Tell Me a Secret by Ann Everett Page B

helpless, loveless, motherless, and every other less word in the dictionary.”
    “You’re wrong. He’s interested and that scares the shit out of him. You’re different from his usual fare. That’s why he hasn’t slept with you.”
    “No, he isn’t attracted to me and I’ve got to stop these feeling I have for him. So, I’ve taken action.”
    “How so?”
    “I have a date with Dr. Roberts Friday night.”
    Sarah laughed out loud. “Well, a little competition is what Jace needs to force him to face the truth.”
    “I didn’t finish. I’m going out with Zach on Friday and Jared Sloan on Saturday.”
    When Wednesday arrived, Maggie wanted to call off the study session, but she couldn’t bring herself to do it. She wasn’t sure if her attraction to Jace was the reason, or her addiction to his family, especially his mom.
    With the tutoring session over, Maggie returned home. It had gone better than she anticipated. Jace stayed on point and didn’t engage in his usual flirtation. She snuggled deep into the mattress and pulled the covers around her. Aphrodite tried to jump onto the bed and missed her landing. Maggie reached down, lifted the cat and stroked her fur. She inhaled a deep breath and thought of Elizabeth Sloan. She’d miss the bond they’d formed.
    She rolled to her side and thought of her upcoming dates. Thank goodness Jared wasn’t at the weekly dinner. If he had been, he might have mentioned their meeting. Meeting . It wasn’t a date. At least she didn’t consider it that way.
    She flopped onto her back and recalled the conversation she’d had with Sarah a few days ago. Could she be right? Was Jace interested in more than friendship? No. No way. She’d given him plenty of opportunities to make a move and he hadn’t.
    Head pounding, she stared into the darkness. She flicked on the lamp and grabbed her journal. Writing was therapeutic. It was the one place she could spill her guts and not be judged.
    The phone chirped. She read the text. r u up ? Damn. Jace. She should ignore it. But if she did, he’d be at her door, and she didn’t want that. Crap. She texted back and right away the phone rang.
    “It’s eleven o’clock. What do you want, Jace?”
    “Hello to you, too.”
    “I thought you had lights out at eleven.”
    “Yeah, we do, but I can’t sleep. I wanted to talk. What are you doing?”
    “Writing in my journal.”
    “Ah, see somebody else have sex?”
    So much for staying on point . “Hush.”
    He whispered a laugh. “What are you writing?”
    “None of your business.”
    “Ever write about me?”
    “Occasionally.”
    “What do you write?”
    “Mostly how annoying you are.”
    He laughed. The deep, mellow tone came from the back of his throat and it caused her heart to race.  
    “Read me one thing you’ve written,” he begged.
    “No.”
    “C’mon. Just one thing. One sentence. That’s all and then I won’t bother you anymore.”
    “That’s a lie.”
    “C’mon, Magpie. It’ll help me sleep.”
    “That’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard.”
    “I’m not hanging up until you read me something.”
    “Fine. One thing. One sentence.” Her heart fluttered. She fanned pages and then stopped on one and smiled. “Tonight I met my study partner for the first time. His name is Jace Sloan.”
    “Crap, Maggie.”
    “You should be happy. You said one sentence and I gave you two.”
    “You think you’re smart, don’t you?”
    “I am smart.”
    “Yeah, you are. We fly to Kansas on Friday for our game, so I won’t see you until Monday. What are you doing this weekend?”
    “Working.”
    “All weekend?”
    Her stomach knotted. Had he talked to Jared? Did he know about their meeting? “Yes, why?”
    “No reason. I just wondered. Will you miss me?”
    “Go to sleep, Jace.”
    “Yeah. Okay. I’ll talk to you later. Good night.”
    “Bye.”
    The familiar squeak of the front door sounded and in a few seconds Sarah breezed in. Maggie glanced at the clock