Page 27 of Unleashing Chaos

“And then she got in her face and had the nerve to tell her if she didn’t like it, she could take her ass home. Can you believe—” Meredith’s eyes go wide and her mouth drops. It’s the first time she’s stopped talking in the past twenty-five minutes. “Oh wow. Where is that little beefcake off to tonight?”

I look over my shoulder just in time to see Jace rounding the corner toward his BMW. I turn back to face her and cross my arms over my chest, pretending I don’t notice how delectable he looks in his suit. “I don’t know, and to be honest, I don’t really care.”

“Oh no. Is there trouble on Fantasy Island?”

I snicker at Meredith’s ridiculous name for the house. She says I’m living the dream of millions of women—a clean house, no kids, and two hot single men under one roof.

“Oh, no, everything is peachy. If you don’t count the fact that Jace is a type-A, overbearing neat freak who has ridiculously high standards that no one can ever live up to. We got in a fight because I used his bathtub without asking—which now that I say it out loud does sound kind of bad. After that, he shrank all five pairs of the new jeans you helped me pick out. And then, he and I almost—” I stop and shake my head. “He’s just been a jerk, and I’m sick of it.”

Meredith takes a sip of her red wine. “I’m trying to live vicariously through you, and you’re destroying my fantasies. This domestic situation of yours is starting to sound like married life.”

“Sorry,” I grumble, pulling my chunky sweater closed. “He’s impossible.”

She picks up the wine bottle between us and tips it upside down. Not a single drop falls out. “And to top it off, we’re out of wine.”

“Oh no, not tonight. That is unacceptable.” I hop up from the lounger and beckon for her to follow me through the French doors. I have every intention of raiding Jace’s liquor cabinet when I stop short. A large white box sits on the counter. It wasn’t there when Meredith and I went outside earlier.

When she stretches on her tiptoes to look at the top of the box, her shirt lifts and I spy a telltale mark that’s hidden halfway under the waist of her jeans. My eyes widen but I don’t have time to confirm the design before she exclaims, “Hey, it has your name on it!”

Sure enough, my name is written in neat handwriting on the tag stuck to the top. I set my glass on the counter, lift the lid, and move the tissue paper to reveal what’s underneath.

Seven pairs of jeans. The first pair I pull out is a size fourteen, curvy, long length—the exact size and measurements I need. My jaw drops as I inspect each pair, finding that every one of them is the right size, and each one is a different wash; the two extra ones are new washes I hadn’t even seen before, both extremely flattering and exactly something I’d wear.

I draw my bottom lip between my teeth as I pick up the white card at the bottom of the box.

Desideria,

I’m truly sorry about your clothing. It’s been a while since I had a woman in my house, with all the rules about laundry and such. I was honestly just trying to help, and I fucked up. Please accept these as a replacement, plus two extra for my general dickishness.

I left you a bottle of wine on the counter. Enjoy a quiet night to yourself—or share it with Meredith. I’m sure she’d be up to hanging out tonight.

Jace

My lips part as I wordlessly hand Meredith the card. I lift the bottle he left for us and inspect the label. It’s too expensive for just sitting around and getting drunk. This is the kind of wine people drink on special occasions.

“Oh yes, Fantasy Island is back in full swing. Jeremy would have just handed me the credit card and told me to buy new jeans. This boy did it for you. If I were single and he would give dating a chance again, I’d be all over him.”

“I—”

Dating Jace. Yeah, right. The only kind of dating Jace does is fake dating to impress potential investors at charity dinners.

Oh no.

Tonight is the charity dinner I was supposed to attend with him as his charming girlfriend! No matter how pissed I am, I know how important this is to him; there’s no way I would purposely screw this up.

“Meredith! I was supposed to go with Jace to a charity thing tonight for his business! An investor invited me week before last when he saw us out at a bar—it’s a long story, but that’s where he was going earlier!”

“Are you telling me you have a fake date to attend?” I nod and she grabs my hand, pulling me to the stairs. “This is Grade-A romance novel stuff. You are going to that ball, and I’m about to be your fairy godmother.”

I don’t even have time to think about the fact that Meredith might actually be my demon godmother before she whisks me up to my room.

An hour later, I’m strolling into one of the nicest hotels in downtown Denver wearing the green silk dress that Jace thought looked nice on me; tonight, I hope it elicits a bigger reaction. My red curls are piled on top of my head, and my makeup is impeccable. Tonight, I want to impress Jace’s colleagues, make it up to him for not being here from the start.

He extended an olive branch; now it’s my turn.

At first glance, I don’t see him anywhere. The room is packed with men in suits and women in elegant gowns. I scan the crowd again, looking for a head of messy brown hair. What if he was embarrassed to show up alone after the fuss Matt made about him bringing me? It’ll take a long time to forgive myself if I let him down.

I slide through the crowd, hoping that he didn’t pass up this opportunity. Tables with floral centerpieces and fine china are situated around the outskirts of the dance floor. I take in each face until my gaze falls on a man with his back to me. He nods at the others seated at the table with him, and I suck in a quick breath when he turns his head to the side, giving me a glimpse of him.

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