Chapter Four

Jace:

Jamie and I don’t have standing plans, but I figure I’ll find him at his parents’ place, where he and Annie have a small house, and we can figure out what we’re doing for the day. Lisbeth is likely to be sucked into her family holiday extravaganza, and the thought of partaking of all those festivities is enough to make me physically ill. If Lisbeth is doing it, Ryder is likely to be tagging long, so my best bet for avoiding the holiday festivities while connecting with an old friend is to visit Jamie.

The Taylors have a farm on the outskirts of Sage Valley, so I drive my rental through town. I take a detour to avoid Main Street, which looks like a Hallmark card exploded there, going out of my way slightly to avoid the spectacle. It takes a few extra minutes to get to Jamie’s, but nowhere in Sage Valley takes long to reach, so I’m at his parents’ house less than twenty minutes later.

I pause to look around before accelerating up the long driveway. They’ve installed gates since my last visit, but they’re open wide, so I can’t imagine they were put in for security. They must have been a way to make the property look better. Everything seems the same otherwise, so I drive up the long, winding driveway.

I can’t help recalling how difficult it was sometimes to drive up during winter with my first vehicle. I worked weekends in the mechanic bay at the one and only dealership in town, and Mr. Edwards traded six months of work for a beat-up Toyota king cab. I chuckle as I turn the final sharp twist to reach their house. That old truck had lacked power steering, so this last turn used to be a lot harder than it is now.

The rented SUV has no trouble navigating the driveway, even with the snow, and I’m soon parked in front of Annie’s small farmhouse. It’s not as large as the Taylors’ farmhouse, but it’s a cozy place, and I spent a lot of time in the main house as a kid.

I know at their place, but there’s no answer, so I eye the main house where Jamie and Alexis’s parents live. I’d like to see them again, even if Jamie and Annie are out, so I head that way. It’s a familiar trek and reminds me this place was a refuge away from my fighting parents and being here feels more like being home than any aspect of Sage Valley has so far.

I haven’t bothered to visit my old house, and I have no intention of doing so. It never felt much like home. It was always a battle zone, and I spent as little time there as possible, especially as I got older and had more autonomy.

As I trudge up the stairs, which have been mostly cleared, save for a new dusting of snow indicating the weather’s already eroding someone’s hard work, I think back to all the times Alexis tagged along. I didn’t really notice her back then, other than being irritated by her presence. As I cross the porch, going to the front door to knock, I struggle to remember why Alexis would seem to have such clear dislike for me.

The last year or so that I knew her, she seemed to have mellowed, except toward the end of the final year I lived here. At that point she avoided me, and when she didn’t, she was glaring at me. Something must’ve occurred during that time, but I can’t recall what.

My rap on the door causes the Taylors’ dog Ranger to bark, and I’m almost surprised to hear his voice. The beagle was a few years old when I was last here, so he must be quite old by now.

The door opens a moment later, and Mrs. Taylor has a grin on her face. “Jamie said you were back in town. I’d hoped you’d come by to see us. Come in, son.” She probably has no idea how much the casual endearment means to me.

I step into the kitchen, spending a moment hovering on the sidelines as Mrs. Taylor closes the door, and Ranger sniffs me before backing off. When she turns to me, I give her the obligatory hug, but doesn’t feel like an obligation. It’s nice to feel her soft arms around me again, and she feels way more motherly than my own mother.

She looks like a mother should. Bernice is soft around the edges, just a bit plump, and has curly hair that’s going to gray, which she’s clearly making no effort to hide. I can’t help thinking of my own mother, who’s been Botoxed and siliconed to the point she looks artificial, with features that make it impossible to hide that her supposed youth comes from a skilled surgeon rather than good genes. I suppose if you’re dating someone half your age, you might feel the need to keep looking younger.

“You’re so tall now. And you’ve really filled out. Such a handsome young man.” She beams at me. “Jamie and Brewster are at that the barn with Grant, and Annie’s helping me make a quilt.”

I stop in the process of taking off my coat. “Thanks.”

She waves a hand. “I’ll just text him for you, so they’ll come back, sparing you a trip to the barn.”

It’s a little amusing to see Mrs. Taylor with a smart phone firing off a text to Jamie. She seems like the quintessential nineteen-forties farm wife, so it’s a little disconcerting to see her so familiar with technology, though it shouldn’t be. I see it every day, but I haven’t seen Mrs. Taylor using it before.

While we wait for Jamie’s return, Annie joins us. She’s as tiny as I remember, but she seems as feisty as ever, though she looks exhausted. I look at her belly for a minute and feel a tinge of envy that surprises me. “You’re looking well.”

The small redhead snorts. “You must need a vision test.”

Yes, as snarky as ever. I grin. “You do though. You’re glowing.”

“That’s perspiration.” She sighs dramatically. “No one tells you how hard pregnancy is.”

“You’ll forget once you’re holding him,” says Mrs. Taylor in an indulgent way.

Annie seems skeptical but doesn’t argue. We’re soon conversing, mostly about the baby. As promised, Jamie and Brewster return within minutes, and Mrs. Taylor breaks off in mid-conversation as the door opens to admit them. “I’ll catch up with you a little more later, Jace, but I’m certain you and Jamie have lots to discuss. I’ll be in my sewing room quilting.”

That sounds far more like Mrs. Taylor than texting and using Wi-Fi. It was funny when she offered me the Wi-Fi password, which I declined. I won’t need to go online during my visit.

“I’m going to join her,” says Annie before following her mother-in-law.

Jamie goes to the coffee pot, which is the same old one I remember. There’s no Keurig or fancy pod system in the Taylors’ kitchen. He lifts an empty mug. “Want one?”

I nod as I walk over to Brewster, petting him on the head. “How are you doing, boy?”

Brewster wags his tail, before he goes to lie down on the rug in front of the fire with Ranger. The two seem thick as thieves. I sit at the table, and Jamie comes over a moment later with two mugs of coffee. There’s a sugar dish and a cream jar already on the table, so I fix the coffee to my liking as he does the same.

We sit in silence for a couple of moments, and it’s a comfortable silence, as it always has been with Jamie. Ever since we met in kindergarten, we just clicked. We were friends with Lisbeth and Ryder from that time as well, but Jamie gets me in a way they don’t, and it’s the same for him.

“How’s it going with the Air Force?” asks Jamie.

I shrug. “It’s going fine. Same old, same old. I’m getting a little bored with it all, to be honest.” It’s not that I’m rethinking service, but I’m getting bored with my current unit. They’re just making adjustments now to a new line of planes, and it’s the same one I’ve been flying for three years. It’s all starting to become mundane.

Part of being a test pilot is embracing the danger, and maybe I’ve embraced it a little more enthusiastically than I should. I wouldn’t call myself a Type-A personality, but I enjoy the thrill of flying an untested plane, knowing it’s just me against whatever might go wrong in the air. Since we’re getting to the end of testing for the current line of planes, it’s all becoming ho-hum.

“Maybe you should transfer somewhere else,” says Jamie.

I nod. “I’ve been thinking about that. There are a few possibilities, including a new project opening at the base in Mountain Home.”

Jamie’s eyes widen. “That would practically bring you back to Sage Valley.”

I nod my agreement. Mountain Home is only a forty-minute commute from Sage Valley, and the program itself is exciting. It’s something completely new and different. Real cutting-edge stuff, and I could probably get on just by asking.

The downside is it would bring me back to Sage Valley. This place doesn’t really hold warm memories for me, so I have no burning desire to return to the area. It’s actually a con rather than a pro when considering the idea. “I’m also thinking about a program at Nellis. The technology isn’t as exciting, but it’s subtly different from what we’re doing right now.”

“Which is the more dangerous?” Jamie chuckles. “I’m sure you’ll pick that one.”

I don’t bother denying it. He knows me well. “I don’t know. They’re both new, so in theory, the risks are relatively the same. It’s more a matter of which is more interesting.”

“I can’t imagine much would make you want to stay near Sage Valley.”

Jamie’s words cause an image of Alexis to pop into my mind, and I shift with discomfort. There’s no reason she should come to mind as a reason to stay in Sage Valley. Since she’s on my mind though, I ask, “Have you had any luck remembering why Alexis might dislike me?”

Jamie scowls at me. “You were a jerk to her as kids, like I said earlier. Why do you care so much about her opinion of you?” His eyes narrow dangerously. “You know my little sister isn’t your type, right?”

I tighten at the wave of guilt that tries to creep over me, and I shake my head at him. “It’s not about that. I just want to know why she dislikes me so much. I’m trying to make amends, or whatever.”

“Sure, as long as it’s just amends. She’s just not the kind of girl who appreciates a love ‘em and leave ‘em pilot, okay?”

I roll my eyes. “You’re reading way too much into it, Jamie. Ease off the protective big-brother routine, why don’t you? I mean, she has to be twenty-five or twenty-six now. I’m sure she can take care of herself.” As I say the words, I realize I’m not denying I’m attracted to her. There’s a really good reason for that. I can’t pretend like I’m not.

It hits me like a sledgehammer to the gut that I’m most definitely attracted to Alexis. She’s become far more than the irritating kid or teenager who used to follow us around. She has curves in all the right places, and her petite blonde frame is just my type. No wonders Jamie is getting a little suspicious and looks hot under the collar.

“I know what a playboy you are. I don’t want my sister hurt.”

That’s a fair assessment, and I lift a shoulder. “You’re worrying for nothing. Believe me, I’m not going to turn into the settle-down type, and I wouldn’t do anything to ruin our friendship.”

That’s as close as I come to promising I’ll stay away from Alexis. The words hover on the tip of my tongue, but I can’t quite bring myself to utter them. The truth of the matter is, I don’t want to promise to stay away from Alexis, because I don’t like making promises I can’t keep.

It should be a simple matter to compartmentalize Alexis as Jamie’s little sister and leave it at that. I should be able to easily banish any signs of attraction, let alone the urge to act on them, but I’m suddenly not as confident at being able to do so as I’d like to be.

“Good then.” That seems to satisfy Jamie, and if he realizes I didn’t promise not to make a move on Alexis, or promise to stay away from her, he doesn’t call me on it.

A moment later, he grins. “It doesn’t matter anyway. She clearly hates your guts for some reason, so I have nothing to worry about.”

“Laugh it up. I would like to figure out why she’s upset with me though. It doesn’t sit well that your little sister seems to think I’m a jerk.”

Jamie chuckles as Brewster moves from the rug to lie at his feet instead. “You are a jerk, Jace.”

I’d like to deny the words, but there’s more than a hint of truth to them. Particularly when it comes to women, I’ve been kind of a jerk. The last thing I want is to get tangled up in a relationship that seems to be going somewhere, so I’ve made sure every woman I’ve been with is clear on the fact nothing’s going to happen besides a few orgasms.

Not to be immodest, but probably a lot of orgasms. I might not be boyfriend material, but I’m damn good in bed. Forget humble bragging. When the women walk away, and they inevitably do because I send them on their way, they’re walking with a little wobble in their step, and that’s all due to my skill.

An image of Alexis in my bed, riding me as I hold her hands, pops into my head. I shift with discomfort at having the thought while sitting with Jamie. I do my best to banish it quickly, but her image lingers in the back of my mind as the topic of conversation shifts.

“How long do you think it’ll be before Ryder and Lisbeth get together?”

I tip my head slightly as I calculate the possibilities. “Undoubtedly by Christmas.”

Jamie nods his agreement. “I was going to suggest a bet, but it sounds like we both figure about the same time.”

“If they hadn’t been apart for the last ten years, they’d already be together by now.” I say that matter-of-factly, and without any hint of jealousy. Lisbeth and Ryder have always been destined to be together. I think Jamie and I realized it even before we thought about girls in any other way besides cootie-bearing.

Lisbeth was always our exception to the cooties rule, but neither one of us ever seemed to develop an attraction to her. I know for my part, I always saw her as my friend Lisbeth, but also as Ryder’s Lisbeth. There was an innate understanding from the time we all became friends. Only Lisbeth and Ryder seemed to be oblivious to that.

“How do you think it’ll work out for them? Lisbeth left the Coast Guard, but Ryder doesn’t seem to have any inclination to leave the Army as long as he passes his physical and can resume active duty.” Jamie passes Brewster one of Mrs. Taylor’s gingerbread cookies as he says that.

I reach for one as well, dunking the head in my coffee before biting it off. It makes a satisfying crunch, with the gentle burn of ginger and cinnamon following. “That taste like Christmas right there.” Then I take a moment to compose my thoughts. “I have a feeling they’ll work it out. I can’t imagine Lisbeth and Ryder not finally getting together, and I sure can’t imagine them parting once they do.”

Jamie nods. “I totally agree. I guarantee you, it’s nice to have that kind of connection.”

I shake my head, instinctively rejecting it. “You can keep that white picket fence crap. The idea of settling down with one woman makes my skin crawl.” Even as I say the words, as they flow from my tongue instinctively, Alexis pops into my mind again.

I grit my teeth and force away any thoughts of her. I don’t know what the hell’s wrong with me, but the last thing I want to do is marry Jamie’s little sister and settle down. Since she’s the marrying type, I need to keep that firmly in mind and resist any temptation she might pose.