Marked (11 page)

My stomach swarmed with mixed emotions. I wanted to
trust him—I should trust him, he’d given me no reason not to—but
I’d seen Shelby. How could any guy resist her?

“
All right,” I said with a little
smile, hoping it seemed convincing enough so we could drop the
subject.

“
Thank you.” He smirked.

He pressed his lips against mine and it was all the
convincing I needed in that moment to make me believe in him and
this
, whatever it was between us.

“
I really should get going though;
I’m being a bad host to Jenna,” he said, leaning his forehead
against mine. “Let’s get you back up into that window.”

“
Fine,” I grumbled, wishing I could
go with him.

Once we’d made it back to my window, Jace gave me a
boost up.

“
Sorry about my hands,” he
whispered. “That’s just where they have to go in order to
help.”

“
Uh-hu.” I smirked.

I slid through the window and back into my room with
more grace than I imagined I’d have at this hour of the night.
“Thanks.”

“
Welcome,” he said. “Goodnight,
beautiful.”

“
Night.” I smiled. “Oh, I’m working
tomorrow if you want to stop in and see me.”

Jace didn’t answer; instead he kept that almost
smirk on his face as he popped my screen back into place like a
pro. He winked at me and then disappeared into the darkness. I
stared out my opened window, probably longer than I should have,
trying to catch one last glimpse of him, but saw nothing. He was
gone.

I woke the next morning around ten and lay in bed
for as long as my bladder would allow me to, thinking of everything
that had happened the night before. I tried to steer clear of any
images or thoughts of Shelby because they only made me irritated
and paranoid with all kinds of
what if
thoughts. Eventually
I forced myself to think only of Jace and his nighttime visit.

After eating brunch—which consisted of the remaining
pieces of burnt-to-a-crisp bacon, biscuits and gravy, and soggy
hash browns—I headed to the bathroom for a shower. I’d never been
more eager to get to work.

* * *

“
You’re early,” Rachel said, as she
strolled into the diner five minutes before her shift.

“
Nothing better to do.”

“
Why is that? Where’s your new
lover boy?” she asked with a little smirk as she tied on her
apron.

I flushed as a smile formed on its own accord.
“Around. He might stop by tonight. At least I hope.”

“
Cool. If he shows up, do you guys
want to hang out at Kyle’s cousin’s place tonight? He was supposed
to get a pool table today.”

“
Who, Mark?” I asked, twisting the
caps off of two salt shakers that needed to be refilled.

“
Yeah,” she answered, handing me
the container of salt from beneath the counter. “He moved in last
weekend. We went over there the other night to drop off a box full
of dishes Kyle’s mom gave to him. It’s a nice place. In fact, I was
thinking we could have your birthday party there.”

I raised an eyebrow. “You really think Mark wants to
throw a birthday party for me at his apartment?”

“
You really think I care? Besides,
it’s not like it will be some teeny-bopper party. I mean, Jace will
be there and I’m sure Mark will just invite some of his friends
anyway. A party is a party; I don’t think he’ll care.”

“
Okay, if you say so.” I
shrugged.

“
So, what about tonight? You think
Jace will want to hang out someplace besides his creepy house?”
Rachel asked, grabbing a fistful of straws and cramming them into
the front pocket of her apron.

“
I can’t. I’m grounded,” I
muttered.

“
Crap, what for?”

“
Staying out past curfew last
night.”

“
Oh really?” Rachel raised an
eyebrow. “And what were you doing?”

“
Nothing like what your dirty
little mind is thinking. I just lost track of time.”

“
I’ve used that excuse before,” she
said, her lips twisting into a mocking smirk.

“
Seriously. Jace had some company
come in from Ohio last night and I lost track of the time,” I
explained, brushing past her to take my first order of the
night.

* * *

Two hours passed before I finally got to the moment
I’d been waiting for all night—Jace strolling through the door. My
heart skipped a beat as I gaped at him and his mouthwatering good
looks. I soaked in the way his yellow T-shirt clung to his wide
chest and how his denim jeans were a little on the baggy side,
hanging ever so slightly off his hips. I couldn’t pull my eyes
away, until the door behind him opened up again and in walked
Shelby.

My heart dropped to my stomach the second I saw her.
She was dressed in a modestly tight, white low-cut shirt and a pair
of skin-tight jeans with strappy black heals. She looked amazing
and I absolutely hated her for it.

Shelby’s lips twisted into a malicious smirk when
she noticed me sizing her up. I quickly shifted my gaze from her to
Jace and smiled at him adoringly. He returned it with a dazzling
smile of his own and stepped out of the way so that Jenna and Gavin
could get through the door. They all walked toward a booth to my
left and sat. I watched carefully, waiting to see who Jace chose to
sit by. A satisfied smile tugged at the corners of my lips as I saw
him blatantly ignore the empty space beside Shelby and squeeze in
next to Jenna instead.

“
Whoa, Jace has some very
attractive friends,” Rachel muttered, walking behind me to get a
to-go cup.

“
Yup.” I sucked in a deep breath
and began walking over to greet them. “Hey, guys. What can I get
y’all to drink?” I asked, my eyes remaining on my pad of
paper.

“
I’ll take a sweet tea,” Jace
said.

I could feel his warm eyes on me and glanced up at
him, meeting his stare dead on. Relief began trickling through my
system, soothing my nerves, until I felt Shelby’s icy glare boring
into me.

“
I think it’s sweet teas all the
way around,” Jenna added. “Right, Shelby?”

“
Actually, I think I’d rather have
a pop. Do
y’all
serve pop here or is sweet tea all you
southern
people drink?” Shelby asked
condescendingly.

“
Pop?” I chuckled at her ill-fated
attempt to make me feel small. “We call it soda. And yes, we do
serve it.”

“
Whatever.” She rolled her eyes.
“Do you have Pepsi?”

“
Yeah, I’ll be right back with your
drinks.”

“
Who’s the blond bombshell you keep
swapping death looks with?” Rachel asked while I poured sweet tea
into a glass.

“
That would be Shelby, Jace’s
ex-girlfriend.” I emphasized the term ex to remind myself once more
that that was all she was and nothing more.

“
What’s she doing here?” Disgust
dripped from Rachel’s words. “Never mind, I can tell just from
looking at her what she’s after.”

“
Yeah, she’s not very subtle about
it, is she?” I glanced over my shoulder at her. She was laughing at
something Jace had said. The moment she realized I was looking at
her, she placed her hand over his.

“
I wouldn’t worry about her. Guys
like Jace normally date a good girl to clear their conscience after
dating a sleaze, and you’ve definitely got that working for you
compared to her.” Rachel winked as she picked up a tray of food for
one of her tables.

I sighed and carefully placed their four drinks on a
tray, before slowly making my way back toward their booth. My heart
hammered in my chest the whole way there while I prayed I wouldn’t
spill anything, Shelby didn’t need any more ammo.

“
Thanks, babe,” Jace said as I set
his sweet tea down in front of him. “What time do you get off
tonight?”

“
Nine-thirty,” I answered, praying
he hadn’t forgotten I was grounded. That was not the type of thing
I wanted Shelby to know. I could picture her horrible grin in my
mind already and didn’t need to see it in real life,
too.

“
Wanna show us around town
tonight?” Jenna asked.

My heart sank to my stomach. “Well, there really
isn’t much to show you, especially not on a Sunday night. You
pretty much saw the whole thing on your way to Jace’s house.
Seriously, we’re practically the buckle in the Bible belt;
everything is closed or closes early on Sundays around here.”

Gavin burst into laughter, something I wasn’t sure
his arrogant self was capable of, and it startled me slightly.
“
Buckle in the Bible belt
... that was awesome!”

“
I don’t see why it’s so funny.
This town is freaking lame. I wouldn’t want to spend a
week
here let alone my entire
life
!” Shelby spat, looking
directly at me as though her words were meant to offend me in some
way.

“
Then don’t,” I snapped, holding
her stare.

“
Burn!” Gavin said, slapping his
palm across the tabletop. “I’m beginning to see why you have such a
thing for her, Jace. Not only is she easy on the eyes, but the
girl’s got some spunk.”

I felt my cheeks flush, but couldn’t stop the smug
smile that twisted my lips from forming.

“
You got that right,” Jace replied
and I dropped my gaze to the pad of paper in my hand. I didn’t have
to look at him to see his famous grin plastered across his face; I
could hear it echoing through his words.

“
All right, everyone ready to
order?” I asked, attempting to change the subject and remembering
that I’d narrowly avoided the
I’m grounded
confession. I did
not want to have to dodge it for a second time.

I turned their order in and went to make my rounds
for refills with my other customers, trying not to stare at Jace or
think of Shelby’s close proximity to him.

“
Barbie needs to be slapped and
dark and dreamy over there had better be glad I have a boyfriend,
because I’d eat him up if I didn’t,” Rachel muttered in my ear
while grabbing a bottle of cleaner and a rag from beneath the
counter.

I cast a quick glance over my shoulder at their
table. “He’s checking you out. Maybe he feels the same.”

Rachel chuckled and nudged me in the rib before
walking away.

* * *

The next three and a half hours passed incredibly
slowly. I was glad my shift had ended, but it was bittersweet
because it meant that I wouldn’t get to see Jace again until
tomorrow.

Untying my apron, I sauntered into the restroom,
wanting to freshen myself up as best I could before having to say
goodbye to Jace for the night. I stared in the mirror at my
reflection and cringed. How could he like me after he’d been with
someone as gorgeous as Shelby? I released my messy bun and began
piling my hair once more into a neater bun. The door creaked open
and in walked Shelby. Her heels clicked across the floor as she
walked to the sink in front of me and then leaned her hip against
it.

“
You do know that this
thing
between you and Jace won’t last, right?” she asked point blank,
folding her arms across her large chest.

I pursed my lips together and adjusted my bun,
refusing to gape at her for her bold words. “You don’t know that.
What’s your problem anyway? You always this bitchy or are you just
upset because Jace doesn’t want you anymore?” I asked, tapping into
the anger that had been swimming beneath the surface of my skin all
night due to her presence.

Shelby opened her mouth and laughed, exposing her
pearly whites. I hated her even more after witnessing she didn’t
have any visible fillings. “He’ll come around; he always does,
especially when it has something to do with his family. He might
not seem like it right now, but this little stubborn streak he’s
got going on will eventually come to an end because he yearns for
their approval. They’ve already approved of me. You on the other
hand are quite another story,” she said, glaring at me as though I
were the filthiest thing she’d ever seen.

“
What the hell is that supposed to
mean? They haven’t even met me yet.”

Shelby fanned out her fingers, focusing on her
nails. “I’m here because his parents
want
me here. I’m going
to get him back, and not just because Jace is mine and always has
been, but because his parents don’t want him bringing
you
home. They don’t have to meet you to know they don’t approve, even
after his little visit where he told them all about you.” She
sneered.

He’d told them all about me and they still hated me?
Why? “Well, lucky for me Jace is a big boy and can make his own
decisions.”

“
We’ll see. You may just make that
decision for him.” Shelby smiled wickedly. “See, I know Jace’s
little plan and I’m not sure you can handle it.” Her electric-blue
eyes skimmed from my shoes to the bun I’d just constructed on top
of my head as she sized me up.

“
His
plan
? You’re so
freaking crazy; I can see why he’s not with you anymore. You might
look good on the outside, but inside you’re a nut!” I laughed as
the lyrics to an
Almond Joy
commercial flooded my
mind—
sometimes you feel like a nut and sometimes you
don’t.

“
Laugh it up,” she said, taking a
step closer to me, her wicked smile never leaving her face. “Here’s
a little piece of advice—Jace will only bite you once, but me...
I’ll tear your ass up.”