Chapter 26

She dismissed it as a joke. The announcement of the Stevens-Atkinson marriage alliance, specially created by both families, was hardly something anyone would dare remove.

Darkness swam before her eyes. His hand touched her skin, radiating warmth. After a moment, she pulled his hand away and looked up. "Jay, thank you."

She believed he was trying to comfort her. "Alright, let's go home for dinner." Taking his hand, she walked toward their apartment. He glanced back at the large advertisement before following.

Back at the apartment, Grace collected an express delivery from the building's security office: the sweater she'd bought for Jay. She opened the package, examined the sweater, and touched the fabric. It wasn't bad; for the price, the quality was surprisingly good.

"Jay, come see if this sweater fits you," she said.

The sweater was a blend of blues and greens. When he put it on, Grace's eyes widened. "Oh, you look so good!"

Suddenly, an idea struck her. "Jay, bend down a little."

He obliged. Grace took a comb and pulled his hair back.

Whoa.

She'd always known he was attractive, but seeing all his features clearly revealed him to be ridiculously handsome—far too handsome for someone like her.

"My brother is really attractive," she murmured.

The possessive "my" seemed to please him.

She sighed. "If you wore your hair like this while handing out flyers, you'd have girls scrambling to get them."

He laughed.

"How about we go to a hair salon later? It's a shame your beautiful eyes are always hidden by your hair," she muttered.

"What's to be sorry for? This look is just for you," Jason said. "We're family, after all."

Grace burst out laughing. "You can wear this sweater tomorrow. I'll wash it for you."

"Alright," he asserted.

She took a picture of him in the sweater, updated her Facebook page, and paused. Her social media presence was practically nonexistent; only two friends—Lina and Jay.

"Let Lina see; I'm sure she'll be jealous of my handsome younger brother," Grace said.

Soon, Lina "liked" the post and commented: "Nice sweater. Send me the link; I'll buy one for my dad. By the way, your new younger brother is a clothes rack! He should be a model. The only requirement is being hot, and he's got that covered."

Grace considered this, then asked Jay, "What do you think about being a clothes model?"

"Not much," he replied.