"Fine." I smiled tensely.

"Ta-ta." Grandma waved and walked back down the aisle.

With a sigh I slumped back against my chair, trying to look at the positive side of things. Just because Jace didn't want me didn't mean I was a loser. It just meant I was… single. Still single. Did it mean I was bad in bed? Possibly. It also meant that I was probably a terrible kisser. Who could blame me when my practice had been with Vampire Lover and McDonalds' Employee of the Month?

"She's up to something."

"Jace," I swore, "stop being so…"

"So what?"

"So… suspicious. She apologized. We get a free vacation. Leave it at that."

"But—"

"I'm going to sleep."

"Okay." He sounded disappointed.

I wanted to see the look on his face. I wanted to dissect every single look, every touch, every sigh, but I knew in the end the equation would still equal out to be zero. No matter how many tallies I put in his favor, he still wouldn't want what I had to offer.

Because in the end, I wasn't even sure what I had to offer, except for my heart. And for thirty years — even that hadn't been enough.

"You mean to tell me he wanted to be kidnapped?"

Grandma nodded. "Yes, that's correct."

"And he wanted to be rufied?"

"Of course."

"And he asked you to give him some time before you revealed his location?"

"That's what I'm saying."

"Did you murder Senator Brevik?"

"Oh honey, if I'd had murdered him. I wouldn't have gotten caught — that's why I'm here."

"You're here because you got caught."

"I let you catch me. To give him time."

"Fine. I'll bite. Time for what?"

"Love."

Jace

Once the plane dropped down in Honolulu, I was beyond ready to lose my cool. The little girl in front of us had, for the past hour, chattered about school, life, her mom, her gas — really anything that she'd thought might interest us. But the real kicker had been when Beth had started coloring with her.

And I'd been left to watch.

I'd watched her hands glide over the paper.

I'd watched her delicate fingers as they held the color blue.

I'd watched when her face lit up from the praise the little girl gave her.

And then I'd ruined it by scowling when the little girl gave her a high five, and I'd been left out.

Irritation pierced me in the chest. And I was ready to lose my damn mind over it. Every time I tried to imagine a reason for me to be upset that Beth wasn't giving me attention, the more upset with myself I became.

I probably should have apologized for my bluntness, but things were better that way. She needed to know it had been a one-time thing. Yeah, she was beautiful, but that didn't mean I was ready to hand my balls to her on a silver platter.

Been there done that. Never again.

So what if that made me insensitive? I had my job. I loved my job, and I intended to do anything to keep it.

I turned on my phone and looked down at the screen.

Rick: Call as soon as you land.

I texted him back instead, knowing I didn't want to be that annoying guy who started talking loudly when everyone was trying to grab his bag and make it down the narrow aisle.

Me: Landed. Can't talk. Everything okay?

Rick: Define okay.

Me: Did the problem go away?

Rick: If the problem you're referring to is an attractive thirty year old that works for the company whose bill you just rejected because you said it wasn't soundly written, then yeah. Sure. Peachy.

Me: What?!

Rick: Like I said, call me when you have time. We need to make this go away. Approval ratings can drop overnight. Good news? People think you're getting married, and the news is loving it. So stay put.

Cursing, I put the phone back in my pocket and rubbed my temples.

"Bad news?" Beth blinked her green eyes innocently.

"Thanks to you, yes." I was trapped. I couldn't leave, and if I stayed, I stayed next to Beth, and the longer I was in her presence, the more I wanted to attack her — in a totally sexually pent-up frustrated way. One where there was biting and fighting and—"

"Me?" Her eyebrows shot up.

I tried to look pissed instead of aroused.

"Any chance I can pay you an obscene amount of money to kick me in the balls on national television and say you're mentally insane?"

Beth's eyes narrowed into tiny slits. "Tell you what, I'll kick you in the balls for free. As for the rest of it, go screw yourself."

"Ha," I said dryly. "Chemist's got some personality after all." I was being an ass. I knew I was being an ass, but I was pissed. I'd specifically asked her if she had a past. I'd specifically asked about any sort of drama in her past and she hadn't even thought to tell me she worked for GreenCom? Technically, it had been my fault. I hadn't looked at her work history, just her title. And honestly it didn't matter that much. I was more upset over the fact that I could smell her damn perfume, and it was choking the bachelor out of me.

"You're an ass," she hissed, pushing past me and walking down the aisle. By then, people had basically vacated the plan.

With a curse, I got up and walked slowly down the aisle.

I'd been drugged by an eighty-six-year-old woman.

Couldn't remember my one-night stand.

Had been accused of sleeping with a prostitute.

On a last-minute vacation where I felt slightly manipulated and possibly kidnapped.

And my approval ratings were going to hell.

Things couldn't get worse.

I finally reached the gate where Travis, Kacey, Char, Jake, and Beth were waiting.

Clearly something was wrong because they were frantically dialing their phones, and Kacey looked like she was ready to cry.

"What?" I asked stupidly. "Did someone die?"

All eyes turned to me.

"We can't find Grandma." Beth's voice was strained. "She said she had to use the powder room and just disappeared."

"I'm sure she's fine," I soothed. "After all, this is Grandma Nadine we're talking about. I'd feel sorry for her attacker. Hell, I'd probably watch the entire episode and order popcorn."

The group seemed to relax a bit.

That is, until we heard honking.

And then a splash of leopard flew by me at top speed.

"I think I found her." I pointed.

Grandma parked the airport cart, giving herself whiplash in the process, and stepped out. "Sorry, dears, it took me the longest time to find one of these things."

I winced. "Grandma, I think it's illegal for you to drive that without assistance from the airport staff."

My body gave an involuntary shudder as Grandma's pointed stare met mine. "I am the law."

Ho-o-oly shit. What had I gotten myself into?

"Get in." Grandma put the cart in reverse, nearly killing two elderly people in the process, then pulled out her lipstick and began applying in the rearview mirror.

Great, so she used mirrors for lipstick application and not driving. We were in such good hands.

The last thing I wanted to do was go to dinner. Sleep. That's what I wanted. Sleep. And to hear from Rick that everything was fine.

I picked up my bag and made my way to the cart, eying Beth as she leaned on Char. Was she crying? Had I done that? Feeling like a jackass, I moved toward her, only to be stopped by Jake and Travis, both of them looking like they'd rather shoot me in the face than let me even near their family.