Taking a Gamble on Three of a Kind (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Read Online Free PDF

God for that.” Jenny sighed. “I’ll call the insurance company and get a list of doctors that specialize in this kind of thing, and then I’ll make you an appointment.”
    “You don’t have to do that. I can do it.”
    “I rather do it myself. I want you to get better, Mom. You have to get better.”
    “You’re right. I’ve made such a mess of things,” she said, the tears flowing once again.
    Jenny sat staring her mother. She wanted to put her arms around her and tell her everything would be okay the way her mother had done when she was a child. But instinctively, she knew she had to be strong, and the one thing she couldn’t do was enable her mother to continue this insane behavior that had landed them both into such a financial mess.
    “Mom, I need you to promise me you’re not going back there.”
    “I promise. I don’t want to go back. I really won’t.”
    “That’s a beginning. I want to look over all the bills, checking account statements, and any other accounts you might still have. I need a clear picture of what we’re facing. It’s the only way to see if there’s a way out of this.”
    Between a couple pots of coffee and sandwiches, the rest of the morning and early afternoon was spent poring over her mother’s accounts. Most everything was online, including her checking account. Jenny could see the deductions that were taken out at the casino. They were staggering in the amount and the frequency. She wanted to cry, but that wouldn’t change anything. In the end, she knew what had to be done.
    If they were to save the house, she had to speak with a few of their creditors to see if she could hopefully lower their interest rates. She also needed to get a real job. Not some summer internship or part-time hourly job, but a full-time job that paid decent money. They still had a small retirement check from her father that went directly into the account that had once held their savings. She could see from her mother’s records that her commissions had been rather good of late. However, they weren’t always consistent. But even if her mother’s commissions remained on the high side, there was no way she could even think about going back to school. The money wasn’t there, and in good conscience, she couldn’t leave her mother now.
    No matter how much she enjoyed living on her own and pursuing her degree, she had no choice but to give up her lease along with the life she had made for herself that was far removed from her life in Brilliance. She was respected by her professors and her peers. Her friends at school were going to be shocked when she told them the news and she would have tell them soon since four of them were living in her apartment over the summer.
    Jenny put her pen down and looked across the table at her mother. “It’s going to take us a few years to get this under control. But I think we can do it as long as I’m working. We’re never going to get back our savings. That’s gone. But we can survive as long as you never step foot into another casino or gamble in any way. Do you understand?”
    “I do understand, and I’m grateful to you, Jenny. I never wanted you to know how far I’d fallen. I never wanted to burden you with this. The fact that you can’t go back to school is killing me.”
    “Nothing can be done about that now. But we’re going to get through this.”
    “This is the first time I feel like maybe I can beat this thing. But you’re right. I need help.”
    “I’ll call tomorrow. We’ll find someone you can talk to.”
    “Could you make it someone who doesn’t live in Brilliance?”
    “Of course. No one need ever know about this, Mom.”
    “You won’t tell Jack, then?”
    “No, I’m not going to tell him anything as long as you’re moving in the right direction. Do you love him?” The question just popped out without forethought.
    “I’ve always loved him.”
    “What do you mean, you’ve always loved him?”
    “I’m sorry. I didn’t