Page 18 of When Ben Loved Jace

“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. “AmIdating 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.