Page 67

“Hmm,” I hummed, trying not to smile. Something I’d been doing a lot lately.

“Oh my God,” Ximena gushed, trying to pinch my cheeks. I gingerly slapped her hand away. “Look at you! I think you’re actually blushing!”

“Xi, shut the hell up and find some business. It’s not that deep.”

“It is so, and I can’t wait to text Jude and tell him about this latest development. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you so far out of character! I love it! It’s a testament to how much you truly like her.”

Despite being well aware of my feelings for Nyx, I was still hesitant to discuss them out loud. It felt weird, in a good way, but still weird.

“Are you done?”

“I will be when you stop acting so tough and just admit to it,” a wide grin was plastered across her face as she leaned against the bar top.

“Well, I guess since you’re so focused on Nyx, you don’t have the time for me to talk about how I decided to register for the showcase,” I shrugged, sliding off of the bar stool. “It’s cool. We can talk about it another time.”

“James Maurice Luck, you sit your black ass down!” she screeched with excitement. “Oh my God! This is going to be amazing! What changed your mind? The last time I brought it up, you were dead set against it.”

“You better not say a goddamn word when I give my answer,” I warned. “But truth be told, seeing Nyx in her element at her spoken word had me wondering what it would be like to get in my bag. I thought it over for a minute and decided to just do it. If push comes to shove, I don’t have to do another one if this doesn’t go well.”

“Or, if this one doesn’t go well, you lick your wounds and get your ass back up on that stage. We don’t quit around here.”

“Says the woman that quits damn near everything she does whenever it doesn’t go her way.”

“Mind your business, sir, we’re talking about you, not me. It took a hell of a lot to get you here in the first place. If you think I’m going to let you quit at the first sign of trouble, you have another damn thing coming. And you think I’m bad? Wait until Nyx starts to get on your ass. Matter of fact, I should text her right now.”

“Yo ass can’t wait to be messy,” I sniggered. “Chill out. For now, I’m just riding the wave to see where everything goes. One day at a time.”

“What are you going to do with the landscaping business if things do take off for you?” She glared at me curiously. “Well, I guess I should first ask if you want this to take off for you.”

“Truthfully, Xi, I don’t have the answer to anything yet. I’m just here. It’s uncomfortable as hell, and part of me wants to walk away from it and continue pouring energy into what I know works instead of giving energy to the unknown.”

“The things we love will always be the unknown, Jamie. You do very well for yourself, and I know you’re content, but can you live with that for the rest of your life? Just skating through your days instead of actually living them?”

Gripping the back of my neck, I squeezed once before letting go. I didn’t have the answer to her question, but then my dad’s face popped into my head. It gave me all the answers I needed.

“Nah,” I blurted out swiftly. “I can’t go out like that.”

“Nor should you,” turning just enough to reach behind her and grab two shot glasses, Ximena placed them on the counter between us. “So, shout out to new journeys, new beginnings, and new love.”

“You must be the one of the two of us in love,” I commented, watching carefully as she drizzled the liquor into the glasses. “‘Cause it ain’t me.”

“You may not think it’s you, but trust me. I can see it. Now cheers. Drink up.”

Shaking my head at her antics, I welcomed the burn of the liquor as the two of us took a shot.

“Anyway, I just dropped by to give you an update on what’s going on. I’m heading to the store to link up with Judah. I’ll hit you up later.”

“Alright, friend,” she waved, returning her attention to the few other customers at the bar.

Leaving more money than I’m sure was necessary to cover my bill, I left, preparing myself for the task ahead. Jude came up with the bright idea of rearranging the storefront to help customers find what they needed quicker and optimize their experience. However, that required a hell of a lot of time and manual labor to get it done without causing too much chaos.

The thought of calling Nyx and sharing my decision to sign up for the showcase briefly crossed my mind, but I decided against it. It was something I’d rather share in person.

I was glad I’d decided against calling her when I arrived at the store and saw who was parked in front, seemingly waiting for either Judah or me to arrive. Since I’d been ready for a completely different type of war, I was wading into this one unprepared. Exhaling slowly, I climbed out of my car, eyeing my father as he drummed his fingers along the steering wheel before doing the same.

“This is the last place I expected to see you,” I jumped right into the conversation before he could get a word in.

“I came to see you and your brother,” his reply was as gruff as it always was, with a hardened look to match.