Chapter 23 Like What You See?
CHAPTER 23: LIKE WHAT YOU SEE?
JACE
I pull into Lacey and Poppy’s apartment complex at the same time as Donovan and Enzo.
“Hey guys,” I say, stepping down from my Jeep. Tonight feels different. It’s the first time since Lacey and I cleared the air that we will be around all of our friends. It’s been nice getting to know her again over texts the past couple of weeks, but to say I’m nervous is an understatement. I don’t know why it felt easier to come around when she hated me, but it did.
Donovan, Enzo, and I walk through the gate and I look around the pool. Logan, Poppy, Tanner, and Wren are in the pool playing volleyball. Olive, Poppy’s older sister, is seated with some guy at one of the tables. She offers me a small smile and a wave. My eyes settle on Lacey sitting on the edge of the pool. She’s laughing with Gray and sipping something from a pink cup.
“Happy birthday, gorgeous,” Enzo yells at Poppy, who climbs out of the pool and walks over to where we’re standing. She wraps both of the other men in a huge hug.
“Happy birthday,” I add, handing her the gift I brought.
“Thanks, Jace. You didn’t have to get me anything.”
I shrug. “It’s not much.”
She walks over to an empty table and removes the tissue paper. She pulls out a three-pound bag of sour worms and immediately begins to laugh.
“I thought I remembered you liked them,” I say.
“I do.” She smiles. There’s a beat of silence and her eyes find mine. “Hey, I wanted to apologize for everything in person. I know we texted, but I still feel awful.”
“You don’t have to apologize again. I know it was a hard time and things were misunderstood. We were young.”
“Okay, well yeah, but I’m still sorry and I wanted you to know I’m glad you’re here.” She throws her arms around me and squeezes me tight before letting go and ripping open the bag of candy.
“Me too.”
Lacey walks up behind her and I have to stop myself from staring. She’s wearing a tiny green bikini. Her hair is pulled out of her face and her skin is sunkissed. She looks so fucking beautiful. The locket still sits around her neck.
“Whatcha get?” she asks, peering over Poppy’s shoulder. “Sour worms?”
Lacey looks in my direction. “You remembered she liked them?” A couple of girls walk through the gate and Poppy runs off to greet them.
“You’re surprised?” I ask.
“No, I mean, I don’t know. It’s been a long time.”
“There’s a lot I remember about you, too, you know?”
“Is that so?”
Her voice trails off and silence fills the space between us. I go to say something, but am interrupted as Tanner runs and jumps into the pool, shouting “cannon ball” at the top of his lungs. Lacey lets out a laugh as she looks over her shoulder in his direction.
Unintentionally, I pull off my shirt at the exact moment she turns back to face me. Her eyes noticeably move down my body before she quickly tries to divert her stare.
“Like what you see?” I tease.
“Oh, what, huh, no,” she says, flustered. Her cheeks turn a light pink. “I zoned out for a minute.” She turns and makes her way back to the pool. Her suit barely covers her ass and I allow myself to stare for longer than I should. “You coming, J?” she asks, looking back at me.
Fuck.
“Wait, Lace. You gotta tell us about Chris,” Gray says after she swallows down a bite of her burger, catching my attention. We’re all sitting around a few of the poolside tables.
“Yes, tell us all about the conference guy,” Wren adds.
“What do you want to know? The date was fun and he’s great. He lives in the city, so with work it makes it hard to plan dates, but I’m seeing him tomorrow.”
“Do you have a picture of him?” Wren asks.
Lacey grabs her phone and taps a few times before turning it towards the girls.
“Oh, he’s cute,” Gray says.
“Right?” Lacey says. “So cute.” All the girls giggle and her cheeks turn a light shade of pink.
I take a swig of my beer, and my shoulders tense as they talk. I know I have no right to feel jealous, but the last thing I want to hear about is the guy Lacey is dating. I’m not sure how I keep ending up in these situations: Alex, Tanner, and now Chris. I try to remind myself that we said we were going to be friends, and this is what friends do.
“It’s nice to be with someone who can understand what it’s like to be an OT,” she continues.
“But do you have anything else in common with him?” I ask.
“Of course I do,” she says. “Actually, I invited him to trivia night next week, so y’all can all meet him.”
“Trivia night?” I ask.
I feel everyone’s eyes shift to me.
“Oh shoot,” she says. “We made the plan before you and I settled things. You’re welcome to join us.”
“I don’t want to intrude.”
“No, man. That’s my bad. I meant to mention it and then things got stressful at work and it slipped my mind,” Tanner says.
“Yes, come! You were the captain of the quiz bowl team in high school,” Poppy says. “We could use someone who actually knows what they’re doing. Winner gets a weekend stay at this cool cabin over the Fourth of July.”
Logan chuckles. “I’d like to think I know what I’m doing.”
Poppy leans in and kisses him. “Oh, you definitely know what you’re doing.”
“Get a room,” Tanner shouts, tossing a crinkled up napkin at them and causing the group to break out in laughter. Logan throws Poppy over his shoulder and takes off toward the pool. She lets out a loud shriek and water splashes all over us.
“So anyway,” Lacey begins, wiping water from her face. “It’ll be great. Chris is a huge history buff, so between the two of you there’s no way we’ll lose.”
The rest of the group agrees, but I’m torn. My stomach twists at the thought of seeing her with another person. The memory of Alex kissing Lacey pops into my head. “I’ll think about it. Shoot me the details and I’ll see if I can make it.”
“Good.” She smiles.
“Poppy and Logan, come on. It’s time for cake,” she yells.