What Friends Are For(15)
The message ended, another beep and then Dee’s voice filled the air again. “I forgot to ask about last night. I hope you and Jonas worked things out. I saw your car there last night and again this morning.” A deep breath and Dee continued. “I’m going to say this because I love you and I know you. You’re a good person, Jacey. And you deserve to be loved and to be happy. You deserve a great guy like Jonas. Okay, off my soapbox. I’m seriously calling Mischa now. Love you! Talk to you later.”
The machine stopped. Jacey was sitting on her couch and tears were flowing down her cheeks. Her brother had told Dee that he loved her. How did he know? What was it about Dee that made him see that he loved her? If he could fall in love then maybe she could. Maybe he could tell her what it was, what it felt like? She had to talk to Jack. Her brother would know the answers.
She called him real quick before she thought on it.
“Hey,” he answered by way of greeting.
“Jack,” she sniffled a little bit as she said his name.
“You okay, Jacey?” he asked. “Are you crying?”
“Can you come over to the apartment?” she asked, unable to keep from sniffling again. “I need to talk to you.”
“On my way now,” was his terse reply and then he hung up.
She hit a button on her phone and brought Jonas’ number up to send him a text.
Running late. Be there soon.
His reply was almost instantaneous. Can’t wait.
Chapter Seven
Her brother pounded on the door when he got there. She’d changed her mind almost as soon as she’d received Jonas’ text but Jack hadn’t answered the phone when she’d called him back. She’d seriously thought about just leaving but she had little doubt that her brother would just hunt her down until he found her.
“What happened?” were the words her brother greeted her with as soon as she opened the door. He stomped inside and immediately started looking around. “Is he here?”
“Who? What?” Jacey asked, shutting the door.
“Whoever made you cry. I’ll kill ’em.”
“I’m fine, Jack,” she shook her head and laughed. “But it’s nice to know you’d kick ass for me.”
He turned and looked at her. “So what’s up then? You don’t usually call me. I hear from you less now that I’m home than I did while I was gone. I have to pry info out of Dee to know what’s going on.”
“Hmmmm, so what did she tell you?”
“Nothing,” he said staring at her intently. “And I’m beginning to think I should have made her talk before I headed over.”
“I’m surprised she isn’t with you.” Jacey laughed.
“She was in the shower when I left,” he said, and when Jacey lifted her eyebrow he laughed. “I told her I’d be right back.”
“You love her,” Jacey said.
“Hell yeah, I do,” Jack said, dropping to sit on her couch. “What’s not to love about her? I’m an incredibly lucky man.”
The way he said it. So easily. As if saying it once opened the door and made it easier to say it again.
“What’s going on, Jacey?” He interrupted her thoughts.
“First off, promise me you won’t go crazy or do anything stupid,” she said.
“Fuck, I hate it when you start out with shit like that,” he groaned. “It means I’ll probably do both.”
“Promise, Jack,” she said.
“Fine.”
“I spent the night with Jonas.”
Jack surged to his feet, fists clenched tightly. “I’ll fucking kill him.”
“He’s your best friend,” Jacey said with a laugh.
“You’re my sister.”
“You can’t beat up Jonas.”
“I’m pretty sure I can take him.”
Jacey remembered Jonas’ body, every delicious naked inch of him.
“And I don’t even want to know what you’re thinking right now with that sappy look on your face. Did he hurt you, Jacey?”
“No.” She shook her head but she felt the tear slip down her cheek.
Jack walked over to her and used a finger to wipe it away. “Then why the tears? What happened?”
She walked away, paced around. “Jonas and I have been friends for a long time.”
“I know.” Jack nodded. “He kept me up on stuff with you while I was gone.”
“He’s always been like a best friend to me, the guy I could go to and talk to about anything.” Jack nodded and sat back down, listening quietly to her. So she kept talking. “I don’t know when things changed for him. But they did. At some point he…” She stumbled over the words. “At some point he fell in love with me.”