Caught Between Brothers

Chapter 2 - Dinner

Rose POV

That was a bit intense. It was like I had met a male lead from one of my books. Jace had indeed grown up. If I was thirty-two, he would have been twenty-seven. He was five years my junior.

My goodness! Five years! I would never date a guy younger than me!

I paused with what I was thinking, then backtracked. As if Jace was asking me out!

My eyes followed Baron who walked back to the kitchen, then remembered how Jace petted him before he left as if they were old friends. The kid must have made a special bond with Dad’s dog for him to be able to do that. He must have been coming to the house often then!

Duh! Who was I calling kid? What was I thinking? Jace was no longer a kid! And how come my parents never mentioned him to me?

Following Baron to the kitchen, I made a mental list on what to do before Jace came back for dinner. I had to clean the house, finish the chapter I was working on, shower, and walk Baron. The last being the thing I dreaded doing. That would mean I had to get out of the house and be seen by the neighbors. Ugh!

I was planning on walking Baron when it was already dark, but Jace would be coming over. I should better plan something else.

While enjoying the breakfast Jace brought, I called Dad and Mom to check on them. Their first stop was London. They had sent me a message earlier that they had landed and were on their way to their hotel. I was supposed to call them while having coffee but Jace happened.

“How was the flight? And the weather there?” I asked when I saw Dad pop up on the screen.

“The turbulence was terrible. I couldn't sleep! It’s also raining here,” Dad grumbled, while Mom laughed in the background. She sounded tired, but I was glad she found humor in their situation.

“You know how it is in London, Dad. You even checked the weather before you left. It will not change just because you are there to visit.” I rolled my eyes, while taking a bite of my food.

“Is that JC’s food? Did he deliver? I think I forgot to tell him about you staying,” Dad scratched the side of his head. "I placed the order last minute."

“You also forgot that I'm an adult and can take care of myself. But thanks." I gave him a smile. He knew I wouldn't want to be going out of the house that much. "Anyway, Jace just left. It looks like he still hangs out here often. Baron was too friendly with him.”

I waited for Dad to tell me further about Jace but all I got was a nervous smile and a cough. Mom then interrupted.

“Yeah, he was around often. You know how it was before,” she said with a smile.

“How come you never told anything about him?” I asked inquisitively.

“Sweetheart…” Dad trailed off with a sad smile.

I knew what it was. They didn’t want to bring up anything about the past, anything that was related to Dexter.

“I see.” I nodded. “Well, have you paid him? I asked earlier but I forgot what he replied.” I was too distracted to remember if he even did.

“Yes, I have paid for it. I knew you wouldn’t be going out much and I’m sure you will like Jace’s meals. He’s really good,” Dad said rather enthusiastically. I could see Mom pretending to glare beside him. "But your Mom's cooking is so much better. You won't find another adobo like hers anywhere else in the world, you know." He then hugged Mom sideways and kissed the side of her head.

“This one is good,” I pointed to the breakfast I was eating, changing the topic as my parents went all sugary in front of me.

We talked for a couple more minutes before we said our goodbyes.

After Baron and I had finished our meals, I let him out to the backyard, then I started to vacuum, mop, scrub, and wipe around the house. I was exhausted and famished by the time I finished. I ate lunch then sat down in front of my laptop. After staring at my monitor for a long while, I let out a sigh. All I could do was think of Jace. His brown eyes and his charming smile. His voice was the sexiest I had heard in a long time, making me wet to have it echo in my mind, just like the ones I pictured in the books I had written!

Drawing inspiration from the earlier encounter, I began to type on my keyboard. I was on a roll and would stop only to take sips of my cold coffee.

Writing was like second nature to me. It had been my fallback when I went into depression, and had been my comfort zone ever since. After taking a year-long break after high school, I enrolled in college and majored in a business course. After three years of transferring from one job to another, I found myself useless in the corporate world.

Facing people was not one of my strengths anymore. I used to love the spotlight but things had changed for me.

After quitting my last job as an administrative staff, I enrolled myself in a creative writing course. It was my Mom who gave me a push when I was doubting myself. While I was at it, I tried my hand at writing a book and placed it for sale online. What do you know? It gained sales! Nothing like a bestseller but enough to boost my confidence. I wrote another and another until my income was enough to cover my monthly expenses and some to put into savings. It was only recently when I tried writing for a serialized platform. Different from the usual scenario by uploading the chapters one by one instead of putting the book out there completed, I loved it when I got to engage with the readers and other authors. Of course, I was comfortable doing it because everything was online.

I finished after a couple of hours. After editing and completely satisfied, I published the chapter online.

The male lead just asked the female lead to go out with him. He gave the leading lady time to give him her answer, but left her with a kiss on the cheek, the same as what Jace did to me a while ago. The chapter ended on that scene, so I expected my readers to gush at the male lead and hate me for leaving them with a cliffhanger - just what I wanted.

Pushing myself away from my study table, I let Baron in, went back to my room to check my emails and social media, then took a short nap. I showered when I woke up and took time to choose what to wear. I hadn’t had this problem in a long time, since I was always in my pjs. Then finally, I decided on jeans that fit me perfectly, my favorite pink top that showed a bit of my cleavage, and my trusted white sneakers. I ironed out my hair and clipped one side with a silver pin. Going out of my room, I remembered to spray on cologne. So I went back and sprayed some on my wrists, neck, and behind my ears. It felt like going out on a date, which I hadn’t been to for a very long time.

Giving myself one final look, I couldn’t help but appreciate myself a bit. Most of my looks were from my mother - my facial features and my skin tone. I got my height from Dad though. Mom was a full-blooded Filipina, who grew up in the Philippines. Dad was half-Filipino, half-American who lived all his life in the US. Their love story was one of my book inspirations - a love that went beyond time and distance. There was a time when I believed in and dreamed of the same kind of love, but it was shattered. It hurt me so badly, left me scars, and from then on, I never looked back. Afraid to fall in love again, I was sure to become an old maid.

Heaving a sigh, I went down the stairs only to be met by an excited Baron. I knew he was eager for our walk, but it would have to wait until Jace came or at least after dinner.

I internally laughed as I remembered turning down the idea of going out with Jace, but only to decide later to invite him for a walk with Baron.

“Please wait for a bit more, buddy. I’m so sorry I’m not much for a companion.” I bent down to pat his head and scratch behind his ears. Baron let out a whine, which I only responded with a sad smile. "Come on, I'll give you treats."

I took some dog treats from the kitchen and played with Baron for a few minutes in the backyard. Having seen that Mom had her flowers blooming in her small garden, I picked some, placed them in a cute vase and brought them to the dining table.

"Do you think I'm overdoing this, Baron?" I asked the canine as I stared at my beautiful arrangement. Baron barked once. I had no idea what he meant, but I left the vase there to find something else to do in the kitchen.

I washed up, set the table, and gave Baron his dinner as we waited for Jace. He said he would come at seven and instructed me not to prepare anything. I checked the wall clock and saw there were still fifteen minutes left before he arrived. That would be enough time to read and reply, if there were any comments on the recent chapter I published.

Opening the app, I found several comments, so I began to type away. They made me laugh and kept me entertained that I didn't notice Jace was running late. I had replied to all the comments when I saw it was already ten past seven. I began to worry, and various thoughts were running in my head.

What if something happened to him while on the way here? What if he forgot about the dinner? What if he was just playing and tried to hurt me like his brother…

I didn't finish the thought as Baron's ears perked up. He barked at me as if urging me to open the front door.

We went out of the kitchen and made our way to the front door. I didn't know why my heart was beating fast. It was only a friendly dinner, a walk, and a movie. There was no meaning to it.

Jace was smiling sheepishly when I opened the door. His presence was breathtaking. He was wearing a black hoodie, blue jeans and white sneakers. How could a simple attire be so attractive? He looked like he was modeling for a branded clothing store.

"I'm so sorry. I forgot to get the wine earlier, so I had to go and get one. You must be hungry by now." He showed me a bottle in his hand.

I gave him a wide smile. "Hey, no worries. I was working so I didn't even notice the time. Come in. Here, let me help you." I took the wine and opened the door wider as he carried two bags full of containers.

"Are you putting us in a food coma?" I asked as we made our way to the dining table. It was Jace who led the way, showing how comfortable he was at moving inside our house.

"Nah. These are for dinner and our snacks later. For dinner, we are having avocado crostinis for our appetizer, pan fried salmon with roasted potatoes, and chocolate dipped strawberries for dessert." He brought out the containers one by one, then I noticed the mains were placed in what looked like a bento box. "To lessen the dishes to wash later." Jace answered my unspoken question.

"And what are we having for snacks?" I asked curiously. What he prepared for dinner was absolutely mouth watering.

"Nachos. I made the dip myself. And mini burgers. I got a cooler back in my car. I got soda, juice, and my homemade iced tea." Jace looked at me expectantly.

My jaw dropped thinking how he had prepared everything. The nachos and burgers were already enough for me! He must have spent the whole day preparing!

"Just kidding about the homemade iced tea. It's Nestea." He laughed as he went out of the house to get the cooler.

I quickly got an ice bucket and glasses for the wine. When I returned to the dining table, Jace was already back.

"Thank you for preparing all these," I said as we sat down.

"I hope you will like them, but don't be afraid to tell me if you find something that doesn't suit well." Jace urged me to take a crostini. I did and popped it in my mouth. It was delicious! I couldn't help it as a moan got stuck in my throat. My eyes widened as I placed a hand over my mouth. My face was surely crimson as I felt the heat. Jake seemed to take pleasure with my embarrassment.

"I take that as a compliment, Rosie. I get a lot of that sound, but not during meals." Jace winked at me.

Good lawd! I almost choked!

Jace laughed heartily as he started to eat. "Just kidding. I'm trying to make you comfortable with my jokes."

What happened to the innocent JC I knew?

During dinner, Jace shared with me about college and his work. He was a dietician. After his internship, he enrolled in culinary school, and that was the start of his business.

We ended our dinner and were cleaning up when Baron came out of the kitchen door after I let him out in the backyard before we ate. That was when I explained to Jace my problem.

"I have to take him for a walk. I wanted it after dark, but we had dinner. So… can we go out even for a few minutes before the movie? "

"You didn't have to ask, but I want something in return." Jace grinned widely.

"What?" I asked.

"I will join your walks everyday, except Wednesday."