Marked (8 page)

“
You couldn’t have let me know you
were leaving?”

“
It was spur of the
moment.”

“
What kind of family business was
it?” I asked, wondering if it had anything to do with his uncle’s
visit or that Shelby chick.

“
An upcoming family event I had to
discuss preparations for.”

“
Something you couldn’t discuss
over the phone?”

“
No, I couldn’t,” he
said.

I sighed, frustrated. “Would it kill you to
elaborate just a little?”

Jace drew his eyebrows together. “I know how cryptic
the answers I give you about my family must seem, but I can’t tell
you anything more. I just can’t.”

“
Actually, you can. The problem is,
you won’t,” I snapped. “You don’t have to be so secretive when it
comes to your family with me.”

“
Yeah, I do,” he
insisted.

“
Not with me you don’t.”

“
Yes, Tessa, especially with
you.”

His words stung and I felt tears swell within my
eyes. What could possibly be that important regarding his family
that he couldn’t tell me especially? Were they in the freaking CIA
or something?

“
I don’t care what your family does
for a living,” I said, feeling more hurt than I’d thought possible.
“And I think you should go.” I turned away from him, not wanting
him to see the tears that pooled in my eyes, threatening to
overflow any moment.

Jace’s arms looped around my waist as he spun me to
face him. “I didn’t mean it the way it sounded.”

“
Then what did you mean? Because
that seemed pretty straight forward. You don’t trust me enough to
tell me a single thing about your family.”

“
I wish I could explain it all to
you. I really do, Tessa, but I can’t. Not right now. And it’s
killing
me that I can’t; please don’t think it’s not.” His
voice cracked with emotion and I finally felt my tears spill over.
Jace’s hand cupped my chin, forcing me to look into his eyes. “I
never wanted to make you cry.”

His lips brushed across my forehead and I closed my
eyes. Jace released me and I heard his retreating footsteps echo
through the silent diner. I didn’t open my eyes, because I knew
when I did, Jace would be gone and I’d take notice to how many sets
of eyes were on me. A tiny piece of my heart broke and I struggled
to catch my breath as I stood there, motionless.

Twenty minutes later, Rachel let me leave early and
I sulked out to my car more heartbroken than ever before. Sam hated
me. He thought I was some lying cheater, which in actuality, I sort
of was. And Jace couldn’t trust me enough to tell me any details
about his family or what he was doing the last few days.

When had my life spun so out of control?

Something tucked beneath my windshield wiper caught
my attention. I reached out and plucked a single yellow rose from
beneath it. A note was wrapped tightly around its long stem. I
carefully unrolled it while searching around, looking for whomever
could have placed it there. Opening my car door for more light, I
read it.

I promise you, Tessa, one day soon I’ll be able to
explain everything to you. I’m sorry for the tears I caused… please
don’t stay angry with me for long.

- Jace

My lips twisted into a small smile. He’d remembered
my favorite flower. I read his note once more while inhaling the
sweet scent that wafted off the rose, knowing there was no way I
could stay mad at him for long... especially not with an apology
like that.

* * *

Days passed without me seeing Jace again, but every
night I worked, I found another rose attached to my windshield. On
the nights I didn’t work, I’d find one the next afternoon, once
school had let out, beneath my windshield wiper blade. None of them
ever had a note besides the first, but I didn’t need one to know
who’d left them.

* * *

It was Friday night, exactly one week since my soap
opera moment in the diner. I sat curled up at the end of our couch,
watching some stupid sci-fi movie with my parents. It was only 7:45
and I was already nodding off. A knock at the door snapped me awake
and I jumped up to answer it.

“
I’ll get it,” I said.

When I opened the door, my jaw dropped. Jace stood
in front of me dressed in light colored jeans, a white T-shirt, and
a tan corduroy jacket. He was holding two more yellow roses.

“
Hi,” I muttered,
shocked.

“
Hey.” He smiled. “I hope it’s okay
I stopped by unannounced.”

“
It’s fine.” I smiled nervously,
suddenly feeling insecure about the over-sized T-shirt and baggy
sweatpants I was wearing. “How did you know where I lived, though?
Are you stalking me or something?” I asked jokingly, attempting to
hide my embarrassment.

“
Nah, I’m not the stalking type.”
He chuckled. “I asked Rachel and she told me.”

I nodded, making a mental note to growl at her for
not sending me a text letting me know he’d be coming over.
“Oh.”

“
I wanted to give you these,” he
said, handing me the two roses he’d been holding. “One for all the
tears I made you shed and one asking for your
forgiveness.”

I gaped at him, not sure how to respond. No one had
ever gone out of there way like he was to apologize to me for
anything. I was speechless.

“
Who is it, sweetie?” mom asked,
walking up behind me.

My pulse quickened. “Um, Mom, this is Jace. Jace,
this is my mom, Elizabeth Morganton.”

“
Hi, Mrs. Morganton. It’s nice to
meet you,” Jace said politely, extending a hand for her to
shake.

“
Nice to meet you, too,” mom said
in an off tone, never reaching to shake his hand.

Embarrassment flushed my cheeks when Jace dropped
his hand back to his side.

“
Come on in,” I said, not wanting
him to suffer in the awkward moment any longer.

Mom started back toward the living room before Jace
even made it through the threshold. I cleared my throat and offered
him a wide smile. He shrugged and flashed me a shy smile of his
own.

“
Tessa has a new friend to
introduce you to,” I heard mom say as we rounded the corner behind
her.

“
Okay?” dad responded, sounding as
confused by my mother’s demeanor as I was.

Once Jace and I stepped around the corner, dad
raised an eyebrow.

“
Dad, this is Jace. Jace, this is
my dad, Bill Morganton,” I said and then held my breath, waiting
for him to act as strange and rude as mom had.

“
Nice to meet you, Jace.” Dad
smiled, reaching his hand out to shake Jace’s.

My shoulders loosened and I relaxed, realizing dad
didn’t seem to have the same problem with Jace as mom did. I cast a
glance at Jace, wondering if he’d been as worried as I had, but
what I saw reflected in his eyes when he returned my stare was not
relief but confusion.

“
I see roses. Are you dating my
daughter?” dad asked, grasping both our attention again.

“
Yes, sir,” Jace answered and I
felt goose bumps prickle across my skin.

“
Was that a motorcycle I saw parked
in the driveway?” mom asked through pursed lips.

I gaped at her. Why was she throwing him under the
bus? Did she think he was too old for me?

“
Motorcycle?” Dad’s okay mood
deflated. “You drive a motorcycle?”

“
Yes, sir. I do,” Jace
answered.

“
Tessa, you know how I feel about
those death traps.”

“
I know.” I nodded.

“
I don’t mind you dating my
daughter as long as you treat her well, don’t keep her out past
curfew, and don’t let her on the back of that bike,” dad said,
ticking each thing off on his fingers. “If the two of you want to
go someplace, you can park that thing in my driveway and take her
car that’s got four wheels and some sides to it.
Understood?”

“
Yes, sir. Understood.” Jace
nodded.

“
We’re going to go hang out on the
back porch now, okay?” I said, not waiting for an answer. I flashed
my parents a smile and tugged Jace toward the dining
room.

“
Tough crowd,” Jace muttered as we
stepped through the French doors in the dining room, which lead to
the back porch.

I closed the door behind us and sat in one of the
deck chairs that overlooked our backyard. “I know. I’m so sorry
about my mom. I don’t know what her deal is.”

Jace shrugged as he sat in the chair beside me. “You
weren’t kidding about looking a lot like her. You don’t really
resemble your dad much, though.”

“
I get that a lot. Actually, the
only things we share are our love of Italian foods and horror
movies.”

“
Horror movies, huh? From the look
on your face the first night you came to my house, I wouldn’t have
pegged you for a horror movie kind of girl.” He grinned.

“
Well, maybe you had me pegged
wrong.”

“
Maybe.”

“
So, what made you decide to track
me down?” I asked, pulling my knees up to my chest and locking my
arms around them.

“
I wanted to see you,” he answered
in an unabashed way. “I went to the diner, but you weren’t working.
So, I asked Rachel if she knew where you’d be.”

“
And she told you how to get to my
house.” I rolled my eyes, but deep down I was thanking her. “You
know, now would be a good time to ask for my cell
number?”

“
I would, but I don’t have a phone
to call you on.”

“
You don’t have a cell phone?” I
asked.
Everyone
had a cell phone.

“
Nope, sure don’t.”

“
What? Why?” I asked, unable to
accept that fact.

A slow smile crept across his face as though he
found my questions to be cute in some way. “Because... once a
person gets one, it’s like it rules their whole life or something.
Think about it. People feel naked if they leave the thing at home.
Oh, and the whole text messaging thing—very impersonal.” He paused
to smile wider, maybe due to the sheer shock his words caused me.
“Besides, if I want to talk to you I’ll find you, because there’s
never a time when I
just
want to talk to you. I want to
see
you, too. I like seeing your expressions and gazing into
your beautiful eyes. It’s all more
intimate
.”

“
Oh,” I said like an idiot, my
cheeks flushing through twenty shades of red.

Jace licked his lips and leaned in closer toward me.
My eyes focused on his lips as I watched them grow closer and
closer with each thumping of my heart. I closed my eyes just before
they brushed across mine. Bursts of tingling warmth flowed from his
lips to mine and my heart picked up its pace. I’d forgotten how
good his kisses could feel.

Without warning Jace pulled away, leaving me dazed,
like I’d just been ripped from the most amazing dream imaginable. I
followed his stare through the French doors. A light flicked on in
the dining room and my mother walked in pretending to search for
something, but it was obvious she was only checking up on us. I let
out a sigh once she’d left the room and flicked the light back
off.

“
I think I should go,” Jace said,
standing.

“
Okay.” I shrugged, hoping any hint
of the disappointment I’d felt hadn’t leaked into my voice. After
all, he’d just got here. I dropped my eyes to a tiny hole in the
knee of my sweatpants.

“
You still want to have that date
we never got a chance to have?”

I nodded and stood up. “Sure.”

“
Tomorrow night?” he asked, raising
an eyebrow.

“
I work, but I get off at
9:30.”

“
I’ll see you afterward?” He bent
down and gave me another peck across the lips.

“
After work,” I agreed.

* * *

After I’d walked Jace to his bike and said
goodnight, I came back inside to find mom waiting on me in the
hall.

“
What happened to Sam? The two of
you never worked things out?” she asked.

I shook my head. “No.”

“
Well, when did you meet this Jace
guy?”

“
A few weeks ago at the diner.”
Part lie, part truth. I had met him at the diner, but mom didn’t
really need to know how long ago because then she’d have more
questions she’d want answered and I was not willing to go there
right now. If ever.

Mom crossed her arms over her chest. “He looks a
little older than you. Is he?”

“
Not by much, only three years.
He’s twenty-one and I’ll be eighteen in a few weeks,” I said
defensively. Was she about to tell me that I couldn’t date
him?

I held her gaze, wishing she’d just say whatever was
on her mind and get it over with. Desperation soon entered her
steady stare and I didn’t know the reason for it.

“
Be careful, Tessa. He’ll break
your heart,” she whispered.

I didn’t respond right away. I just stood there,
gaping at her. I’d never seen my mother seem so worried and
heartbroken, especially not over a boy I was dating.

“
Mom—I,” I started, but she’d
already began walking back toward the living room.