Chapter 14 Jesse

M y phone buzzed on my drive back to Emberwood to close up.

JER : The Bar later? I'm completely spent but I can still beat you at pool.

JESSE: Yeah, yeah. I'll be done closing in an hour. See you at six.

JER: I take cash or free food and beverages. Just as a reference for when you lose.

I rolled my eyes, but playing pool with Jer was a better way to end today than going home and trying not to text Sam something innocuous to get her to talk to me. Even if I did have to buy him fries, because he would absolutely beat me at pool.

"BEER OR CHEESE FRIES ?" I asked, after the first round I lost.

"The night is young. I'll take a beer, dealer's choice." Jeremy answered, racking the balls for the next game.

I stuck my hat in my back pocket and leaned on the bar until Jackie made her way over. We'd known each other since elementary school, and she sometimes comped drinks on my tab. I didn't hate that.

"Jesse," she greeted.

"Jackie, a pleasure to see you as always. Two of whatever you feel like that's on tap." I slid my card onto the bar top while she went to fill the pints.

"Try to stay out of trouble, Garrett," Jackie said, tracing one of her fingers up my forearm.

I typically enjoyed being shamelessly flirted with, but for whatever reason, Sam popped into my mind. I just nodded and pulled back from Jackie before she helped the next customer. I started back toward Jer, drinks in hand, when I stopped short of running someone over, beer sloshing over the sides of the glasses. Looking up, ready to apologize, I saw two familiar green eyes glaring up at me.

"What the fuck did you do, Jesse?" Lauren shot off, her arms crossed, giving me flashbacks of her threatening to tell our mom something stupid I'd done.

"Hi Laur. So good to see you." I started to walk around her but heard her stomp after me anyway.

"Little Garrett!" Jeremy called when he saw Lauren coming up behind me.

"Jer," she answered curtly, her eyes still lasered in on me.

"Ohhhhhh, what'd you do, man?" Jeremy asked, taking his beer. He looked far too pleased, his hazel eyes practically beaming at Lauren.

"Your guess is as good as mine." I shrugged, grabbing my pool cue.

"What did you say to Sam?" she demanded, her eyes narrowing even further.

"Um, that I needed a logo and some shirt designs. Is that not exactly what you told me to go talk to her about?" I was already wracking my brain for something I did that would have come across as offensive.

"Wait, who's Sam?" Jeremy asked, leaning in and clearly far too invested.

"You remember Sam. She was my summer-best-friend through junior high and high school and is now just my regular best friend. Honestly. You can't be part of the group if you insist on not remembering important shit."

Ha, at least he gets some of her wrath. He looked sufficiently admonished. "Wait, wait. Cute little curvy brunette, huge—"

"Watch how you finish that sentence, Jer," I warned, my voice tight.

"— hair? " he finished. "Curly hair? Lots of volume?"

"Yes," Lauren answered, a smile playing on her lips. "She has great boobs too. It's fine."

"See?!" Jeremy practically shouted. "It's a compliment. Jesus."

"Everyone shut up. What exactly is it you think I did, Laur?" Guilt was crawling up my spine for absolutely no fucking reason. "I only followed Sam's lead, and I did exactly what you asked me to do. I played nice, and everything seemed fine. We're meeting again next week."

"Then why is she canceling plans with me tonight and obviously post-crying? Did you say something fucking stupid about that summer?"

"I said nothing! Wait, what? She was crying?" I started replaying our interaction for the forty-seventh time, and I couldn't think of anything specifically wrong —

"So, you went in, and you asked her for a logo, talked about software, and you left." She still sounded accusatory. I ran my hands through my hair just as a nervous habit.

"Yes! Laur, I swear to god, I said nothing."

"This is riveting," Jeremy added, resting his chin in his hands as he leaned on the pool table.

"Oh, fuck off," Laur and I said in unison.

"I love this family," he responded, still grinning.

"I swear to god, Jesse, if you have made her regret coming here with one meeting, I will disown you."

"I don't think you can—"

"FIX IT, Jesse." Her voice rose at least an octave, her eyes grew far too large for her face, and she stormed out of The Bar.

"When did Lauren get that feisty ?" Jer asked, his eyes following my sister out the door.

"Don't say another word, or I will kill you." That only made him smile wider, and my fist clenched at my side, my mind still racing at the idea of Sam crying and it being my fault.

"Break." I glared at him and grabbed the pool cue again, thinking briefly that I might suggest he shove one up his ass if he said anything about my sister or Sam again.

How am I supposed to fix something when I don't know how I broke it?