Page 17 of When Ben Loved Jace

“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 arenotdoing 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, notthat, 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, thatisa 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?”