Unleashing Chaos

Chapter Ten

I lean back in the lounger and take a sip of my wine. The trees surrounding Jace's backyard wear half their leaves in burnt orange. The other half litter the ground or blow in the late fall breeze. Today will be one of the last days to comfortably sit outside and watch the sun set. It won't be long before the mornings are frosty and snow covers the ground. It will be like the chill I've felt from Jace these past weeks. We haven't spoken more than a few words, most of which are "Can you get some more cereal at the store?" or "Please turn down the TV." And to make things more awkward, Cannon has been called out of town for business, so our buffer is gone.

"And then she got in her face and had the nerve to tell her if she didn't like it she could take your ass home. Can you believe—" Meredith's eyes go wide and her jaw slack. It is the first time she's stopped talking in the last twenty-five minutes. "Oh wow. Where is that little beefcake off to tonight?"

I look over my shoulder in time to barely see Jace rounding the corner to his BMW where it's parked along the edge of the street. I turn back to face her and cross my arms over my chest. "I don't know, and to be honest, I don't really care."

"Oh no. Is there trouble on Fantasy Island?"

I snicker at Meredith's ridiculous name for the house. She says I'm living the dream of millions of women—a clean house, no kids, and two hot single men under one roof.

"Oh, no, everything is peachy. If you don't count the fact that Jace is a type-A, overbearing neat freak who has ridiculously high standards that no one can ever live up to. We got in a fight because I used his bathtub without asking—which now that I say it out loud does sound kind of bad. After that, he shrank all five pairs of my new jeans I bought. And then, he and almost—" I stop and shake my head. "He's just been a jerk, and I'm sick of it."

Meredith takes a sip of her red wine and shakes her head. "I'm trying to live vicariously through you, and you're destroying my dreams. This domestic situation of yours is starting to sound like married life."

"Sorry," I grumble, pulling my chunky sweater closed. "He's impossible."

"And to top it off," she picks up the wine bottle between us and tips it upside down. Not a single drop falls out. "We are out of wine."

"Oh no, not tonight. That is unacceptable." I hop up from the lounger and beckon for her to follow me into the kitchen. We enter through the French doors, and I tilt my head to the side when I see the large white box sitting on the counter.

"What's that?" Meredith asks. When she stretches on her tiptoes to look at the top of the box, her shirt lifts and I spy a telltale mark that's hidden halfway under her jeans. My eyes widen but I don't have time to think about it long before she exclaims, "Hey, it has your name on it!"

"For me? What is it..." I set my wine glass on the counter, lift the lid, and move the tissue paper to reveal what's underneath.

Inside the box are seven pairs of jeans exactly like the ones Jace put in the dryer. The first pair I pull out is a size 14, curvy, long length—the exact size and measurements I need. My jaw drops as I inspect each pair, finding that every one of them is the right size, and each one is a different wash, the two extra ones new washes I hadn't even seen before, both extremely flattering and exactly something I'd wear.

I draw my bottom lip between my teeth as I pick up the white card at the bottom of the box.

Desideria,

I'm truly sorry about your new clothing. This is all new to me, it's been a while since I had a woman in my house with all the rules about laundry and such. I was honestly just trying to help, and I fucked up. Please accept these as a replacement, plus two extra for my general dickishness.