right. Gimme a minute and I'll be right out with it."
"Wonderful! Thank you!"
She brought him back her own creation—a pecan turtle brownie that she'd warmed up a bit in the microwave, just enough to make the caramel a bit runny and melt the scoop of vanilla ice cream she'd then topped it with.
It was probably four inches square and at least an inch thick, just slightly underdone and incredibly moist and dense, and he ate every single crumb of it.
When he'd finished the glass of milk he'd asked her for—unabashedly, she'd noted—he asked, "Do you sell these?"
She smiled. "No. I've never made it before, but I remember you mentioning something about loving the homemade turtle candy your mom used to make, so I thought a brownie might be a nice showcase for that."
"Well, my dear, you should. You'd make a fortune."
"Thank you, kind sir." She nodded her head to him formally.
He wiped his mouth and put his napkin on the table then sat there for a moment, looking pensive.
"What are you thinking about?"
Jace brought his eyes to hers. "That I wish I didn't have to do what I have to do right now."
Laurie's eyes grew round, and she tilted her head a bit. "Okay, way to sound ominous."
He cleared his throat, and stood, putting his hand out to her. "I think I want to have this conversation somewhere else."
Even more ominous, she thought, hoping more than she wanted to admit to herself that he wasn't going to break up with her.
He brought her to his study, which was what she would have called a "neat mess.” It was scattered with papers and books and electronic equipment of varying sorts—some she recognized, some she didn't—but she would bet that he could produce anything she asked him for in a second, because he knew where he'd put every item in the room, whether or not it had landed there neatly.
There was a couch, to which he led her, taking a seat a bit away from her, which she wasn't sure was at all a good thing.
"So, what is it that you need to talk to me about?" she asked immediately, not wanting it to drag on if it was bad news.
Jace took a deep breath, for the first time, questioning whether he should have volunteered for this job. He didn't think it was going to be as easy as he'd thought, and the very last thing he wanted to do was to hurt her—in any way, at all, ever.
"Well, I think the best thing to do is to just say what I've discovered recently, and then we can talk about it."
Her "Ooookkkkaaaaaay" couldn't have been more tentative.
"You just met Tanner. The next oldest brother is Nick, but he's out fighting for Truth, Justice and the American Way, according to him anyway."
She raised an eyebrow at him and waited for an explanation.
"He's a lawyer."
Laurie had to laugh. "Not how most people would characterize lawyers, but good for him for maintaining a positive attitude in the face of adversity!"
"Yeah, he's a bit starry eyed, and although we all tease him mercilessly with lawyer jokes, I try to keep the guys from piling on him too hard. He wants to help people, and that's a very admirable pursuit."
"Especially for a lawyer," she couldn't resist saying, and Jace grinned.
"Yeah." He sighed again then forged ahead. "I don't think, though, that you realize you've already met my other brothers."
"Jeez, how many of you are there?"
"Five. I'm the eldest, in case you hadn't gathered that already."
She was grinning this time. "Boy, are you an eldest!"
He smiled. "I'll take that as a compliment, whether or not it was intended that way, missy."
Laurie did her best to look innocent. "All I did was agree with you!"
"Uh huh." He sounded unconvinced. But despite the levity, there was an uncomfortable pause before he continued. "So, as I said, you've met my other brothers—the ones between Nick and me."
"Can I stop you?" she asked.
He sounded surprised. "Sure."
"I just really want to know before I have a heart attack or faint or something—are you breaking up with me?"
Jace didn't give her an immediate "no.” Instead, his lips formed a thin line and he cocked his head a bit. Then he gave her the answer she wanted—sort of. "No, I'm not. In fact, when I tell you what I need to tell you, the shoe is very firmly going to be on the other foot."
"That wasn't a lot of help."
He rubbed his neck a bit