utes, Jake, it’s been barely three minutes. Not much can happen in three minutes. Well, except…” Grandma chuckled. “That one time your grandfather and I only had five minutes and you won’t believe the ways we—”
Jake jumped to his feet and stomped toward the house.
* * *
The Titus’ wine cellar was like something out of a magazine. There was a granite bar on one side of the room with leather stools lined up along it. They even had their own brand of beer, since brewing was one of Wescott’s hobbies. Wine bottles lined most of the walls. It could be like heaven. Even the company wasn’t so bad, except again, he wasn’t who she would have chosen. Maybe she just needed to be thankful.
“So.” Jace pulled a bottle out. “How about this one? A vintage merlot?”
“Sure.” Char couldn’t care less. Mindlessly she wandered toward the bar. A few framed pictures were scattered across the table top. One of them was of Jake and Travis as kids. Kacey was between them, kissing Jake on the cheek.
Kacey had always been where Char wanted to be.
Not that she’d ever been jealous enough to end their friendship, but with Kacey things had always been so easy.
“You okay?” Jace came up behind her and put his hands on her shoulders.
“Yeah.” Char tensed. “Why do you ask?”
“Because I’ve been talking to you for the past few minutes and you haven’t even made a sound. I swear I was worried you weren’t breathing.”
Laughter escaped her lips before she could stop it.
“There it is,” Jace whispered.
“What?” She turned around to face him.
“The laughter. I like the way you laugh. You don’t do it enough.”
Char licked her lips and leaned back against the bar. “It’s been a rough week. What can I say?”
Jace nodded. “I know.”
How could he possibly know? He didn’t even know her!
“Unrequited love isn’t for the weak.” He reached for the corkscrew and opened the wine, pouring her a small glass and one for himself. He lifted it into the air, clinking it against hers. “How are you holding up?”
“How do you even know—?”
Jace laughed. “I’m not stupid. But let me ask you one thing.” He took the wine from her hands and set it on the table.
“What?” His eyes were so clear and beautiful it was hard not to get lost in him.
“Do you think…?” He tucked her hair behind her ear and leaned his forehead against hers. “That maybe the reason you love him, or think you love him, is because he never returned your feelings? Maybe what you really need is closure.”
Char trembled beneath his touch. “Is that what you’re offering, closure?”
Jace’s hands cupped her face as his thumbs ran over her bottom lip. “I don’t like being second, Char. But I’d be willing to be your second. That is, if you would have me. I’d love to take you out on dates, wine and dine you, make you feel deserving, because honestly, as a man, that’s my job. To make you see you how I see you. And I don’t think you see yourself clearly. I think your whole life can be summed up into one word.”
She tried to pull back from him but he held her firm. “Yeah, Dr. Phil, what’s that?”
He smiled sadly. “Almost. That’s how you define yourself. Almost. And it makes me sad, because you’re not an Almost sort of girl.”
“And you’re the expert on what type of girl I am?”
“Absolutely.”
“Well then, what am I?”