“You just figured that out now?” Jesse snickered.
Steph rolled her eyes. “Caught him sneaking a peek at Chastity’s boobs.”
“He’s a guy. Guys look at boobs.” Jesse leaned back, causing his shoulders to touch mine. I snuck a peek at him and wondered if he ever snuck a peek at my boobs.
Blushing, I gazed back at Stephanie. “I have to agree with Jesse. It’s not as if you two are married or anything.”
“You always agree with Jesse.” Stephanie huffed, taking a seat on the bottom bleacher. She looked up at us and scowled. “Do you know how much it sucks to be the third wheel?”
“Third wheel? We’re all friends,” I insisted.
Stephanie began plucking bobby bins from her own ridiculous updo. Shaking out her hair, she snorted. “Keep telling yourself that, sweetie.”
***
The sound of laughter caught my attention.
“You are so full of it!”
“You were always a smartass!”
Stephanie appeared from behind the lotion aisle looking as if she were having the time of her life. Jesse trailed behind her, laughing as if hearing the world’s funniest joke. I felt an unjustified pinch of envy watching the two interact. After three days of working together, Jesse hadn’t given me anything more than a cordial smile and greeting, yet here was Stephanie enjoying him the way I should have been all along.
Once the pair was close enough, I called out, “Having a good time?”
It didn’t take a genius to tell that at least one of my friends caught something in my voice. Stephanie frowned slightly and replied, “Oh you know. Just catching up.”
“I bet.”
Jesse lost his smile. “I guess I’ll be heading back to work. Nice seeing you again, Steph.” His voice was suddenly icy.
Very odd.
“Yeah, nice seeing you.” Stephanie watched him walk off and once she was sure he was out of earshot, she leaned over the counter with a shocked look on her face. “What the hell was that all about?”
“See, I told you he was acting weird!” An inexplicable coldness washed over my body along with something much more negative. “Looks like you two had no problem catching up.”
Oh. It was jealousy.
“I hate to say it, but I think his problem has something to do with you,” Stephanie clucked, ignoring my blatant envy. “Are you sure nothing happened between you two?”
“I think I would know!”
Stephanie shrugged and glanced up at the tin clock mounted just above my head. “Well, sorry, but I have to jet. Looks like the store is getting busy now anyway.” She slapped her hand across the counter. “Let me know if anything changes.”
“Like that’s going to happen,” I muttered, looking longingly at The Dungeon.
As soon as Stephanie left, the after Christmas shoppers began to pile in tenfold. I had a hard time keeping up with the growing line and found myself having to call for reinforcements. As I scanned about twenty individually wrapped boxes of soap, I turned on our intercom system, practically begging for somebody to take over the second register. After five minutes of no response, I was getting ready to turn on the speaker system one more time to yell out my demands when a sulking Jesse came stomping through the crowd. He was missing his usual orange apron, which helped showcase his low hung jeans. I couldn’t help but lick my lips at the sight of his tight fitting white undershirt, which he wore as his main top.
Get a hold of yourself, Rocky.
Apparently, I wasn’t the only one susceptible to his male beauty. About a handful of women, ages eighteen to eighty-four, watched him hungrily, all hoping to be checked out by him while they continued to check him out. There was only one problem.
“Um, you’re not trained to handle the register.”
Jesse rolled his eyes and stepped up to the computer next to mine. He punched in his employee I.D., waking up the sleeping machine. “Trust me; I’ve handled plenty of registers before. It doesn’t take a genius to swipe barcodes over a scanner.”
“There isn’t anybody else back there?” I practically whined. After a few days’ worth of radio silence, working beside Jesse was nothing short of unbearable.
“They all called in sick. I’m your last hope. C’mon, do you really think your dad would have sent me out here if there was anybody else who can help you out?”
I pursed my lips. “Fine. Just keep up. This line is long enough as it is.”
“Whose fault was that?”
Without thinking, I reached out and kicked him in the shin, forgetting that I was wearing a pair of thick soled riding boots. I was just about to apologize when I heard Jesse chuckle.
“Still a little spitfire, huh? Well, why don’t you try your best to keep up with me?”
As hard as I tried to fight it, I couldn’t help but smile. It felt good to hear him laugh again. It felt good to hear him laughing with me.
I nodded my head coyly. “Fine. Bring it on.”
So began our unofficial official battle of the registers. Jesse wasn’t kidding when he said he knew what he was doing. Boy, was he as fast as lightning! I hated to admit it, but he was even faster than me. He went so far as bagging things behind his back and throwing winks at unsuspecting customers. One of the women even looked as if she were about to faint when his dark eyes landed on her.
“That’ll be twenty-four fifty, Miss,” he said with a smile.
“Miss? Oh, I haven’t been a miss in years!” The blue-haired woman dabbed her neck with a silk handkerchief. Her chest rose and fell quickly as if she were struggling to breathe. “Thanks for making an old lady feel young again.”
“You’re not old. Just experienced.”
“You have got to be kidding me,” I muttered, jamming a pineapple into a paper bag.
“Do you have a tip jar?” The old woman’s voice was raspy and sounded almost painful to hear. If I had to bet, she was probably a smoker in her younger age.
“No tip jar, Ma’am,” I replied in surprise.
“I was talking to him,” she snapped.
My eyes widened in shock as I watched her stick a folded up five dollar bill into the collar of his shirt. Since when did Rossi’s Novelties turn into a strip club? Oh yeah. Ever since Jesse came along.
For humility’s sake, at least he seemed surprised. He reached into his shirt, pulling out the money. A blush of pink crept up his skin, reddening his cheeks. “Um, we don’t take tips.”
“Trust me, sonny. You deserve it!” The lady grabbed her things and left before Jesse could return her cash. He ended up sticking the bill into his back pocket. I mean, it wasn’t as if he was gonna chuck it after her.
I caught his eye and lifted an eyebrow. “You were always good with the ladies.”
“Ha! You wish.” A troublesome expression washed over his face for a fleeting moment, before grinning at his next customer. This time it was a girl young enough not to have a valid driver’s license yet. Judging by the look on her face, she was in heaven.
I ripped the receipt from the printer and stuck it in my customer’s bag. Under my breath, I mumbled, “Yeah, I really do.”
Within an hour, the line started to die down. I was a bit disappointed that Jesse would have to return to The Dungeon. It wasn’t as if we even talked a lot during his hour with me, but it was still nice being together.
“Hey, beautiful.”
I yelped in surprise as Ethan’s arms wormed around my waist. “Ethan! What are you doing here?”
He was halfway draped over the little door. I inadvertently backed up, almost causing him to come toppling forward. He straightened himself before he became a splatter on the floor. “I couldn’t speak with your dad without seeing you.”
“Why were you speaking to my dad?” First Carbanaro’s and now this? It was too soon to ask for my hand in marriage…right?
“We were discussing marketing plans for first quarter.”
“Oh.”
Ethan glanced up as if seeing Jes
se for the first time. “Hey there, my man. Looks like they got you trained on that thing.”
“Looks like it.” Jesse pressed his lips together in a firm line and looked away.
With a slight shrug, Ethan turned back to me. “Well, I better get back to the office. I’ll see you later?”
“Uh, yeah sure.”
It was obvious Ethan expected a goodbye kiss of some sort, but I was staying fixed in place. Comically, he even attempted to lean over the door again, but realizing he’d never reach me, Ethan succumbed to a mere wave of his hand and headed towards the front door.
“Douche.”
I spun around and narrowed my eyes at Jesse. “What was that?”
“You heard me.”
I crossed my arms over my chest and scowled. “You don’t even know him. How can you judge him?”
“Since when do you go for pretty boys like that? You never were into that type.”
Realizing my cash drawer was open, I slammed it shut and sneered. “I never had a type in high school! Besides, what would you know about me? If memory serves me correctly, which it does, you haven’t spoken to me since college. What do you even know about me anymore?”
He pointed to my chest. “I know you grew about two cup sizes since I last saw you.”
Well, that answered my old question. I blushed and crossed my arms over my chest as if it would make any difference. “Stop being such a jerk. You know what I mean!”
Instead of arguing back, Jesse hung his head forward and sighed. He gripped the edge of the counter so his arms were stretched out and rolled the back of his neck. “I know things were left a bit odd between us. I also know you won’t believe me, but I have a perfectly good excuse why.”
“Try me.”
“Jesse to the stockroom. Jesse to the stockroom.” My dad’s booming voice interrupted us and I was worried that any progress I had made with my old friend was quickly thrown out the window.
Jesse eyed the aged speaker mounted above our heads and took a deep breath. He glanced back down at me, the corners of his mouth dipping down. “I really did miss you.”
My heart pinched. If only I could believe him.
“I know you don’t believe me, but I really do want to make it up to you.
My eyes widened in surprise. Wow, guess best friends never lost that bond.
I hadn’t realized that my front teeth were digging into my bottom lip until I tasted a tint of iron on my tongue. I licked my lips and frowned. “How?”
“Do you want to get something to eat tonight? Around eight?”
Shit. It was the night I was supposed to go out with Ethan. Oh, hell, I could always reschedule with him.
“Sure,” I replied.
A look I can only describe as triumph washed over his face. With a slight nod of his head, he walked out of our little cube of a cash wrap and headed back towards The Dungeon.
Chapter 6
“You have got to be kidding me!” My voice came out in a shrill.
“What? He only lives two hours away. He’s single, and look.” Stephanie turned her laptop so I had full view of the monitor. “He’s cute!”
“What do you know about him besides the fact that you pseudo-dated him for about a month during senior year?”
Stephanie pulled the laptop back towards her line of vision and began to read his profile. “I know that he lives in Millpoint, has two dogs, and works IT.”
“As your best friend I need to tell you to stop all this foolishness. This is beyond stupid.”
“Not listening,” she replied in a sing-song tone. She tapped a few keys on her board and sat back with smile. “Phase one done.”
“Do I even want to ask what phase one is?” I muttered.
“Private messaging him. No biggie.” She shot me an innocent smile.
“Uh oh, what did you say?”
“Just the usual. Saw him online and decided to say hi.”
I snorted. “Yeah, the usual.”
Shutting her laptop, Stephanie followed me into my walk-in closet. “So, whatcha gonna wear? If we’re talking about not knowing anybody since high school, we don’t have to travel any farther than this room.”
“Need I remind you, you’re a lab tech, not a psychologist?” I huffed and turned back towards my messy hangers. “That’s the purpose of this dinner. To re-get to know our old friend.”
“Keep lying to yourself, honey. We both know what a friend Mr. Tyler is.” OCD kicking into full gear again, Stephanie began straightening my disarray of hangers. “So what are you gonna wear?” Her eyes fleeted down to my chest. “Something that shows off your C-cups?”
“You’re an asshole.”
“And you’re naïve! May I remind you that you are dating Ethan? Err…sort of?”
I chose not to answer and yanked a modest turtleneck from my closet and threw it over my thin camisole. The material was a bit itchy against my sensitive skin, but I resisted the urge to scratch.
“A turtleneck, really?” Stephanie snorted.
“It’s not a date!”
“I know! You were supposed to be going on one tonight, but ditched out on it to spend time with another man.”
“If you’re implying I’m a cheat, you are mistaken. Like I said, Ethan and I are just having fun right now.”
“Then break it off with him!”
“A bit presumptuous, no? How do you expect me to break up with someone I’m not even going out with?”
Stephanie let out an exasperated tone. “You’re playing with fire, Rossi. Hope you know what you’re doing.”
“I do, because I’m not doing anything wrong.”
I turned my back towards my closet trying to maintain my facade of confidence. However, I couldn’t shake the nagging feeling that I may in fact be doing something wrong.
***
I grabbed the sides of my red pea coat jacket, shivering all the way down to my knees. Cursing the city planners who placed Harpoon’s parking lot a block away from the bar, I sprinted as fast as I could towards the brightly flashing neon lights at the risk of busting my ass on the slick pavement.
It was quite fitting that Jesse would ask me to meet him at a pub, considering the last time we had spoken revolved around alcohol as well. I stepped into the stuffy building and was greeted by a cloud of smoke and the stench of sweat. Harpoon’s was one of the last bars in the area that still allowed smoking inside and I prayed to God I wouldn’t walk out of there with blackened lungs and asthma.
“Rocky! Over here!” Jesse waved his arms to get my attention. He too had changed since our shift and was wearing a dark blue sweater that complemented his body nicely. As I approached, I couldn’t help admire his broad shoulders and the way his sweater tapered at his waist.
Stay cool. He’s just Jesse.
“Hey!” I greeted him, peeling off my pea coat. “Interesting place you chose here.”
He grimaced slightly. “Yeah, didn’t think this through so much. Didn’t know this place still allowed smoking.”
“We can go somewhere else if you want.”
Just then, someone decided to crank up the volume of the music. It was so loud that Jesse and I had to yell in order to hear each other. Not an ideal environment for our “catching up” date. I mean meeting. I mean…oh, forget it.
Jesse frowned and nodded in agreement. “Yeah, let’s go. I’ll drive.”
The thought of being alone with him in a car woke up even more intense feelings inside of me. Trying my best to keep my expression straight, I nodded. “Sounds good.”
Jesse opened the bar’s door to a blast of the cold winter air, which hit my face, causing my eyes to water and my nose to sting. Glancing down at my chattering teeth, Jesse frowned. “I scored a spot by the curb around the corner. The walk shouldn’t be too bad.”
My teeth sounded like tiny doorknockers. I nodded my head quickly. “O-o-ok-ay. L-l-let’s go.”
A part of me secretly hoped he’d throw his arm around me to keep me warm, bu
t even that part of me knew I was being ridiculous. We were just friends. Nothing more. That is, if we were even friends to begin with.
By the time we made it to his impressively new looking SUV, I was sure my lips were purple. I shivered in his seat as he cranked up the heater and began to defrost the windows. “Forgot how cold it gets here,” he said gruffly.
“It doesn’t get cold in Charleston?” I blew in my hands, rubbing them together and silently praying he’d take them inside his own.
Ridiculous.
“We have our winters, but we’re further south. Nothing like it is here.”
“Oh.”
Silence blanketed over us as we waited for the car to heat up. The only sound was the slight purr of the engine and the fan from the heater.
Sick of the weird elephant in the room, I shook my head and sighed. “So why cut me out of your life? Why cease all convo with me?”
“Wow! You’re going straight for the punch,” Jesse replied in awkward amusement.
My mouth curled into a slight pout. “Jesse, I’m serious. I thought we were better than that.”
Jesse shut his eyes and took a deep breath. “Fine. I guess I owe you an explanation.”
“Yeah, you do,” I agreed. I expected him to open up and was annoyed to get nothing but more silence. “Jesse, seriously?”
“I’m not ready to tell you everything, okay? Just take what I give you and roll with it.”
“It’s not like you’re giving me anything at all,” I pointed out.
“I was just getting to that part,” he snapped, but not unkindly.
“Um, okay. Well, I’m here to listen when you’re ready.”
He took another deep breath and eyed me sadly. “When I left…wait, you remember that, don’t you?”
“How could I forget?” I whispered, flinching. When did things get so weird between us? I struggled to remember the laughter we shared, the conversations we used to have and the ease we felt hanging out with one another. None of it was even close to this awkward tango we found ourselves dancing now.
Jesse nodded his head and sighed. “I had hit rock bottom then. Once my dad left us the year before, all the stupid rebellious stuff I did wasn’t just for shits and giggles anymore. I was angry. I wanted to give the world a big fuck you. At seventeen all that rebellious shit I did seemed the only possible way to do so.”
Two Outta Three (Two Outta Three #1) Page 4
