EroticReverie

Laurel Lockwood - One week later

"Isnt that your hot Daddy Boss Man?" Parker asks me as we sit outside a restaurant on the patio, me her and Emily, eating dinner, as I look across the street to find Jace, looking like a model out of a catalog, wearing a long sleeved hunter green henley and dark jeans, walking with a leggy red head with a thin frame, wearing a emerald green wrap dress and heels. They match. And it's fucking cute, except for the fact I hate it. 

"yeah, that's him." I say and look away and fake my non chalance about it. Because was I jealous that Jace was going on his first date, with a girl that I set him up with?  Yes. I'd gone with him to the super market a few days ago, and saw her staring at him, and told him to go introduce himself. And he was reluctant, but he'd done it. And of course she agreed to dinner with him. why wouldnt she? why wouldnt anyone?

"damn he is so fucking fine" Emily practically moans. 

"you're seriously not even going to TRY and hit that?" Emily asks. 

I roll my eyes. 

"Dont...dont talk about him like that...he's a GOOD guy. He doesnt....you dont HIT that." I say and my friends stare at me till I look up from where Im just mindlessly tossing my lettuce around in my bowl of salad. 

"What?" I ask and they both look at each other and back to me. 

"You like him. " Parker says as she smirks. 

"Of course I like him, he's a nice guy, and he's a good boss." I say with a shrug.

"No girl...you LIKE him Like him." Emily says and I roll my eyes. 

"No I dont." I say, because I didnt tell my friends about my minor crush on Jace. I respected him, and gossiping or girl talking about him, felt...wrong. Or maybe I just didnt want to share with them my thoughts or feelings, because I simply just didnt want to share HIM, period, with anyone. I was protective of him, of his heart and his feelings. We hadnt talked MUCH more about his wife, but whenever he did, it broke my heart each time he mentioned her. Because I wanted to be loved by someone that much someday. This man was loyal to his late wife for TEN years before even considering moving on, and I couldnt get a guy to stay loyal to me while living and breathing. She must have been perfect. She must have been the woman a guy as good as Jace Janeski truly deserves. How could anyone live up to that?  I know that I cant, not at fucking nineteen anyways. Jace needed a woman. One that had lived and had life experiences they could share. At least that's what I told myself when I set him up with "Lydia"  the gorgeous model looking red head that was currently laughing and drawing my attention and everyone elses on the street. I turn my head and catch him and her standing there, her hands on his arms as she laughs, throwing her head back. Her curly red hair, done up and she steals his attention, every bit of it, along with everyone elses. I wonder if she reminds him of his wife? What did she even look like ? 

I watch as Jace laughs with her, talking as she keeps laughing at every single word he speaks and I turn away. 

"Whose the red head moving in on your man?" Emily says.

"Stop it. He's not my man" I grumble. 

"uh huh." Emily taunts. 

I suffer through the rest of dinner, and decline to join them at the bonfire tonight. Even though I said I'd go, but now, I just wasnt in the mood. 

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It's eleven at night when I'm laying in bed, about to put down my phone when it rings. My brows pinch and I swipe to answer Jace's call.

"Hello?" I answer.

"Hey no freak shit maid." he says and I smile slightly. 

"Hey boss." I say and he laughs. 

"Sorry to bother you , i know it's late." he says. 

"You're not bothering me." I say, turning on my side and holding the phone to my ear.

He silent a moment.

"Did you need something, is everything okay?" I ask. 

"Everything is great." he says.

"So you're date went well?" I ask, swallowing down my envy of the red head. If everything is great, then they must have hit it off. 

Jace laughs. "No , it didnt" 

My brows pinch. "It didnt?" I ask, I had SEEN the laughing, seen them touching.

"Why, what happened?" I ask. 

"Well....it was going decently enough....there was no....spark, you know....I mean...first dates dont have to be firework sparks...but theres...gotta be something there....and there wasnt.....but we shared good conversation, had dinner and walked along the sidewalks, got frozen yogurt..." he says.

"Yeah...so whats wrong with that?" 

"Her last name is Shiltz." he says. I just sit there, trying to figure out why her last name is the problem.

"Guess who her mother is." he says.

Then it hits me. My ballet teacher. Madame Shiltz. The story I told him about my mean ballet teacher.

"No." I gasp and then laugh slightly. 

"Yep." he says. "So I knew right then...there'd be no second date." 

My heart does something really fucking weird in my chest, fluttering and stuttering and I smile. 

"So you're counting her out because her mom was mean to me?"  I ask him. 

"Apples dont usually fall from the tree Laurel." he says and I laugh. 

"You cant just...write her off because of her mom...she COULD be the nicest woman in the world." I say and laugh. 

"Not interested. No girlfriend of mine is going to have a mom that's been mean to you." he says and I bite my lip and my eyes water. Because fuck. 

"Laurel? You there?" he asks. 

I swallow the lump in my throat. 

"Laurel, hello?" he asks. 

"Yeah. I'm here." I say my voice cracking as tears roll down my cheeks. 

".....are you....are you crying?" he asks. "What's wrong? Are you okay, where are you?" he asks. 

"I'm...." I pause and sniffle. "I'm fine...that was just....that was really cute...and sweet...and I know you're joking, but it was just..."

"Oh im not joking. Even if there had BEEN fireworks. That was a deal breaker. " he says. and I smile and laugh through my tears. 

"Jace" I laugh and swipe my tears. 

"You were the best ballerina Laurel." he says. 

I laugh. "You've never even seen the catastrophe of me on a stage."  I laugh as I keep crying and laughing.

"Dont need to...I already know. And you'll show me eventually."

"Like hell I will" I laugh. 

"Bring the tapes tomorrow." he says and i laugh.

"No fucking way" 

"Pleaaaaase?" he begs and I laugh. 

"You couldnt pay me enough to show you those embarassing videos." I say with a laugh. 

"I'd really like to see them. I'd like to see you doing something you loved......I have a picture...of me dressed as Boober." he says. and I nearly snort.

"No you dont." I laugh. 

"I do too. I'll have my mother send it to me. Bring those tapes and we'll trade." he says and I laugh. 

"i'll think about it." 

"that's a no" he sighs. 

I laugh, and he does too and we lay there on the phone in silence and I'm smiling as I just sit there. 

"Laurel?" he asks a minute later.

"Yeah?" I answer softly. 

"I'm glad I met you. I like having you around." he says and I bite my lip. 

"I'm glad I met you too Jace." I say. 

"Get some sleep." he says quietly. 

"Okay." I answer.

"Goodnight Laurel." he says. 

"Good night Jace"