Jace and Kate

Chapter 21

Jace

I watched as my surroundings blurred by outside the black Suburban I was being driven in. We passed some woman wearing a sun hat and a brilliant idea hit me.

I dug my phone out of my incredibly deep pants pocket and pressed the keys I had come to memorize over the past week. I waited for the person on the other end of the line to pick up.

When I heard her voice I smiled.

“Hey, Jace, what’s up?” Kaat answered.

“I wanna take you somewhere. Are tou busy right now?”

“Actually no. Naomi just left to go to work. Where do you want to take me?”

“It’s a surprise.”

“Oh, a surprise, huh?”

“Yes. Just wear something that can get wet.”

“Ok.” Kaat replied simply. “When?”

“I should be in front of Naomi’s apartment building in about ten minutes. Is that enough time?”

“That’s perfect. I will see you then.”

I pressed the End button and told the driver to change his route and go to Kaat’s temporary home. I smiled out the window the whole way there.

We parked in front of the building where Kaat was waiting with sunglasses covering her beautiful blue eyes. Kaat hopped over to the car, opening the door, climbing in, and closing it in one swift movement.

Kaat lifted her sunglasses and slid them onto the top of her head before sliding over on the seat to plant a kiss on my cheek. She pulled back and I was able to see her beautiful face once again.

“Hey.” I said.

“Hey.” She greeted breathlessly. “Are you going to tell me where we’re going now or does this trip have to stay shrouded in mystery?”

“You’ll see where we’re going when we get there.” I told her, then I looked to Bobert, my driver. “Hey Bob, can you take us to secret spot number two?”

“You got it boss.” Bobert boomed with his deep voice.

“You have more than one secret spot?”

“Yeah. What can I say? I need my space.”

“How many do you have?” Kaat asked, clearly entertained with our subject.

“That, my dear, is classified.” I winked.

“But you love me. Can’t you tell me? Besides, it’s not like I’m making you give up their location, I just want to know how many there are.”

Kaat fluttered her eyes at me trying to break me, and quite frankly it was working until the car came to a stop and Bobert boomed once more.

“We’re here, Mr. John.”

“Thank you, Bobert.” I said smartly.

I hopped out of the car and ran to the other side of it to open the door for Kaat.

“Why thank you. What a true gentleman.” She said dramatically.

I smiled, and grabbed her bridal style, closing the door with my hip. Kaat’s giggly laughter filled the air as I carried her down the path through the woods to an open area that held a pond.

“Oh my gosh! How did you find this place?” she asked me, her tone once again breathy and uber attractive.

“One of my friends from high school took me here once. It used to be all the rage back in high school. We would have parties here all the time. But now that it’s private property no one comes.”

“If it’s private property, we shouldn’t be here, Jace.” Kaat said in a frantic tone. She scrambled to get out of my arms but I held her tight.

“There’s no need to worry about it. I own the land. It’s my private property.”

Kaat just turned her face to look at me. Skepticism etched into her features.

“Are you serious? You bought this place?”

“Yeah, about a month ago? The city didn’t want it on their hands anymore so I bought it from them.”

“That’s crazy! This place is awesome.”

“Thanks. I’m in the process of building a little shack over there.” I pointed to the materials on the other side of the pond.

“How little are we talking? Those materials look like they could build an ark.”

I chuckled. “No, just a little one bedroom, one bathroom shack with a kitchen and living room. Nothing fancy. Just somewhere I can go to think and escape from my life for a little while.”

“That’s really cool, Jace. Will it have a fireplace?”

“I don’t know. Should it have a fireplace?”

“Yeah. It would make it a little cozier.”

“Are you going to come with me to my shack once it’s done being built?”

“Maybe.” She smiled.

“Good, then I will add a fireplace just for you.”

“You know the way to a girls heart, huh?” Kaat asked, her smile blazing.

“I’d like to think I do. I’m learning every day.”