I’m at the front door, can you unlock it for me?
Did you get the job? I texted back, even as I left the kitchen and walked towards the front of the bar.
Just let me in and I’ll tell you what happened.
I unclicked the lock and pulled the heavy door wide, my heart thumping in my chest. I don’t know why I was so invested in whether or not Harlow got this job, but after spending a little time with her yesterday, and with JJ this morning, I just really wanted something good to happen to them. The look on her face though, had my heart sinking to my stomach.
Harlow looked like she was seconds away from crying her eyes out. Her hair was still pulled back in a simple bun, the strands smooth and unmoving, but her face was a mess. Her skin was blotchy, red and swollen while her eyes were glassy and wet. There were slight dark smudges around her eyes, almost as if she had been rubbing at them—which from the look of things was probably exactly what she had been doing.
Oh God, she didn’t get the job.
“Harlow, I’m so so—”
I didn’t get a chance to finish the sentence because the wind was knocked out me by the force of Harlow slamming into me and wrapping her arms around my neck. I had no choice but to hug her back or we both would have gone toppling to the floor. Her entire body vibrated with excitement as she squealed into my ear.
“I got the job I got the job I got the job! Jesse, I got the job!”
Oh God, she was so soft.
Softer than I would have thought from looking at her. She dressed about as androgynous as a person could but underneath the plain slacks and shirt she was all feminine curves. I could tell because they were currently pressed against me as she squeezed the life out of me with her exuberant embrace.
“Jesse, I’m so happy. I’m so happy I don’t even know what to do with myself and you helped me. Thank you so much, I don’t even know how to repay you.”
You can keep doing what you’re doing, I thought inside my head. Other parts of my body were responding to the feeling of Harlow in my arms and I tried very hard to get them to calm down. But she was still caught up in her breathless excitement so every little happy jump of hers created friction between us. Her hair was rubbing on my beard and I could feel her breath on my neck. And she smelled really good.
Do not get a boner. Do not get a boner. I chanted the words inside my head but it didn’t matter, my body wasn’t listening.
She finally pulled away slightly, so that her hips were no longer pressed against my own, but she was still lost in her happy thoughts with her arms wrapped around my neck. She was starting to ramble now, so I just looked down at her, amused, and wondered when she would realize that she was still hugging me.
“I got the job and the money…oh, my God, the money is…it’s enough, Jesse. It’s enough.” Fresh tears started coursing down her face. “We are going to have insurance. It’s been so long since we had that. I can’t believe this is happening right now I feel like all my prayers have been answered. I mean, I’ve been trying so hard.” A hiccup interrupted her mile a minute chatter and I squeezed her again because I felt like she needed it. This single mom trying to make it work. Trying to make a better life for herself and that little boy in the kitchen. My heart thumped a little harder in my chest and I didn’t question why I felt an instant connection with a woman and child I had just met the day before. I just felt grateful that I could be part of her happiness for a minute.
“It all happened so fast. I mean, they’re nice don’t get me wrong but those people are weird. They want me to work with them. Me. And you know what else?” She gripped my shoulders and gave me a little shake, to make sure I was listening. Grinning, I assured her I was.
“What else, Harlow?”
“I’m moving. Dino told Gabe that the trailer park is too far away for me to commute to work—even though it’s only twenty minutes I don’t know why he would say that—and Gabe said that Angel moved in with him so they needed to sub-rent her old apartment so that works out great.”
Oh hell, I could see where this was going. And I just bet the trailer park distance from the office had nothing to do with anything. Gabe and his savior complex. It did strike me as funny that Dino would be so protective though. That guy usually only looked out for himself as far as I could tell, but maybe Jeanette was wearing him down. That was another crazy story too. Harlow had mentioned it a few seconds ago. That group of people certainly was nice, it was true—but she had no clue just how weird their situation was. Band of rich and oddly talented misfits is what they were. It was no surprise they wanted Harlow. I bet she was going to fit in flawlessly.
“No more trailer park, Jesse,” Harlow continued, winding her fingers into the hair on the back of my neck. I knew she had no idea she was doing it. She was so caught up in her blissful happiness, Harlow was acting without even thinking. I knew that. But man did I hope she kept it up, just for a little while longer. I saw hundreds of people pass in front of me every week. But Harlow, man there was something about her that made me hope she was one that didn’t pass by. That didn’t walk in and out of the bar door. And if she did walk out the door, I kind of wanted to walk out with her. I think…
I think I like her.
Oblivious to my personal revelation, and my growing interest in the way she was still snuggled against me, Harlow rattled on.
“No more trailer park. No more danger. No more shootings. A good school system. It’s only a one-bedroom apartment but it won’t be long before we can get a bigger place. Things are good. Oh my God I’m so happy.” And the tears resumed as she hugged me tightly, her face pressed into my red cotton t-shirt that had flour and sugar stains on it since I had failed to wear an apron when I was in the kitchen. I was too concerned with making sure JJ had been appropriately covered, to worry about myself.
Harlow sniffled against my chest. Then she sniffed and raising her head, looked me in the eyes. I could tell she was back now, back to centered and not lost in a cloud of euphoria. Her brown eyes, so dark they were almost black. Eyes so familiar I could have sworn I had seen her somewhere before, widened and she asked, “Why do you smell like cookies?”
“Mama!”
I have never had a partial erection deflate so fast in my entire life as when the kitchen doors burst open and JJ came running into the bar area, with Beck following close behind him. At JJ’s arrival, Harlow seemed to remember where she was and what she was doing, and she jumped away from me, guilt and embarrassment all over her face. JJ flung himself into her arms and she picked him up off the ground in a huge hug, burying her face in his neck.
I wanted to tell her not to be embarrassed. I wanted to tell her how lonely my body felt as she stepped away from me but now was not the time. And it was weird. We barely knew each other, and I think she had dealt with enough weird today with the Glass City Guard crew.
“Harlow,” I said as she put JJ back on his feet and was eyeing the big man with curiosity. “This is Beck. He’s my very good friend and also the owner of Gallery B next door. He’s a very talented artist, and also helped me keep an eye on JJ this morning.”
“Nice to meet you, Harlow,” Beck rumbled. Even at his friendliest, Beck’s voice was a low roar. Harlow’s eyes widened and I swallowed the irritation I felt at the sight of the slight blush that graced her cheeks. Every woman reacted that way to Beck. I got it. I really did. But for some reason, I didn’t want her to do it. Not when she’d been hugging her happiness into me just a moment ago. I wanted to see that blush on her face when she was looking at me, dammit, and since when had I started thinking of Harlow like that anyway? I’d just met her the day before.
Jesus, Jesse, straighten up.
“Mama, were you crying?” JJ asked, getting his first up-close look at his mom, his little eyes dark and worried.
“Yes, but only because I was so happy,” she said, ruffling his curls and wiping her sleeve across her eyes. "You know how sometimes you get surprised or angry and you cry because you can’t think of the words
to say how you feel?” JJ nodded at his mother. “That’s me. I’m just so happy I can’t find the words, so the tears just came out. Guess what buddy? I got the job. I’m going to be making a lot more money, and that means we get to move out of the trailer.”
JJ jumped up and down, squealing with excitement. I don’t know if he understood what getting a new job meant, but he surely understood leaving the trailer park. At his mom’s good news his eyes lit up again as if a switch had been flipped inside his head and he just remembered. “I have a present for you,” he hooted. And grabbing Harlow’s hand he pulled her towards the kitchen. He would have barreled through the doors headfirst if I hadn’t gotten to it first.
“Slow down, Buddy,” I told him gently, making eye contact with Harlow above his head. I winked at her and she smiled, probably wondering what I was up to. “It’s a proper surprise so you need to make sure she closes her eyes until we’re ready.” JJ’s little mouth formed an O of surprise as he thought about it for a moment. “Also, we don’t pull on people to make them do what we want, Buddy. Especially ladies. We ask nicely. Can you show me how you ask her nicely?” He nodded his head so vigorously it would have flown off if it wasn’t attached to his neck.
“Yes. I can do that. Mama?” he asked, “Will you come see my surprise? You don’t have to close your eyes until I tell you.” He looked at me after he said it, looking for acceptance that he had done it right and I smiled and gave him the thumbs up sign. Grinning and puffing out his chest he turned back to his mom, who squeezed his hand and nodded. I held the doors open for him as he led her back into the kitchen. “As soon as we get in there, Mama, close your eyes, okay?” I smiled as they walked in front of me, Harlow with a small smile on her face and her eyes suspiciously wet again.
Beck raised an eyebrow as he followed them in. “You’d make a good dad, you know?” he murmured out of the corner of his mouth.
“You first, Beck,” I replied to his back, for lack of anything better to say. I don’t know the first thing about being a parent. All I had to go by was my own parents, and their whole relationship was so jacked up they weren’t anything I would want to pattern myself after. My dad was a functioning alcoholic who stayed gone most of the time and my poor mom worked herself into the grave enabling him and acting like there wasn’t a problem. Not the world’s best teachers on how to be a stable home. They were mine, and I loved them, but definitely not classroom material.
Beck waited patiently while JJ instructed his mom to close her eyes and hold out her hands before he grabbed his box from the table so he didn’t ruin the surprise. JJ placed his smaller box with the shiny ribbon onto her outstretched palms and waited, hands clasped behind his back until she opened them again. She opened her eyes slowly, a smile stretching across her face as she took in the small white box.
“This is so pretty,” she breathed out the words. She really was surprised.
“It’s cookies!” JJ shouted excitedly. “Open it, Mama, I made them myself. Mr. Jesse helped a little bit. But I did almost all of it by myself.”
Harlow opened the box and almost dropped it. “Macaroons? French Macaroons? JJ you made these?” She looked from him to me in shock, JJ laughing and squealing that he liked his surprise. “Seriously, Jesse, you just decided to make cookies with my son and this is what you decided to do? This is high-level stuff.” She pulled a small, misshapen sandwich cookie from the box and took a bite. “Oh my God,” she moaned around a mouthful of crumbs. “Baby, these are so good. This is the best surprise ever.” And bending down she gave JJ a huge hug and a sloppy kiss on the forehead which sent him into another fit of giggles.
“I was actually already making them,” I said, a little shy for some reason now that she knew I was a bartender that baked. “JJ was just such a good helper we thought maybe you would like a little something sweet after your interview.” What the hell was wrong with me? Why was I so nervous about helping her son with a present? Jesus, I was a wuss.
Beck saved me from my embarrassment by interrupting at just the right moment. “Jesse makes the best macaroons around. He makes lots of amazing things, but these cookies make my Regina happy, and right now they’re magic to me. Jesse, I keep telling you, man. Ditch the bar scene and open your own bakery. You’d do well here—we sure could use a place out this way, and with your talent…” He trailed off. We both knew why I couldn’t do that, but it wasn’t something I wanted to talk about in front of Harlow. “Well, I have to go get these home for Regina before I come back and work the afternoon at the shop. It was nice to meet you, Harlow. You too JJ. You start thinking about what you want as your first tattoo and when you’re old enough, you come see me.”
All the blood drained out of Harlow’s face and Beck laughed, the sound ricocheting off the small kitchen walls. “I’m just kidding, Harlow. Relax.” Then he winked at JJ, who was laughing hysterically before he walked out the back door of the kitchen and into the alley. Now we were left alone, and I didn’t know what to say. There was no reason to keep her here, she was going to pick up JJ and leave, but for some reason, I wanted to stall that for as long as possible.
“I have to go potty.” Saved by the magic and bluntness of a four-year-old boy. I let out a breath I hadn’t even known I’d been holding and smiled.
“Well here, let’s go real quick,” Harlow held her hand out to JJ, who looked at it like it was a foreign object.
“Mom,” he complained. “I’m too big for you to take me to the potty. I can go by myself. I already did two times, I know where it is.” I hid my smile behind my hand as Harlow looked at me with narrow eyes. She saw me laughing and sighed.
“Well then, Buddy, you go ahead. Don’t go getting too big on me though. You’re still my little boy.”
“I’m your little big boy,” JJ said emphatically as he went through the double doors and around the corner to the restroom in the hallway.
Five seconds later we heard a blood-curdling scream.
Harlow was through the double doors before my feet even moved, but I was behind her two seconds later. We skidded around the corner of the bar and came to a stop as JJ came barreling out of the bathroom like his shoes were on fire. Two seconds later we found the source of his screams. Lumbering out of the bathroom wearing a dingy t-shirt and a pair of jeans was a grizzled old man. The hair of his beard was long and wiry, with more gray in it than not. His eyes may have been wide with concern, but it didn’t take away from the scarlet bloodshot color, nor the fact that he smelled like a brewery.
“Good afternoon, Dad.” Fucking miserable way to introduce him to Harlow. Was kind of hoping to avoid it all together but it looked like I had no control over that.
“What in the world is going on?” He was barely awake and mumbling, but I understood him just fine. I had years of practice listening to him, while he was drunk and incoherent as well as when he was hung over and barely so.
“Dad, this is my friend, Harlow, and her son, JJ. I was watching him for a bit this morning before we opened. Harlow, JJ, this is my dad. He lives in the apartment upstairs and he sleeps late, so I didn’t even think he would be down here.”
JJ turned his trembling face from Harlow’s shoulder and looked at my dad.
“I thought he was one of the scary people. Like the ones that live in the park by our house and that’s why I’m not allowed to play there anymore. Mama says I can’t go there, or they might snatch me away, so we can only go the park that’s farther away. We don’t get to go much though. I like the swings.”
“I’m sorry I scared you, kid,” my dad offered the apology with a frown. “I didn’t know we had company or I would have made a better impression. Not used to seeing young ones in the bar you know? Especially before we even open.”
“Yeah, Jesse was helping me out of a bind,” Harlow said, straightening and grabbing hold of Jesse’s hand. “I can’t thank you enough for what you did. I really need to get JJ home now. We have so much to do now with the move and the job starting Monday. I�
��m so grateful for everything.” She pulled Jesse closer to her and started moving them closer to the front door of the bar, still unlocked from when I let her in and immediately got distracted from her hug. “It was nice meeting you Mr…” She paused, frowning because she really didn’t know his name or my last name at all. We’d just met, that information hadn’t even come up yet.
“Belton. I’m Ed Belton. I own Nasta’s, although Jesse here does all the work. I’m sorry for the scare. I promise if you come to visit us again, later in the day, I’m much better to look at. Maybe even better than Jesse,” and he winked at Harlow who smiled. I wanted to gag. He had no idea what a sight he presented. He had just been compared to one of the scary derelicts who roamed the streets by a four-year-old, and the insult went right over his head. Harlow smiled at him.
“Nice to meet you, Mr. Belton. If you’ll excuse us, we really have to go. Thank you again, Jesse. You’ve helped me so much more than you know.”
“Harlow, I—” but it was too late, the heavy door was closing behind them and I was left with an unfinished sentence on my lips. What was I going to say to get her to stay? Ask if I could see her again? Kiss her goodbye? It wasn’t a date and we barely knew each other but dammit if I didn’t want to make damn sure I would be able to see her again. But the moment had passed and so had my chance. I turned to look at my dad, who looked back at me, eyebrows raised, stubborn tilt to his chin. I was irritated. More than that I was angry. Angry that he lived his life the way he did. Angry that he had zero concept of responsibility and drank his issues away every night while I put my life on hold to make sure the bar kept going. That Dad kept going.
The anger bubbled up to the surface and I couldn’t hold it back anymore. I was itching for a fight, so I said the one thing guaranteed to cause an immediate and explosive response.
“Dad. We need to talk about your drinking.”
9
Harlow
Jesse (Glass City Hearts Book 3) Page 7
