~ Becca ~
The dinner was supposed to be casual.
That was the lie everyone agreed to tell.
Jace picked me up just after seven. Black car, no drama. He didn’t come inside, just texted me to come down. I liked that. No claiming. No emotion.
When I slid into the passenger seat, he looked at me for a second longer than necessary.
“You good?” he asked.
“I’m always good,” I said, then corrected myself. “I mean. I am tonight.”
That made him smile, quick and real, like he didn’t do that often.
The Hale house hadn’t changed.
That annoyed me more than it should have.
Same gates. Same long driveway. Same perfect lighting that made everything look controlled and expensive and untouchable. This place had watched me shrink once. I refused to let it do that again.
Inside, Mrs. Hale greeted us f
