Page 45 of Burning Love
“Burn on you, Mom,” Talia said, giggling.
Her mother waved her hand. “When you know, you know. I knew right away your father was the one for me. Right, Phoebe? You know those things too. And I’m sure your brothers have given you a hard time in the past. Are they with Elias?”
Talia looked at her brother’s girlfriend. An attorney that opened up a family satellite office in the small town of SouthernPines. It was a far cry from Charlotte where Phoebe was originally from.
“No one gave Elias a hard time,” Phoebe said. “Ben knew Elias prior. I want to say it worked in my favor, but Ben is pretty even keeled. Matt is the wild card but more so to say embarrassing things about me.”
“Hmmm. I might have experienced that a time or two myself.”
Talia was staring at Elias.
“Don’t give me that attitude. Everyone does it to everyone else. We learned it from Mom.”
She turned to see her mother smirking. “That’s true.”
“Do you really want to take home beer?” Elias asked.
“Yes. I’ve never asked before. Why would you think I wasn’t serious asking now? It’s not that he can’t afford it, but he’s busy. He knows who you are and drinks your beer. I thought it’d be a nice surprise.”
“So he knows the family?” Elias asked. “Why can’t you tell us who it is?”
“Because I don’t want to. Geez, it’s three dates.”
And the last thing she needed were her brothers to find out how much older Jace was than her.
Or the reputation that he might have.
Every part of her being wanted to do an online search, but he didn’t seem the type to be on social media.
They’d had a conversation about dating apps and he looked so appalled that there was no way he’d be on them.
And maybe she didn’t want to see anything bad about him either.
She grew up knowing there was all sorts of misinformation on her brother online, that you couldn’t believe everything you read.
It was more important to get to know him as a person.
They had fun together. He made her laugh and feel things she hadn’t felt for a man before.
Not just on a physical attraction level, but how honest he was.
His upbringing was just as tragic as parts of hers, yet he turned out well.
He had an important job and when asked whether money should be donated to him and his men for equipment or the community fire victims, he didn’t hesitate to say the community.
Jace cared for the right things and the right people. His family.
Whether he could care for anyone else...that was the question she kept asking herself.
“Is there going to be a fourth?” her mother asked.
“Since I’m asking for beer to surprise him with, I’d say yes.”
“If you won’t tell us his name, can you tell us what he does for a living?” Elias asked. “How do we know that he’s not after you to get something else?”
“Geez, thanks for making me feel so great about myself.”
Her mother moved over and rubbed her arm. “Your brother doesn’t mean any harm and is only voicing the same thing all of my kids have had to worry about for years.”
