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“Have you, uh, heard from your mother?” he asks, leaning his grease-stained hands against the counter behind him.
“She wrote to Jess. I guess she’s been calling him.” She hasn’t tried to call me once. My guess is she’s trying to pit Jesse against me. It’s what she does when someone’s on her shit list.
“She knows you’re here?” he asks, letting out a low whistle. “Guess it’s a good thing we’ll be out of here soon then.”
“Don’t worry. Even if she gets off easy, she doesn’t like to leave the block, let alone the city.”
“If it’s in the name of spite, she might.”
“Valid point.” Sometimes, I forget that he probably knows our mother better than we do. My phone buzzes on the counter and lights up with a text from Sutton, letting me know she’s out front.
“Hey, Henry?” I ask, stuffing my phone into my back pocket. “I took a job at Dare’s shop. I don’t know if Jess mentioned it.”
“He didn’t. Dare’s a good kid.”
“He’s really helping me out. Anyway, I just thought maybe since I’m not around in the evenings, you could, I don’t know. Be more…present?”
Henry swallows uncomfortably, running a hand over his short, wiry beard. “I wasn’t sure what I should be doing,” he admits. “I wasn’t there for you kids. Hell, Jesse barely remembers me. I’ve been making myself scarce because I’m just really not sure what to do here.”
“He just wants to know you, Henry. He’ll never admit it, though.” I clap him on the shoulder before turning to leave. “Take the kid out for a burger or something. I gotta go. My ride’s here.”
“I’ll see what I can do.” His arms fold across his chest, and I can tell that I’ve planted the seed, at the very least. I’m not expecting Henry to suddenly be father of the year, but I do want Jess to have some sort of relationship with him.
I sling my bag across my shoulder and jog across the fake wood flooring toward the front door. Sutton’s black SUV waits in the driveway, and I hop in. She reaches over the middle console to hug me.
“Thanks for picking me up. Jess needs the car,” I explain.
“It’s all good. I’ve been dying to get you alone anyway.” She wiggles her brows, turning down the radio.
“Not this again.” I roll my eyes, throwing my head against the headrest dramatically as she pulls out of the driveway and heads toward Blackbear.
“Come on, Lo. Admit that there’s something going on between you two.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” I lie. I’ve never really had a girl friend. I’ve never gushed about boys or sex or vented about my problems, for that matter. It’s just not something that comes naturally to me. Sutton seems to know everyone, and I haven’t heard anyone say one bad thing about her. Even more telling is the fact that she doesn’t seem to tolerate bad-mouthing others. Of course, she gossips, like anyone else. But she’s also the first one to play devil’s advocate or come to someone’s defense. Case in point—when Jake had something to say about Dare, she shut that shit down.
“Anyone with eyes can tell.” Her head rests against the back of the seat, and she swivels to face me. “I’ve known Dare for a couple years, and I’ve never been able to pull more than two words out of him. I was actually sort of scared of him. I mean, turned on, but scared nonetheless.”
“Really?” I know he’s not the most social person on the planet, but that sounds a little extreme.
“Oh, he’s a broody motherfucker. It takes a long time for him to warm up to people. But it’s like you just…skipped that stage.”
“Hmm.” I don’t know what to make of that. He’s a little rough around the edges, but nothing like what she’s describing. “Do you know what happened? Why Jake seems to think he’s dangerous?”
“That’s his business to tell you. Especially since I’ve only ever heard rumors. This fucking town is full of ’em,” she mutters bitterly. “I truly believe he is good. Briar wouldn’t love him if he wasn’t. I’d warn you if I thought otherwise.”
“It doesn’t matter anyway.” I shrug. He made that clear last night, face full of regret.
“Keep telling yourself that.” Sutton laughs, shaking her head. “Speaking of bosses…”
She spends the drive filling me in about work. Apparently, the new girl isn’t new. She’s the co-owner’s niece, and rumor has it, she and Jake spent all summer hooking up when she worked there. Things went south and now, for some reason, she’s back. That would explain his saltiness about her being there. Gone is the laid-back, flirty manager who made us pancakes, and in his place is Grumpy Jake.
When we get to Blackbear, I fight the urge to catch a glimpse of Dare in the window, going straight to the back to stash my stuff instead. We’re in the middle of the lunch rush, so we don’t waste any time. I grab my apron and almost collide with Jake when I turn to leave. He’s wearing a white polo with the Blackbear logo, and his usually floppy hair is pushed off his forehead, styled to perfection.
“Hey.” I give him a bright smile, and he distractedly mutters a greeting before moving past me. Okay, then.
“Told you he’s different.” She shrugs, tying her apron around her waist as she passes me. “You think he’s okay?”
“He’ll get over it. My bet is that she’ll be gone in a month. She’s not the best server. Hey, you want to get a drink after work tomorrow?”
