11. O’Donnell’s

Jillian

"Was I right,or was I right?" Fawna calls over the crowd.

"You were right," I call back.

"You doing okay? Need a break?" Abe asks.

"Harts don't take breaks." I smile as I hurry to the end of the bar where a group of guys are waiting.

"What can I get for you?"

"Your name, number, the promise that you'll be the mother of my children?"

"Coming on a little strong, but I respect the game," I joke. "You gotta respect the hustle, though. There's a whole bar full, waiting for drinks to be served."

"Five shots of whatever you and I'll be drinking on your next night off."

"Better get him a straw with whatever he orders," comes from behind him, and I look up to see Hudson. "He's gonna need it to drink out of when his jaw's wired shut because he's talking to a fine young lady like that."

"You better have backup, man," the hottie who just asked for my info and womb says as he turns around and is face to chest with my brother. The idiot stands on the rungs of a barstool to get eyeball-to-eyeball with him. "We cool?"

Hudson shakes his head. "Why did God make men your size with brains two sizes too small?"

"He's a black belt," one of his friends pipes in.

"Yeah, the bigger they are, the harder they fall," another needles.

Hudson ignores them. "Can I bet a beer, barkeep?"

"We were here first," the seriously cute, average size … idiot says as I pour Hudson a beer.

"Then order your drinks, little buddy." Hudson smirks.

I hand Hudson his beer, and he hands me a hundred.

"Keep it."

Little buddyturns and asks me, "Who is this asshole, anyway?"

"You a sports fan?" I ask, setting two bottles on the bar.

"Jags for life," he answers with a wink.

"Favorite player?"

"Cody Vanders."

"Shot fired, and he misses." Hudson laughs.

Little Buddy starts to turn back to him.

"Hey, let's get you those shots." I hold up one of the bottles. "Boss Hog. One fifty a shot." I hold up another. "Tequilla, ten bucks a shot."

"How much for a body shot?"

"If you have to ask, you can't afford it," AJ states.

The Jags have arrived, I think, glancing up into dark brown eyes that heat up my insides, only proving my theory more. I'm not even hating on it since we've cleared the air.

"We'll take ten Boss Hogs." Nour reaches over the guy's head and hands me a card.

"What the hell, man? Can't you see I'm working an angle?"

Nour leans in and says something to him that causes his eyes to grow comically wide then steps back. "Now order your shots and let her do her job."

"Five Grey Goose, chilled," he mumbles.

"Fifty bucks." I smile as I scoop ice into a tumbler.

He pulls out a wad of cash in a money clip, peels a hundred off the top of it, hands it to me, and winks. "Keep the change."

"You're the best?—"

"Jay V."

I pour his shot and push them over. "Here you go, Jay. Enjoy."

"Who's drinking the Boss Hog?" Fawna asks.

I nod toward Nour and hand her Jay's and Hudson's hundreds. "Five shots of Grey Goose and a draft; the rest goes in the tip jar."

"Cool." She walks to the register.

"Nour, as in Nour Uyar?" Jay V swings around. "Holy shit, man. I just got my life threatened by the Jags' catcher?"

Nour glowers at him.

"Fuck, man, let me get a selfie."

"What am I? Chopped liver?" Hudson asks, ducking into the frame while Nour continues to glare.

"Give me your phone, Jay. I'll make sure to get you all in." I laugh and hold out my hand for it.

He winks as he hands it to me. "I knew we had something going on between us. You and I are destined to end up together."

"Watch it," Hudson says, perfect smile in place.

"And who the fuck are you? The bodyguard?" Jay, who clearly gives zero fucks about Hudson's size, asks.

"Yeah, Jay." Hudson pats him on the head. "Now smile, you idiot."

Smiling like he's having the time of his life, Jay fires back, "I don't much appreciate you talking to me like that, you walking fucking tree."

"I don't much like you coming on to my sister when she's clearly uninterested, Jay, yet here we are, celebrating a Jags win like old friends," Hudson says in the way that is too sincere to actually be, which throws the Jays of the world off.

"Things good?" Fawna asks as I laugh and hand Jay back his phone.

"We're good." I look at Nour. "You really want ten shots?"

"Yeah, line 'em up."

"They're for sipping," Fawna says, taking Nour's card as I hold it out.

"Where's Mom?" I ask Hudson as I pour the ridiculously priced whiskey into a jigger to measure it before dumping it into rocks glasses.

"She's never leaving the house." He smiles. "She's made friends with a couple of the Blue Valley matriarchy, and they're planting a garden."

"Blue Valley, as in the Knights?" Jay snorts. "Fuckers pissed off the whole NFL."

AJ shakes his head in shock and asks, "Do they know you've escaped?"

"The hell you talking about escaped?" Jay looks back. "You the centerfielder for the Jags?"

"I am, and I'm a Knights fan."

"How you gonna live in Jersey and root for the Knights?"

"I'm a Knights fan, too, Jay," I say, handing a group of men their beers as I pour them.

"Jesus, I may have to rethink this. You got a good?—"

"I will make good on that threat if you continue," Nour cuts him off.

"Yeah, no shit. Show some respect," Bennett adds.

He doesn't bother looking back as he slides another hundred across the bar and says, "Five dark ales when you get a minute, future ex-wife."

"That lasted a long time." I laugh as Fawna steps in to deal with the money.

"You lost me at Knights fan." He shakes his head.

"Used to be an Eagles fan."

"Jesus, even that's a step up from the Knights. What made you jump ship? Don't tell me … it's that Kelce clown."

"Nope, but my favorite Knight has a brother who plays for the Jags."

"Fucking Hart boys." He waves me off. "Those bastards must have been born from a gilded vagina. That Rome was overlooked and lucked out that the Jersey's Jags were watching the NFL draft and …" He stops and looks back at Hudson with recognition in his eyes. "You big bastard, you let me go on and on about the Knights; played me like a fool." He pushes his phone across the bar. "Take another picture for me, will ya, sweetheart?"

Hudson holds his hand up. "Take it back about the Knights."

"You're damn right I'll lie to you to get a picture, ya big bastard."

Hudson laughs and, yes, I take the picture.

Fawna insistedon dropping me off instead of taking a cab, and when we pull in, we notice lights flickering behind the barn near the camper.

"Is that a fire?" she asks as she throws it in park, and we bother hop out, hurrying to check it out.

I hear Hudson laugh and say, "You're fucked, Tereira. No one over the age of eighteen is emotionally stunted enough to date you."

"You telling me it's possible my future wife may not have been born yet?" AJ jokes.

"What are you fools doing out here?" Fawna asks.

"There were strange noises coming from inside, so Hudson built us a little fire to keep us warm and cozy." AJ pats the blanket next to him. "Come on; sit down. Let us make you two ladies a drink for a change."

Blaze blurts out, "Fuck, marry, or friend?"

"Jesus, not this shit again." Nour stands up.

"Grab me a beer?" Hudson asks.

Nour nods.

"Nour, you can't be pissed at me. You're the one who got me thinking about sex with all that unicorn talk."

Fawna laughs as she sits down. "I need the story behind this."

"Nour's pissed at me because I said I'd marry Cora, fuck his sister and you, and then left the dugout before I could tell him who I'd friend."

"Oh, wow, I'm flattered?" Fawna bites back a laugh.

"See? She's cool with it. She owns her sexuality," Blaze slurs out.

"You remember that talk we had about not becoming drunks?" Nour asks.

Blaze flops back on the blanket he's sitting on and groans. "I'm twenty-one; everyone's an alcoholic for a minute when they're twenty-one."

"Bennett's speaking the truth." Hudson chuckles.

"You need a sweatshirt?" I ask Fawna.

She nods. "Sure, if you're getting one."

"You mad at me, too, Jillian?" Blaze asks.

"No. Are you mad at me?" I ask, amused.

He sits up. "No way. You, Gwen, and CeCe are my friends."

"Damn right, we are." I hold out my fist to him, and he taps it. "Be right back."

When I walk into the camper, Nour is looking around frantically.

"The cooler's outside by the door."

"Fuck the cooler. Where's the mask?"

I shake my head. "What?"

"The mask. Blaze is out there talking about, you know." He scrubs his hand over his face. "I left it here, and it's gone. Do you think?—"

"That I tossed it in the trash? I wheeled it out to the curb this morning. Yeah, I think." I walk past him to get Fawna and I sweatshirts. "Chill."

"Chill?" he huffs. "How am I supposed to chill?"

I open the tiny closet and dig for two sweatshirts. "Deep breaths, mindful mediation, book a massage, listen to some soothing music." I grab the sweatshirts, turn around, and smile. "Jerk off. Any of those methods are known to greatly reduce stress."

"How can you be so calm?" he whispers.

"You really wanna know?" I ask.

"If you mention getting yourself off, I'll lose my shit."

Smiling, I walk to the door. "Then don't open the bottom drawer in the bathroom during your little freakout. That may put you right over the edge."

Walking out toward the fire, I hear Fawna laugh and ask, "Sexual rock, paper, scissors?"

"Don't tell me you've never played." AJ sighs dramatically.

"Okay, I won't." She smiles at me as I walk toward her. "If this is how it is every night, I'm moving in."

"I'm not sure what the boys do in there," I say, pulling the sweatshirt over my head.

"So, you've never played sexual rock, paper, scissors?" she jokes.

"She better not have," Hudson grumbles.

I sit next to Fawna. "Roman and Hudson have been the guardians of my virtue since the day I was born."

"Damn right we have." Hudson nods.

"Double standards much?" Fawna scoffs.

Blaze chimes in, "Double the double standards, because there's two of them."

"You sure there's not four?" Nour asks as he hands him a bottle of water, and then Hudson and AJ a beer.

"Fuck water," Bennett grumbles. "Fuck everything and everyone."

"You ready for bed, man?" AJ starts to get up.

"No, I'm not ready for bed. I'm ready to"—he inhales and exhales slowly—"breathe. Just breathe."

"He's so fucking cute," Fawna whispers.

"I heard that," he says.

She palms her face as Nour holds out two beers for us. I take them and mouth, "Thanks."

He responds by narrowing his eyes.

"I'm cute until you get to know me. Then I'm either an asshole or the fucking man. No in-between."

"Cheers for knowing yourself, bro." AJ grins at me and Fawna, and we both stifle a laugh.

"Since I'm not getting any action, I think I'll get my dick pierced like Locke and Jase Steel. How long do you think that takes to heal?"

"All right, Bennett." Nour walks over and holds out his hand. "You're spilling state secrets in the company of ladies. Let's get you tucked in."

Blaze bats his hand away. "I'm sleeping out here. The stars are beautiful."

I look up and see not one single star, but fuck it. "You're right; they're stunning."

"I love the stars."

"Who doesn't?" Hudson asks and looks up. He cocks his head then looks at me. I shrug, and he smiles. "Favorite constellation. Go."

"Any of you say the Big Dipper, and you're kicked the fuck out of the astronomy club," Bennett warns us.

"Canis Major," AJ answers.

"Why?" Bennett asks.

"Because everyone else says Orion." He shows us his phone and winks.

"Fair." Bennett yawns and sits up as he looks at Hudson "Yours?"

"Virgo."

"Why?" he asks.

"I feel like we should be studying," Fawna whispers, and AJ slides his phone to her.

"Two of my favorite things—virgin goddesses and justice."

"Hmm," Bennett mumbles.

"Yours?" Hudson asks.

"I could never pick just one." He reaches out his hand. "Help me up, man. I'm tired."

Nour stands from his squatted position and helps him up.

"Sleep good, man," Hudson calls to him.

"You, too."

As soon as they're out of earshot, AJ mouths, "What the fuck?"

"He's going through some shit." Hudson nods. "Like, yeah, y'all need to keep an eye on that."