Page 8 of When Ben Loved Jace (He Loved Him #2)

I’m standing on the front stoop of Allison’s old house three days later, waiting for her to answer. She doesn’t. Instead a bald black man with broad shoulders opens the door. The mere sight of him used to send chills down my spine. Not anymore.

“Ben! Come on in!”

“Hey, Mister—”

That’s all I get out before I’m trapped in a bear hug that squeezes the air from my lungs.

I laugh once set on my feet again. Allison’s father is a changed man.

Or more accurately, he’s closer to the person he used to be before his wife died.

He stopped drinking years ago and seems happier now, although he never tried his luck at love again.

We catch up for a few minutes in the entryway before he remembers that I’m here to visit someone else.

“Alli is upstairs in her old room. I’m sure she’ll be thrilled to see you. Holler if you need anything.”

“Thanks!”

I take the stairs two at a time, feeling like a teenager again. Her bedroom doesn’t look the same. Most of the furniture has been moved to the apartment we share, but there are still little reminders of who we used to be, like the hand-made posters on the wall.

Allison emerges from the closet with an armful of clothes. “Hey, Ben!”

“Hi,” I say, wishing I could flop onto her bed like the old days to dish some gossip. “What are you doing?”

“Seeing if any of this is worth salvaging. Dad is thinking of selling the house.”

“What?” I cry, instantly disliking the idea.

“I know. He says it’s too much for one person and that a family should be living here. But guess what? He might move closer to us!”

“Awesome! The next time we have trouble with our landlord, we’ll sic your dad on him. Can you imagine?”

“There won’t be any more leaky faucets or drafty windows,” Allison says with a satisfied smirk. “When we’re back, remind me to scout out the best golf courses. I want to really sell him on the idea. ”

“I suspect there’s a much larger draw for him than that.” She looks pleased until I add, “The man is crazy about me!”

“You aren’t wrong,” she says with a laugh. “Is that why you’re here?”

“Not exactly,” I say with a wince. “I need your advice.”

She narrows her eyes in suspicion. “Did something happen with Jace?”

I shrug and begin to squirm.

“Ben! You are not doing this again!”

“He’s too good to be true!”

“Oh my god.” She tosses the clothes over the back of an abandoned office chair. “I should have known. You always get cold feet around the third date.”

“For good reason!”

She turns to me and crosses her arms. “Such as?”

“I think he’s hiding something.”

“Like a conference room full of paintings?”

“Exactly! I mean, not that , but something. I told you about the weird moment at the New Year’s party. Who was he talking to? And how come Jace looked so upset afterwards?”

She shrugs, as if unimpressed. “That’s not enough to condemn the man. Why are you so suspicious?"

"Because it’s always something. Remember the guy who showed up on our one-month anniversary wearing his wedding ring?”

“I’m just glad you found out sooner rather than later,” she says, dropping her arms.

“Or how about the guy who stole our TV and stereo to pay for a nasty habit I didn’t realize he had.”

Allison’s lips pull back. “You’re lucky you didn’t catch something from him. I swear he had fleas. But I still don’t see what any of those sleazebags have to do with Jace, other than you being shell-shocked.”

“Okay, imagine that I own a really nice house downtown with three bedrooms. And that you, my best friend, want to come live with me. How would you feel about staying in a trailer in the backyard?”

“Why would I do that?”

“Exactly!”

“Okay, that is a little strange.” Allison sighs. Then she shrugs. “Let’s go find out. ”

“You mean right now?”

“Why not? If he’s hiding something, we’ll catch him off guard. If not, it’ll put your suspicions to rest. I’m dying to meet him anyway.”

Rather than talking me down from the rooftop, she’s chosen to join me on the ledge. “This is why I love you!”

Allison is good at reading people. There wasn’t a single loser in my past that she didn’t warn me about in advance.

We stay a little longer to chat with her dad.

Then she drives us downtown. We sing duets along the way, which helps keep my nervousness at bay.

Although it comes back full force once we pull into the driveway and park.

“If he’s the right one,” Allison says, “Jace will be happy to see you.”

Sounds reasonable. We go to the front door and ring the bell. When someone answers, my stomach sinks, because she’s blond and beautiful, giving me unwelcome flashbacks.

“Can I help you?” she asks, tucking a strand of long hair behind one ear.

“Are you the lady of the house?” I ask.

She makes a face. “Are you from the nineteen-fifties?”

“What my friend meant to ask,” Allison asks, taking over, “is if you live here.”

“No,” the woman says.

“Are you dating Greg?” I blurt out.

“Me?” The woman laughs, sounding a little manic. “Am I dating Greg? Of course not! Oh my god… Could you imagine? Wait…” She peers at us. “Who are you people?”

I push myself up on my toes, trying to see past her into a den of secrets. “Is Jace here?”

Allison places a hand on my shoulder to bring me back down to earth. “His name is Ben,” she says helpfully.

The woman brightens at this news. “Oh!” She looks me over and smiles. “You’re so cute! Just like he said.”

“He did?” I point at myself, just to be sure. “Me?”

Allison shakes her head ruefully and introduces herself. “I’m his best friend. And his moral support.”

The blond woman smiles at this. “I’m Jace’s sister, Michelle.”

His sister! Of course. The family resemblance is obvious. I can feel my face burning .

Michelle notices and seems amused. “Jace is out grocery shopping with Greg. They should be back soon. Would you like to come in?”

“We were just—” Stopping by, I want to say so I can escape the embarrassing situation.

Allison cuts me off. “—talking about how excited we were to see more of this gorgeous house.”

“Isn’t it grand?” Michelle says, ushering us inside. “I’m so jealous. I live in a dinky apartment with a girl who is an aspiring hoarder, which means the place is getting smaller every day. I wish I lived alone in a house like this.”

The living room is sunken and full of rustic furnishings that lend it a masculine air. “What does Greg do for a living?” Allison asks as we’re led to a couch. “And does he know how to treat a lady right?”

She knows me too well, because of course that’s the theory I latched on to next.

Michelle found the suggestion of dating Greg laughable, which means he might be gay after all.

I still remember the way he’d looped his arm through Jace’s when they entered the store.

And the explanation I was given for that behavior, but people say all kinds of things.

“He’s straight.” Michelle replies, sounding concerned when adding, “And yeah, he’s single. But I don’t think he’s in the market unless…” She focuses on me. “Did he mention liking someone?”

“I only met him in passing,” I admit.

Michelle studies me a moment longer. I suspect she’s starting to see through this ruse. I’m near certain when she says, “Jace didn’t mention that you’d be stopping by. Were you hoping to surprise him?”

“It was my idea,” Allison interjects. “You know how protective best friends can be, when your favorite person in the world starts dating someone new.”

Michelle relaxes. “You’ll never meet anyone sweeter than my brother. He’s a total weirdo, sure, but he has a good heart.”

“Do you go to college here?” Allison asks.

“No, I already graduated. I came down here to check on the job market. I wouldn’t mind living closer to my brother.”

I snort at this. “That’s odd. For most of my life, my sister and I have been trying to put as much distance between us as possible. ”

“I can’t relate to either of you,” Allison says with a shrug. “I’m an only child. What sort of work do you do?”

“I’m a social worker,” Michelle replies. “In child welfare, specifically.”

Allison perks up. “Interesting! I’m going into counseling. I’ve been trying to figure out what age group I want to specialize in. What made you decide to focus on children?”

They continue to talk shop while I attempt to shake off my embarrassment.

The welcome news is that I didn’t stumble into a secret love nest. Jace is of good character.

Although I still have questions. I can’t exactly ask his sister who the guy at the party was.

Not without coming across as an insecure mess.

“That’ll be them,” Michelle declares after we hear honking.

We venture outside. Jace and Greg get out of the yellow SUV wearing puzzled expressions, although they both smile when spotting me.

“This is a nice surprise,” Jace says, walking over to give me a smooch.

Right in front of the others. Case closed. I was barking at shadows all along.

“And who might you be?” Greg asks, taking Allison’s hand and bending over as if intending to kiss it.

“Taken,” she says, swiftly pulling it free from his grasp. “My name is Allison. I’m his wingman.”

Greg laughs. “Then we’ve got the same goal. Let me know when you’re ready to negotiate the dowry.”

Jace drapes an arm along my shoulders. “Are you staying for dinner?”

“You’ve gotta!” Greg says. “They had a sale on steaks. I bought too many. Hey, Michelle, come load me up.”

I watch him take off his jacket, revealing a sleeveless shirt. That seems a little random until Michelle does as requested and his biceps begin to bulge.

“Give me all of those twelve packs. For real. I can take it!”

Allison shoots me a knowing look after Michelle giggles. It’s obvious now. The only people they’re interested in is each other. Greg is so determined to show off that we’re not really needed, leaving me free to focus on other matters.

“Jace,” I say, “this is Allison, my lifelong best friend who just happens to be the wisest, most beautiful woman in the entire world. ”