Free January (Calendar Girl #1) Anthology Anthology by Audrey Carlan

slim man with tortoiseshell glasses trailed behind her.
    “Hey, sis,” Wes greeted her, then pulled the pretty woman into his arms. She drew back and clasped his jaw.
    “Lookin’ good, Wes.”
    Wes smiled wide. Wider than I’d seen other than when he was tickling me. “Sis, I’d like you to meet my friend , Mia.” He placed a hand low on my back.
    I held out my hand. “Hi, Jeananna, right?”
    She nodded and shook my hand. “So…” she drew out the word looking at her brother then at me. “Friend, eh?”
    Wes chuckled. “Yes, Sis, friend .” He emphasized the word ‘friend’.
    She rolled her eyes. “Whatever,” she said as her blonde hair bobbed and her green eyes sparkled with happiness.
    After full introductions were done and we were at the table, that’s where the fun really began.
    “So Mia, what is it that you do?” Jeananna asked me. “Did you two meet on the job?”
    I looked over at Wes and could see he was at a loss for words. “You could say that,” I hedged shoveling in a bite of quiche.
    Without preamble, Claire Channing butted in. “Oh please. Of course you met on the job. Mia’s an escort. I picked her out myself. Don’t I have the best taste, Wes?” Claire’s tone was nonchalant, unbothered by the fact that in normal circumstances, it was unusual to pick out an escort for your son. Definitely high on the bizarre-meter. .
    Jeananna’s eyes widened in shock. “You’re a call girl?”
    Both Wes and I spoke at the same time. “What did you say?” I said as Wes scolded, “No she’s not!”
    I blanched. That quiche suddenly felt heavy in my gut. “So you’re not sleeping with my brother?” she asked not a hint of malice to her tone. She could’ve been asking about the weather.
    “Um…” I started to respond.
    “That’s none of your business.” Wes stood and threw his napkin on the table. Redness colored his cheeks and neck. “I will not have you insinuate such hateful things about Mia.”
    Jeananna stood up and ran around the table. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry. It wasn’t intentional! I just heard the word escort and you know, came to the wrong conclusion. I didn’t mean anything by it.” She worried her lip.
    Claire stood up, “Now, now, Jeananna didn’t mean any harm. It was a simple mistake,” she placated but Wes wasn’t having it.
    “Not simple,” he grated. “Mia is my friend, and she may have been hired to help me get through a month’s worth of tedious lunches, dinners, and events, but she’s not a lady of the night.” His eyes snapped to mine. “Sorry, sweetheart,” his eyes shone bright with remorse. I knew then I had to make it right.
    I took a deep breath in. “Look, it was a simple mistake. I thought the same thing when my Aunt Millie broached the subject. But I decided to give it a shot, and I’m glad I did. Meeting Wes, and now you all has been quite the highlight of the experience for me.” Claire’s eyes warmed and she took her seat, as did Jeananna after she hugged her brother. “Besides, have you seen the shoes I scored?” Right then I turned in my seat and put my leg out to the sky like my dance teacher taught me to do back in high school. “Hot as hell!”
    Claire’s hand went over her mouth, covering her laughter. Jeananna looked at my heels with a hint of envy. Her husband didn’t say anything but stared at my leg as if it held the answers to the universe, and Wes’s dad clapped him on the shoulder with a “Well done, Son!”
    “Anyway, I want to know more about you guys.” I changed the subject and took a sip of my champagne and OJ. “Wes here tells me you’re a teacher, and you’re a principal. How does that work out?”
    The rest of the afternoon went off without a hitch. Claire and Weston, the Second, along with Jeananna and her husband, Peter, shared story after story of Wes as a baby and growing up in the Channing family. I laughed more in that afternoon than I had in the last year. The lighthearted vibe was