Stripping off his apron, he tossed it at Russel’s feet, deciding to leave while he was ahead.
Russel called after him with a creative amount of cursing, but Jax coasted on the rush because he felt no pain when the beast took over. On a high, he drove around for an hour until the consequences of his actions caught up to him, his aching back right on their heels.
He’d lost his job. And his health insurance. That meant no more doctors, no more physical therapy, and worst of all, no more Hot Bearded Guy. He hadn’t even learned the man’s name…
It didn’t matter. Jax had bigger problems, like finding work, but this area was all tapped out, especially with him not just burning this bridge, but nuking it from orbit.
His stomach twisted as his fury rose again, but this time it was aimed at himself. He never used to be this way; he used to be reliable, fun, someone who didn’t see red, fly off the handle, and walk out of kitchens. Pain had changed him, and he didn’t like who he’d become.
Still hating on himself the following night, Jax sighed about fifty timesduring the drive to his brother’s neck of the woods, parking behind a gallery off Main Street.
You almost here?Finn asked in the sibling group chat, and within seconds, Megan was typing.
I wish I could come. I hate that I live four hours away. I need a teleporter.
Don’t worry, Megan, we’ll hang soon. And I’m parking now,Jax sent. He didn’t really want to see Finn and Ollie, but he’d made these plans when he’d been in a better mood and the walls of his tiny apartment were closing in on him. It would be good to get out; maybe it would keep him from ruminating over how much he sucked.
Wrapping himself in his coat, he slowly walked around to the front of the building. Ollie had invited him to a friend’s photography exhibition, and it must be some high-level stuff because the place was crowded. While impressed, Jax couldn’t help his irritation as he shuffled around too many bodies in a tight space, and by the time he found his brother and Ollie, he was ready to go home.
“Oh, no way, Jaxaphone, you made it!” Ollie exclaimed, hugging Jax the second he saw him. As always, Jax directed the hug north, around the shoulders, noticing that Ollie seemed even healthier and happier. His blond curls and blue eyes shone, and Jax wished for the millionth time that Mae would take her recovery as seriously.ShouldJax introduce them? Or would it make her and Ollie worse?
“You okay, Jax?” Finn asked, next in line for hugs, although his was more of a shoulder bump. Finn had the same eyes and cheekbones as Jax, but he was at least five inches taller, and while he had a swimmer’s build, Jax’s muscles came from working in kitchens, leaving his smaller frame lean yet defined.
“I’ve been better,” Jax gave him a pinched smile. “I got fired again.”
“Why?” Ollie’s eyebrows rose in concern.
Jax hadn’t told anyone, not even his mother or Mae, so it all spilled out.
“I got tired of watching the owner grope the waitresses, so I groped him instead, asked him how he liked it.” Jax got a little angry even thinking about the situation - angry at Russel for being such an asshole, angry at no one else for speaking up, and angry at himself for how he’d handled it.
“You are a king.”
“Naw, I’m just an unemployed chef with rent to pay.” Jax shifted, cracking his neck and shaking out his leg. His muscles had been tight all day, but after several gummies and an afternoon on the floor, yesterday’s pain had mostly abated. It made things a lot easier, and he tried not to think about how effortless life used to be.
“I might be able to help with that.” Finn pulled out his phone and began texting.
“Really? That would be awesome.” Jax hadn’t considered talking to Finn about it, but maybe he’d land something before he had to confess to his mother that he’d gotten angry and fucked up his life once again.
Trying to forget about his problems, Jax mingled, introducing himself to Mason - Ollie’s photographer friend - and chatting with him about his portraits until Finn walked up.
“Jax? You know the wedding hall that Ollie and I work at?” Finn drove a shuttle bus for The Pointe while Ollie was its social media manager, and they never stopped gushing about how great the place was. “The head chef’s here. Let’s go talk to Angelo.”
“Wait, The Pointe needs people?” Jax’s eyebrows furrowed. “But I thought it was closed, didn’t you have a fire?”
“Only three rooms had structural damage, and the owner is rebuilding them in record time, along with two new rooms.” Finn’s expression told him that people had been paid off.
“It must be nice to be rich,” Jax stated, and Finn nodded in agreement.
“It’s reopening in early February, and I know they need another sous-chef. The last one started on the day of the fire, and honestly, if I were her? I wouldn’t have wanted to come back either…” Finn trailed off as Jax frowned at him.
“Sous-chef.” Jax shook his head. “I’ve been a line cook at my last two restaurants. That’s a big step up.”
Jax’s dream was to create menus, either for his own restaurant or one he had control of, but that had all been knocked off course by chronic pain. He’d never thought that something like this would fall into his lap, and his constantly simmering anger slowly morphed into wonder.
Couldhe do it? He had the experience and the drive, but his lower back needed to comply.
“I think you’d kick ass at it!” Finn’s faith melted some of Jax’s doubts, but he wasn’t fully convinced. About to argue, he was cut off by a tall, sturdy man with a shaved head and impressive beard who wrapped an arm around Finn’s shoulders.
