Page 41 of Head Over Wheels

“That worked out well then. Did you have plans with your friends tonight? I don’t want you to miss out on anything on account of me.”

The words are barely out of my mouth when Jace has me spun around and against the wall.

“Ella, this is our last night together before you go back to Ottawa. I’m serious about figuring this out with the two of us. There’s no one I’d rather be with tonight.” He tilts my chin up and lightly brushes his lips against mine.

It’s been such a crazy day, and so much has happened that I’ve already forgotten how good his kisses are. I sink into his lips, and my pulse beats faster. He puts his hand on my hip, and the pressure of it grounds me to him. We’re so lost in each other that I’m not sure how long we stay there trading kisses. The sound of voices approaching pulls us apart. We grin at each other as another couple walks down the stairs.

“I want to spend as much time with you as I can. Doing more of this too, hopefully.” His grin is infectious, and I know I’m mirroring him.

“Me too,” I softly reply, and he grabs my hand and we finish our walk up the stairs.

When I’m back in my room, I send a few texts out to Jess, my parents, and Tara and Lisa to let everyone know the change in plans. Jess wants all the details, so we do a quick FaceTime and I catch her up. We spend some time discussing wardrobe options for the evening. Luckily I didn’t wear my outfit on Friday night, so I still have something clean. It’s casual so we agree it will work well. We speculate on where Jace may be taking me, but other than dinner, we run out of ideas pretty quickly. It’s nice to be able to chat with my bestie and take my mind off everything else.

When we hang up, I email work to let them know I’ll be off tomorrow and then reschedule my train for mid-morning. Then I look at the time and realize I have enough time for a nap. After getting so little sleep last night, it sounds like the best idea ever. I set my alarm and close my eyes, dreaming of blue skies and dimples.

My alarm wakes me up, and it takes time to figure out what time it is and where I am. Once the groggy fades, I remember that I’m meeting Jace and we’re going on our first real date! Unless you count going to give statements at a police station, which I’m not inclined to. The romance factor was not very high at that one.

I tug on my dark blue jeans and black bodysuit and check myself out in the mirror. I’m happy with what I see. Thankfully my hair still looks fresh and wavy, and I don’t need to do anything to tame it. My makeup needs a refresh, so I move into the bathroom and get started on that. I add in a little extra eyeshadow and sparkle because it makes me happy, and sometimes you just want to look a little festive. I add a couple coats of mascara and my favourite Fenty lip gloss, and I’m ready. Which is a good thing since I agreed to meet Jace in the lobby in five minutes.

Before I leave, I grab my phone, wallet, and room key and stuff them into my coat pocket. I throw on my boots and head down to the lobby. When I get there, Jace is waiting for me near the stairwell door. Before he sees me, I take in his look. He’s wearing black jeans and boots, and the same coat he had on earlier today. It’s unzipped so I can see his blue sweater, which does everything for his eyes. He’s sinfully gorgeous, as usual. I don’t have too long to drool as he notices me and walks over.

“Ella, you look beautiful.” He looks around to make sure we have some privacy and then places a quick kiss on my lips.

“Thanks, Jace. You cleaned up pretty well too.” I give him a shy smile, still getting used to this new relationship.

There aren’t a lot of people in the lobby area, and as no one seems to be looking our way, Jace grabs my hand, and we walk towards the main exit.

“Will you tell me where we’re going now?” I raise an eyebrow at him.

“First, we’re going to get dinner. We’re going to Liverpool House—have you been there before?” He looks at me and his dimple is showing, so I’m obviously melting.

“No, I haven’t been out for dinner a lot in Montreal because I don’t get down here to visit my grandparents as often as I’d like, and we rarely go out.”

Jace jumps in right away. “Yet. You don’t get down here to visit often, yet. I’m hoping we’re going to change that.”

I like that he’s not shy to talk about the future and what he wants. It makes me feel pretty good about taking this next step with him. “Love that for us. It’s nice that it’s only two hours away.”

“Not too far at all. I expect we’ll both be doing a lot of back and forth. The nice thing about my schedule is it’s pretty flexible, and I can work around your work schedule too. I hope you don’t think I’m getting ahead of myself.” He looks at me, a crease between his eyebrows.

A small grin plays on my lips. “No, it’s nice. I appreciate not having to guess at what you’re thinking.”

We stop in front of a reddish-brown door, and the first thing I see is a Christmas tree made out of wine bottles just inside the entrance. There’s a cute bench underneath a spot to hang winter coats, and the overall vibe is Mediterranean beach house. I love it.

The host asks us if we have a reservation. and Jace indicates that he’s made one for us to sit at the bar. She gestures at two stools on the end of a glossy wood surface. The spot is perfect because we’re part of the hustle and bustle of sitting at the bar but also have a little privacy as there’s no one right beside us.

We both order a drink, and then Jace focusses on me.

“Maybe this is a crazy idea, but I think we should play twenty questions. There’s so much I don’t know about you yet.”

“Twenty? Maybe five. I doubt there’s that much you’d even want to know.” I run my finger over the wood in front of me.

“Ella, I could ask a hundred questions and still want more. I want to know everything about you.”

And my heart melts again. This guy. Is he even for real?

CHAPTER 31

“Okay, I’ll play, but only if I can ask you questions as well.”

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