mona Lisa. "My mother."

"Your mother? What did she do?"

Brenda thought for a few minutes before answering. "She made him love me."

"But…….but that’s absurd! I’m sure he always loved you – the same way I love Lissie!"

Brenda reached out to cover Jax’s hand with hers. "I know that you do, and I never meant that my father didn’t. It’s just that…….well……." She hesitated for a few seconds and then arched one eyebrow at Jax. "Do you remember what happened when you came into the kitchen this morning for breakfast?"

Jax frowned slightly in though. "Um……..I think……..I guess I heard her saying some nasty things about spending time with her grandmother for the holidays, and so……..so……."

"So it made you mad."

"Well…….." Jax’s expression was a combination of guilt and frustration. "Well, it’s just that she’s……that she……."

"She knows how to push your buttons."

"Yes." Jax grimaced. "Expertly." His pain broke Brenda’s heart. "But just because she drives me up the wall, that doesn’t mean I don’t love her!"

"Then TELL her that." Brenda pushed the food to the side and leaned forward. "The first thing – every time you see her." When she saw Jax take a breath to object, she cut him off. "Maybe not in those words, exactly." She chewed on her lower lip and then smiled. "Tell her good morning, or ask her how she slept, or compliment her on something she’s wearing……"

"Lissie??!!" Jax was incredulous. "When all she ever wears is black? Black clothes, black makeup……." He shook his head. "Thank God her hair’s already black or she’d try to dye it that color for sure."

"And I’m not *saying* that you need to keep your opinion about her dress to yourself. But tomorrow morning, before you tell her that she wears too much black, tell her that you missed seeing her at dinner last night. Or that you’re glad she’s wearing the ring you gave her for Christmas. Something – anything positive." Brenda took it as a sign of progress when Jax seemed to actually be considering her suggestion. "And then – once you’ve reassured her that you love her, you can tell her about the black thing. Not to be pushing her buttons, but just to let her know that’s how you’re feeling."

"And you really think that will help?"

Brenda shifted her weight on her seat and began to gesture broadly. "You and Lissie have been going at each other for so long that I think she’s come to see you as an opponent, not a parent. The minute you walked in that kitchen this morning, her defenses went up and she launched herself into full battle mode." She lifted her eyebrows slightly in accusation. "And you did the same, I think." She sat back a little in her chair as her mind drifted to the past. "Once my mother convinced my father to make sure I knew he loved me, we got along much better." Her giggle and grin reminded Jax of Christmas pixies. "I even took his suggestions every now and then."

Tension seemed to flow out of Jax’s body like a wave. He ran his fingers through his hair and then took a chicken nugget, swirling it playfully in the sauce. "Are you sure you won’t consider staying on with us through next summer?"

Brenda laughed aloud. "Next *summer*? This morning, it was just through Christmas!"

"That was before I realized that you were a miracle worker." Jax shrugged his shoulders self-consciously. "This morning I just thought that you were a genius."

"I’m NOT a genius!" Brenda couldn’t help but notice that as he popped the chicken nugget in his mouth, some of the sauce dribbled down onto his fingers.

"Well, I’d say there were at least three people in this world who would disagree." Jax leaned back in his chair. "Your references came in this morning, and they were pretty glowing, you know." He suddenly came up straight and searched through some papers on the side of his desk after quickly licking the sauce off his fingers. "And very fascinating to say the least."

{Uh-oh. And could you please stop licking your fingers like that? It’s making me very……..um……..warm.} "Fascinating how?"

"Well, it’s not every day that a nanny gives the Crown Princess of Baeristonburgh as one of her references. I mean, I know you said you were from there, but I’m curious as to just how you’re on such close personal terms with the royal family."

{Close personal terms. Yeah, you might say that.} Brenda sincerely hoped her cheeks didn’t look pale. Between the possibility of being caught in a lie and the velvet punch it delivered to her hormones to see Jax do such a thorough job of cleaning something with his tongue, she doubted that there was any blood left in her body north of her waist. "My…….uh……my older sister went to school with the eldest daughter in the royal family……."

"That would be this Crown Princess Julia person, I suppose." Jax nodded thoughtfully and then smiled. "She certainly thinks the world of you, Brenda."

"How sweet." {Change the subject – FAST!!} Brenda suddenly rose to her feet. "Well…since there’s really nothing else to report on the children and it’s been a long day, I think I’ll head off to bed….." She was about to turn for the door when she glanced closely at Jax’s face. "Oh……."

"What?"

"You……uh……" Brenda told herself it was just the new "nanny" instincts coming out in her. That she was just returning the favor Jax had done the other day when pointing out the tag on her jeans. "You still have some sauce….." She reached up towards his face and rubbed her thumb at the corner of his mouth. "……right here……"

Jax managed to stifle the groan that threatened to erupt when her thumb strayed over towards his lips. The minute she had mentioned the word "bed," the room temperature in his office had seemed to skyrocket. He kept telling himself that it was ridiculous……..that he shouldn’t feel like an adolescent boy the first time his physical maturity made its presence known.

"There…." Brenda smiled and straightened again.

{Don’t do it!! Don’t do it!!}

She did it.

Brenda appeared unaware of the effect it had on Jax’s libido when she sucked her thumb into her mouth to clean off the remnants of the sauce. "Mmmmm…….sweet and sour." She smacked her lips. "A man after my own taste!"

He was going to h*ll. That was certain. There was no way a man could save his soul when all he wanted to do was push the files and chicken nuggets aside, sweep Brenda into his arms, and make passionate love to her on his desk. And even worse – he didn’t just want to make love to her. He wanted to have sex – hot, steamy, passionate, sweaty sex. Jax had had his share of making polite, restrained lovemaking with Miranda. She was affectionate, but shy. She always responded to Jax’s romantic overtures, but never initiated them herself. He had realized one day shortly after she died that they had never made love with the lights on during their entire relationship.

{You’ve REALLY lost it this time, Jax! If Brenda ever found out about what you’re thinking this instant, she’d run for the hills and probably press charges against you for being a perverted sex maniac. No – Brenda Barrett is probably the kind of woman who wants a "happily ever after" kind of man. Not a man with a history – and kids – and a terminal case of the hots for her luscious body……..}

"I…….uh……." The thoughts running through Jax’s mind brought a blush to his cheeks that he couldn’t hide. He stared down at the floor and then looked up at her sheepishly. "Thank you. For everything."

{Thank you. For everything. Go away. Great. You COULD have offered to lick this sticky stuff off my fingers yourself, you know. After all, you’ve got such a talented tongue……} Brenda fought the heat that was creating a damp ache in her lower body. And then, she realized the probable cause for him not taking her up on the blatantly sensual gauntlet she had thrown down. {It’s YOU, Brenda. YOU and your d*mn sensible cotton panties and institutional white bra!! This drop-dead gorgeous man wants a voluptuous, sexy, enticing woman – not Little Mary Sunshine!}

She managed to smile and clasped her hands behind her back. "You’re welcome." Brenda went for the door but turned back at the last minute. "And thank you – for sharing your fries."

Jax took a breath and was about to ask her to share something *else* fast and hot but caught himself just in time. He had to get himself under control. Brenda Barrett was the best nanny the children could ever have, and he wasn’t about to lose her because he couldn’t keep his mind out of the gutter. He had to resist her considerable charms and keep his mind on business. Strictly business.

*^*^*^*^*^*

"Scott!"

Brenda’s hushed whisper caused the little boy to jump. He was crouched at the top of the stairs, intently watching something in the foyer below. She immediately got the feeling that he was eavesdropping on something secret and so she dropped her tone of voice and crept up next to him. "What ‘cha doin, pal?"

Maternal warmth flowed through Brenda when she sat down next to him and he snuggled his little body against hers. She ruffled his hair with her fingers and was rewarded with a low growl of contentment. Ever since his breakthrough at breakfast, there had been no more progress in turning Scottie the dog into Scott the boy. Jax had been called out of town on an emergency and Brenda spent most of two days keeping tabs on Lissie’s whereabouts and doing research at the library on child psychology – specifically, fantasies and role-playing.

"Thank you, Evelyn. I’ll just wait for Mr. Jacks in here and then we’ll join his mother in the car."

The sound of a husky feminine voice in the foyer drew Brenda’s attention. She was tall, and willowy, and blonde, and dressed in a long red gown covered with bugle beads that must have been made just to fit her every curve. The way she held her body was like a blinking neon sign – "I’m good, and I know it." In other words, she was the perfect match for Jax – and probably had never owned one single piece of white underwear in her life.

"Well, well, well…….." As Brenda watched silently and drew Scott closer to her, Lissie came into the foyer from a side hallway. She eyed the woman up and down critically. "If it isn’t Trashley Brent…….."

Ashley smiled sweetly. "Hello, Elizabeth." She returned Lissie’s uncomfortably close scrutiny and then leaned closer. "I hate to break it to you, dear," she whispered loudly, "but Halloween was two weeks ago."

"Really?" Lissie didn’t even bat an eye. "So then what’s *your* excuse?"

The smile never left Ashley’s face. "You know, dear, I’d be happy to take you to Elizabeth Arden for a makeover." She shook her head with mock pity. "You have such *wonderful* skin tones and features that it’s a shame to be ruining them with that black glop you insist on painting on your face."

"A makeover? At Elizabeth Arden? For little old me??" Lissie came closer to Ashley. "You know, Trashley, I think maybe you need some extra makeup of your own." She shook her head and flicked her fingers at Ashley’s face. "That concealer you’re using just doesn’t seem to be hiding that big brown spot you’ve got on your nose from sticking it up my @s……!"

"WELLLL……." Jax’s exuberant greeting as he entered the foyer prevented the two women from coming to blows. "If it isn’t my two favorite women in the world, getting to know each other better……."

Brenda didn’t even notice the fact that Jax had excluded her from his list of favorite women. She was too busy trying to control her breathing at the sight of him in a tuxedo. The blonde of his hair contrasted against the dark sheen of the tux only made him look that much more debonair. As he adjusted the cuffs of his sleeves, Ashley melted against him with a smile of delight.

"Jax!" She reached up to kiss his lips but was thwarted when Jax turned his face and she caught his cheek instead. Brenda felt Scott’s little body shudder with laughter and she stifled a chuckle herself. Ashley snaked one arm possessively around Jax’s waist. "Shouldn’t we be going? Your mother is waiting for us in the car, although I still can’t understand why you didn’t come to pick me up as we originally had planned……."

"Sorry, Ash." Jax glanced downwards towards her hip, which Ashley insisted on rubbing against his. Although she probably thought it was inflaming his manly desires, instead it made him feel as though *he* was the main course at the dinner tonight. "I just got in late this afternoon from Singapore and I wanted to clean up a little before the ball……"

"I could have saved you some time and hot water, darling," Ashley purred. Brenda snickered again when Lissie turned to the side and pressed her finger into her open mouth, imitating the act of gagging. The honking of a horn in the driveway brought a quick end to the near catfight, with Jax promising Lissie he’d be home early and giving her a kiss on the forehead before departing.

As Lissie slowly mounted the steps after they left, Brenda made a mental note to congratulate Jax on not jumping all over the teen at first sight for her dress or makeup. He was making progress. Now if she could just make as much headway with his son……

"Hi ‘ya, Scottie dog," Lissie called, affectionately rubbing her little brother’s head. It brought Brenda out of her reverie and she rose to her feet. "So," the teen drawled, glancing back down at the foyer. "Did you see dad’s latest bed warmer?"

"Lissie!" Brenda frowned down at Scott. "I hardly think you should talk like that in front of your brother!"

"Why not?" The teen shrugged as Brenda felt Scott’s body stiffen. "The little runt doesn’t know what they’re doing in addition to sleeping." Lissie sighed. "And he might as well get used to it. I have a feeling that if Trashley has anything to say about it, she’ll have a ring on her finger and be shipping me and Scottie dog off to boarding school before next Christmas."

Scott’s body quivered and Brenda saw his lower lip come out. "Lissie," she said firmly, "I think that’s more than enough from you……"

"Hey, dad’s always ragging on me to tell the truth, so here it is." She leaned down towards Scott. "If I was you, runt, I wouldn’t eat any apples from that broad." Brenda heard the sob in Scott’s chest and it ate at her heart. "Because with Trashley as our new stepmother, you just NEVER know where those apples have been!"

Scott’s anguished scream echoed in Brenda’s ears even after he dashed down the hall towards his room and slammed the door. She was about to go after him when she turned back towards Lissie with fire in her eyes. "I don’t know WHAT your problem is, Elizabeth Jane," she snarled, "but after I calm your brother down, you and I are going to have a LONG talk!!"

To be continued……..

Music credit: "You Oughta Know," music by Alanis Morissette and Glen Ballard, lyrics by Alanis Morissette, from the CD, "Jagged Little Pill"