Page 51 of Fall is Brewing

I watch her for half a second longer than I should. "You know you don't have to do this," I say.

She doesn't even look up. "I know." She picks up another bottle, turning it toward the light before setting it into the case. "But if I stand there watching while you three clean this up, my stepmom, Patty would somehow sense it from across town."

"Is Patty psychic?” I chuckle.

Willa blinks, pausing to look at me, completely seriously. “She’s an intuitive. Not quite the same thing, but it’s close. Ish.”

I stare back at her, waiting for the punchline. “She’s… you…” I stop myself short from blurting out what would certainly be an insult and simply nod. “Okay.”

Across from us, Jace grins like he just witnessed a solar eclipse.

"What?" I ask.

He shakes his head innocently. "Nothing."

I know that look and it's never nothing.

Before I can call him on it, he grabs the broom and starts sweeping the broken pieces of glass away from us. "So," he says conversationally to Willa, "between the two of us, I think Brooks is secretly thrilled you lost."

I look up sharply. "What?"

Jace continues as if I haven't spoken. "'Cause now he gets to spend all week with you."

Willa finally looks up. “He would’ve spent the whole week with me regardless… whether I won or lost.”

“Yeah, but now I get to spend the whole week with you, too.” His grin widens and he sends her a wink that drops into the pit of my stomach. What the fuck is he doing?" I think I won too,” Jace adds.

The room goes quiet for exactly one beat. Then Willa rolls her eyes so dramatically I'm surprised they don't fall out. "Careful. You're one compliment away from becoming insufferable.”

“So…” Jace drags the word out to be multi-syllables. “You’re saying I’m not insufferable?” He pumps his fist like he’s winning.

“Yet,” she corrects him. “You’re very close.”

"I've been called the golden retriever of the family,” Jace says proudly, as he bends to scoop the broken glass into the dustpan.

Evan doesn't even look up from the bottles he's inspecting. "No one has ever called you that."

"My third-grade teacher did."

"She said you had the attention span of one,” I correct and I can’t help my own smile.

"Still counts!” Jace says, proudly.

Willa leans over to me, close enough that our shoulders brush. "I like him," she whispers. But God help us, Jace still hears her.

"You do?" Jace asks, pressing a hand dramatically to his chest. “Be still my heart.”

Across the room, Evan finally straightens, a bottle balanced in his palm. "You realize," he says to Willa, "encouragement only makes him worse."

“Hmm,” Willa says thoughtfully. “I’m beginning to see that.”

"It's already too late," I mutter, but my smile softens the bickering. “Jace is too far gone.”

Jace grins. "See? Brooks has accepted me for who I am."

"I've accepted that nothing I say is going to stop you."

"That's growth,” Jace points at me.