by Kris Jett
Luci sauntered over and peered over her sister’s shoulder. “Are those organic raw peanuts?” she questioned.
Jessie bit her lip to keep from bursting out laughing. She cradled the peanuts closer, covering their brand. “Yep.”
Luci tried to get a better view. “Are you sure? You know the non-organic ones can be riddled with toxic mold and salmonella.”
Without missing a beat Jessie replied, “Yeah, these are hand-picked by indigenous people in a Siberian rain forest.”
“Really?” Luci asked, sounding shocked. “Wow, that’s great.”
Jessie rolled her eyes to herself and kept pouring the nuts.
The door to the pub opened and a grin spread across Luci’s face. “Ah! My man’s here. I got him,” she said.
Jessie shook her head. Her man. Guess she didn’t need to be bothered with Jason after all. She’d been in town for all of two minutes and had already landed some poor sucker to occupy her down time.
Jessie finished with the peanuts and was about to walk to the kitchen to put them away when she glanced over at Luci to see who her new man was.
She gasped.
Cade was seated at a table near the door with Luci practically in his lap. Jessie felt like she’d been punched in the stomach. His eyes briefly met hers but Jessie wasn’t about to stick around and witness this. She clutched the bag of peanuts to her chest, turned on her heel, and bolted for the kitchen.
Once she was safe behind the kitchen doors she dropped the peanuts on the nearest table and slid onto an empty barstool, positioned under an old black phone mounted on the wall. Her heartbeat was pounding in her ears and she could feel herself breathing hard. Her thoughts were moving in a hundred different directions and she didn’t know what to think. She was angry, more like furious, but she didn’t know at who she should focus the bulk of her anger. She wanted to rip Luci’s hair out, strand by strand and then hold her face down in a vat of pressed organic coconut oil for doing this to her, yet again. She wanted to cuss out Cade to next Tuesday for playing games with her and ban him from ever stepping foot in her pub again. And she wanted to slap herself silly for letting either of these two get to her enough to make her feel this horribly.
Of course, it all made sense now. Opening day at the snowmobile shop when she’d went in to surprise Cade with coffee. No wonder he blew her off. He felt awkward with her showing up like that when he was obviously banging her sister. He probably thought he got the better Foster sister. Sophisticated, sharp writer from New York. Well, fine whatever. He could live happily ever after with Luci drinking seaweed shakes in lotus pose for all she cared.
And Jessie didn’t care what her mom said earlier either. Making up with Wynn was one thing. But after this, Jessie would never make up with Luci. They were done for good.
Chapter Twenty-One
“What time do you work today?” Jessie said into the phone.
“Two, why?” April asked.
“I need a break. Now. Come get me?” She fidgeted with the old coiled chord of the phone. It had to be the last one of these types of fossils left in America. It should be in a museum instead of the Starlight kitchen.
“Okay. Pick you up in ten?”
“Yeah, but around back to the kitchen door. I’ll meet you there.”
Jessie set the phone back down in its cradle and looked up to see Ralph, the cook, staring at her. “What?” she snapped at him.
He shrugged and resumed plating the sandwich and sides he was working on. “Nothing.”
Jessie took a deep breath and rubbed her temple. “Sorry, Ralph. It’s not you. I just really need to go.”
“It’s okay.”
But it wasn’t. She grabbed her coat and purse and went out the door to wait for April. She’d rather be a little cold than stay in the pub for one more minute.
Jessie wrapped her arms around herself and leaned against the brick wall. Her thoughts were racing. What the hell was wrong with her sister? They didn’t talk for years and then she comes back to town hoping for forgiveness. At least Jessie assumed her sister wanted her forgiveness. And then she goes right after the guy Jessie likes. Of course, there is the chance that Luci really had no idea Jessie and Cade had a thing. Then it would really be all on Cade. But you know what, screw them both. Even if Luci had no idea how Jessie felt she could have said something to her before jumping on the first guy she saw. How did she know Cade wasn’t involved already? Or did she not care? Maybe her plan was to sleep her way through all the men who came into Starlight Pub, one at a time, and Cade was just at the top of the list.
She was still seething when April pulled up.
“Where to, Mama?” April asked as Jessie opened the door and slid into the passenger seat.
Jessie thought. “Um, coffee I guess? Somewhere we could talk.”
April studied Jessie. “You don’t look so hot.”
“Let’s go to Chai & Chocolate. You know the one, just outside of town?”
April nodded and pulled away from the pub, leaving Luci and Cade inside doing who knows what.
When they arrived at the café, April and Jessie ordered two mochas and took a seat near the front glass window.
Jessie shook off her coat and looked around the place. It was a cute shop. Big menu of coffee and tea drinks and an enormous display case full of delicious looking desserts that had to be about a thousand calories a piece.
Jessie looked at April and noticed she was fidgeting around a great deal.
“What do you keep looking at?” Jessie asked.
April’s eyes darted left and right and then she leaned into the table. “Just making sure no one knows me here. I don’t want to get caught drinking another shop’s coffee.” She grimaced into her mug. “If that’s what you’d call this.”
Jessie smirked and took a sip. “Hmm. It’s not bad at all.”
“Well, it’s not good,” April replied quickly. “But never mind the coffee. Tell me what’s going on.” She set her mug down and folded her arms on the table.
“I really don’t know,” Jessie said, shaking her head. “I’m so mixed up right now. It feels like there are so many things happening all at once.” She filled her best friend in on everything. What happened with Jason, Wynn’s visit to her apartment and the stalker, Luci’s obnoxious flirting, and her feelings for Cade.
April listened closely without interrupting. When Jessie was done she said, “Jason will be gone soon, forget him. Wynn will be okay. No one will hurt her here. We’ll make sure of it. Luci’s always been a flake. At least she’s consistent. But Cade. Wow, girl, you’ve got it bad for him.”
Jessie nodded. “I know. But why? I haven’t known him that long. I don’t know that much about him. I don’t even know if he likes me. Why do I even care?”
“It doesn’t matter why. It matters that you do. Listen to your heart, Jessie. It’s talking loud and clear.”
“But it could be wrong…” Jessie interrupted.
“Or right,” April countered. “What would it hurt to find out?”
“Well, we live in the same town and have to see each other every single day,” she begun.
“Talk to him,” April said. “Find out what he’s thinking.”
“And what if what he’s thinking is I want to date your sister?”
April took a deep breath. “Then wouldn’t you want to know that? Better to hear it right from the horse’s mouth than speculate at what the situation is.”
“You know if he dates Luci I’ll just die, right? I don’t think I could handle it. I’d have to move to Alaska.”
“Then she wins,” April said.
Jessie dropped her head into her hands. “Ugh.” She looks up after a moment. “Fine. I guess you’re right. I’ll talk to him. Soon.”
“Good.”
“But I’m serious about being done with Luci. She’s no sister.”
April shrugged. “That will work itself out in time, too. No need to figure it all out now.” She took another si
p of her coffee. “Blech, this is nasty.”
“I’m actually enjoying it quite a bit. I might start coming here on the regular,” Jessie teased.
“You better not,” April replied quickly.
“So how are things with you?” Jessie asked, changing the subject.
“Oh, I’m in love too. Madly, deeply, passionately, head over heels in love.”
Jessie sat up straighter. “Really? Who? Backward baseball hat guy from Rummy’s?”
“Yup, that’s the one. We’re engaged. He just bought me an ocean-front villa on the Gulf of Mexico where we will raise a multitude of backward baseball hat wearing children. All surrogate as I can’t chance ruining this body.” She took another sip of coffee. “We leave Thursday.”
“You don’t say. Well get me a save-the-date as soon as possible. I wouldn’t want to miss the wedding.”
“Duh. You’re maid-of-honor,” April replied. And then they both dissolved into giggles.
“All right, for real. What happened with that guy? Have you seen him since?” Jessie asked.
“Not yet,” she said. “We hooked up that night. Flipping sweet between the sheets. He definitely went on my call-back list.”
“That’s nice.”
“Oh hey,” April said as she checked her phone. “We better get moving. Can’t be late to work. You feeling better now, hon’?”
Jessie smiled. “I am. Nothing a little BFF time couldn’t handle.” She leaned over and gave April a hug.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Cade was trying hard to see around Luci’s cleavage shoved in front of his face. Jessie’s sister was ridiculously aggressive. He slid his chair back about six inches but she only moved in closer. This time swinging an arm around the back of his chair.
“So, what do you feel like for lunch hon’? Something hot and spicy?” She batted her lashes at him. “Or did you just want something off the menu?”
A noise caught in Cade’s throat as he did his best not to burst into laughter. Did Jessie’s sister really just offer herself for lunch?
“Um, thanks. I think,” he stammered. “I’ll probably just look at a menu though.”
Luci shot Cade a disappointed look as she slowly withdrew one menu from under her arm and set it on the table. “Okay. Specials are on the loose paper inside.”
Cade reached for the menu but before he could even touch it, Luci laid her hand flat across the top of it. “Of course, if you’d rather not eat any of the fatty, greasy stuff on here, I know this great little place that has the best bean sprout salad in the Midwest. I could get a little time away and take you there.”
Cade had to bite his lip this time to keep from laughing. “No thanks. I’m a meat eater.”
“Mmmm,” she purred.
Crap, he thought. He didn’t mean to encourage her. “Is Jessie around?”
Luci pulled her hand off him and blinked hard, almost confused. “My sister? Nah, she’s busy. You’re stuck with me.” A smile slowly spread over Luci’s face again. “But I wouldn’t exactly consider it being stuck, would you?”
She moved in even closer to him and he could feel her breath on his face.
“Think of me as the enhanced, upgraded Jessie. The environmentally approved one,” she added and then laughed at her own joke.
Cade had no response for her. “Uh, do you know if she’ll be free soon? I wanted to talk to her.”
Luci shot him an annoyed look and then glanced around the pub. “I think she left actually. Which is way uncool. Am I supposed to cover her tables or something?” she asked no one in particular.
Almost on cue, the man from Jessie’s table of five asked if they could have their check.
“Ugh!” Luci said loudly. “She did totally stick me with her tables. Not cool. She’s always screwing me over.”
Cade opened his mouth to say something and then shut it again quickly. He was about to point out that Luci was the one screwing Jessie over from what he’d heard but then thought it was best not to get in the middle of a sisterly fight.
“Ma’m? The check,” the man asked her again.
“Oh my god,” Luci whined. “I’m coming. I’m like, doing the work of two people here.”
From what Cade could see she was just standing next to his table, doing nothing. “I’m sure Jessie just stepped out for a moment and will be right back,” he offered.
“Doubt it,” Luci retorted. “She probably took off with her boyfriend.”
“Boyfriend?” Cade repeated, unable to mask his shock.
“Yeah. He was just in here a little while ago. This guy Jason she dated back in high school. She probably ran out with him. Leaving me with all the work. Figures.”
Cade nodded, not sure he could speak. So, he had been right. Jessie was back with Jason.
“Well, I guess I better go get that guy his check before he pops a vein in his forehead,” Luci said. “Oh wait, I didn’t even take your order, did I? What did you need, hon’?”
Cade looked up and locked eyes with Luci. “Nothing.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
Jessie knocked on her mom’s door, a store-bought box of cookies in one hand and a bottle of red wine in the other. She figured they’d need to drink to get through this night. She was still highly irritated with her sister, Luci, and would have preferred to just have stayed at home that night, eating left over Chinese food on the couch with Joplin. But she knew her mom would have had a fit if she didn’t show up to this family dinner.
No one came to the door so Jessie reached over and hit the doorbell with her elbow. Normally she would have just walked right into the house she grew up in but now with so many people staying with her mom she felt weird about it. Jessie wondered how the living situation was going for them. Did Luci annoy Wynn as much as she annoyed Jessie? Did her mom cave to Luci’s bizarre whims and let her feng shui the house too?
The door swung open and Wynn appeared with Melody on her hip. She leaned her head out the door and did a quick scan of the area. Without thinking about it, Jessie turned her head and did too. Nobody was outside and nothing seemed out of the ordinary.
“Why’d you ring the bell?” Wynn asked, her face pinched.
“Hi, Wynn, You know…I dunno,” Jessie replied. She could tell her sister was way stressed and wondered if Billy had contacted her again today. “Hey there, Melody,” Jessie said, turning her attention to her niece. “How are you doing?”
“Hi, hi, hi!” Melody said, reaching her arms toward her aunt.
Wynn released her hold on Melody and Jessie scooped her into her arms and hugged her, handing Wynn the cookies and wine. She was glad that her and Wynn were able to work things out the other night. She had yearned for a relationship with her niece and it was nice to finally be able to have it. And having a big sister in her life again wouldn’t be such a bad thing either.
Jessie kicked the door closed behind her and stepped further into the living room. She inhaled deeply. The house smelled amazing. If she had to guess it was pork roast, mashed potatoes, and apple pie she was taking in.
Jessie reached out and placed a hand on Wynn’s shoulder. “You okay? Something else happen?”
Wynn held Jessie’s gaze and her eyes began to water. She looked like she was about to say something when Luci strolled in the room.
“Jessie, you’re here. Welcome home,” Luci said.
Jessie frowned slightly at her sister. “I’m not the one who left,” she snapped. “You don’t have to welcome me.”
“Sheesh, you’re jumpy. I didn’t mean it like that. More like, welcome to the house then.”
Jessie took a deep breath, trying to calm down. “Again, live here. Work all day with mom. At the house helping her with odds and ends all the time. You don’t have to welcome me.”
“Yikes! Okay, then. Are you going to be in this mood all evening?” Luci asked.
“Maybe,” Jessie replied, truthfully. She couldn’t help it. All she could think about when she looked at her sist
er was her draped all over Cade at the pub.
“Pretty!” Melody squealed, pulling on Jessie’s necklace. Jessie smiled down at her niece and vowed to try and behave better in front of her. At least for one night.
“Deedee, you like the necklace? Auntie Luci has some you could play with if you want,” Luci cooed to the toddler in Jessie’s arms.
Jessie instantly felt annoyed at the closeness Luci either really had or was feigning with her niece. Her eyes flit toward Wynn. “Deedee?” she asked.
Melody shrugged. “She started calling her that. Not sure if Melody likes it or not.”
“Oh, she loves it,” Luci responded. “Don’t you Deedee?”
“No, no, no!” Melody said and Jessie choked on a laugh.
“Let’s go say hi to Grandma,” Jessie said to Melody and headed for the kitchen with her niece. “Hi, mom. Dinner smells wonderful.”
Her mom was sitting on a stool at the kitchen counter, cutting up veggies for a tray. She looked worn out. “Hi, Honey.”
“Do you need help? I can cut those if you want,” Jessie offered.
“I’m just about done. You go ahead and play with Melody and chat with your sisters.”
I’d rather hide in here with you, Jessie thought. She smiled to her mom. “Okay.”
Jessie wondered back out into the living room and looked around. It really didn’t look much different. Except for all of the toddler gear for Melody of course. Jessie was surprised. She expected a giant Budha statue or one of those wall-long waterfalls.
Jessie set Melody down to play with a box of puppets that had been pulled out. Jessie and her sisters had played with these very same ones for years as kids. She reached down and picked up one. “King George, you’re still looking well,” she told the puppet with the purple velvet robe and a gold felt crown stitched to his head.
Melody reached up. “Mine!”
Jessie smiled. “Yours. Here you go.”
Fifteen minutes later the Fosters were seated around the dining room table, looking like a genuine family. Jessie wracked her brain trying to figure out when was the last time they had been together like this. Was it Christmas dinner her senior year in high school? Had it really been that long? She found it humorous that they all naturally went back to their regular seats from back then. Her and Wynn on the left side of the table, Luci on the right, her mom at the end of the table and the head of the table where her dad had always sat, remained empty. Melody sat in a high chair between Wynn and her mom.
