“Why? That was rude. Sorry, I don’t need to know.”
He shook his head. “It’s okay to ask.” Jump put the burgers on the hot grill, loving how the meat sizzled. His mouth watered thinking about how good these would taste. “His mother has cancer, and it doesn’t look good.”
“Oh no. That’s awful. One of the women died of cancer. it was terrible.”
Jump smiled, thinking she was very compassionate for someone who had lived through such hell. “His sister is coming here to live with him. She’s eighteen.”
“Is she married?”
Jump opened his mouth to say something but pressed his lips together. “No, she’s not.”
“I was the odd one out in the cult since I wasn’t living with the man my father chose by the time I was sixteen. I think the only reason why my father kept me with him was because of the money stuff. He wasn’t looking out for me or thinking thatit would be better for me not to have a husband and kid by seventeen years old.”
Jump couldn’t imagine the world she’d grown up in. He would have been a bad fit for that type of family. Though he was Navy, and knew how to take orders, he was a little too opinionated to go with whatever other people wanted. “I’m sorry that was how you grew up. It was absolutely wrong.”
She stood and moved closer to him. “The thing about all of it, I knew it was wrong, but I didn’t know how to get out. The day I found my escape, I took it. Before my dad and the kids died, I’d thought about running, but I wasn’t sure how. With no one alive who could legally complain about me taking the money, I knew it was my time. If I’d taken off when my father had been alive, he would have accused me of stealing the money.”
“How many siblings did you lose in the crash?”
“Eight. We weren’t close. The time I spent with them we were watched like a hawk. I had to measure my words carefully.”
“That is so wrong.”
She nodded. “I just didn’t know how wrong it was until I left. Then I started reading. I also took classes at the community college, but just basics. I don’t know what I want to do.”
“You’re smart. I’m sure there’s something out there for you.”
He didn’t want to push too hard, but he hoped she found something she liked doing. If she could find something she was passionate about, she would like it better than just having a random job. He loved his job in the Navy. He considered it an honor to be a part of a SEAL team. Not everyone could find a job they loved as much as he loved being a SEAL, and not everyone should. But he wanted Blakely to have something special that she believed in.
CHAPTER TEN
Being free to work in a career she picked was almost overwhelming. How could she do only one thing?
“I’m not sure how to pick a field to study. The last thing I want is to be trapped.”
“I get that.”
“There’s no way I could sit at a desk all day.”
He nodded as he flipped the burgers. “Yeah, a desk job would be hard for me. I don’t think I could sit around all day. It would wear on me.”
“I have no idea what kind of jobs are out there.”
He nodded. “There are so many kinds of jobs. Do you like working with animals?”
She shrugged. “Kind of.”
“There are veterinarians, and medical techs for veterinarians. We have a great zoo program here. There are jobs at the zoo. And if don’t want to work with animals, you could be a medical tech at a doctor’s office. Or you could be a teacher, or a tour guide. Restaurants need cooks, servers, bartenders. If you’re into wine, there are sommeliers who know everything about wine.”
She curled her nose. “I don’t think I’ve ever drank wine. I think it smells bad, though. So that wouldn’t be for me.”
His laughter floated around the yard. “Leftover wine that has been sitting out doesn’t smell good at all. Some wines can smell great, but liking or disliking wine really depends on the drinker.”
“I’m not a drinker. We weren’t allowed to drink. At least the women weren’t.”
Jump rolled his eyes. “Sorry, but that’s dumb.”
“Yeah, they had a lot of dumb rules.”