Tell Me a Secret (5 page)

She gazed at Jace, her eyes full of sparkle and spunk and he thought,
God, she’s really beautiful.

“We have a recital soon.” She gave her head a slight toss and her hair bounced around her face. “Your mom may want to come. We have a lot of good dancers in the department. I think she’d enjoy it.”

He leaned in close and offered his best smile, then reached over and played with her fingers. “What about me? Am I invited?” She swallowed hard and pulled her hand away. The slight touch affected her, but Jace wondered, did she like it—or was she offended?
 

“Sure. I mean, I come to your games, so why not? Turnabout’s fair play.”

“You come to watch
me
?”

She stiffened and shook her head. “Not just you, the team.”

“Tell me about this partner of yours. Why did you choose him?” He could tell this was her favorite subject and he’d be a fool to let it drop. Plus, this was the most he’d gotten her to talk, and he wanted to know more.

“He chose me. The first day of class, he walked over and said he wanted us to dance together. I’m glad he did. When I dance with him, I become someone else…” Her voice trailed off and Jace saw amazement in her eyes.

He relaxed back in the chair and clasped hands behind his head. “So you got a boyfriend?”

The question met an icy stare, but when she answered, her tone was soft and even.

“I don’t care to discuss my dating life.”

“Sorry. I’m curious. Have you…” before he could finish the question his mom walked in.
 

“Hi Maggie.” She gave her a hug.

“Hello, Mrs. Sloan, nice to see you.”

“Please, call me Elizabeth. Don’t forget dinner next Monday. Jared’s looking forward to meeting you. I’m sorry it’s taken so long to get it scheduled. Everyone’s been so busy.” She turned to her son. “I’m going to watch TV with your dad and then to bed. Lock the door when you leave.” She leaned over and kissed him.

Alone again, Maggie turned back to Jace. “Does your brother live in town?”

“Yeah.”

“Does he have a family?”

“No. Not married.” He smiled. This was the perfect time to mention her parents. “What about your family?”

“Mom lives in Abilene. No dad in the picture. No siblings.”

“So your parents are divorced?”

“We should get to it. I didn’t take time to work up a written test for you, so I’m going to give it to you orally.”

Damn. I’d love for you to give it to me orally.

“Name at least six things that pass through the foramen magnum.”

He struggled to keep from laughing at his dirty thought. “Okay. Dura mater, Pia mater, arachnoid mater…”

Jealousy is the dragon in paradise, the hell of heaven; and the most bitter of the emotions because associated with the sweetest.

~A.R Orage

From the time Elizabeth issued the dinner invitation, Maggie experienced mixed emotions. One minute excitement and the next anxiety. She told herself it wasn’t a good idea to get attached to his family, but she couldn’t stop.

When she arrived at the residence Jace met her at the door. Her breath caught in the back of her throat. He looked like he’d fallen off a calendar. The man made her body parts tingle. He snatched her bag and she followed him into the kitchen where he introduced her to Jared. Just as handsome as Jace, but a couple inches taller and a few pounds heavier, she wondered if he slept with girls as much as her study partner.

A mixture of aromas filled the house and triggered childhood memories of Maggie’s next-door neighbor, Rose, and how she’d taught Maggie to cook. Tears pooled. It dawned on her, that’s why she’d fallen in love with Elizabeth. She reminded her of Rose. Maggie regained control, then surveyed the kitchen’s soft green walls, the early evening light glowing against speckled granite countertops. She’d already spent weeks here, and appreciated the cozy atmosphere.

The polished oak table, set with china, silver, and crystal, looked staged for a cooking show. “Do you want me to put ice in the glasses?” she asked Elizabeth.

“Sure. I hope roast is okay. The boys love it. We’re also having garlic potatoes and steamed asparagus.”

“That all sounds delicious.”

Everyone claimed a seat and Maggie tried to calm her nerves. She sipped, but wanted to gulp the wine. The quicker she got alcohol in her system, the more relaxed she’d be. A family gathering was out of her element, but thanks to Google, she could be confident in conversation. If she managed to keep focus on Jace’s family and what she’d learned, she could avoid talking about her own.

“Jared, I understand you’re responsible for the renovation of the seating areas at the mall. I was there the other day and they’re beautiful. Those massive planters are gorgeous.” Maggie accepted the platter of roast from Elizabeth and forked some onto her plate.

Jace gave Jared a poke. “Yeah, he’s a real
Bob the Builder
.” He sounded irritated, but when his older brother scowled, Jace smiled.

“Thanks, I’m proud of the project. It’s one of the few I did on my own. Dad and I usually work as a team, but he let me run with the ball on that one.”

“I’ll be depending on him to do more,” Mr. Sloan said. “I’m at the age where I’m hoping for early retirement. Elizabeth and I want to travel before we need walkers.”

“Speak for yourself, Mister. I’m a long way from a walker,” Elizabeth said.

Maggie spooned potatoes next to her roast. “Jared, did you play football, too?”

Jace didn’t give his brother a chance to answer. “He played baseball in high school. Remind me. Did you play in college? Oh, now I remember, you didn’t make the cut.” Jace laughed.

“Stop being rude,” Elizabeth said.

“I’m just playing, Mom.”

Jared smiled at Maggie. “He’s right. I don’t have his athletic ability. But I never had to have a tutor.”

Jared smiled as he said it, but with an edge to his voice.

Maggie noticed Jace’s cocky attitude fade. He forked a piece of roast as if torturing it. She changed the subject. “Elizabeth, this is all delicious. Thank you for inviting me.”

“What about your family?” Mr. Sloan asked. “Jace said you’re from Abilene.”

She brought the wine to her lips to stall before answering. “Yes. My mom still lives there.”

“What does your dad do?”

Her stomach turned a flip. The one subject she wanted to avoid, but realized it would come up sooner or later, so she decided to lie. “He’s not in the picture. He works out of the country.”

Awkward silence hung heavy. She could see the concern on Elizabeth’s and John’s faces. Confusion on Jared’s. Pity on Jace’s. She wished to be a vampire and glamour them so they wouldn’t remember anything. And on second thought, if she was a vampire, she’d want to be one with perfect sparkling skin, flowing hair, and huge, really huge breasts. She smiled. Thank God.
The wine is working
.

 
~~*~~
 

After dinner, while Maggie helped with the dishes Jace sacked the trash and eyed his brother who stood in the doorway.
 

“Hey, I’ve got to go. Jared turned to face Maggie. “Dad and I are working on plans for the new wing at Covenant. Since you work there, I thought I might pick your brain about some of the ideas we have for the project.”

“Oh…I…”

Jace didn’t give her a chance to finish. “Weren’t you paying attention during dinner? She’s got a busy schedule, tutoring, working, and a dance recital soon. She doesn’t have a lot of free time.”

“I could catch her before or after a shift.”

Jace didn’t give up. “I don’t know…”

Maggie raised her hand. “Hey, you two, I’m right here.”

She smiled at Jared. “I could, though I’m not sure how much help I’d be.”

Jace’s head pounded. He glanced over at his brother and found him smiling like a cat that’d caught the last mouse in the barn, and for a split second, he wanted to tackle him like when they were kids. But Maggie’s voice cleared his head.

“Jace is right. I have a lot going on and my work schedule is crazy. Why don’t you give me your number and I’ll call you when things calm down a bit.”

Jared took out his wallet, removed a business card and handed it to her. Jace wanted to slap that victorious smirk off his brother’s face.

“Sounds great. Well, I’d better get going and let you two hit the books.” Jared’s smile still in place, he said, “Jace, always a pleasure, and Maggie, I’ll be waiting for your call.”

When the door closed, Jace spun on his heels. “I’ll be right back. I forgot to tell him something.”

His older brother had barely made it to his car when Jace called. “Hey, I thought you understood I didn’t want you to ask her out.”

“I know what you said, but you also claimed the two of you were only study partners. As far as I’m concerned, that makes her fair game. She’s sweet and smart. She’s cute, too. This isn’t a contest between you and me. Besides, it isn’t a date, it’s a business meeting.”

Jace clenched his teeth. He hated when Jared said one thing and meant another. “I know you. Call it a business meeting if you want, but you intend for it to be a date.”

“Bottom line, little brother, if you’re not interested beyond friendship, I see no reason for me not to pursue her. Do you?”

“Yeah, fine.” He stuck his hands in his pockets and stomped away.

Back in the house, he looked at Maggie. Really looked at her. Studied her. The delicate lines of her face. Her green eyes big and expressive. A small nose perched above sensuous lips and then her crowning glory, crimson hair. He lost himself in the thought of burying his face in the thick curls. Breathing in her scent. Whispering erotic things. Feeling it trail down his body and sweep across bare skin.

She peered over the top of her glasses. “Everything okay with Jared?”
 

“Yeah, sure. We’re different. He’s—settled.”

“By settled, you mean boring?”

“Maybe.” Even though he was pissed at Jared, the smile she offered and the lilt to her voice put Jace in a good mood again.

“And you’re not boring.”

“Is that a question or a statement?”

“A statement.”

“Yeah, right. From the beginning, I’m sure Sarah told you all about me. I deserve a chance to defend myself.”

“What makes you say that?”

“I don’t imagine she gave me a good recommendation.”

“Recommendation for what?”

The question caught him off guard. “I guess that’s the wrong word to use. I doubt she had anything good to say.”

Maggie’s eyes softened. There was no question she was a good nurse, the type of woman who wanted to comfort and care for others. He knew she didn’t want to hurt him, so she’d choose words wisely.

“It doesn’t matter what Sarah or anyone else tells me. I’ll form my own opinion.”

“So she has told you about me.”

“What’s the point of this conversation? What do you want me to say? I’ve already told you, I won’t be influenced by anybody. I’ll pass judgment according to your actions.”

“Tell me what she said. I want to know.”

She hesitated, looked away, but then turned back and stared directly at him. “She said you sleep around. Please don’t be mad.”

He held her gaze. “I suspect you cleaned that up a bit. Am I right?”

“A little.”

He clicked his tongue and jutted his jaw. “Well, we’re an odd pair, aren’t we? I sleep around and you don’t have a boyfriend in sight.”

“I never said I didn’t have a boyfriend. I said I didn’t want to discuss it.”

She’d not been mad all night, so he decided not to press his luck. “Okay. I admit your doctor friend was right about the mnemonics. The nastier, the easier.”

Maggie tapped the cards on the table and shuffled them. “We’ll know soon enough. Your first major test will be next week and I bet you do great.”

 
~~*~~
 

With only fifteen minutes before curfew, Jace got back to the dorm.

“How’d the dinner party go?” Sam asked.

“Just great. My mom loves her. My dad loves her. My dog loves her. And my brother wants to date her.”

“You’re shittin’ me. Jared wants to date her?”

“Yeah. Before dinner, he and I talked on the back porch, and he pointed out she wasn’t my type. Said she was too nice for me and he wanted to ask her out.”

“And, what did you say?”

“I said I didn’t want him to.”

“And what did he say?”

“Nothing, but then he asked her under the pretense of a business meeting.”

“What’d Maggie say?”

“She’s too damn naïve to understand he’s playing her, so she said she’d call him.”

“No shit!”

“Yeah, like I’m going to let that happen. I’m telling you, Sam. She’d done her homework. At dinner, she talked to Mom about cooking. She discussed some of the buildings Dad and Jared designed. She googled them. Hell, she google’s everything. You should have seen Jared. He practically drooled when she asked about his mall project.”

Sam laughed and caught a quick breath. “I don’t think he’s the only one interested in her.”

“What the hell does that mean?”

“C’mon, man. At first, I thought you only wanted to screw her. But you’ve changed your tune. Besides, having another man interested only gets you more interested, right?”