Chapter 11 #2
“It really is the coolest building on the island. Julia and Katie are next—they’re fraternal twins. Katie is married to Laura’s brother, Shane, and yes, that’s I’m still sure that’s legal,” she added with a teasing smile, recalling the night they’d discussed it at the bar.
“So you guys have told me, but I’m not convinced.”
“Most people question it when I tell them how my brother and sister married a brother and a sister. You know what’s so cool about it?”
“What’s that?”
“Their kids will be double cousins and genetic siblings.”
“Wow, that’s wild.”
“I know! Then there’s Julia, who’s an amazing singer and piano player.”
“She plays at Stephanie’s, right?”
“That’s her.”
“I’ve seen her a few times. She’s so talented. And her little dog is cute.”
“Pupwell. He’s the cutest. She’s living with and engaged to Deacon Taylor, the harbor master, and they’re deliriously happy. Next is me and then Josh, John and Jeff, who has a job in Tampa that starts in October.”
“Seven kids. That must’ve been fun.”
“It could be. At times.” Like when her dad had been deployed. “They’re my best friends.”
“You’re lucky to have them.”
“I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking when I said that.”
“It’s okay.” He placed his hand on top of hers as if it was perfectly routine for him to touch her.
But if the way her body reacted to him touching her was any indication, there was nothing routine about it.
“I love that they’re your best friends. Diana was a bit older than us, so we didn’t hang out much, but Jess was my best friend, until it all went so wrong. ”
“I’m sorry that happened to you—and to him.”
“Me, too. We should both be married with kids, houses, mortgages, car payments, Sunday dinners with the parents.” He shrugged. “Living the dream.”
“Was he married, too?”
Jace nodded. “With a baby on the way that neither of us ever got to meet.”
“You could still live the dream, you know. It’s not too late.”
“You’re the second person to remind me of that.”
“How old are you?”
“Thirty. What about you?”
“Twenty-eight.”
“Never been married?” he asked.
“Never even came close.”
“I find that hard to believe. You’re so pretty and sweet and kind.”
Cindy fanned her face, which suddenly felt warm. “That’s a lot of compliments in one sentence.”
“I’ve got more where those came from.”
“Is that so?”
“Uh-huh.”
“Like what?”
“Smart. Funny. Sexy. Good at checkers but possibly cheats.”
She didn’t hear anything after sexy. “Are you, um, flirting with your new roommate by any chance?”
“What if I was? Would that be all right?”
“As long as it doesn’t make things weird between us.”
“Does it feel weird to you?”
“Not at all.”
“Me either. Haven’t we been kinda flirting at the bar for weeks now?”
“I wasn’t sure if that was flirting or your usual routine with customers.”
“That was just for you.”
His blunt honesty flustered her. She felt her face heat as he kept his gaze on her, seemingly without blinking. “Oh,” she said, her brain wiped clean of thoughts that weren’t focused on his sexy lips.
“That’s all you’ve got?” he asked, smiling. “Oh?”
“I, uh, well… I’m glad it wasn’t just me.”
“What wasn’t just you?”
“The flirting.”
“Definitely not just you. I find myself watching the door, waiting for you to arrive to brighten my night. And when I found out you were the one looking for a roommate, I wasn’t sure I should move in here because of the crush I already had on you.”
“I wasn’t sure I should let you move in for the same reason.”
Flashing a lethally sexy grin, he said, “And yet, here we are.”
“And yet.”
For a long, charged moment, neither of them said anything. And then he turned their hands, linked their fingers and gave her hand a squeeze.
“Do you promise that if we do… this, it won’t be weird here?” she asked hesitantly.
“I promise, although,” he said, his expression darkening in an instant, “your family probably wouldn’t approve of you going out with me or even living with an ex-con.”
“They know.”
“They do?”
She nodded. “My mom is married to an ex-con.”
That clearly shocked him.
“Although, he was falsely imprisoned for fourteen years for a crime he didn’t commit and has since been exonerated. His stepdaughter, Stephanie, worked for all that time to get him out.”
“Is your stepfather Charlie Grandchamp?”
“Yes, why?”
“I knew him. Inside. Wow,” Jace said on a long exhale. “I had no idea he was living here and married to your mom.”
“Don’t forget my father is also in prison.
As an air force general, he was respected and revered by everyone, even people who knew the truth about how he abused his wife and children.
That finally caught up to him just over a year ago, when he was convicted, finally, of assaulting my mother.
He nearly killed her that time. So, you don’t need to worry about the Lawrys judging you for things you did years ago, especially since you’re all about leading a more productive life now.
” She glanced at him. “You are all about that, right?”
“God, yes. I never want to go back to who or what I was back then. I lost everything that mattered to me in the span of five minutes.”
“Then we shouldn’t have a problem.” Cindy forced herself to tug her hand free and stand so she wouldn’t do something rash like kiss him. “I have an early morning. Will you lock up?”
“Sure.”
“Thanks for the pizza, the ice pack and everything else.”
“I’m glad you’re feeling better.”
“Me, too. Good night.”
“Night.”