The lad didn’t look impressed as he stepped up on the ladder and grabbed the fluffy toy dragon off the shelf. I had a feeling he might get given out to by his boss for letting people win the big prizes.
“Oh my goodness, he’s so cute!” Zara said, squeezing the dragon before holding it out in front of her and assessing it. She tilted her head from side to side in a way that was so much like her dad before declaring, “I think I’ll call you Rodney.”
“Rodney?” Jace chuckled and glanced at me as if to ask,Where’d she pull that one from?I just shook my head, because honestly, I had no clue. Zara lived on her own planet at times. “Shall I win you another so you can name it Del Boy? Or Uncle Albert?”
“No, thanks,” Zara replied, busy petting the dragon’s head. “Rodney says he doesn’t want any friends except for me.”
“Let’s go get you and Rodney something to eat, eh? He looks like a hungry lad,” Jace said, throwing his arm around her small shoulders and shooting me a sexy little wink. Butterflies fluttered in my stomach. I was honestly defenceless against his charm, especially when he was being cute with our daughter.
Zara nodded. “Hot dogs are Rodney’s favourite.”
***
After eating our weight in hot dogs and ice cream, we rode the merry-go-round, followed by the teacups and then the bumper cars. We were exhausted—and vaguely nauseous—by the time we got home, including Rodney, according to Zara. We spent the rest of the evening snuggled on the couch watching a Pixar movie.
Then, after Jace put Zara to bed, we snuggled on the couch, making out, followed by making each other come. I offered for Jace to sleep in my bed, but he refused, insisting that he’d gotten used to the couch, even though I knew it couldn’t be comfortable, especially not for a man of his size.
I wished for the weekend to go on forever, but soon Monday morning came around, and our little bubble dissipated while we got back to reality.
I was up early, and Jace was in the shower when my front doorbell rang. Opening the door, I found Margie on my step, coffees and pastries in hand. I’d completely forgotten we’d made arrangements for her to stop by. Being with Jace had scrambled my brain until all I could focus on was him. It was a good thing we’d made up on Friday after the whole “Dominic” debacle, but then I remembered that Margie didn’t know that Jace had been staying over. She passed by the open doorway to the living room and immediately noted the rumpled blanket on the couch.
“Do you have a visitor? We can do this another time if you’ve someone staying—”
“It’s fine,” I said, hustling her into the kitchen. “It’s just Jace. He’s, um, been staying here for a little while.”
Her eyebrows shot up. “Oh? What happened? Did his parents kick him out?”
“No, nothing like that. It’s just because of the incident with the car almost running me over. He didn’t want to leave Zara and me alone in the house if there’s some crazy person out there plotting to do us harm.”Plus, I had sex with him this weekend, my brain added, but I left that part out. My best friend wasn’t ready to hear aboutthatfirst thing on a Monday morning.
“Well, now that you mention it, it’s probably good that he’s been staying here. I’ve been so worried about you. Have there been any more incidents?”
“Not so far, thank goodness.”
Margie lowered to sit before sliding my coffee across the counter. “That’s a relief. Anyway, you’ll be glad to hear Dominic was cool about everything. We actually ended up having a heart to heart on the way home on Friday, and he confessed that he’sstill not quite over his ex, so it’s probably for the best that you weren’t interested.”
I nodded, taking a sip from my coffee before hearing Jace coming downstairs. He appeared with wet hair, wearing an oversized blue hoodie and black jeans.
“Margie, what a nice surprise,” he greeted with a smile.
“Morning, Jace. I brought cinnamon buns if you’re hungry.”
“Oh, yeah, perfect.”
Margie held out the bag, and he took it, glancing at her for a moment longer than usual. Margie started telling me about the puppy she was thinking of adopting, though she still wasn’t sure if it was fair since she worked so much. Perhaps a cat would be better, she mused. Jace took a bite out of his bun, and I realised he was still staring at Margie in a strangely concentrated way. He’d also gone unusually quiet. By the time she’d left to head for work, I was relieved because Jace’s odd behaviour was beginning to feel uncomfortable.
I waved her off, then shut my front door, marching back down the hallway to confront him.
“Okay, what’s up with you? You were acting so weird with Margie just now.”
Jace ran a hand through his hair, still damp from his shower, his expression perturbed. He didn’t answer right away, and something about his demeanour had me worried. “Jace?”
His eyes flicked up to meet mine, and I noticed the colour had completely drained from his face. “Shannon, I don’t quite know how to put this, but your friend isn’t who she says she is.”
19.
Jace
“What are you talking about?” Shannon demanded, and I struggled how to frame what I was about to tell her.
