Chapter Thirteen
The thought of Jake and Bobbie Jo in the barn alone was unbearable. Him asking Cowboy to keep it from me only worsened the feeling.
I made it to the barn as they came out. Her face reddened and her eyes wouldn’t meet mine. Signs of guilt—all the confirmation I needed. Jake, on the other hand, didn’t look embarrassed or guilty. Surprised, maybe, but definitely not guilty. Fucking jerk.
“Hello, Emily,” Bobbie Jo said solemnly, keeping her gaze lowered. “I’m sorry I borrowed Jake for a few minutes. He helped me figure something out.”
“Well, did you get it fingered…er, figured out?” My icy tone matched the look I gave her. Jake wrapped his hand around my wrist, tightening his grip as a warning.
Bobbie Jo gave him a slight smile. “Thanks for your help. I’ll leave you two alone now.”
Jake nodded as she turned to walk away. “Sure thing,” he said, letting her get out of earshot before he turned back to me. “Got a problem?”
I shrugged nonchalantly. “Who said I have a problem?”
“Don’t play games, Emily. If you’re mad, just say so.”
“What’s there to be mad about? If you want to sneak out to the barn with another woman, then that’s your business. After all, I’m just your pretend girlfriend, right?”
“Stop it. It wasn’t nearly as scandalous as you imagine it to be. She needed to talk.”
“About…?”
“It’s personal.”
“I thought we were personal. Guess I’m the only one.” I tried to walk away from him, but he wouldn’t turn my wrist loose.
He dragged me back and held me by my shoulders. “Don’t walk away from me. It didn’t have anything to do with you. I asked Cowboy to keep his big mouth shut only because I knew how you’d react.” He breathed out as if trying to control his temper. “Look, I can’t tell you what we talked about because I’m not going to break her confidence. Bobbie Jo is still a good friend of mine, but it’s no reason to be jealous.”
“I bet she is. I know I always sneak off to barns with my good friends.”
“Jesus. You don’t trust men at all, do you?”
“Why bother? They all disappoint sooner or later.”
“Get over yourself, Emily. Not everything is about you. God. Maybe you’re right, after all. You do need therapy.” He let go of my arms and stormed toward the house.
I stood alone, wondering how in the hell it happened. How was it possible I found him with another woman, yet I ended up feeling bad? Jake wouldn’t have been Mr. Understanding if he caught me alone in the barn with Cowboy.
Annoyed, I followed him, but stayed far enough away until I could control the frustration burning behind my eyes. Once I pushed it back to a manageable level, I sat on the edge of the picnic table and quietly processed what he had said. Jake lingered nearby but didn’t say anything directly to me. He didn’t have a problem talking to Ox or Judd, though.
Bobbie Jo walked around the yard saying good-bye to everyone in the safety zone—ideally anyone who wasn’t near me. Her radiant blond hair hung past her shoulders and flipped out at the ends. Her boobs bounced in her top as she leaned over to hug someone’s child. She was well liked by everyone here. A little too well liked for my taste. God. Why am I so insecure?
She waved at Jake and he smiled at her. Oh, yeah, that’s why. It made me want to rip every strand of her shiny, bleached blond hair out of her scalp. Instead, I crossed my arms and blew out a large breath, showing my irritation.
Ox looked over, puzzled by my expression. “What’s wrong with her?” he asked Jake.
“Who knows? She’s moody. Maybe it’s Mad Cow Disease,” Jake answered, unfazed.
A loud gasp came from behind him, and everyone around us stopped moving. Jake froze in place, closed his eyes, and let out a silent curse. Momma Bell stood there, giving Jake the stink-eye with her fists balled up on her plump hips. Reluctantly, he turned to face her.
“Why, you little shit. Don’t you dare talk about her like that. Why, if my Earl had ever said that about me, I’d have blasted him between the eyes.” Momma Bell stuck her gnarled finger in his face. “Now, you apologize to her or I’m going to tan your hide. I don’t care if you’re nearly a man.”
All irritation left my body as I swallowed a giggle. Nearly a man? At thirty years old? Jake’s a late bloomer.
“Aw, Momma Bell, Emily knows I’m kidding,” Jake said, taking a swig of his beer.
“Jakey, I mean it. You apologize to that girl,” Momma Bell ordered, her harsh eyes glaring at him. “My Earl wouldn’t have hurt my feelings for nothing in the world.”
“Okay, fine.” Jake had to will himself to do it. “Emily, I’m sorry.”
I smiled, but more out of sympathy for Jake. Everyone watched and listened as Jake apologized to me. It was almost comical, since I should’ve been the one offering an apology for how I acted at the barn.
Momma Bell wasn’t satisfied, though. “You two having a spat, are you? Jakey, kiss that girl and make up with her. Don’t you know anything, boy?”
Jake and I stared at each other. Neither of us wanted to be in that position. He tried to finagle out of it, but no one could tell Momma Bell no. The lady didn’t take no for an answer. The crowd watched as she pushed Jake closer to me, stood off to the side with her arms crossed, waiting, as Jake and I faced each other awkwardly. Everyone whispered amongst themselves, making me wonder if they’d placed bets on whether we’d follow through. Hell, if they were smart, they’d bet on Momma Bell.
Humor twinkled in Jake’s eyes. “Should we try to make a run for it?”
“Momma Bell’s packing,” I warned him.
“I guess we don’t have much of a choice, then.”
The crowd watched intently as we stood there like idiots.
“Maybe we should ask for a drum roll or something,” I suggested.
Cowboy walked closer and planted himself next to Ox and Judd. “I’d be happy to stand in for you if you’re not feeling up to it, Jakey.”
Jake gave his friend a wicked grin. Only then did I understand the sensible, if not mundane, kiss I’d expected wasn’t going to be as mild as I’d thought. Cowboy issued a dare, and Jake never did anything half-assed.
I refused to let Jake put on a show for his friends. Resentfully, I dug in my heels, hoping to keep the kiss polite and viewer-friendly. But before I could stop him, Jake ratcheted me into his arms and drew his mouth over mine. I forced my body into rigidity, as if I were a wooden puppet. Unfortunately, my strings were attached to my heart. Jake’s tongue demanded my lips to part, and I responded as if he were my master. It was ravenous and indulgent and no longer just a kiss. In front of everyone, Jake made love to my mouth, and I forgot he was using me to prove something.
“Ahem.” The sound cut the air around us as Momma Bell cleared her throat. We stopped kissing and saw everyone standing there, watching, mouths opened in awe. Or possibly disgust.
“That was a real doozy of a kiss…almost as good as the potato salad. Why, my Earl never gave me a saucy kiss like that.” She leaned over and whispered, “My Earl was a real flash in the pan, if you know what I mean.” Then Momma Bell winked and walked away, still mumbling to herself.
Jake and I traded glances with each other and then moved farther apart, as if we were afraid the closeness would trigger another attack on one another’s sexuality.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Junior stand and take a pouch from his back pocket. He twisted his hand inside and pulled out a large wad of chewing tobacco. It was a disturbing thing to watch. I’d seen people reach into salad bowls and come out with less than what he stuffed into his mouth. When he stepped over to me, the faint scent of wintergreen drifted into my nose.
I couldn’t help but smile. “Hi, Junior.”
“Emily,” he said, nodding and tipping his black Stetson.
“I haven’t had a chance to thank you for the clothes you brought over the other day. Almost everything fit. Are you sure your daughter doesn’t want to keep them? There were some cute outfits in there. She has excellent taste.”
The corner of Junior’s mouth lifted. “I’m sure she’s glad you’re able to get good use out of them.”
“How’d you know I needed clothes, anyway?”
“Before opening the diner, I spent a great deal of my life as a tracker. I’m used to spotting things invisible to others.”
“Good guess, in other words?”
He tossed his head back and a deep, bellowing laugh came out. “Something like that,” he said as he walked away.
Jake strolled over. “What’d you say to him?”
“Nothing. Why?”
“You made him laugh. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him laugh before. Most people are usually afraid of him.”
It struck me as odd, since I found Junior to be a kind, considerate person. He came off as a hard man who probably lived a hard life, but in his presence I felt safe, protected even. Nothing bad would ever happen as long as Junior was around. Probably because he smelled of wintergreen and the scent reminded me of my own father. But either way, I wasn’t afraid of him. In fact, I was quite fond of him.
A few minutes later, Floss announced it was time to eat, and the crowd zipped over to form a line as the feeding frenzy began. I headed to the back of the line, but as I passed Jake, he grabbed me and slid me in front of him.
“We’re taught in elementary school not to cut in line.”
“And you say I never break the rules,” he said teasingly, handing me a foam plate, plastic fork, and a napkin.
“Never any that matter.”
We made our way down the line, and our plates got heavier with brisket, jalapeno sausage, potato salad, baked beans, carrot-raisin salad, and ambrosia. Floss offered some pickled quail eggs, but I passed, managing to grab one of the last deviled eggs.
“Here, Emily, try this,” Cowboy said, shoving a piece of meat under my nose.
I picked it up with my fingers and gave it a sniff. It smelled okay, but I was leery of anything attached to telltale words like “try this.” I nibbled on a tiny piece until Jake grinned.
“Okay. What is it?” I asked, not sure if I wanted to hear the answer.
“Fried backstrap,” Cowboy said. “Don’t worry. It’s nothing weird.”
I finished chewing and swallowed. “Then why are you smiling, Jake?”
Jake laughed. “It’s deer meat.” I closed my eyes and breathed out of my nose, but didn’t say anything for a full minute. “Are you going to be sick?” Jake asked.
I opened my eyes and glared at both of them. “No, I’m trying to decide which of you I’m going to kick in the balls first.” Obviously, they weren’t too concerned, since both of them laughed.
“Shit, it’s nothing,” Cowboy said. “Judd is over there right now eating a bowl of squirrel stew.”
I fought the urge to gag. “Do you people kill and eat anything that moves or has a heartbeat? God, I hope a homeless guy doesn’t wander onto the property.”
They all smirked as we sat at the end of a picnic table. Ox offered to get me some pink lemonade and brought it back to me in a clear plastic cup.
“No opossum blood or anything strange in it, right?”
“No, ma’am, not unless you think vodka is strange.”
I peered around at the other tables and saw some young children drinking pink lemonade as well. My eyes enlarged to the size of dinner plates. “Don’t tell me…”
“No,” Ox said, laughing. “I added it to your cup, not the pitcher. We don’t start off that early around these parts.”
“Thank God.”
…
After sunset, the party continued.
Hank turned on the outside lights to the barn to light up the pool and threw some logs in the burn pit to ward off the mosquitoes. Kids swam tirelessly, women stood around chattering like a flock of hens, and the men took turns telling stories and picking on a guitar around the fire.
Jake found me lying on the top of the picnic table away from the crowd, looking up at the stars. He leaned over me, blocking my view. “Hey, I’ve been looking for you.”
I peered around his big head. “I’ve never seen this many stars before.”
“Yeah, they don’t have starry skies in Chicago,” Jake replied dryly.
“No, that’s not what I mean. The atmosphere is different here. No honking horns, no cars, no city lights—just the sounds of nature. It’s quiet, like I’m the only person in the world seeing this.”
“You might be cut out for country life, after all.”
I laughed and sat up. “I wouldn’t go that far.”
“Well, I was looking for you because Big Jim and the twins haven’t met you yet.”
“Excuse me?” I nearly choked on the saliva in my mouth.
Jake stepped to the side and pointed across the yard to a large man with a beard standing next to two toddlers. “His wife, Amy, talked to you earlier and wanted him and the twins to meet you before they left. It’s past their bedtime.”
I stifled my giggles while we talked to them, but every time Jake called him by name and referred to his twins, the laughter bubbled in my throat. I’d met too many people to remember all of their names, but some stood out more than others. Big Jim was one of them. Then again, I wasn’t bound to forget Catfish or Slick, either.
After making our rounds to say good night to the guests who were leaving, Jake ended up back over near the ice chests with his boys. I gathered empty beer bottles from a neighboring table.
“Hey, Jake, everyone’s leaving. Why don’t we all go down to The Backwoods for a few drinks?” Cowboy suggested. “They have a live band tonight.”
Jake’s back was to me, but I saw him give Cowboy a noncommittal shrug. “Nah, that’s okay. It’s been a long day. I think I’m going to take a shower and turn in.”
“Come on, Jake. It’s been a long time since we’ve all been out together.”
“Emily’s a homebody,” Jake argued. “She wouldn’t want to go.”
They all looked at him as if he was crazy, but Ox spoke up. “Your girl? You’re kidding, right? She has party written all over her. What’s the real reason you don’t want to go?”
“Look, guys, Emily can’t—”
“I had a headache earlier,” I said, approaching from behind. “But it’s gone now. Why don’t we go, Jake? It sounds like fun.”
Jake shot me an unappreciative look. “No.” His definite tone meaning “end of discussion” was easily deciphered.
“Why?” I asked. “I wouldn’t mind—”
“I said no, and I meant it,” he snapped, rubbing his hand through his hair with irritation. Then he got up and stomped off.
My blood boiled, driven mad by the injustice, though I pretended to blow it off when Judd asked, “Anyone else notice how strange he’s acting?”
They all looked to me for an answer, but all I could do was turn my hands up and shrug. “He’s probably just tired.”
“Well, then we should get going, let him get some beauty rest,” Cowboy said. “He knows where we’ll be if he changes his mind.”
…
There were a few stragglers left when Jake and I went to the cottage. He wanted to shower, and I got ready for bed. At least that’s what Jake thought.
After his friends left, I had asked Slick for directions to The Backwoods. He was thoughtful enough to draw me a map on a napkin and told me which landmarks to look for. Guess he’s not the only one who’s slick.
I sat on the bed and kicked off my sneakers. Jake stripped his clothes down to the dark gray boxer briefs riding up his legs. I don’t know how I’d never noticed before, but Jake had a small round scar on the front of his thigh. Guess when he was naked, I was looking at something other than his leg.
“What happened?” I asked, blatantly staring.
“It’s nothing,” Jake said, unwilling to elaborate. He stepped into the bathroom and turned on the water.
As soon as the sliding glass door closed behind him, I threw on the little red off-the-shoulder number given to me by Junior’s daughter. I grabbed my heels, my fake identification, and the keys to the Explorer before sneaking out the front door.
Maybe I went haywire by blindsiding Jake, but it was the only way to get out the door hassle-free. I didn’t waste time formulating a plan. One hour. It’s all I wanted. Then I’d return and face Jake’s wrath. I’m sure it would be in full swing by then. Minor thrills always have major repercussions, but the long-term boredom and monotony was getting to me.
I barely made it to the Explorer when someone behind me said, “Going somewhere?”
“Holy shit!” I said as Junior stepped out of the shadows. “Don’t do that. You nearly gave me a heart attack.”
He grinned, then lifted his head toward the cottage. “Where are you off to by yourself?”
I raked my fingers into my hair, giving it a nervous flip. “I’m going to The Backwoods.”
“Jake know?”
It was my turn to grin. “Cowboy and the others will be there,” I said, avoiding his question.
“You know I have to tell him.”
“Oh, come on, Junior.” He gave me a yeah right look. “Okay, well, how about giving me a head start?”
“Woman, you’re asking for trouble.”
“Pleeeease?”
His face softened, though his eyes stayed as bright and rock-solid as ever. “Two minutes.”
“Two minutes?” What the hell is up with these people and giving somebody only two minutes? You can’t do shit in two minutes!
“Take it or leave it.”
I threw my arms around him and hugged him, though he didn’t hug me back. He seemed more surprised than anything. “Thanks, Junior.” I got into the Explorer, but turned back to him. “Hey, uh…one more thing. Do you know how Jake got that scar…the one on his thigh?”
“I’ll let Jake tell you.”
“I asked, but he didn’t want to talk about it.”
“Give it time. Scars need a lot of time to heal. You of all people should know that.”
“But I don’t have any scars.”
“Some scars can’t always be seen with your eyes,” he said, “Doesn’t mean they aren’t there.” He gave me a terse nod and glanced at his watch. “Two minutes,” Junior reminded me.
…
The Backwoods was packed and just what I needed—an adult’s playground—even if I hadn’t acted like much of an adult sneaking off without telling Jake. By now, Junior had surely ratted on me. I pictured Jake punching the air with his fists until a vein popped out on his temple. It made me glad I wasn’t there when it happened, though I doubted he’d be much calmer by the time I got home.
I stood at the bar, waiting for the bartender to look my way, when Cowboy slung an arm around me. “You are one big bucket of crazy, you know that? No, actually, crazy doesn’t begin to cover you.”
“Did you see me come in?”
“No. Junior called to let me know you were on your way here. He was about to do the same for Jake when I hung up with him.” He smiled wide. “You’re going to get the whooping of your life when Jake finds out. Hell, I’ve got half a mind to do it myself,” he said with a wink. “I’d probably enjoy it too much, though.”
“I’m surprised they don’t call you Playboy instead of Cowboy.”
“Some of my female friends do.” He motioned across the room, where Judd and Ox sat at a table. Ox gave me a thumbs-up. “We had a bet on whether you’d come tonight—with or without Jake,” Cowboy said. “Ox won. I’m buying the next round.”
“You didn’t think I’d come?”
“No, I didn’t think you’d come without Jake knowing. That’s suicide, darlin’. Now, whatcha drinkin’?”
I grinned. “Whatever you’re buying.”
Cowboy sent me to the table and joined us a few minutes later with a handful of shots. He doled them out to each of us.
“What is it?” I asked, eyeballing the golden brown liquor.
“Ass.”
“Excuse me?”
They all chuckled. “It’s a shot of ass,” Cowboy explained, wearing a shit-eating grin. “It’s a combination of three liquors, none of which will keep you from taking off your clothes.”
I swigged a small sip and coughed. “Eww. This does taste like ass.” They all laughed as I downed the rest of it and made a face. I laughed, too, but stopped when my eyes snagged on something across the room.
“Oh, damn. I think I need another drink.”
The boys followed my gaze with their eyes, and then three shot glasses slid across the table simultaneously.
Unlike Elvis, Jake was in the building.