Caught Between Brothers

Chapter 8 - Get the party started

Rose POV

It was Friday morning and I didn’t feel like moving from my bed. Jace had sent me a message that he wouldn’t be able to drop by in the morning and that he would see me in the evening when he would come to pick me up. I just wanted to sleep again, but anytime soon the delivery guy would be at my doorsteps.

Dragging myself out of the bed, I wished that I had not told Jace I would come with him to tonight’s dinner. But then, Jace’s voice would sound in my head with the litany of reminders. That’s my JC, the young man with a mature personality, who acted older than I was.

Getting into the groove of things after my bathroom routine, I did a mini-workout. Not enough to get me sweaty, but enough to get my blood circulating around my body. The mini-workout included ten jumping jacks, ten squats, and five minute brisk walking around the backyard. I did a couple of cartwheels and that was it.

Right on time, when coffee was done, as well as my ten-minute lousy ‘workout’, my breakfast arrived. But that was not all that came!

Together with my food was a bouquet of red roses!

“Are you sure this is for me?” I asked Gary, the guy assigned to deliver the meals. I met him twice already and was also getting used to him.

“For sure! The boss had to remind me three times about the flowers.” Gary said with a teasing smile. “I think there’s a card somewhere.”

I checked the bouquet and found the card that was hidden under a rose bud.

“To my angel”

He wouldn't call any other person 'angel', right?

“Thank you. I’ll tell Jace you didn’t forget.” I then smiled in appreciation.

He tipped his cap before going back to his motorcycle.

Alone in the kitchen, smiling to myself, I rearranged the flowers in a vase. I sent a thank-you message to Jace with a photo of the roses. And just as I was about to eat my breakfast, Jace called.

“Hi,” I answered giddily.

“Good morning, angel. Did you like them?”

“I love them. Thank you. They are beautiful.”

“Like you.”

My face must have been red like the roses as I thanked Jace again. He was making my gloomy morning bright.

“Angel? I’m sorry for not coming. I want to finish all my work before I get there so I don’t have anything to worry about this weekend.”

“That’s fine, Jace. You don’t have to apologize. You don't even have to explain yourself.”

“But I want to and I miss you already.”

Jace’s words were heating me up and I couldn’t hide the big smile on my face.

What do you say to that line?

“Have you eaten?”

I wanted to kick myself for asking the question! Most likely, yes, he had eaten. He worked in a huge kitchen anyway!

(You are so dumb, Rose!)

“Yes, I had my fill about an hour ago. How about you? I made your breakfast myself. I don’t want it to be like anybody else's. Perhaps next time, you can tell me if you are craving for anything.”

“Hey, you didn’t have to do that. I’m good with anything your kitchen makes. They are all delish.”

“No, you are above everyone else. But tell me, have you eaten?”

“Just about to. But why are there two bags?” I had gotten so busy with the flowers that it was only then when I noticed the smaller paper bag.

“I got you a fruit bowl for snacks.”

“Jace-” He had been doing extra things for me when he should have been focusing on his business.

“You need your fill of fruits, Rosie. No buts.”

“Yes, sir.” I sighed.

“That’s more like it, angel.” The way he said the line brought goosebumps to my skin. He said it so sexily that my knees weakened.

“Are you still there, Rosie?”

“Yes. Yes, I'm here."

“Well, you eat your breakfast now. I have a meeting with my staff in five minutes.”

“Okay. See you later.”

“Yeah. I can’t wait. Bye.”

I had to catch my breath and steady my heart after I dropped the call. It was just a phone call but the way my heart pounded made it feel like I had a work out again.

Just as I was basking in Jace's compliments, the past just had to make an appearance in my mind. It was the past that burned me and the lesson that I learned back then was to never assume.

Shaking my head, not wanting to be negative for once, I ate my breakfast in peace.

.

.

.

It was a fairly quiet day and I was able to write two advanced chapters. Seeing the time on the clock, four in the afternoon, I hurried to my bathroom and filled the bath with warm water. Jace said he would be picking me up at six as the reservation was at seven in the evening. What else was to be expected on a Friday night anyway? Surely traffic would be heavy.

I had a nice long bath, which helped me clear my mind and calm my nerves. Wanting to look more than presentable, I put on make-up. I had to borrow some of Mom’s as I only had the basics. My stash would compose of lip balm, a compressed powder, and eyeliner.

The restaurant we would be going to was one of the well-known spots for the rich and famous and I didn’t want to embarrass Jace and his family with how I looked.

When I was done prepping up, I looked back at the mirror.

“Not bad, Rose. Not bad.” It was fortunate my hair followed what I wanted to happen. I curled the ends and gave my shiny hair volume.

The dress I was wearing fit my body perfectly and the color showed off the glow of my skin.

I had just sprayed perfume when I heard Baron barking downstairs. Opening the door, I could have fainted as Jace stood there looking more handsome than ever in his navy blue dinner jacket.

His eyes met mine but they slowly went down to give me an appraising look.

“You look gorgeous,” he said after inhaling deeply. I did notice that he could not seem to take his eyes away from me. “Wow!”

“You don’t look bad yourself,” I said with my smile already straining my cheeks. “But thank you for the nice words.”

A few seconds of silence passed by before one of us could speak. I was glad he chose to be the one to do so.

“I’m sorry I’m a bit early. You could say I’m excited.”

I did not even notice the time, but I was glad that I was done dressing up.

We got inside and I made him wait in the living room while I went to get my coat. What I didn’t know, Jace had followed me to my bedroom.

“Do you need anything?” I asked curiously while I put on my earrings, which I almost forgot to wear.

He glanced around my room before he focused on me.

“I’m almost finished,” I said, still observing him from his reflection in the mirror. When he saw that I was done, he closed the gap between us.

“I have something for you,” he said as he pulled out a flat square box from inside his jacket.

“For me?” I had learned not to say anything more but to accept whatever he gave me. Jace didn’t like being turned down.

He handed me the box and I immediately knew it was from the jewelry shop in the mall where he bought the gift for his mom.

Another expensive gift from Jace!

I couldn’t help myself then. “It is your mom’s birthday and yet you are giving me presents.”

“I couldn’t help it. This one seemed to be made for you and I just had to give it to you.” He looked at me with all seriousness. “Go on. Open it.”

I took the cover and nearly cried when I saw what was inside. It was the necklace I had been eyeing in the store. It was a rose gold chain necklace with rose quartz as a pendant. It rested in a rose gold casing with diamonds encrusted around it. It was something I couldn’t afford that I just had to admire from behind the glass panels.

I loved the color pink ever since I could remember and was a fan of rose quartz. The said crystal was said to foster self-love and healing.

“Jace…” I looked up at him and had to look up at the ceiling for a second as tears were threatening to fall down.

“No, please. Don’t cry. And don’t think of returning that to me.” He took the box again from me and took the necklace out carefully. “Turn around please,” he requested. I turned around and faced the mirror again. I swept my hair up so Jace could place the chain around my neck. After he had clasped the ends, he looked at my reflection in the mirror. “You look stunning. See. It looks so good on you. It was indeed made for you.” The necklace even matched the outfit I was wearing.

I turned around and surprised the both of us when I turned my face up and kissed Jace on the cheek.

“Well played, Jace. Thank you,” I whispered as I pulled back. He must have matched my outfit with the necklace.

“You’re welcome, Rosie. I saw you looking at it and I couldn’t help myself.”

We stood there for what seemed like minutes staring at each other when Jace’s phone pinged, interrupting our moment.

“It’s Mom saying they are soon to leave the house.” He cleared his throat before taking my coat lying on my bed. “Here. We have to go.”

After Jace helped me with my coat, I grabbed the wrapped present from my table. It was rather a big box, slightly bigger than a shoe box. Jace took it from me with one hand and almost dropped it.

“Woah. Are you sure these are books? Seems like rocks to me.”

I chuckled as relief flooded me. It broke the intense atmosphere between us that I wasn’t sure if I would last the night with it.

“It has eight books.” I laughed again at Jace’s look of surprise.

“Well…” he said as he looked at me in awe. “I didn’t expect that. I mean, wow you have finished writing eight books. And wow you are giving Mom all titles. I was expecting one or two books, but not eight!”

We said our byes to Baron and made sure he had food and water in his dog bowls before we left the house. Of course, he did not like being left alone so he sulked by the door.

Jace took my hand and pulled me gently out of the house.

“How are you feeling?” Jace asked as he opened the passenger door for me.

“A bit nervous,” I admitted as I slid down the seat.

Jace said nothing as he waited for me to sit comfortably before he closed the door. He was always like that and I appreciate his thoughtfulness. When he got to the driver seat, I returned the question to him. I knew he would fuss over me on why I was being nervous. The feeling of uneasiness was coming back, as well. To lessen the negative vibes I was feeling, I needed to focus on something or somebody else. In this case, I would be pouring my attention on Jace. There was nobody else available anyway.

“How about you? How are you? How’s your day?”

“The kitchen was busy in the morning. We had a short meeting earlier as one staff member will be leaving us. It is rather rushed, leaving me with no time to hire a new one before he leaves. Anyway, we solved that issue. Then next week, we have bids to submit. That was what my assistant and I worked on in the afternoon.”

“Good that you have resolved your staffing issue. And good luck with the bids. Your kitchen is expanding. Perhaps you will have to hire more than one employee next time.”

“I’m looking into that. I didn’t realize how much the business had grown over the months.”

The conversation flowed nicely on the way to the restaurant. We had a few laughs and there were times we were just silent. It was very comfortable sitting there until we arrived at the restaurant.

“Angel?” Jace called out as I stared at the building. “Angel?” he repeated.

I was brought out of my reverie and turned to him.

“There is nothing to get worried about. Should there be any problem, let me know, okay?”

I nodded before I could manage a small ‘yes’.

Jace hired a valet, and in a minute, we were already inside the building, going up to the top floor. As we stepped out of the lift, a receptionist greeted us. The waiting area looked spectacular with the crystal chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. Another staff member approached us as soon as Jace gave his name and guided us to our table.

We walked inside the dining hall, and I was mesmerized by the interior. The lights were dim and each table had a couple of drop lights above it. The view outside was amazing as glass walls panelled the hall.

I was not paying attention to where we were going as I my attention was caught by the Chicago skyline. It was only when I heard a loud gasp that I was brought back to the present.

“Is that you, Rose?”

Carl was smiling, while Debbie was about to cry. Both of them stood up as they welcomed both me and Jace.

“My darling baby girl! What happened to you?” She sobbed as she pulled me in for a hug.

I couldn’t help myself, too, as I became emotional seeing them. I could not answer as I withheld myself from opening my mouth. Carl held us both in an embrace but pulled back soon after.

“Mom, you’re suffocating Rosie.” Jace said as he stood behind me. Debbie and I laughed as we both pulled back. I blinked back my tears, trying not to break down early in the evening.

“I’m so sorry, dear. Come here and sit beside me. We have a lot of catching up to do,” Debbie said as she fussed on me.

“We missed you so much, Rose. Welcome back!” Carl said as he sat down.

“Thank you, Carl. I missed you, too! And happy birthday, Debbie!” Jace was standing behind our chairs and handed his Mom our gifts.

“Oh, presents. Thank you!” She smiled widely with tears still in her eyes. “You could put it on the other side, JC. I will open them later. Rose is more important now."

I noticed then that it was a rather long table. Looking up at Jace, I believed he noticed it as well.

“Did you invite more people?” Jace asked. He was still standing up, confused at the added space.

“No. We didn’t mind when we were guided here. I thought you would be bringing in more people,” Carl replied to his son.

“No, it was only Rose.” Jace was about to call a waiter when a voice sprung up from behind us.

“I’m here, guys. The party is now about to start.”