Page 99 of Forever Fascinating

“Yes, sir… Jim,” he hedged nervously, slapping away someone’s hand as they got him again with a Wet-Willie.

“Sir? My ear is spotlessly clean from all the random fingers stuck in it while on the phone - and I know the calling card is almost up. I wanted to thank you for hearing me out – and I look forward to joining the family, despite the attacks on my ear canal.”

Everyone burst out laughing around him – and on the phone.

“Congratulations, son – and we’ll see you soon enough.”

“Yes, sir.”

Matthew hung up the phone, leaping over the chair, and laughing at his friends and brothers, as they began to wrestle around like children.

CHAPTER26

JANA

* * *

Beloved,

I will call as soon as I can tomorrow evening. I’m waiting on my request for time off to get approved, so we can talk. I spoke with your brother and things went better than I could have ever expected.

You are lucky to have grown up with someone like him. He loves you very much and I see why you called him protective… and no.

My nose is not broken this time.

It turns out that Jace has known about us for a long time now because of my cell phone lock screen. Did you know that when you get a notification, there’s a photo of us that shows up? Not just on the screen when I open the page, but on the phone itself?

Weeeell, turns out I didn’t know that, nor can I figure out how to change it. Can you show me that next time we are together? I’m not in any hurry, because I love that photograph of us – but I might want to put a different one on there someday.

I love you so much and wish I was holding you in my arms.

I’ll talk to you soon,

Matthew

* * *

Jana laughed openlyas she read his email, realizing that Matthew probably had zero clue or hadn’t noticed at all about the screen because he was still familiar with that old flip phone instead of the sleek iPhone.

She could only imagine how her brother reacted when he saw it… and now understood why Matthew was nervous about telling him.

If Jace saw it a few months ago – he was probably letting Matthew stew, waiting, biding his time, and making his life harder than it needed to be.

One time when they were little, Jana had nearly failed a class and changed the grade on her report card with a pen. Jace had treated her like dirt, shaming her, until she’d finally fessed up. She got grounded by her parents – but the change in her brother had been instantaneous once she’d come forth and admitted it.

He expected everyone around him to be unabashedly ethical and honest… calling himBoy Scoutfor quite a while. In fact, she was pretty sure Karen was a goody-two-shoes too, just like her brother.

Looking up from her cell phone, she smiled at the couple she had an appointment with. The woman was waving emphatically at the car, nearly bursting with joy, as the man stood there quietly. She was showing them a few small homes in the area, as they were thinking of relocating.

Getting out of her car, she waved and smiled, before holding out her hand to the house they’d agreed to meet her at.

“Hi there. You must be Anna and Sam. I’m Jana Sorensen and it’s so nice… OHHH! Oh, hey!” she exclaimed as the woman rushed forward, hugging her immediately right around the ribcage, squeezing emphatically. “Oh, hi there, you’re a hugger, aren’t you?”

As the woman released her, she smiled at Jana, before looking back at the older man, and met Jana’s eyes again… she felt something shift.

“Oh my gosh…” Jana breathed, realizing she was staring at a version of Matthew’s eyes, just slightly faded. They were the same shape, same coloring, with the same beautiful sable eyelashes… just creased in the corners from smiling over the years.

Jana stared between the woman and the man, looking back at the woman, stunned.

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