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An orphan… I can’t get the word out of my mind. Why didn’t Jace ever mention that? How does it feel to grow up without a family?
I grab my phone and start writing in my notepad app. My tipsy brain often comes up with the best lines, and if I don’t write them down, they’ll be swallowed by the next morning’s hangover.
My screen lights up with a message.
Chad: Hey, doll, missing you tonight. What are you doing?
It’s Friday night, so of course he’s drinking and probably looking for a hook up. After our swift one-month dating and breakup, he’s still looking for a second chance.
Another message comes.
Then another.
Irritated, I finally respond.
Me: Out with friends.
Chad: Where?
“Who’s texting you?” Becky asks, annoyed and curious.
“Ugh, it’s Chad.”
Becky rolls her eyes. “He’s horny. Please, don’t tell him where we are.”
Jace shifts in his seat. “You have a boyfriend?”
I meet his searching gaze, etched with what I think is disappointment. His eyes are so much more intense without those glasses like he’s looking through me.
Tito breaks my stupor. “She doesn’t. It’s her ex. He wants her back and wants to tap her because he didn’t get to, and it’s driving him insane.”
I smile, slightly embarrassed at the truth, and Jace’s expression softens. “Oh.”
Is that relief on his face?
Tito saves me. “That’s what happens. Men can’t get what they want, and they turn into jerks.”
“Shitty men,” Jace says.
Yes, thank you!
Suddenly, I want to kiss his lips, sit on his lap, and have his strong hands on my body. I’d let him do a lot more than Chad ever did.
The thought startles me.
Sheesh.
I need to cool it.
Becky and Tito start playing the guessing game, picking a person in the crowd and creating a background story. Usually men.Mostlymen. While I sit and wish I was alone with Jace.
“Oh! There’s a fine catch. B! Pay attention!” Tito spots someone by the door, and we all look in that direction.
Becky lifts her chin, narrowing her eyes at the target. “Delicious. A bad boy.”
Tito nods. “Yes, a hundred percent. Though a little older than you. Mid-thirties.”
“Maybe early thirties. I don’t mind vintage. Construction?”
