Cursive - By Phoebe Lane Page 0,34

if she leaves, huh? She's been moving around the country for a year, running away from God knows what. Nothing really ties her here. What if something like this makes her run away even faster?"

Aislynn had spent four years of her life learning how to observe and talk to people. She was trained on how to scrutinize body language, examine facial expressions, and ask open-ended questions to get people talking. The ability to analyze people this way had become both a blessing and a curse for her.

Remember, it's not an infallible gift. A lot of bad things can happen if you don't do it right.

There was no doubt in Aislynn's mind that Jace was preoccupied with something. They'd spent a great deal of time together over the last couple of weeks, going out to dinner and checking out local bands in small venues around San Diego. She really liked learning about the things Jace enjoyed doing, but something was definitely off.

For the most part, Jace acted just fine around her. He was his usual caring, talkative, jovial, and chivalrous self. But there were times when Aislynn would notice changes in his demeanor. Most were subtle on his part but noticeable to Aislynn's trained eye. She could pick up on mild shifts in his mood, the tone of his voice would change when she'd bring up certain subjects, or he would avoid touching her at times. He even cancelled plans with her twice, blaming it on being too tired. He wasn't necessarily being hot-and-cold with her; it was more of a hot-and-lukewarm kind of thing.

He's withdrawing from me, and I can't figure out why.

The housewarming party was scheduled for later that night, and Aislynn was nervous about meeting all the people he invited. In particular, she was anxious about meeting his family. She had asked herself over and over whether it was premature to be meeting his parents at that point, but Jace wasn’t concerned about it. She wondered how much, if anything at all, he had shared with them about their relationship.

Ellie had worked her butt off preparing for the party. She hired a chef to create and prepare a unique menu that matched the coastal theme of the event, set up a full bar out on the deck with specialty drinks for the guests, and even arranged to have live music. She was excited to have this opportunity to get more private clients, and she also wanted to show off. She was good at that.

"You've put some effort into this one. You look really good," Ellie said, checking out Aislynn's outfit as she walked out of her bedroom.

"Do you think it's too much? Not enough?" she asked, looking at herself in the hallway mirror. She wore a mint green fitted dress with gold accessories and strappy heels.

"I think it's perfect. Are you worried about meeting the parents?"

"Stop it. You'll make me even more nervous," Aislynn whined. "And besides, remember Evan is like a son to them, so in a way you're going to be meeting 'the parents' too."

"Thanks for that," Ellie said sarcastically. "Now, let's go."

"By the way, you look good as a strawberry blonde."

Jace had done some extra work on the house since Aislynn had last been there. He put up two large oil paintings in his living room, and it wasn’t until she approached them closely that she realized they were signed "JQ" in the bottom right corner. Yes, Mr. Renaissance Man Quinn was also an artist. But before she had a chance to ask him about his art, he dragged her over to the kitchen to introduce her to his parents.

Nina Quinn was the epitome of elegance and grace. She was also the warmest and sweetest person Aislynn had ever met. John Quinn was very handsome, like his son, and surprisingly pleasant and down to earth.

"It's so good to finally meet you, Aislynn," Nina said excitedly, giving her a hug. "Oh my goodness, you're so beautiful."

"Thank you," Aislynn said and felt her face blush. "It's so wonderful to meet you, too."

"How do you like San Diego so far, Aislynn?" John asked with a polite smile.

"I really like it, actually. I've been traveling for a while now, and I have to say this city has something special." Your son, specifically.

"I'm glad you're having a good time here. Jace mentioned you're a writer?" John asked.

"Well, I wouldn't call myself that yet, but yeah, I'm trying to work on a novel."

"I’m an avid reader, so I'll be very interested