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Olivia looks thoughtful for a while. “Do you want to read it?”
Chapter 13: Olivia
I regret the words as soon as they leave my mouth. Jace reading my work is a little too close for comfort. He’ll hate me, even more, the day he discovers that I’m a journalist by profession. It doesn’t matter, I comfort myself. He’ll still hate me either way.
“I’d love to read it,” Jace says with genuine enthusiasm and I can’t retract my offer.
I set my glass on the table and leave to get the physical copy of the draft. A rolling sensation comes over my stomach. I’m nervous which is silly as writing is my profession. Over the years, my articles have been read by thousands.
That reminder does not ease my nervousness.
I return to the kitchen and wordlessly hand it to Jace. He flashes me a smile then his features become solemn as he reads. I’ve edited it so many times, the words are ingrained in my brain. Ivy and Alec have such a riveting love story; I wish everybody could read it.
It gives me hope that one day I too will find love as it’s found in the most unlikely of places. I drain my wine and contemplate Jace. What if he’s the one but by lying to him, I’ve destroyed any chance of us having a future together? I shift in my chair looking for a comfortable spot.
What if I came clean now? Told him that I’m working undercover and in real life I’m a journalist working for a magazine. Maybe he’d say he understands and forgive me. What would be important is that I’ve told him the truth. I almost laugh aloud at my own naivety. As if Jace would forgive such a thing. I wouldn’t blame him either. Why did I think that I could pull this off without my feelings getting involved? I already like him too much. When we’re not together or he’s not just an office away, I miss him.
Then there’s my job. Am I willing to sacrifice it for this affair? The answer is a resolute no. My career is too important to me and I love working at Lifestyle magazine. It feels like my home.
“Wow!” Jace says. He has tears in his eyes. “That’s a beautiful story. You’ve captured the emotions perfectly and made me understand Ivy’s side better. I always looked at the whole thing from my brother’s viewpoint.”
Happiness reverberates through me. I want to jump up and down. “You really like it?”
“I love it. Ivy will love it too. You’re writing is so good I’d pay for it. Hang on, I have an idea,” Jace says, his eyes gleaming. “Would you like to do some writing part-time for us at the clinic? We’re redoing our brochures and we want stories like this to include. We’d pay you for it of course.”
My jaw drops and my mind works overtime. This will mean access to the fertility clinic and the staff who man it. Then there’s the added bonus of writing the kind of stories that I love while investigating the clinic. It’ll be good practice and loads of fun.
“Yes!” I go to him and hug him from behind. “Thank you. That means a lot to me and I promise it won’t interfere with my work.”
“Oh I’m not worried about that at all,” Jace says, pulling me around to sit on his lap. He looks at me with so much emotion in his eyes that guilt almost suffocates me.
Tell him!everything in me screams but it’s too late. If I tell him now, I’ll never see him again and I’m not ready to lose Jace Anderson.
“When are you going to send it to Ivy?” he asks.
“Soon.” The article is ready but I’m terrified, to be honest.
“You’re being chicken,” Jace says, seeing right through me. “It’s very well written. Best thing I’ve read in ages. Go on and send it to her.” He gently nudges me out of his lap.
“Okay, boss,” I say and give him a mock salute. As I turn to walk away, Jace slaps my ass. “I’ll get you for that,” I tell him before I disappear from his view, but I’m grinning.
I grab my laptop and sit down on the bed, propping my back against the headboard. I click to open the article and read through it once more. Not that it needs any more changes. I’d already saved Ivy’s email address and after inhaling deeply, I hit send.
I shut my laptop and sit on the bed terrified. I make myself stand up and return to the kitchen. Jace has already poured another glass of wine for me. I sit for it and take a huge sip.
“I texted Ivy to tell her to watch out for your email,” he says.
“What? Jace!” I cry out. “You shouldn’t have done that. It’s better she finds it when finds it.”
“There’s no way I’m going to sit here for hours twirling my thumbs,” Jace says. “Relax, it’ll be fine. You’re a very good writer.”
“Let’s talk about something else,” I tell him. “Tell me, do you have a favorite among your brothers?”
He laughs. “Nope, I’m close to both of them.” He drinks his wine and then says, “You rarely talk about your brother.”
I can’t deny that because it’s true. It’s not just Marcus I don’t talk about with Jace, it’s a lot of things. I worry that I might say something that will give away who I am. Since I can’t sieve all of it, I find it easier to not say anything. “What do you want to know?”
“His name for starters,” Jace says. “You’re the most secretive person I know. If I didn’t know any better, I’d bet you worked for the FBI.”
