"Tell her to come," he said. "Nobody will care. We're showing up with a group, anyway. Plus, it's supposed to be huge."
There was a long period of silence where I contemplated whether or not I wanted to see Jesse.
"Or not," Barrett said when I hesitated.
"I'll go," I said. "We'll go. If you're sure nobody's gonna care that we weren't invited."
"You're invited," he said. "We're invited. I already told you that. All the guys are going and taking their girlfriends."
"What time?" I asked. I felt suddenly nervous and anxious as the reality of the change of plans set in.
"I'll pick you up at eight."
I glanced at the digital clock by my bed, which read 6:49. "Okay, we'll be ready."
"All right, see you in a few," he said.
We told each other goodbye, and I hung up the phone before going into the other room to talk to Rebecca. She liked Barrett and easily agreed to change plans so that I could hang out with him.
She and I turned on the radio and spent the next hour getting ready. We were both in good moods and had been singing along with every song that came on. The station we were listening to played pop hits, so it didn't surprise me when a song called Jessie's Girl came on. I tried to contain my enthusiasm when it started, but I loved the sound of the song so much that I just couldn’t help myself. That familiar guitar lick was just too catchy.
Instead of turning the radio off, I reached down and turned it up, shaking my hips to the beat. Rebecca was still putting the finishing touches on her hair with a curling iron, but I was done getting dressed. In spite of knowing it was wrong, I felt happy at the prospect of seeing my cousin again. I was in a good mood because of it, and I reached out for a nearby hairbrush and held it to my mouth like a microphone.
The song was in a comfortable key for me, so I sang the words I knew so well.
Jesse is a friend.
Yeah, I know he's been a good friend of mine.
But lately something's changed that ain't hard to define,
Jesse's got himself a girl, and I really don't know why.
And she's watching him with those eyes,
And she's loving him with that body, I just know it.
Yeah 'n' he's holding her in his arms late, late at night.
You know I wish that I was Jesse's girl.
I wish that I was Jesse's girl.
Why does he want a woman like that?
I thought I had been doing a good job of staying on pitch, so it surprised me when I opened my eyes to find my roommate staring at me with a dumbfounded expression.
"What?" I asked, as the song continued without me.
"You changed the lyrics," she said.
"No I didn't."
"You sure did. You were singing totally different words than him."
I had been singing the song with those modified lyrics for so long that I didn't even remember that they were modified.
"That's because he's a guy singing and a girl can't sing that song with those words, so I changed it. He just said 'moot'," I added out of nowhere when I heard Rick Springfield say the word in the song.
"What?" Rebecca asked looking even more confused.
"Moot," I said. "What kind of word is that? It sounds so weird."
"What are you talking about?" she asked.
I pointed at the stereo. "The song," I said. "There's a line in the song that says the point is probably moot. I know it's a real word; I just don't like it. I've literally never said it in a conversation. I think it makes me feel like he's trying to say the word mute and he's mispronouncing it—or maybe even a moat, like the thing around a castle. It's just an odd-sounding word, don't you think?"
Rebecca stared at me with a thoughtful expression. I couldn't tell if she thought I was crazy or if she was contemplating how she felt about the word moot.
"I don't think I've ever used that word either," she said. "I didn't even realize he said that in the song."
I nodded. "He said, 'I want to tell him that I love him, but the point is probably moot'. What kind of word is moot, anyway?"
"See, you did it again," Rebecca said.
"Did what?"
"Changed the words," she said.
"Huh," I huffed, sounding surprised at myself. "I guess I just change the hers to him since I'm a girl," I said casually.
I tossed the hairbrush onto my bed and turned down the radio so I didn't get myself into more trouble.
Chapter 4
Barrett was a few minutes late picking Rebecca and me up for the wedding. He had called me while we were getting dressed to say that we would be riding with his friend, Tyler. Tyler was famous for being late, so it was kind of like they were right on time when they showed up fifteen minutes behind schedule.
I sat in the backseat with Barrett, feeling thankful that I had a dashing escort for the evening but still unable to fully stop thinking about Jesse. My mind would be completely off of him, and then somehow it would float back.
I couldn't help but wonder if I would see him or talk to him at the wedding, and I imagined different scenarios and possible conversations we might have. There were seven of us riding in Tyler's Suburban, so there was always something being said to draw me from my thoughts.
Before I knew it, we had arrived at the country club. We got out at the front, and after Tyler took care of talking to the valet, we headed for the door.
I had one dress that was formal enough for a wedding, so that's what I wore. I had light hazel eyes and the dress, which was blue, brought out the green in them. I had worn it a few other times and always got compliments. It was my best shot at confidence, so it was the one I chose. I always wore high heels when I went out with Barrett on account of his height, and tonight I wore my favorite pair.
Barrett kept his hand on me from the moment we got out of the vehicle. He wasn't being rude or inappropriate, and it wasn't that uncommon for him to make contact with me in public, but tonight it bothered me for other reasons. I tried not to make it too obvious but I did create some slight distance between Barrett and myself.
There was a live band playing and a huge dance floor. A big group was already out there slow dancing to a rock ballad when we arrived. It was much more of a party atmosphere than I imagined. I didn't have much experience with country clubs, but when Barrett said this reception was at one of them, I assumed it would be really subdued. I thought we'd be having tea and crumpets with our pinkies lifted high in the air, but instead, there was a band playing I'll be There for You by Bon Jovi. It was like a school dance, only fancier and with free drinks and buffet.
Barrett knew everyone.
Many of the wedding guests were tied into Memphis basketball, and he was one of the current star players, so he was a real hit at the party. Randall was so glad to have the guys from the team there, that he made an announcement wishing them good luck on their game the following day and teasing them about sabotaging the bus so that they could come to the wedding. He had the whole team come out onto the dance floor so that the photographer could get a picture of them together.
One of the more vocal guys on the team, the point guard named Derek Miller, said a few words from the team about Randall, commenting on how influential he had been and congratulating him on his wedding. He made a sweet, funny speech from the team.
The guys were still taking pictures at the edge of the dance floor when I felt a finger touch my shoulder.
I turned, and there he was.
Jesse.
We had been there almost an hour and I had already seen him, but not up close. I had been trying to avoid him, if you wanted to know the truth, because seeing him did nothing but remind me why I'd been choosing to avoid him all these years.
"Twice in one day," he said, reading my mind as he came in for a sideways hug.
I hugged him back, taking a calming breath. "I know," I said. I gestured toward the dance floor at the basketball players who were huddled together, taking a picture. There were seve
ral cheerleaders present, and they were all trying to get in on the action.
"The whole team decided to come last minute," I said to Jesse as we both stood there looking at them.
"You're still with that guy," Jesse said as more of a observation.
"You're still with that girl," I said.
My tone was slightly more serious than I intended, and it caused Jesse to glance at me curiously.
"No, she's great," I said. "She's really pretty."
"Yeah."
"I saw Jane yesterday," I said.
I saw Jesse's twin sister on a regular basis. She was a single mom with a three-year-old girl, and I loved her and her daughter dearly. I kept little Shelby twice a month on Thursday evenings while Jane went to band practice.
"She said you keep Shelby for her sometimes," Jesse said.
I nodded. "She's getting so big."
"Thank you for doing that," he said.
"It's my pleasure. I'm glad I get to see Shelby regularly. She's such a little sweetheart."
Jesse and I stood there for a few seconds, still watching the action on the dance floor. The band had started playing again, so now there were people dancing while photos were being taken.
"I didn't know you were coming to work at the company," Jesse said from next to me.
I could feel him looking at the side of my face, and I knew it would be awkward for me to avoid eye contact even though looking at him was dangerous. I glanced at him, almost cringing at how very attractive he was. I was so dazed by his appearance that I almost forgot it was my turn to talk.
I smiled. "I'm so thankful your dad's letting me do it," I said.
"What exactly are you doing?" he asked.
"Basically a lot of research and math. But hopefully it'll translate into you guys selling more motorcycles. That's the idea."
"I know we're always interested in doing that," Jesse said. "I'm just surprised dad didn't let me know he was hiring you."
"He wasn't," I said. "He isn't. He didn't come to me; I went to him. I didn't even tell him what I wanted to talk to him about when I asked him if I could come by the shop. I basically showed up there and told him these big ideas I had, asking if I could use your company as a guinea pig."
"So, you're not gonna be back in the garage building bikes?" he asked with a smile.
I smiled back and shook my head. "No bike-building for me," I said.
I had to look away.
Just being near him made me have a vision of the following thing:
Jesse, right there in that very moment at the wedding, would stare at me with great earnestness and say, "We're not cousins, Rose. We're not related at all. What are we doing wasting our time being with other people when we're meant to be together? I love you. Will you marry me?"
I took a deep breath, focusing my attention on the dance floor again. Jesse was standing right next to me, both of us looking straight ahead. My eye fell on Tammy who was giggling with her friends and posing for photographs. "I don't care for your girlfriend," I said.
The statement was already out of my mouth by the time I realized it was a rude thing for me to say.
"That makes two of us," Jesse said.
I glanced at him curiously, and he turned to face me with an easy smile.
"You don't like your girlfriend either?" I asked, feeling oddly happy.
He shook his head almost imperceptibly as he continued to grin at me. "No, Tammy's fine," he said. "I was talking about me not liking your boyfriend. I don't care for him."
"Why not?" I asked.
He shrugged. "Why don't you like Tammy?"
I glanced onto the dance floor where she giggled and carried on with her friends. I didn't know what to say to be diplomatic. "Do you like her?" I asked.
He grinned. "I must."
I shrugged. "I don't know why I feel like that," I said. "I think we're just really different."
Again, Jesse and I stared at the dance floor, watching everyone else. I wasn't even looking at him and I still got chills just from standing there.
"I'm protective of you," he said. "I guess it's kind of like I am with Jane. I don’t think anyone's good enough for you."
I glanced at Jesse and he gestured to the crowd of athletes that had taken over the side of the dance floor. "I'm sure he's a good guy and everything, but I still don't think he's good enough for you."
"Well, I certainly don't think Tammy Gwinn is good enough for you. Not even close. But it doesn’t matter, because it's a moot point."
And that's how flustered and overwhelmed I was.
Moot.
I said it in a moment of nervous awkwardness.
I cringed inwardly, smiling at myself.
"What does that even mean?" he asked.
"A moot point. It means there's no point."
"I know what moot point means. What's it got to do with me staying with Tammy?"
I glanced at him, truly trying to think of what I could say in response to that. I was shaken from accidently saying the dreaded word in an actual sentence. I had the thought that everyone in the world knew Jessie's Girl was the only song with that lyric, so I was almost convinced I had given myself away by saying the word at all.
"I like Tammy," I said, trying to smooth things over. "She's really pretty. I'm sure she's nice, too."
Just then, as if she heard me, Tammy looked in our direction, first finding Jesse and then leveling him with a wide-eyed smile from across the dance floor. She gestured to him in such a way that said she would be back in a minute. I saw him give her a little wave from the corner of my eye as he stood next to me, but I didn't look at him.
The impromptu photo shoot must have wrapped up, because just after she did that, Barrett turned to find me. He noticed I was standing next to someone, and I watched as his expression shifted from a hint of suspicion to one of relief when he noticed it was just my cousin.
If he only knew.
If he only knew about the utter army of butterflies that had been unleashed in my body as a result of standing next to Jesse.
Barrett smiled and gestured for me to go out there and meet him on the dance floor. He even swayed his shoulders a little, trying to entice me.
This made me do the right thing, which was smile at him and nod that I would be right over. I looked at Jesse. I took a deep breath. I could see my own chest rise and fall even though I hadn't meant to breathe that deeply.
"Guess I'll see you at the shop," he said.
My smile broadened as I nodded. "Yep. I'll be in and out some next week. Mostly back in the office."
"I have an office," Jesse said.
"I know. I saw it when I was there earlier." I reached out to hug him goodbye. "Love you," I said. "You look really handsome." The love you part was normal since I had been saying it to him and the rest of my family since I was born, but the handsome part was perhaps the most unexpected and goofiest thing I could have said. It happened to be what I was thinking at the moment, so it just popped out.
"Thank you," he said, hugging me back. "And I love you, too." He touched my chin, looking at my face. "I'm not even going to use the word beautiful to compliment you back, though, because it's not good enough, Rose. You're a work of art."
I smiled at him regretfully. I didn't mean to show my disappointment, but I couldn't help it. I could see that he was trying ignore his attraction to me the same way I was trying to ignore my attraction to him—at least I imagined and hoped that's what he was doing.
"See ya soon," I said with extreme reluctance as I started walking toward Barrett.
"Yep, see ya soon," Jesse replied.
And just like that, I turned to walk out onto the dance floor. They were playing an up-tempo song and Barrett swayed his shoulders as he waited for me. He was way on the other end of the dance floor, so it took me a minute to make my way to him.
"What were you doing for so long?" he asked.
"I was talking to Jesse," I said. "And then it was a far walk."
&nbs
p; "A far walk?" he asked, smiling and teasing me as I moved my shoulders to the beat. Barrett reached out for me, and I danced with him, letting him turn me around.
We were on the very back edge of the floor, so I got a view of the hallway when he spun me around.
It's funny how the human brain works. I only glanced down that hallway for what must have been two or three seconds max, but I knew what I saw. It was Tammy, and she was with Tyler. I had only seen them for a few seconds, but I saw a flask, and I knew what was going on. I made a mental note not to ride in the truck if Tyler was driving.
I was thinking of everything I had just seen while trying to continue to dance and act normal in front of Barrett. He spun me around again, and I glanced down the hall just long enough to see Tammy reach up to kiss Tyler on the cheek. They both turned to head back toward the dance floor, and I quickly looked away so that she wouldn't catch me watching them.
My heart was pounding.
That strumpet.
I had no idea what to do.
The kiss was more of a flirty, thankful kiss than a passionate one, but they were most certainly getting into trouble back there in the hall, and I felt the undeniable urge to march right over there and call her out on it. I certainly wasn't perfect, but she was nowhere near good enough for Jesse.
Chapter 5
I was thankful for the dim lighting of the dance floor, because my blood pressure was through the roof. I knew I had a red face. The band had changed songs to a ballad, so I put my forehead against Barrett's chest while I regained my composure and thought of what to do.
After a minute, I glanced to the side and saw that Tammy had met up with Jesse. She walked into his arms right when I glanced over there, and I couldn’t bear to look. I stared down at the wood floors beneath my feet. I was woozy and short of breath.
"I'm not riding home with Tyler if he's driving," I said.
"He's not. He's getting loaded. He already gave Smitty his keys." He looked down at me. "I was actually going to talk to you about that. I might get a ride home with Kevin and them if that's okay. He's leaving in a minute, and I want to go home and get some rest."
Jesse's Girl (Bishop Family Book 2) Page 3
