Not knowing what to say, I just smiled and nodded my head.
Jace suddenly reached out and grabbed his sister’s arm pulling her sleeve up. He turned it around as if he was checking for something. Then he rubbed it and looked behind her again, eyes wild. "Where is he?" he questioned. “I know he’s here.”
Jackie pulled her bruised arm away and pulled down her sleeve. She gave him a look of disgust and shook her head. "You haven't seen your dear old sister in three years and that's how you greet me," she spat.
Jace pulled his sister’s arm and held her close to him. "Stay with me," he demanded. "You don't have to be with Joe. You can stay with us."
Jackie grinned and licked her teeth. "He's my boyfriend and I love him. He's here you know," she said with a wicked grin. "He's waiting for his friend outside." She pulled away from Jace's grip and walked over to me. She placed her hand under my chin and pulled my face up so that I was looking in her eyes. Her eyes were distant, almost empty. "Take care of my little brother. He needs someone in his life. He's never loved anyone but mother and-"
"Jackie," he cut her off. "Don't even think about going there," he said sternly. Then he pulled her hand away from my chin and pointed toward the door as a man walked in. "There's that piece of shit."
Jackie looked behind her and waved her scrawny arm. A thin man with a blond mullet looked over and ran his fingers through his beard. He looked dirty. Like my father when he was hopped-up. It made my stomach churn. I wanted to hide. "Joe, my baby brother is here," she screamed making a scene. "Isn't he so handsome?"
Joe smiled and headed toward us. I watched Jace as his jaw clenched. I was nervous and Joe was getting closer with each passing second. "Baby bro-"
Jace swung out his right fist connecting it to Joe's jaw. Joe took a step back and stumbled into a chair. We all watched in silence as he fell to the floor and pounded his fist on the ground.
Jace leaned over him and grabbed the back of his hair. "If you ever lay your hand on my sister again, I swear I will hunt you down," he said breathless. "I will hunt you down and I will kill you."
Jackie ran over and pushed Jace away. Then she slapped him across the face, leaving a mark. His jaw clenched, but other than that, he didn't move a muscle.
"Leave, Jace. You have no right. I'm a grown woman," she said venomously.
Jace grabbed for my hand and pulled me away from the scene. "Yeah, a thirty year old clueless woman." He paused and looked into her eyes. "I wish our love was strong enough. You need help."
"I'm not the only one," she said. Then she helped Joe to his feet and pulled him toward the door. “This is why we don’t talk anymore,” she yelled back before stepping outside of the bowling alley.
I watched Jace in silence as he watched his sister walk out of the bowling alley and out of his life. The look on his face was so painful that it hurt me. It reminded me of the pain I felt around my parents. I wanted to cry for him.
We both stood there quietly before Jace turned around and shook his head. "I'm so sorry that you had to see that. I ruined the day," he said sourly.
"Jace." I walked over and placed my hand on his arm. "Don't be sorry," I whispered. "Maybe we can continue this another day."
He looked up and smiled. "No." He paused. "You deserve to have a good day. I like seeing you smile." He walked over to his ball and picked it up from the ground, taking one last look at the exit door. "Besides, you still have to kick my ass if you want that lunch." He smirked.
I stifled a grin as I watched him walk over to the lane and toss his ball. He tossed it so hard that it knocked every pin down. I was impressed. "Very nice," I said playfully.
By the end of the game, Jace was the winner. The scores were Jace 160 and myself with a 102. I guess it wasn't bad for my first game. So much for that lunch.
We left the bowling alley and I was surprised when he pulled up at the diner. I didn't win the game so he didn't owe me lunch. Even though I was starving, I didn’t understand. I sat up in my seat and took my seatbelt off. "What are we doing here?" I questioned. “Are we going to work?”
He smiled and turned off the engine. "I don't owe you lunch, but that doesn't mean that we can't go and eat for free." He lifted an eyebrow. "Let's go. I'm starving." He jumped out of the car and waited for me. “Well…come on.”
I got out and followed him inside the diner. Maple greeted us with that award winning 'mommy' grin that she always gave. "It’s two of my favorite people. So glad that you guys came in to see me," she said gleefully.
Jace and I followed her to an empty booth, taking a seat across from each other.
Winston stepped out of the kitchen and walked over to the table with a smile. "Do I have company?" he questioned. "Jace, I'll make your favorite." He looked over at me and grinned. "My favorite -"
"Winston," Maple cut him off. "That girl doesn't find you attractive. Get back in that kitchen," she said with a slight grin.
Winston rubbed his round belly and shrugged his shoulders. "Hey, I worked hard to get a body like this," he teased.
Maple pinched his arm and shook her head as he walked away. "I told you he has been being bad," she said to Jace.
Jace leaned back in the booth and laughed. "You always know how to keep him in check. I need a woman like you, Maple," he said squeezing her hand.
Maple blushed and grabbed my shoulder. She looked between the both of us and smiled. Then she fixed her apron. "The usual, sweetness?"
I looked up and smiled. "I have a usual?" I questioned unaware.
She smiled and pinched my cheek. "Of course you do. You always order the breakfast steak and fried potatoes with extra ranch on the side."
I shook my head in disbelief. She was right. I did. I couldn't believe that she had noticed. "Yes, maple. Thank you," I said.
Jace smiled across the table at me as Maple walked away. Then he leaned in, his eyes studying my hands. “I had a lot of fun today.” He looked up and licked his lips. “Did you enjoy bowling?”
I looked away from his lips and cleared my throat before my eyes could roam the rest of his gorgeous body. “Yeah. It was nice. I’ve always wanted to go bowling but just never had the chance.” I swallowed hard and twirled a finger in my hair. “It’s not that I couldn’t or anything, it’s just that…it’s-“