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Mr. Jace’s house was everything I had expected it to be. It had stark white walls, dark hardwood flooring, leather couches, an oversized fireplace, granite countertops, stainless steel appliances, and floor to ceiling windows looking over an enclosed heated swimming pool and hot tub. I salivated at the baby grand piano in his living room. His house looked like a model home. It didn’t feel like it was lived in; the only exception was the pictures on the mantle.
I went over to look at them after Mr. Jace said he was going to slip into something more comfortable. I saw pictures of him in various stages of adolescence with five boys and a girl. There were also several pictures of Mr. Jace and a guy that looked to be around my age. From his dark good looks, I assumed it was his younger brother. They strongly resembled each other, but there were slight differences. His brother appeared to have grey eyes, instead of piercing blue, and he was broader in the shoulders. He also had a dimple on his right cheek and laughter lines around his eyes.
I wandered over to another photo where the boys looked younger, more somber. They were standing side by side in front of a tall brick building decked out in all white clothing that resembled a uniform of sorts. A strange feeling engulfed me as I stared at the picture. Something in the back of my memory seemed to want to break free…
“That’s me and Jaxson, my younger brother,” Jace said from behind me, startling me.
“Sorry,” I apologized. “Didn’t mean to snoop.”
He grinned easily. I noticed he looked a lot more relaxed in a pair of Knightstown sweats and a black t-shirt that hugged his muscular chest and biceps. “They are on display for a reason.” He had a slight frown when he saw the picture in my hand. “That was the day we got out of the institute.”
I looked up at him in surprise. “Like a mental institute?”
He chuckled as the fine hairs on my arms stood on end. “No, nothing like that, but that’s a story for another time. Let’s eat!” He suggested.
“Let’s eat!” Ella cried happily. She was patiently waiting at the dining room table next to the bags of food.
I was highly curious what institute Mr. Jace mentioned, but I knew he shut down that discussion. He wouldn’t say any more until he was ready.
Our whole trailer could probably fit in the kitchen and formal dining room, I thought as I sat down at the large dining room table that easily sat fourteen people.
Mr. Jace had gone overboard with our order. He had ordered several appetizers like steamed dumplings, crab Rangoon, and spring rolls. Then he ordered quarts of lo Mein noodles, fried rice, sautéed broccoli, sweet and sour chicken, General Tso’s chicken, and beef and broccoli. For dessert, he ordered the little donuts covered in sugar. I didn’t see how we were going to eat it all, and he had refused any help paying for it.
I served Ella first, as I always did, before serving myself.
“So, Ella, what grade are you in?” Mr. Jace asked kindly. He had been engaging her in conversation all night, and I could see she loved the male attention. Her perception of men was worse than mine. She never knew a loving father as I had.
“Second.” She smiled around a mouthful of noodles.
“What’s your favorite subject?” he asked with a laugh.
“Reading and recess,” she answered without batting an eye.
We both laughed, much to her surprise; to her, her answer was perfectly logical.
“Do you live here all by yourself?” she asked with wide eyes, taking a break from shoveling more food in her mouth.
He smiled indulgently at her. “I do. Do you play an instrument as well? Maybe the piano?”
Ella’s face fell. “No. Blake says if we ever find a keyboard at the thrift store maybe she’ll get it. Then she can teach me.”
I winced inwardly. I had to remind Ella to watch her tongue. I didn’t want her giving away too much about our situation. She seemed to feel comfortable around him, but I wasn’t.
Mr. Jace looked at me with one of his enigmatic looks. He was presumably processing this new information. How did I tell someone to back off before they did more damage than good?
“I’m sure she will,” he told her reassuringly. “I’m sure she’s very resourceful when she wants to be.”
Ella nodded with a smile. “She does a lot for me.”
We continued dinner, and I found myself trying to steer the conversation to lighter topics. Mr. Jace seemed to finally get the picture and stopped probing. He was already pushing Ella to return so she could go swimming; she was extremely excited about this prospect. She never had the luxury of swimming on a daily basis as I had in the past. In fact, she could barely swim. I was able to take her to a public pool a few times over the years, but it wasn’t the same.
It started getting later, and Ella was fighting exhaustion as I had for hours now. I was more than content, surprisingly, to curl up on one of the couches after dinner and watch Mr. Jace teach Ella the basics of the piano. It looked like she had the same natural inclination to it as our dad and I.
“If you want,” Mr. Jace said to me. “I have additional bedrooms, and you’re more than welcome to stay…for as long as you want.”
I shook my head. “Thank you, but no. Heidi wouldn’t like that.”
I didn’t think she would notice, but I had a feeling Tom would compel her into action if we didn’t come home. He seemed determined to get closer to me; I hated him.
