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“Fine,” Marlowe said with a sigh, as though spending time with him was something she would have to endure.

This was going to be such a fun evening.

Four minutes later, he pulled into her driveway and jogged up the porch steps.

The door swung inward before he could knock.

Marlowe’s grandmother stood there in a pair of cat-print leggings, clutching a mug that read Sassy Since Birth. She broke into a grin and held the door open further.

“Well, hello.” She stepped aside. “Come in.” She glanced over her shoulder and lowered her voice. “Marlowe forgot about your date until a few minutes ago and is trying to make herself presentable. I’m supposed to keep you busy while she gets ready.”

“Oh.” He tried to think of some small talk but was mostly wondering how long it would be before Marlowe appeared.

Mrs. Partridge took a sip from her mug. “So you wised up, wanted the fish that got away, and relit that torch.”

“Excuse me?” For a moment, Jace worried the woman wasn’t making sense because she was having a medical episode.

“Marlowe told me that the two of you dated in high school.” Mrs. Partridge motioned to Jace with her cup. “The fact that you asked her out again means you realized what a great catch she is.”

Oh. Mrs. Partridge was just mixing metaphors. “Right. A great catch, worth all the torches.” Jace checked his watch.

“I approve of the two of you getting together. Every family needs a doctor. Marlowe’s older sister, Katrina, married that boy from the ATV store, so we’ve already used up our ‘mechanic adjacent’ slot.”

“I … will do my best to meet expectations.”

Before Mrs. Partridge could respond, Marlowe appeared at the end of the hall.

Her hair was down, silky and smooth. She wore a black top, crisp jeans—nothing special and somehow still looked gorgeous. Dark lashes framed her eyes and crimson lipstick emphasized her lips.

She put on the red leather jacket. He’d seen a picture of it when he bought it and yet hadn’t fully appreciated how stunning it would be on her. Instead of giving her a biker chick vibe, she seemed sleek and fashionable. She held a pair of red shoes and slipped them on.

Jace was staring again, this time for quite a different reason. He was having more high school flashbacks, remembering the first time he picked up Marlowe at her parents’ house. She’d been so pretty that he’d been nervous and flustered and hoped to steal a kiss from her that night.

Marlowe brushed her hair off her shoulder self-consciously. “I told you I didn’t have time to get dressed up.”

He shook his head. “You look…” Beautiful. Like a happy memory. Like coming home.

Her brow lifted. “I look what?”

“Ready.” He nodded. “We should get going.”

They both headed to the door. Her perfume was the same, something fresh and floral, the way flowers should smell, even though few did. He found himself breathing in the scent.

“You two have fun,” Mrs. Partridge called after them. “Don’t stay out too late, but if you do, I won’t know because I’m not waiting up for you.”

And with that, they left.

CHAPTER 7

Marlowe stepped into the cool evening air, headed to Jace’s car, and wondered how she’d gotten herself into this. It was one thing to go to dinner at his house a time or two and make small talk with his parents. Pulling off a convincing fake girlfriend in front of his twin brother on short notice was another matter.

Lucas had always been able to read Jace like a book.

She wiped at her jeans to get rid of any bits of stray hair that might be stowing away on them. It was a hazard of her profession. Every night when she returned from work, she had to shower off the snips that clung to her. Sometimes pieces still found their way on to her clean clothes.

She climbed into Jace’s car, a silver Toyota Camry without the dings or spots from long years of use. It was a much nicer ride than the beat-up Chevy he’d driven in high school. He’d leveled up in all aspects of life.

He didn’t speak as they headed away from her house, but he glanced at her several times. “That jacket doesn’t look like I expected.”