Ace’s nerves were popping like bacon strips in hot grease. Not to mention the fact that his hands were pumping sweat. It was crazy how much Silver messed with his head. Since the auction, he’d thought of little else than coming here. He glanced up at the modest brick, ranch style house wedged between a line of other homes on the historic street, decorated with sturdy, leafy trees. Silver lived on the outskirts of the Texas Christian University area or TCU. When Ace was growing up, he thought everyone who lived in the TCU area was rich. And while there were a fair amount of exclusive neighborhoods in the area, this section was modest in comparison to Ace’s mansion in The Reserve. It was all relative, Ace supposed.

He’d gotten Silver’s address from Clarissa Lansing. Lucky for him, Silver ran her business out of her home and had sent Clarissa an invoice with her address.

Ace got out of his charcoal gray Infiniti and pressed the clicker to lock it. He waited until he heard the beep before he faced the house and adjusted his polo shirt. Why in the heck was he so nervous? He was a pressure player, accustomed to difficult situations. Heck, he thrived on difficult! This was a walk in the park compared to playing a game in a packed stadium. It wasn’t as if Silver was gonna dice him up and eat him. He was just going to discuss plans for his dinner date with the auction winner. Who was he kidding? He was a nervous wreck. Maybe coming here was a bad idea. Silver hadn’t been happy to see him at the auction, and she was downright ticked that he’d forced her into planning his date. Even as his head voiced reservations, his feet kept moving forward. His heart was in his throat as he rang the doorbell … and waited.

No answer.

Disappointment wrapped around him like a smothering blanket. He was right on time. Had Silver stood him up? The possibility of her not being here hadn’t entered his mind. The scope of his foolishness settled over him as he punched the doorbell again. This time, to his relief, he heard movement within. His phone buzzed. Crap! Of all the times. He glanced down. His mom was calling. He made a mental note to call her back soon, as he silenced his phone. A second later, Silver opened the door. He gave her a cheery grin, a wild and reckless feeling overtaking him. “Hey.”

She didn’t crack a smile. “Hey.”

He crashed back to earth, an awkward silence descended between them. “May I come in?”

This seemed to jolt Silver out of her daze. “Sure.”

Ace stepped in and followed Silver into the living room where she pointed to a nearby sofa. “Have a seat.” Her voice was monotone like she was simply going through the motions.

He sat down on the sofa and scooted forward, clasping his hands. Normally, Ace didn’t have a problem making conversation, but he couldn’t think of a single sensible thing to say. He just sat there mute. Silver sat down on the loveseat across from him and crossed her legs. She wore jeans that showcased her long legs and a form-fitting t-shirt. Her hair fell loose on her shoulders, tresses of gold that would’ve made Rapunzel jealous. Even dressed casually with very little makeup, she looked stunning. Her expression was a mixture of amusement and irritation as she sat there, waiting for him to speak.

“You did a great job at the auction.” The last word got clogged by a frog in his throat as he coughed. “Everything was perfect.” He’d been running different scenarios through his mind all day, practicing what he would say to her. It was crazy that he could perform on the field in front of thousands of people and yet be so tongue-tied with Silver.

“Thanks.”

The cool tone of her voice sent irritation trickling down his spine, but he’d be darned if he’d let his demeanor show it. He glanced around the room. The soft blue on the walls was soothing and stylish, yet the sofa and loveseat were dated and worn. A cheap coffee table and laminate bookshelves were the only other pieces of furniture. There were so many books crammed into the shelves they looked like they were crawling on top of each other. Silver loved to read. He remembered she would often carry a book to lunch during junior high. He used to tease her about one day becoming an author or librarian. The event planning came as a total surprise, proving there were facets of Silver he’d not yet discovered. His eye caught on the abstract art pieces that were nice but economical, like they’d come from a box store. Then his gaze moved upward to the ceiling, and he was surprised to see a dark brown circle that looked like a large coffee stain was spreading. The plaster was drooping with ominous cracks in the center like the bottom could fall out any minute. All the rain they’d been getting recently wasn’t helping matters. Now that he thought about it, there was a faint musty odor in the air. He assumed Silver was getting a hefty amount of alimony and child support from Riley, but she certainly wasn’t living like it. From what he’d read, her business seemed successful. But he knew from personal experience that you couldn’t always trust online articles to be one hundred percent accurate. It could’ve been a fake-it-till-you-make-it article to generate business.

Silver cleared her throat, jolting him out of his thoughts. “I’ve been meaning to call a repairman to get that fixed,” she explained, “but there never seems to be enough time.”

He nodded in understanding, and acted like it was no big deal to deflect the situation, even though it was jarring to think she might be having a hard time financially. He was tempted to offer to pay for it on the spot but knew Silver well enough to know that wouldn’t end well. She was fiercely stubborn and independent. The last thing he wanted was to make her feel uncomfortable. Maybe he could hire a repairman and have him just show up. “How are you doing? Since the divorce?”

Silver’s eyes widened the second before her lips vanished into a thin line. Even the air seemed to gulp in a startled breath. “What?”

Ace hadn’t meant to get personal so quickly, but couldn’t seem to help himself. Silver could act aloof all she wanted, but neither of them could erase their past—pretend they hadn’t meant something to each other. Neither could he ignore the primal instinct he had to protect her—whisk her away from this rundown place. “Your divorce,” he said evenly, maintaining eye contact. He thought he saw a flicker of pain muddy her clear blue eyes, but it was quickly replaced with anger.

She spiked an eyebrow. “That’s none of your business.”

Irritation washed over him faster than a Texas thunderstorm as his jaw tensed. He let out a half-laugh, a sour smile pulling at his lips. “Why are you so defensive?”

“I’m not defensive,” she fired back. “Why are you asking such personal questions? I thought this meeting was about the dinner for your little date, not an interrogation.”

She spat out the words little date like they were something foul. He cocked his head. “Not jealous, are you?” he taunted softly, hoping she was.

She rocked back, then drew herself up, folding her arms tightly over her chest. “Not hardly.” She chuckled. “To tell you the truth, I find the whole thing oddly amusing.”

Ace knew she was baiting him and the wise course of action was to walk around the bear trap. But old habits were hard to break. It had always been this way between them—the verbal sparring that fed their sizzling attraction to one another. He leaned forward, eyes narrowing. “What’re you getting at?”

Her voice was deceptively light and lyrical but the bite was definitely there—the sharp rocks lurking underneath placid water. “I kind of got the feeling I was at a cattle auction rather than a charity event.” She clucked her tongue, her eyes sparking with a hard laughter. “That woman bought you lock, stock, and barrel, and now it’s up to you to perform. Good luck with that,” she added flippantly.

“No one bought me,” he countered, indignation buzzing through him. Silver knew just what to say to hit his trigger points. He’d hated being up there on that stage—detested the hungry looks in the eyes of those entitled women. And he dreaded his upcoming date with the woman who’d won the bid. Blast the Titan owner, James Knight, for insisting the players strut like peacocks to suit their whims. James had enough money to donate to the children’s hospital a hundred times over. This was about publicity, plain and simple. He was just about to bite into Silver when a little girl bounded into the room. When she saw Ace, she stopped in her tracks, her eyes filling with surprise. Then she made a beeline for Silver and buried her head in her lap.

“Hey, sweet pea,” Silver said tenderly, tousling the girl’s blonde hair that was nearly identical to Silver’s.

The girl lifted her head and whispered loudly, looking wide-eyed at Ace. “Mommy, who’s that?”

“This is Ace,” Silver said. “Can you say hello?”

“Hello,” she said tentatively.

“Hello,” Ace responded, the shock of what he was seeing settling in. The girl bore a strong resemblance to Silver—the same striking blue eyes and delicate face shape. Her eyes were almond-shaped with an upward slant. Her button nose, small ears folded over at the top, and flatter-than-normal profile were all tale-tell signs of Down syndrome. “I didn’t know,” he uttered.

Silver offered a tight smile.

He searched her face. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

She tipped her head, giving him a quizzical look. “There was no reason to tell you.”

The words sliced through him, putting things back into perspective. She was right. The girl belonged to Riley. Silver had chosen Riley, not him. They’d had a child together. Ace was an outsider. Suddenly, he felt like a moron for coming here, trying to bulldoze his way back into Silver’s life. It went through his head that he should get up and leave this instant. Then he realized Silver was watching him. “It’s okay,” she said, giving him an empathetic look.

His brows darted together. “What do you mean?”

“I can see it in your face, and it’s okay,” she repeated.

He lifted his chin. “I’m not sure what you mean,” he lied, rattled that she’d read him so accurately.

“Mommy, who is he?” the girl said, eyeing Ace with open curiosity. She raised up from Silver’s lap, but remained close beside her, clutching Silver’s hand.

Ace turned his attention to the girl. “My name is Ace,” he said kindly.

“My name is Gracie,” she said, her words slurred like she was chewing a wad of gum. “I’m five.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Gracie.”

A bright smile broke over Gracie’s face. “Thanks.” She looked at Silver. “Is Ace your friend, Mommy?”

Silver hesitated like she was unsure how to answer.

“Yes, I am,” Ace inserted. “When we were in school, your mom was my best friend. I miss her,” he added.

Silver jerked like she couldn’t believe what he’d said.

“I do,” he said softly, holding her gaze until she looked away.

Gracie looked perplexed. “Miss her? But Mommy’s here.” She looked to Silver for verification. “Right?”

“Right,” Silver replied, giving her a reassuring smile.

The tender exchange between Silver and Gracie struck a chord in Ace. He’d wondered if it might be awkward to see Silver with her daughter, but it seemed perfectly natural. Due to Gracie’s slurred speech it was a little hard to catch everything she said, but she seemed to be pretty good at expressing herself.

Gracie wrinkled her nose in disgust. “Ew, Mommy. Wet hand.”

Silver rocked back, her face flushing like she’d been caught.

A smile played on Ace’s lips as he locked gazes with Silver, the space between them shrinking. Silver’s hand was sweaty. Did that mean she still had feelings for him? The notion kindled hope inside him. “Nervous, huh? Interesting,” he teased.

“I’m not nervous,” she snapped her back going ramrod straight.

Gracie looked at her with concern. “Mommy, are you … mad?”

“I’m fine,” she said, her voice strained.

“Yes, you are,” Ace said quietly.

Silver’s eyes popped as she flinched. “Are we going to talk about your date, or not?” she huffed, tucking her hair behind her ears.

He bit back a smile, spreading his hands. How well he remembered that gesture. Silver always tucked her hair behind her ears when she was nervous. “Sure, let’s talk about it.”

“For starters, when is it?”

“A week from this Friday.”

Her face fell. “That won’t work for me. I have another event scheduled. Can you change it?”

“No, sorry. I’ve already committed to that date.”

“Well, so have I,” she countered. She rubbed her forehead. “I can set up the caterer and then have Marla break away from the wedding to check on your date.”

Desperation settled over him. “That won’t work.”

She made a face. “Why not?”

“Because I need you to be there,” he blurted. “To make sure everything runs smoothly.”

“We do multi-faceted events all the time. I assure you, Marla’s perfectly capable of taking care of a simple dinner engagement.” Her words were clipped, her body set in a rigid stance, ready to refute every argument he could throw at her.

He looked her in the eye. “I’ll play triple your normal rate.”

Her jaw went slack. “Huh?”

He could tell she was considering it, causing hope to bubble in his chest.

“Sorry,” she finally said, “but I really need to be at the wedding. It was booked six months in advance.”

“But I thought Marla was perfectly capable of handling multi-faceted events,” he countered, relishing the stubborn set of her chin.

“You can’t bully me into this.”

The tension was titillating, causing his skin to buzz. He had the unreasonable urge to bridge the distance between them, crush her lips to his, and kiss her until they couldn’t see straight. “I’ll pay you an extra ten thousand dollars in addition to triple the normal rate.”

She bubbled out a nervous laugh. “You’re insane.”

“Fifteen thousand.”

She slung her head back, her nostrils flaring. “Stop flaunting your money, rich boy.”

He was taken back by the hard edge to her voice. “I’m not flaunting,” he said evenly. “I’m asking you to please help with the dinner.” A grin tugged at his lips. “I need someone there to tell me when I can stand up, when I can sit down, and if I can go to the bathroom.” He thought the joke was pretty clever, but she just glared at him, not the slightest bit amused.

Gracie tugged at her hand. “Mommy … you okay?”

“I’m fine, honey,” Silver said, “just trying to work out a schedule with an unreasonable client,” she muttered, shooting Ace a look that could kill.

The fire in Silver’s eyes awakened something in Ace, making him feel more alive than he’d felt in a long time. He’d forgotten how much he loved sparring with Silver.

Silver’s eyes cut into his. “Give me one good reason it has to be me, instead of Marla.”

“Because you owe me.”

She slung her head back. “What?”

“You do. Remember Mr. Thomas’s PE class? You hated dressing out to play basketball. I talked him into giving you the week off … letting you sit on the bleachers in the gym instead to study for your biology final.”

“Really?” she scoffed. “That’s the best you can come up with?”

“We agreed that you owed me a favor, but I never collected.” His eyes held hers. “I’m collecting now.” He hated how vulnerable he felt and figured she could see right through him, but he had to play every card he could to keep her close.

“Okay, I’ll do it,” she finally said, her shoulders relaxing. “For triple my normal rate. And you can keep your other fifteen thou in your pocket,” she snipped.

“Done,” he said, feeling a grudging respect for her stubbornness. She obviously needed the money, but not at the expense of her self-esteem. He vowed then and there he’d find another roundabout way to give her the money. What good was being wealthy if he couldn’t help the people he cared about.

Silver smiled at Gracie who had a concerned expression on her face. “Mommy’s fine. Promise. Why don’t you go in your room and get your Barbies to play with?”

Gracie’s eyes lit up as she pointed to herself. “I show Ace?”

“I’m sure he’d love that,” Silver said, giving Ace a look that dared him to disagree.

“Yeah … sure.” Ace shifted in his seat as Gracie skipped out of the room, her hair bouncing. The thought of playing Barbies with a young girl was more than a little daunting, and it must’ve shown on his face because Silver laughed.

“Don’t worry, Gracie doesn’t bite,” Silver said dryly.

Ace chuckled. “Oh, so she’s not like her mother in that aspect, huh?”

“Hey,” Silver countered, with an uncertain laugh. Then she gave Ace an appraising look. “The more things change, the more they stay the same.”

His eyes locked with hers. “I’ve missed you.”

She began blinking rapidly, shaking her head. “Don’t do this.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Do what? Tell the truth?”

She clasped her hands together tightly. “I’m at a good spot in my life, Ace. I don’t need any complications.” She drew herself up. “So, please, let’s just keep this business, okay?”

If a hornet suddenly crawled under his shirt and stung him it wouldn’t have hurt any worse. Silver was beautiful, headstrong, yet vulnerable. She was sitting right in front of him, and yet out of his reach. Before he could articulate a response, Gracie bounded back into the room and dumped an armful of Barbies in Ace’s lap.

“Wow,” he said, his eyes growing large. “That’s a lot of Barbies.”

“I have more,” Gracie assured him. “I get those too?”

“No,” Ace said quickly. “These are good.”

Silver laughed, breaking the tension between them. “You’ll have to excuse Gracie. She never meets a stranger.”

“My princess Barbie,” Gracie said, pushing it into Ace’s face. “See … pretty purple dress. I want one too,” Gracie said, pointing to herself and spouting out several long sentences.

Gracie’s speech was so fast and slurred that all Ace could pick out was no money and expensive. He looked to Silver for an explanation and was surprised to see the mortified expression on her face, like she wanted to crawl under the coffee table.

“I told Gracie I’d buy her a pretty purple dress after my next event,” Silver explained.

Gracie nodded vigorously, a broad smile on her face.

It clicked for Ace as he pieced it together. Silver had to wait until she got paid for her next event to be able to afford a purple dress for Gracie. Silver was short on money—the real reason she’d not repaired the ceiling. A burst of anger went through Ace. Where was Riley? He had to be making a truckload of money with his construction business. The Metroplex was booming, new construction going up faster than Kade could throw a pass. And yet, he’d left Silver and Gracie alone, struggling. It made no sense.

His phone buzzed. He looked down. His mom was calling … again. “Sorry, I’d better take this.”

“Gracie, put your Barbies on the floor and play with them,” Silver said.

Gracie nodded and grabbed the Barbies, some of them toppling from her arms to the floor. As Gracie got comfortable on the floor, Ace handed her the last Barbie still in his lap. “Here you go.”

“Thank you,” she chimed in a singsong voice.

Ace slid his finger across the face of his screen to answer. “Hey there.”

“Ace,” his mother began, “where are you?”

“Visiting a friend,” he said, glancing at Silver.

“You’re supposed to be at the fiesta. It’s starting any minute.”

He raked a hand through his hair. “The fiesta?”

“For Ariana’s birthday,” his mother replied in a put-out tone like she couldn’t believe he’d forgotten.

He frowned. “But her birthday’s not until Saturday.”

“I know, but your tio Jorge couldn’t make it Saturday, so we decided to have the party tonight.”

“O-kay. This is the first I’ve heard of it.”

“What?” she exploded. “Raúl,” she yelled. “You were supposed to tell Ace about the fiesta. We talked about this. How could you forget?” More noise. “Axel, wrap those tortillas up or they’ll be dry as a bone … Antonio, how many times do I have to tell you? Stop picking at the meat! Aye yai yai,” she lamented. “Your brothers are killing me. Twenty-four, long hours of labor between the two of them to bring them into this world. You’d think they’d show a little respect.” She clapped her hands. “Rapido! Rapido! We don’t have much time before the guests arrive.”

Ace bit back a smile, a mental picture of the scenario forming in his head. His mother constantly barked orders at his younger brothers, Antonio and Axel—always pulling the birth card. Ace heard rustling in the background and could hear the deep rumble of his dad speaking but couldn’t make out what he was saying.

“You were supposed to tell Ace about the party,” his mother hissed. His parents started arguing back and forth, their voices rising with bits of Spanish curse words mixed in. Spanglish had always been the predominant language in Ace’s home while growing up.

“Mom,” Ace said, but his mom kept talking a mile a minute. He rolled his eyes. She was on a rampage, her voice shrill. “Mom!” he said louder, talking over her to get her attention.

She stopped talking. “Yes, hijo?” she said sweetly.

“It’s okay. I’m in Ft. Worth. Close by.”

“You are?”

“Yes.”

“Well, why didn’t you say so?”

“I tried, but couldn’t get a word in edgewise,” Ace muttered.

“Don’t sass me, hijo,” his mother warned. “Where are you?”

Even though he was an adult and on his own for years, his mom still treated him like he was sixteen. “I’m visiting a friend,” Ace said, rolling his eyes. Geez! The woman was more ruthless than a Nazi interrogator. He glanced at Silver, who had an amused expression on her face. “It’s my mom,” he whispered.

Her mouth made an O. “Tell her I said hello.”

Ace and Silver spent lots of time at the restaurant during their teenage years. Silver and his mom always got along well. In fact, his mom still asked about Silver occasionally. “Silver says to tell you hello.”

The comment did the nearly impossible and rendered his mom silent for half a second. “You’re with Silver?”

He heard the excitement in his mother’s voice. “Yes.” It went through his mind that it might not have been the smartest move to let his mother know he was talking to Silver again. She’d hound him relentlessly—plan the entire wedding before he could persuade Silver to go on the first date.

“Well, bring her with you. We have plenty of food,” his mother said jubilantly.

“Um, I don’t know if that’s such a good idea,” Ace said.

Silver gave him a questioning look.

He pulled the phone away from his mouth. “They’re having a party tonight for Ariana’s birthday. My mom wants to know if you’ll come.”

“Tell her we’d love to have her,” his mother boomed.

“They’d love to have you,” Ace parroted.

It was comical how fast Silver’s eyes bulged, and she gulped like she was choking on her tongue. Ace couldn’t help but chuckle. “It’s okay. I told my mom it probably wasn’t a good idea.” He was surprised by the intense disappointment that settled over him as he swallowed.

“Yeah, you’re right, it’s not a good idea,” Silver said, looking relieved.

“She says she can’t make it,” Ace said into the phone. “But I’ll be there shortly.”

“What? Why can’t she come?” his mother said in a downcast voice like she’d just heard devastating news.

“I don’t know. She didn’t say,” Ace said, looking at Silver.

“Put Silver on the phone,” his mother ordered.

Ace’s throat went dry. Crapola! The wagon had left the trail and was headed for a cliff. “Uh, Mom, I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“Put her on the phone,” his mother said, her voice unyielding.

A nervous laugh escaped his throat. “My mom wants to talk to you.” Sorry, he mouthed, wincing.

Silver jerked. “What? No!” She gave Ace a pleading look.

“Please. Just talk to her for a second.” It had been ingrained in Ace to respect his elders, even when it became uncomfortable. Time seemed to stand still as Ace and Silver looked at each other, Ace silently pleading for Silver’s understanding.

Silver blew out a breath, shooting him a death glare. “Fine,” she muttered, holding out her hand.

Quickly, before she could change her mind, he stood and handed her the phone.

Silver pasted on a smile as her voice grew falsely pleasant. “Hello? Mrs. Sanchez … it’s good to talk to you too. I would love to come, but I have to work early in the morning … I’m an event planner … I organize parties, business events, weddings … my daughter needs to get in bed early. Yes, I have a daughter named Gracie. She’s five years old.”

Ace mentally inserted what his mother must be saying from how Silver was responding. Then it occurred to him that he hoped his mother could talk Silver into going to Ariana’s party. Silver and Ariana had been friends. Maybe that counted for something.

“Thank you, Mrs. Sanchez. I’ll think about it. I’m sure Gracie would love to try fried ice cream,” Silver said.

At that Gracie lifted her head. “Ice cream?”

“It’s delicious,” Ace said, grinning at Gracie. “You’d love it.”

“I want ice cream,” Gracie said, standing up and going to Silver’s side. She leaned in, practically throwing herself on top of Silver.

Silver gave Gracie a gentle but firm enough nudge to stand her up again. Then she held up a finger and mouthed to Gracie. “Okay, just a minute. We’ll talk about it when I get off the phone.”

Gracie’s face twisted like she was about to put up a fuss, Ace got down on the floor. He reached for one of the dolls and held it up. “Show me your Barbies, Gracie.”

Gracie let out a squeal and sat down cross-legged. Silver gave Ace a look of appreciation for diverting Gracie’s attention. It was astounding how that one simple gesture from Silver had the power to warm him through to his bones. What was it with Silver? She’d always had some pull over him he couldn’t explain. He drew his attention away from Silver and back to Gracie. “Here, let’s put the dolls on the coffee table.” Ace scooted the magazines and TV remote aside to give them space as Gracie put her dolls on the table.

Ace held up one with brown curly hair, wearing a yellow dress. “What’s her name?”

“Beauty,” Gracie said, her light eyes sparkling. “She go to a birthday party with ice cream.”

Ace realized that Gracie was saying she wanted to pretend Beauty was going to a birthday party. “Okay, and they can have chocolate cake,” he added.

“Mmm,” Gracie hummed, pressing her lips together. “And blue candles.”

“Do you like blue?”

She nodded vigorously, her hair bouncing on her shoulders. “Purple too,” she said matter-of-factly.

“I like blue and purple,” he said, the comment earning him a brilliant smile. There was a pure innocence about Gracie that tugged at Ace’s heartstrings, and he suspected it wouldn’t take much for him to get attached to the little cutie. He played with Gracie, all the while keeping an ear trained on Silver’s conversation with his mother. Judging by the firm set of Silver’s mouth, the conversation had taken a more serious turn. His heart dropped. There was no telling what his mother was saying to Silver. This was a bad idea.

Very bad.

After what seemed like an eternity, Silver ended the call, a strange expression on her face.

“What?” he said, bracing for the worst.

She shook her head absently. “Nothing.”

“What were you and my mother talking about?” he pressed, scoping Silver’s face for clues.

“Oh, just chit-chat,” she said nonchalantly.

The corners of his lips turned down. “That’s not what it looked like.”

Silver grinned, wrinkling her nose. “Just women talk.”

“Should I be worried?”

She let out a half-laugh. “About what?”

He drove the conversation right back to the heart of it. “What you and my mom were talking about.”

She clucked her tongue, pinning him with a look. “Ace Sanchez, do you really think everything’s about you?”

He rocked back. “Well, no … I just.” He shifted tugging at his shirt. “I mean, you were talking to my mom, so I just assumed …” His voice trailed off, heat crawling up his neck.

“Look at you, you’re blushing,” Silver taunted.

“Am not,” he countered, feeling like they were back in junior high.

She laughed, then winked. Ace was confused at her change in demeanor. What in the heck had his mother said to her? His mother knew how he felt about Silver. Surely she hadn’t mentioned that. A full-on heatwave blasted over him, and he knew his face was blaring like a beacon. It was obvious that Silver was enjoying watching him squirm.

“So,” Silver said, turning to Gracie, her voice laced with enthusiasm. “Would you like to try some fried ice cream?”

“Yes,” Gracie practically shouted, jumping to her feet.

Ace scrambled to keep up. “Does this mean you’re coming to the birthday party?” He couldn’t keep hope from sounding in his voice.

Silver brought her hands together. “Yep,” she said like she’d just now reached a decision.

For a second Ace thought he hadn’t heard her correctly. “Really?” he squeaked.

Silver frowned, tipping her head. “Unless you don’t want us to come.”

“Of course I want you to come,” he shot back. “I think it’s great. Gracie will love the ice cream, and everyone will be excited to see you.”

Silver looked thoughtful. “I haven’t seen Ariana since high school. It’ll be great to see her.”

“She’s as mean as ever,” Ace joked as he stood. Eighteen months his junior, Silver and Ariana had been in the same grade, whereas he was two grades ahead. Ace couldn’t believe the sudden turn of events. Not that he was complaining, but he couldn’t help wondering what his mother said to Silver. Whatever it was seemed to have swayed the balance in his direction.

“Okay, sweet pea, let’s go fix your hair and put on some clean clothes.” Silver turned to Ace. “I think I’ll put on some nicer clothes too. It may take us a few minutes.” She motioned at the remote on the coffee table. “You can watch TV if you’d like.”

“Sure.” Excitement buzzed through his veins as he watched Silver and Gracie walk out of the room. The evening was turning out much better than he expected. So much better that he had to pinch himself to make sure he was awake.

He reached for the remote and flipped on the TV, even though he was way too keyed up to watch anything. A minute later, the doorbell rang. “Someone’s at your door,” he called.

No answer.

It rang again, this time more insistently.

Figuring Silver couldn’t hear it, he went to the door and opened it. Ace’s heart lurched when he saw who was standing there. “Riley,” he managed to say.