home.”
Jace was moved. As much as he’d been enjoying his solitude, having
family here made it feel like a real holiday.
“Of course there is one other reason,” Michelle said.
Before Jace could ask what she meant, the doorbell rang again. He
went to buzz Greg in, grinning as the elevator brought both his best
friend and his nephew to him. Greg looked great, as always. Jace saw
plenty of parents during flights who seemed in a constant state of
exhaustion. Greg positively glowed. An early morning spent opening
presents and a long drive to Texas, and Greg looked like he could still
run a marathon. Even now, burdened down by diaper bags and lord only
knew what else, he carried his son like he was a trophy.
“Howdy, partner!” Greg said in an exaggerated accent. Or maybe he
was channeling John Wayne.
“I keep telling you,” Jace said, taking Preston from him, “nobody
talks like that here.”
“Nah, they must,” Greg said dismissively.
Once they were inside, he slung the bags down. Emma, still chasing
Samson, tripped and hit the floor. Then she started to cry. Preston,
having spotted the cat, began to scream with joy—one long high-pitched
wail that seemed endless. Already Jace felt one of his headaches coming
on.
Greg beamed at Jace. “Did Michelle tell you yet? We’re moving in!”
* * * * *
They were kidding. Almost.
After a couple hours of using outdoor voices, stomping around, and
spilling glasses of orange juice, the kids had finally crashed. Greg carried
Emma and Preston up to the loft bed where they now slept. Since then,
the adults had been conversing in whispers around the coffee table.
“You’re really moving to Houston?” Jace repeated.
“Yes,” Greg said.
“Maybe,” Michelle countered.
“I was at a conference in October,” Greg said, “and met an agent
who works down here. We had some drinks at the bar that night, which
loosened his tongue about the kind of money he’s making. You know I
love Warrensburg, but I’m lucky to move a house for anywhere near
$200,000.”
“You sold that one on Hillary Street,” Michelle said proudly.
Greg smiled at her before addressing Jace. “There are homes here
worth millions. Moving down would be a risk, since I’d be starting from
scratch again, but—”
“You’ll do great,” Jace interrupted. “That’s not flattery. I want you
guys here, but I also don’t want your kids to starve. If I didn’t think
you’d be successful, I’d tell you not to risk it.”
“It’ll be a risk either way.” Greg shook his head as if he was no
longer sure. “I’m a big fish in a small pond right now.”
“More like a small puddle,” Jace interjected.
“Regardless, I’ll have to work hard to get myself established.”
“You can start by ditching the hokey accent,” Jace said. “Oh, and
there’s one other thing.”
Greg sat upright with concern. “What?”
“It’ll be a major sacrifice for you.”
“What is it? Tell me.”
Jace did his best to look reluctant. “The mustache will have to go.
They’re not in style here at all. The Texans say you can tell how
dishonest a man is by how much he hides his face.”
Greg looked to Michelle.
“I’d understand,” she said. “You’d be doing it for the family.”
“All right,” Greg said. “But I’m getting a cowboy hat. And one of
those big belt buckles.”
Michelle winced.
Jace laughed. “You’ll fit right in.”
Chapter Twenty-two
Jace found himself playing tour guide the next day, a task easier than
he expected. Greg was most interested in driving through areas he’d
researched, stopping at homes for sale to gather brochures or talk to the
owners. When the kids became impatient, the adults would do anything
to prevent more screaming, be it an emergency trip to a playground or a
visit to McDonald’s for a Happy Meal. In the evening, Michelle
requested what she called mommy time, which had little to do with
actually being a mother. Instead, Greg took the kids back to the hotel
with him.
Jace was glad for the one-on-one time. Greg was family now, but
there were some things he still felt more comfortable discussing only
with her.
They settled down on the couch together. Samson was curled up on
Jace’s stomach, perhaps feeling the need to compete with the baby inside
Michelle.
“How are they?” he asked.
“Fine,” Michelle said, understanding immediately. “Mom and Dad
will outlive us both, I swear. I don’t worry anymore. You should see
them. It’s like they’re teenagers again.”
“Really?”
Michelle nodded. “Did you know Dad is selling the stores? He’s
finally retiring. All he and Mom talk about are their travel plans. I think
they’re trying to say it’s all right.”
“You moving here?”
“Yeah. Not that I think they’re faking. They’re total love birds lately.
It’s repulsive.” Michelle rubbed her belly affectionately before
considering him. “What about you?”
“Love?” Jace laughed nervously. “No.”
“What’s it been, a year since the last one?”
“Not that long,” Jace said, doing some mental calculations. “More
like eleven months.”
Michelle snorted. “Big difference, although I can understand why
you’ve been counting the days. Mark was weird. Can a person be too
friendly? Because I think he was.”
“Mark was a little needy, yeah.”
“Anyway, isn’t it time to try again? You can’t tell me no one wants
my handsome big brother.”
Jace broke eye contact, a smile coming unwilled.
“I knew it!” Michelle said, trying in vain to sit up. “What’s his
name?”
“Ben,” Jace said. “And he’s just some guy I gave my phone number
to. He’ll probably never call.”
“Just some guy,” Michelle said, nudging him. “They’re all ‘just some
guy’ until you take them home with you. Oh, those were the days!”
“My sister the player, brought down by children.”
“No regrets here,” Michelle said. “I’d do it all again. Still, this one
really is the last. I didn’t get that degree in psychology to play shrink to
my family, handy as it may be.”
“So what do you want to do?”
“Once the kids are all in school?” She paused thoughtfully. “I think
I’d like to work with children.”
Jace laughed. “That’s like a fisherman retiring so he has more time to
go fishing.”
“True. But I want to help, you know what I mean? Not everyone’s so
lucky.”
“Not everyone has Greg,” Jace agreed. “Or a wonderful mother like
you.”
Michelle smiled at the compliment. “Or such an awesome uncle.
Preston loves the stuffed tiger you sent.”
“And Emma?”
“She wanted a Power Ranger, not a Barbie.”
“Ah. Well, the stores are open again tomorrow. Think she’ll forgive
me?”
“If you deliver the goods.”
Jace moved Samson onto a cushion and excused himself so he could
use the restroom. While he was in there, he couldn’t help but feel
envious about everything his sister and Greg had together. That he would
soon share a bigger role in their lives made him happy. Family in
Houston! Maybe his parents would eventually move down here too.
The phone rang while he was checking himself in the mirror. He
heard his sister say that she would get it, so he didn’t feel rushed. Until
he considered who could be calling. Jace hurried out of the bathroom.
His sister had the phone pressed to her ear, wearing the look on her face.
The one that said “Ha ha! I’m making my brother’s life hell and having
so much fun in the process!”
“Who is this?” she demanded sternly, sounding like a suspicious
wife.
Jace rushed her. If she wasn’t pregnant, he would have tackled her to
the ground. Michelle cackled like a witch, giving up the phone without
too much struggle.
“Idiot!” he scolded before bringing the receiver to his ear. “Sorry,
this is Jace.”
“Hey, it’s Ben. Look, did I call at a bad time?”
“Ben! Hey!” Why did the room suddenly feel like there wasn’t
enough oxygen? “No, not a bad time at all. That was just my sister. She
enjoys destroying my social life.”
“I know what you mean,” Ben said sympathetically. “I have one of
those too.”
“Yeah, they’re a pain.” Jace watched Michelle make a face as she
put on her coat. “She was just leaving anyway. Hold on.” He covered the
phone. “Are you sure you can drive? It’s late!”
“Aside from barely fitting behind the wheel, I do fine.”
“I should at least walk you to the car.”
Michelle waved away the offer. “I’m fine. Really. I can’t remember
what it’s like not to be pregnant.”
“Okay. Love you.”
“Love you too. Good luck!”
When his sister closed the door behind her, he took a deep breath and
raised the phone. “So, what did Santa bring you for Christmas?” he
asked.
Ben laughed. “What?”
“For Christmas. What did you get?”
“Uh, actually I haven’t even opened my presents yet. I’ve been with
my friend almost the whole time since landing. My parents are probably
dying to see me, actually.”
“They’ll have to wait,” Jace said. “Do you want to meet tonight?”
“It’s almost midnight!”
“Is it already?” Jace checked the clock. He’d been talking to
Michelle for hours. “You see what flying so much does to you? I have no
concept of time anymore.”
“Tomorrow would be good,” Ben said.
That was a promising sign. No small talk to decide if they should
actually meet or not. Now they just needed a place. “Can you ice skate?”
“No.”
“Excellent! Why don’t we meet at the Galleria Ice Rink? Do you
know where that is?”
The line was quiet a moment. “Of course.”
“Next to the skate rental booth. Around dinner time?” This time the
pause was even longer. Maybe Jace was moving too fast. “I’m not a
serial killer or anything. It’s just that I would prefer to stare into those
lovely brown eyes of yours when we talk.”
“My eyes are green,” Ben said.
Jace checked his memory and smiled. “No, they aren’t. I’ll prove it
to you tomorrow. Seven o’clock?”
“Yeah, all right.” Ben sounded upbeat again. “Central time zone.
Don’t forget.”
“I won’t, promise.” Then for good measure, Jace added, “Go see
your parents tomorrow!”
“All right, all right! Geez. You’d think we were married already.”
“Now who’s rushing things? Goodnight, Ben.”
“Goodnight.”
Jace hung up the phone and in his excitement, spun around to face
the apartment. He wanted to tell someone the good news, but as usual,
only one living soul was there.
“Hey, Samson,” he said. “I’ve got a date! Want to give me a
makeover?”
Still exhausted from the onslaught of children earlier, Samson buried
his face beneath one paw and continued sleeping.
* * * * *
Shoppers swarmed around Jace, hungry for bargains or desperate to
exchange unwanted gifts. This never failed to surprise him. The buildup
to Christmas was filled with stressful shopping. Most people were glad
when it was over, but only a few days later, the mall corridors were again
stuffed with eager consumers. To seek out more stress after the holidays
seemed like madness. Of course, trying to start a new relationship wasn’t
exactly relaxing either.
Waiting by the skate rental booth, he kept his eye on the elevator, the
most likely place Ben would appear. He quelled any nervousness by
telling himself nothing would come of this. Spontaneous flirtation was
one thing. Trying to sustain the mood was wholly different. On a rare
night out at a gay bar, Jace had met a hot guy on the dance floor.
Together they had spun and sweat and smiled for an hour. Before the
dancer’s friends dragged him away, they had exchanged numbers and
agreed to meet. When they did, the chemistry they felt on the dance floor
was nowhere to be found. The guy had been shy in public and didn’t
have anything of interest to say. The night had been awkward and
unsatisfying, probably like this evening would be.
And yet, every time the elevator dinged and the doors slid open, Jace
stood on his toes to get a better look. When a guy with medium-length
blond hair stumbled out, uncertainty crinkling his forehead, Jace doubted
the night would be boring. At the very least, he’d be doing his best to
impress, because there was something about Ben that made him hopeful.
Maybe it was the way he assessed Jace, sizing him up instead of
undressing him with his eyes. Ben wasn’t easy, and that made him
instantly more appealing.
Jace waved, not that he needed to, and smiled as Ben walked to him.
Slowly the look of concern became more optimistic. That was good. The
dim lights of a nighttime flight could be flattering, so he hoped Ben
wasn’t disappointed with what he saw.
“Hey,” Jace said. “Fancy meeting you here.”
Ben returned his smile. “Yeah, what were the odds?”
Were they supposed to shake hands? Or hug? Jace opted for putting
a hand on Ben’s back to guide him toward the line for renting skates. Not
exactly the most stimulating of situations.
“So how are you?” Jace asked. “How’s your friend?”
“I’m fine. She’s a mess. Uh, how’s your sister?”
Jace chuckled. “Oh, you know. Same ol’ same ol’.”
“Right, of course.” Ben took a deep breath. “So…”
“So.” Was it over already? God, why hadn’t Jace suggested they
meet somewhere more exciting, like in the middle of a hurricane? He had
to say something. Anything! “I’m just throwing this out there, but what if
we end up spending years and years together? People will ask us about
our first date, and we’ll have to tell them how we shuffled our feet
awkwardly while waiting for ice skates.”
Ben blinked at him.
“That was supposed to be funny,” Jace said.
“Oh! Yeah, it was.” Ben managed a pitiful laugh.
Jace was bombing, and hard. Luckily they were next in line. “What’s
your shoe size?” he asked.
Ben did an imitation of a fish out of water before closing his mouth.
“I can’t remember.”
Then it became clear that maybe they were both feeling a little
nervous. Unless Ben didn’t actually know his own shoe size. Funny
thing, first dates. The other person could be crazy, stupid, brilliant, or
any number of possibilities. All anyone could do is talk, send out signals,
and see how the other person reacted.
