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But they did have an audience. Her siblings. And his little sister. Heather was watching with wide eyes.
She leaned away from him. “I’m fine. Thanks.”
“Travis.” Emmy shook her head, but she was smiling. “That was mean.”
“It’s a brother’s prerogative.” Travis was staring at Krystal, looking like the cat that ate the canary. “More pics to add to my ever-growing collection.”
“Who’s playing?” Emmy asked.
“Go ahead.” Krystal waved her away.
“This is sort of like a dream.” Heather continued to stroke a softly snoring Clementine. “I mean, no one would believe this. This sort of thing doesn’t happen to normal people.” Her brown eyes widened. “Not that you’re not normal. You are way…better than normal. What am I doing? I so need to stop talking… Sorry.”
Krystal smiled, stirring the remains of her perfect vanilla shake with a long red-striped straw. “Don’t be. I get it.” She shrugged. “Honestly? I’d be okay living a normal life.”
Heather frowned. “Why? I mean…why? When you have this?” She pointed at Travis, Jace, and Emmy, staring at the illuminated scoreboard over their lane of the deserted bowling alley. “You guys rented out a bowling alley. After hours. And the kitchen opened.” She nodded at the table, covered in pizza crust, cheesy fries, empty burger wrappers, and a variety of soda and ice cream shake cups.
Krystal felt bad about this. The bowling alley had been closing up when they got there, but Travis had knocked on the door, and, suddenly, the whole place was at their beck and call. Money was a powerful incentive. And the bragging rights. They had taken a handful of pics with the owners—a small thank-you for the immense accommodation considering the late hours and cleanup the owners would be facing after they left. “Travis tends to get his way when he turns on the charm.”
“I don’t think they mind.” Heather smiled at the older couple watching them, smiling, from the counter that ran the length of the bowling alley.
Krystal was too busy watching Jace bend forward to pick up his ball to answer. No doubt about it, tonight had turned her into a bowling fan.
Jace turned, winked at Heather, and smiled at Krystal.
“My brother likes you.” For the first time all night, Heather’s smile wobbled.
Krystal wasn’t sure what was more worrisome: Heather’s observation or her vanishing smile. What was she supposed to say? What was there to say?
“It’s just that, after everything he’s been through, I’m a little overprotective of him.” Heather shrugged. “The television show sort of dragged it all up again. They thought his story made for good drama.” She shook her head. “Like it was a story? And just when he was starting to get over it. Well, maybe not over it—I don’t think he’ll ever be over it.” She blew out a long breath, her brown eyes locking on her brother’s back. “But, you know, it was everywhere.”
Krystal had no idea what she was talking about. Maybe if she’d watched the tapes her father had sent her, she’d know what the show had brought up and what Jace was starting to get over. “You lost me.”
Heather frowned, studying her long and hard before her expression cleared. “You have no idea my brother was married?”
“No.” It made sense. Jace was a good guy; she was beginning to believe that. “What happened?” If the rest of the world knew, it didn’t seem like too invasive a question. Besides, what sort of woman would let Jace Black go?
“They died.” Heather’s voice dropped, wavering.
The air in her lungs grew thick and heavy, and heat crawled up the sides of her neck and into her face. White-hot. All the ice cream and pizza and french fries were a bad idea. She didn’t want to know. She didn’t. “They?” It was a whisper.
“My nephew.” Heather sniffed. “Ben. He was almost two.”
Krystal stood up. She didn’t know where she was going or why, but she had to move. That wasn’t the answer she’d expected. His wife and her boyfriend maybe? That would have been good drama. His wife and son? That wasn’t a story. That was a tragedy. A nightmare. One there was no waking up from. “I’m so sorry, Heather.” Jace had lost a wife and son. Heather had lost a sister-in-law and nephew. “I had no ide
a.”
Heather nodded, watching her. “I guess I thought the whole world knew by now.”
She shook her head, trying, and failing, not to look Jace’s way. “I feel… I’ve been so hard on him. Teasing him.” Relentlessly. If she wasn’t glaring or throwing verbal grenades his way, there was the other thing—the visceral, near-electric arc connecting the two of them and threatening nuclear meltdown.
“Maybe that’s why he likes you so much. You treat him normally.”
He must have known she was staring at him because he turned to look their way. A quick double take between her and Heather almost had him heading over, but Travis stopped him, pointing at the scoreboard and pulling him back into the game.
“I know you like him too. And I’m glad. I mean, hello, he might be my brother, but I know he’s one of the good guys and he deserves like a really, really good woman. Who will love him more than anyone or anything else, you know?” Heather cleared her throat. “If that’s you, and I think it might be, just know that about him. That he’s been through a lot. Like a lot, a lot. And it wouldn’t be fair for him to go through something like that again. Right?”
Krystal nodded. Heather was a sweet kid but she couldn’t be more wrong. It’s not me. The heat in her face was drying her throat until the urge to cough was overwhelming. She picked up her shake and finished it off, closing her eyes against the telltale sting.
