Jessica's Fate

Chapter 23

I grinned at Zack when he showed up for his order. "Hey."

"Hey, beautiful." He grinned back at me, leaning over the hostess stand to drop a kiss on my lips.

I felt my cheeks blush with sudden color. "Missed you." I said, reaching for his take-out order and the lemonade I'd just made for him.

"I missed you too." He said. "I'll be free by the time you're home after work, can I call you tonight?"

"Of course, I've missed our chats." I said, ringing in his order and giving him his change. He put the change in my tip jar. "You know you don't have to tip me."

"I want to." He said.

"Fine." I smiled and handed him the card that Luke had given me. "We haven't talked about it but I ... well, if you haven't arranged for your tux yet, a friend gave me this and told me to send you there."

He studied the card and tucked it into his pocket. "Okay." He said.

"You're not offended, are you?" I asked, studying him.

"Not at all, beautiful. I'll check it out if I need to." He said, reaching for my hand and giving it a squeeze. "I'll call you." His smile didn't quite reach his eyes but I didn't have time to really analyze it because a large group of people came in.

"Okay." I smiled. "Later then." He kissed the back of my hand and grabbed his order and headed out the door. I busied myself getting menu's and seating the party that had come in, distracting myself from thinking about his reaction to the card.

~A~

"Hey!"

Zack looked around, before pinpointing the voice as coming from the corner by the Diner. "Hey." He said as he recognized the guy as one of the owners of the diner and an Academy member. He watched as the blonde-haired guy glanced in the window of the diner before coming over to meet him at his car. "Zack Jones." He offered his hand.

"Luke Taylor." Luke shook his hand. "Listen, use the card." He said.

Zack blinked at him. "Wha...? How'd you know Jess gave me a card?"

Luke gave him a patient look. "Who do you think gave it to her? I know you're Academy." He hurried to explain. "Have you told her yet?"

Zack shook his head. "I'm not sure how or when to do anything with that." He admitted. Sure, it had crossed his mind a few times but as much as he really... really liked her, he couldn't just tell her about the Academy, right?

Luke nodded. "Well, she does know the Academy exists because of her brother and by extension the rest of us."

"Wait, you're one of her extra brothers? Oh. That makes more sense." Zack frowned slightly. "I guess."

"Anyway, I know how it is. It's hard being a younger team without as many contacts." Luke said. "All the card is, is a way for us to ensure you get a good discount on what you need. We won't steer you wrong about having a nice night for Jessica. Prom is important." He said.

"So, I'll owe you a favor?" Zack hedged. He was running low on favors. And money. Not that he was going to ever admit that. He did okay. And as long as he had gas in his car and could afford to take Jessica places, he was happy.

"No." Luke shook his head. "Promised Jess that we'd all stay out of it. Gabe though, I think you saw him at least when he and Sang took Jess dress shopping." Zack nodded. "He's our fashion guy and has been itching to somehow get in touch with you to let you know he'd help you get what you needed but Jess threatened him with something and he's too scared to do anything more than have me pass on the business card and encourage you to set an appointment. You won't be disappointed and neither will she."

"So, no favors."

Luke raised an eyebrow at him. "No, this is us taking care of the baby sister that only one of us actually can claim biologically." He said. "No expectations, you don't owe us anything."

"You're going to tell her though, aren't you? That I'm Academy." Zack's shoulders slumped.

"Oh, no." Luke clapped a hand on his shoulder. "That's on you for a time that you decide is right. We're not about to tell her that the guy she found all on her own is Academy and we've all somewhat known you for years." He said. "And as far as this all goes, Uncle, he's my uncle that owns the diner... Sang, you met her here. Gabriel and myself are the only ones that even know you're Academy as well as the only ones that have ever seen you. Jess hasn't told anyone else about you. Don't be offended, she's just trying to protect you from being overwhelmed by all of us if she doesn't have to introduce you to all of us."

Zack blinked. "Ah, well yes, she did mention the guys that she'd only gone on one date with. Is that really because of all of you?"

Luke shrugged slightly. "They weren't Academy material. Especially if they ran scared after a little bit of a chat with a couple of us. We didn't mean to end up with her basically black listed from dates at her school." He eyed Zack for a long moment. "Just call and make the appointment."

"Is that a suggestion or some sort of threat?"

Luke shrugged and gave him an easy smile. "Take it as what you want to take it as. My silence about the fact you left at 4 am Thursday morning last week is solid. I'm not mentioning it to anyone."

Zack blinked at him. "How'd you know I left at 4 am?" His hands clenched into fists. "Nothing happened, dude."

Luke tilted his head to study him. "I know." He said evenly, reaching out to rest a hand on Zack's shoulder. "Jess explained."

"But how'd you know?" Zack relaxed slightly but not enough.

Luke smiled slightly. "My uncle, you know, the diner owner..." He pointed at the diner. "Lives across the street. However, I was going in early to open things up that day and I parked at his house and saw you leave."

"Oh." Zack blinked again. "And you're not going to tell anyone?"

Luke shrugged. "Jess threatened my chocolate chip pancake consumption." He said simply, as if it explained everything.

Zack pursed his lips. "I'll call." He found himself saying.

"Good." Luke nodded and slapped his hand down on Zack's shoulder. "Just make sure that when you are hanging out at the house with Jessie that you remember that her house was an Academy hang out for over 5 years. Don't think I don't have a way to reactivate the cameras that are at the house. She doesn't know about them." He frowned slightly. "Strangely enough, I'm now a little astounded that her brother hasn't activated them already." He mused. "Guess I'll have to think about that lack of reaction on his part a bit more." He said. "See you tomorrow for your dinner." He smiled at Zack before heading back around the side of the diner so he could go through the back door into the kitchen.

Zack blinked at the area around him, suddenly now alone. "Huh." He grunted slightly and shook his head. Guess the rule was right... if your family can't be there for you, your Academy family will be. Luke was a member of Jessica's Academy family, even though from what Luke said, Jessica is NOT academy. He got in his car.

Trust your family.

He wondered if Jessica was a closed or open adoption and what her advice would be in regards to him trusting her extended Academy family. Then again, she couldn't know. Not right now.

Maybe not ever.

He glanced at the card and put his car in gear. He'd call tomorrow. Luke had a point, Jess deserved the best dressed prom date that he could afford to be.