Page 55 of It's Complicated

I don’t stress about what to wear to lunch. A pair of navy chinos and a cozy sweater will do. Jace’s parents are pretty laid back, and I’ve known them since the first weekend Jace and Aiden invited me to spend in Chicago with them.

The drive from campus took a little over two hours, hardly an adventure, but I’d hoped to crash at Aiden’s place, fantasizing that would be the night we finally kissed. Instead, his brother had randomly decided to come home from Madison. With the spare room in Aiden’s house suddenly taken, I ended up bitterly disappointed and sleeping in Jessica’s room at the Barlows’, which was pretty much always available. Jessica went to UC San Diego for college, so it wasn’t like she could drive home on a whim. Still, Julia, Jace’s mom, made pancakes the next morning, sweetening the deal. Now that I think back on it, I remember Jace wouldn’t stop smiling that morning as I had breakfast with his family. He must’ve been so happy to have me there. And I never saw it, I never saw past the cocky act and the barbed wire. I’ve been such an idiot.

That weekend was also my first trip to Chicago, and it left me jaw-slacked and in love with the city. I’m from Sarasota, originally, and I wanted to spend my college years somewhere with seasons and as far away from home as I could. Urbana is a nice, quaint town, with a spectacular winter. But Chicago is aproper city and next-level gorgeous. And I know it’s weird that I prefer to live in a city as opposed to open country considering my tendency to rescue all kinds of animals. But if I lived on a farm, I could adopt a million strays, and that would probably turn me into a full-time vet, which I wouldn’t want because the only thing I care more about than rescuing pets is taking care of my patients. In a way, urban living forces me to keep a balance between the humans and animals I help, which has worked great so far.

A pang of worry courses through me as I imagine Jace having to adapt to my messy lifestyle. If things progress between us, would he ever be able to accept my baggage of weird hobbies and strays? Well, he’s walking into this with his eyes wide open. It’s not like I have any secrets from him. Over the years, Jace has been my confidant. I never opened up to Aiden the same way. With Aiden, I’ve always kept up the I-want-you-to-be-my-boyfriend-one-day filters, whereas Jace has been getting the raw, unembellished version of me since the start.

I’ve just finished drying my hair when a text pops up on my phone’s screen. It’s from Jace.

From Jace:

I’m outside

I hurry down the stairs and tip-toe across the entrance hall to make sure the cats don’t spot me leaving again so soon. I put on my coat, grab my bag, and exit the house. On the landing, I close the door behind me as stealthily as I can and, equally carefully, slowly turn the key into the lock.

Then I spin toward the street and spot Jace waiting for me in his black Mercedes. A glint of sunlight on the driver’s window masks half his profile, but that doesn’t stop the fluttering that explodes in my belly as I take him in. How did I tune out hisraw sex appeal for all these years? It’s like I’ve been wearing a blindfold all this time, and now that it has come off, I can’t help but look at him in an entirely different light.

I hurry across the street and mount shotgun. “Hey.”

Jace smirks. “Why did you leave your house looking like a thief fleeing a crime scene?”

“I was trying not to get caught leaving again by the cats.”

Jace’s eyes widen. “The worst part of that statement is that I know you’re being 100 per cent serious.”

“How did things go with Jessica?” I ask.

“She basically owns us now.”

“Pardon me?”

“We’re going to have to volunteer at her free clinic.”

“Don’t we already volunteer there?”

“Yep, but one of her regular doctors is going on maternity leave next month, which means we basically won’t have a life until next September.”

I shrug. “As long as we can take our shifts together, I’m cool with that.”

“I knew you’d be a glutton for punishment,” Jace says as he starts the engine.

I don’t mind volunteering. Plus, Jessica’s free clinic is doing super important work to guarantee excellent healthcare, even to the less privileged. And if Jace and I are there together, it won’t feel like work at all. A few more hours at the clinic is not what worries me.

“But your sister is sworn to secrecy?” I ask to make extra sure.

“Yep. She’s going to give me a hard time about it forever, but Jessica has sworn she’ll cover for us.”

I let out a relieved breath.

“Especially since I’ve mentioned to her we might be catching feelings for real.”

“And what did she say about that?”

“Told me I was cute and cooed over me like a mother hen.”

“Oh, poor baby…”

Jace flashes me a crooked smile before concentrating back on the road. “Oh, you think I’ve had it bad? Wait until my mom starts treating you as her best chance at getting grandbabies…”

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