Chapter Twelve
Jamie
I should have felt relieved that I didn’t have to look over my shoulder any longer. Work and school both seemed to be a lot less stressful without the additional drama of spying or being spied on. No more waiting for the short bald guy to show up, delivering envelopes or money. Although, I didn’t mind the idea of money showing up.
It had already been a few weeks, but I still had some recurring anxiety. More about what my mom was going through. I had made it a point to call her every day. I had already spoken to her more in the last few weeks than I had all of the previous year. I wanted to believe that Chase was right. Maybe Tom wasn’t as involved as it had seemed. I was holding out hope because as much as I disliked the guy, I wanted something real for mom. Maybe she deserved him. He had always treated her right, even if he had always given me a hard time.
“Do you want to take my shift tomorrow night?” Trina asked as she grabbed her drinks from the bar. “My friend is coming into town and we were going to do one of those winery tours.”
In the past I would have jumped at the opportunity to take on extra shifts, but luckily, things had worked out for me financially. Chase was always there to help, even though I didn’t expect or ask him to. I still had the cash from the scandal. It sat, unspent in the same envelope in my nightstand. I was scared to spend it. I figured the moment I spent it, I was acknowledging everything I had done was wrong.
I had been surprised when no one asked for it back. But no one did. It was never mentioned or discussed.
I snapped out of my day dream as Trina stared at me. “So?”
“Um, ask around. If you can’t find anyone else I’ll take it. I was kinda of hoping for some quiet time tomorrow as well, but I’ll help out if you’re stuck.”
“Sure thing,” she said as she grabbed her drinks and made her way back to the tables.
“Curtis, I’m going to take a ten-minute break,” I said. “I need to make a call.”
“Make it quick,” he snapped back.
I didn’t even acknowledge the comment as I weaved through the kitchen and pushed my way out of the rear door of the restaurant, finding myself standing in the back parking lot. I pulled out my phone and looked at it. No missed calls. No messages.
Chase and I had left things in a weird place and I wasn’t sure exactly what, if anything, was going to happen with us. For a short time, things between us were absolutely amazing. And then it all came crashing down so quickly.
I didn’t blame him for putting space between us. He had a professional career, a job at the university, and everything going for him. I was a grad student, about to finish my last semester and unsure exactly where I might end up.
But that didn’t change how I felt about him. I missed him. I needed him. I wanted him, probably more than I had originally realized. But now that Summer was partially back in his life, he seemed to be very distant.
I hesitantly tapped open my contacts and called Kay. Kay was always my rock and voice of reason. The phone rang twice before she picked up.
“Hey! Is it quitting time already? We are getting ready to head out and have a few drinks? Want to join us?”
“Ha! I wish. I just needed a break. I’m not off for another three hours.” I looked at my watch and was thankful I had taken the early shift. Five p.m. wouldn’t come soon enough. “Who’s we?”
“Me and Stryker. We’re going to hit happy hour in the city and then see what kind of trouble we can find on a Monday.” I heard Kay giggle and then the gruff sound of a man’s voice.
“Is Stryker your tattoo guy?”
“Yes, silly,” she said. “He just picked me up from work. I had a half day so it’s day drinking for us.” She giggled some more and it was obvious she was out, having fun. “So, what can I do for you?”
“Um, nothing. I just called to see what was going on. Have fun today, and I’ll see you sometime.”
“Sure thing, hon,” Kay said and then hung up.
I felt empty and alone.
I stuffed my phone into my pocket and headed back into the bar to finish out my shift.
* * * * *
A few hours later, I had finally cleared my tables and headed into the back of the bar to split tips and clean up. It had been a long time since I’d worked an early shift, but since I didn’t have the job at the university, my days and afternoons were fairly clear when I didn’t have class.
I stuffed the wad of cash in the pocket of my jeans and moved through the swinging doors. I didn’t make it more than a few steps when I heard his familiar laugh. It sent pleasant shivers down my spine. I rounded the corner to see Chase sitting at the corner of the bar, chatting with Curtis.
The moment I came into view, his eyes locked on mine and he smiled. Warmth filled my body, but at the same time butterflies filled my stomach. I couldn’t just walk out and not speak to him, but each step in his direction felt like I had blocks of cement on my feet. I had been wanting to see him, but all of a sudden I couldn’t even form the words to greet him.
I approached slowly and smiled.
“I was hoping I’d catch you here,” he said. “Are you done for the night?”
“I am.”
Chase nodded in the direction of the stool beside him, motioning me to take a seat. Then he looked at Curtis and shook his glass. “How about another of these, Curtis? She looks like she could use one.”
I could have probably used a few of those to mask how I was feeling at the moment.
“I couldn’t wait for a call, so I figured I’d just come here. I’ve been thinking about the conversation we had today.” Chase took a sip of his drink as Curtis slid mine across the bar.
“And what is it you’ve been thinking about?” I held up my drink and we clinked glasses. I took a sip.
“Us. I’ve been thinking about us. All of this started right here, much the same way.” Chase leaned in to whisper in my ear, quiet enough that no one else could hear. “No one is paying you to have a drink with me, are they?”
“There’s not enough money,” I joked back. “Besides, I’d never make that mistake again.”
“Good.” He smiled and swirled his drink, allowing the ice to rattle in the cup and the brown liquid to almost spill over the edge. “She’s gone.”
“Who?” I asked, already knowing the answer.
“Summer. She went back home, and there was never a chance we’d get back together.”
I thought about his words and whether he meant he’d wanted that opportunity, whether she didn’t want him back, whether he was really done. “I wasn’t worried,” I lied.
“I never wanted her back. I’d made peace with where she and I were. My only focus was getting through all of this, for us.” The words hung in my head for a moment. Chase leaned in and rubbed his shoulder against mine playfully. “Maybe we should start over.”
I could feel the smile creep across my face as my eyes met his. “Really?”
“Really,” he said, extending his hand. “Hi, I’m Chase Kerns.”
“Hi, I’m Jamie Dunn. It’s nice to meet you.”
The same shivers shot through my body like the first time we had touched, and visions of that night flooded my mind.
This time, meeting the man of my dreams would have a different ending. No secrets, no lies.
I knew getting a second chance with something so perfect might only come along once in a lifetime, and for some people, it never happened. I was going to make the most of it.
In the beginning, I had chosen him. And in the end, I chose him again. This time, it would be forever.