The message was clearly a pretense.
The moment Jace received the text, he knew exactly what Phoebe meant. She was hurrying him home to cook. The first time she'd ever taken the initiative to ask when he got off work, and it was all for her older brother.
'She stays with me for news about her eldest brother. Now she's texting me to come home just so her other brother can eat.'
'If he weren't her own brother, I'd throw the guy out and have someone beat him up.'
Phoebe sent the text, but a long time passed without a reply.
She stared at her phone, her stomach churning with anxiety. After waiting for what felt like an eternity, her mind was a complete mess. She was terrified Jace had misunderstood or was angry. She thought for a moment and drafted another message, but she deleted it before she could hit send.
