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8
Jax
“Come on, Jax. You don’t even come out anymore. I invited you to our party last week and you left me waiting.”
I uncork the bottle of wine and pour the glass for a customer. I hold up a finger, telling Matt to wait. It’s a stalling tactic more than anything. I could answer him before delivering the drink but I don’t want to. I would be forced to admit to myself the reason I didn’t go is because I was on the phone with Saona until dawn. And it wasn’t even talking dirty, or about sports, or her showing me any part of her body.
It was just talking to her on a day where her ex was giving her more shit about the divorce. I wanted to make her feel better and let her take my mind off having to drop more money on electrical materials and leaving me with barely any money for the week. She didn’t know that part. No way I would tell her I’m a broke ass. She doesn’t need to know that about me and Matt doesn’t need to know about me and her.
“You know how I am. I was on a roll with the floors and the powder room. I needed to get the stairs done.” The lie is more comfortable than confessing I’m twisted up in knots about a woman I’d only fucked once, who is way out of my league, and with whom I fight constantly.
Matt sighs. “Kelsey was there. She asked about you.”
Matt and his girlfriend Lacey have been trying to hook me up with Kelsey since the morning I moved my boxes out of the apartment I used to share with Josie. Before, I’d been on the rebound and hadn’t wanted anything serious. Kelsey was looking for a boyfriend. But…what’s my excuse now?
I’m still scrambling for an excuse when Lacey and Kelsey enter the bar through the street door. My gaze shoots to Matt.
He smiles. “They were in Fells. I told them to come by.”
Kelsey’s all legs in a short dress and leather jacket. She looks like she's straight out of a magazine, with her short haircut and wavy hair. She’s done some modeling according to Matt and I can see why. She’s gorgeous, polished, and delicate like Aunt Iris’ china dolls. She reminds me of Josie when we first met.
“Hi, Jax.” Her smile is sweet and lights up her face.
It’s easy to smile back.
“We haven’t seen you in forever,” says Lacey. She’s the total opposite of Kelsey with deep brown hair and a shorter build.
“The house is keeping me busy.” And the lying continues. “What can I get you ladies to drink?”
“I’ll have a Cosmo,” Kelsey says.
“A French Martini for me,” Lacey says and turns to Matt. They start doing that googly-eye, touchy-feely shit couples do that makes people around them uncomfortable.
Kelsey rolls her eyes and I chuckle. I make their drinks under the weight of her gaze. When I look at her, her lashes lower onto her cheeks for a second.
“I was looking forward to seeing you at the party last week.”
“Yeah?” I don’t know what else to say except, “Sorry to disappoint.”
She pouts a little but then smiles. “You can make it up to me.”
“Oh, yeah? How?”
“Come out with us, tonight.”
“Yes,” Lacey untangles herself from Matt and claps her hands. “We’re doing a pub crawl in Mount Vernon.”
Next to her, Matt is nodding so hard his head should be detaching from his shoulders. I only work for two more hours, so I have no excuse. I have nothing to do, I deserve a night out and tomorrow is payday. There are so many reasons I should be doing this. Why am I stalling?
My mouth opens and I honestly don’t know what will come out of it. I look around the room and that’s when I see her, sitting in the same spot as last time. My heart does a funny flip in my chest.
Saona’s here.
Her head is buried in her phone. I hold up a hand to my friends and make my way to her end.
“Hello.”
Her gaze shoots straight up to mine and it’s unlike anything I’ve ever seen from her. Even when we argue, fire is always burning in her eyes. It’s why I’m always hard. I associate her name with fire. Except that fire is not there. There’s nothing there. What the hell is she doing here, then?
