Cursive - By Phoebe Lane Page 0,42

some from home if you want to."

Let her take care of you, he thought. She obviously wants to.

Jace realized how much he had longed to have someone in his life that would want to take care of him. He didn't mean it in a needy, clingy way. It wasn't a need for him anymore, it was a want.

He was constantly surrounded by people who loved and supported him unconditionally, like his parents, his brother, and Evan. But the vacancy Chloe had left behind after she ran away had never been filled— not by Lia, and not by any other woman Jace had been with since then. Things felt very different now. Aislynn was making a difference.

Jace watched her as she moved comfortably around his kitchen, and a warm feeling invaded his body. It was a combination of lust, affection, and fear. Lust, because he really couldn't wait to have her naked on that kitchen counter, or in his bed, or in any corner of his house for that matter; affection, because he was falling for her and there was no denying it; and fear, because he probably shouldn't have been feeling this way about her so soon.

"Jace, what is it?" she asked.

"Nothing," he said with a sweet smile. "I just like to watch you in my house. It suits you."

She smiled at him and went back to cooking.

Aislynn had just been thinking about how at ease she felt in Jace's house. She was now more emotionally involved with him than she'd been with anyone else in the last year, yet he had no idea about the complexity and intensity of her baggage.

No one does. Not even Ellie.

Everyone had been calling to check on Jace—Nina, John, Evan, Alex, and even Ellie. They were all reassured that the doctor's visit had gone well, and that the results would most likely come back in a day or two.

Nina had asked to speak with Aislynn to ask a few medical questions, and she answered them as best she could. Nina thanked her over and over for the support she was giving Jace and the rest of his family.

"Are you okay, sweetheart? How are you holding up?" Nina asked.

"I'm fine. I'm staying positive."

"Please, let us know if you need anything. I guess that with your professional background, I don't need to tell you this, but remember that this affects us all, and that includes you now, too."

Wow, this is new. Pam, are you taking notes?

"Thanks, Nina. I really appreciate that. You have no idea how much." They exchanged phone numbers, and Aislynn promised to call or text her as soon as they heard something from the doctor's office.

Aislynn walked back into the living room and found Jace finishing up a call on his landline. "That was Tessa. She says hi, and thanks for going with me to the appointment."

"Does this mean she's warming up to me?" Aislynn asked, remembering how standoffish Tessa had been at the party.

"You noticed, huh?"

"It was hard not to. What's her deal anyway?"

"Tessa can be a bit…hard on the women I date. It’s more of misplaced protectiveness, I guess. She was the one that introduced me to Chloe; they use to be best friends, actually. She never forgave Chloe for walking out on me, and I think she feels some level of guilt for what happened."

"Are you guys really close?" she asked.

"We were closer back in college. We all went to the same school together, and she came to work for me when I started my company. She's a great friend and definitely the perfect woman for Alex. He needs someone who can kick his ass every once in a while."

"Yeah, well it seems to me she’s an expert at kicking ass. I’m not sure if I admire or dislike that about her."

After lunch, Aislynn offered to do the cleanup while Jace answered some calls from work. She grabbed her things and announced she was going home, but Jace asked her to stay.

"I have a deadline coming up. I need to get some writing done," Aislynn said.

"Do it here. You have your laptop with you, right?" She nodded. "Then stay. Write. You can do it out in the deck if you want. It's beautiful out today."

He was right of course. The beach offered the perfect scenery, the waves played soothing background music, and having Jace near made her feel at ease. The ideas started flowing in her head instantly, and Aislynn lost herself in her writing.

She had been outside for a