“You want me to fill that?” Tim finally spoke, pointing at his thermos, breaking Hunter’s gaze from me.
“Yeah. Thanks.”
“Your usual medium roast coffee?” Tim stuck the mug under the machine, not waiting for his answer.
Usual meant he was here a lot, which shouldn’t have been a surprise. The garage was only a few yards away. Naturally, since I had decided to stay away from him, our paths crashed into each other again.
“Also toss in one of those.” He pointed at a chocolate-dipped biscotti. With tongs, I reached in and put one in a bag, handing it to him. Tim took his money.
Hunter drew out the biscuit, took a bite, and watched me as his mouth wrapped around the cookie, a wicked grin shaping his mouth as he swallowed it. “Damn. Italians sure know how to make a biscuit.” He grabbed his coffee and strolled casually out of the café.
I felt the jab spear into my chest. He had overheard and wanted me to know it. Anger built behind my eyes. I wanted to run after him and chuck all the biscotti at his head. Krista was in my face every day… his baby growing in her belly, but I was the one who should feel bad because I had a boyfriend in Italy?
“You have a boyfriend, right?” Tim’s words broke my glower at the door, where I watched Hunter jog across the lane to the garage. “This Italian guy, right?”
“What?” I snapped at Tim, my ire lashing at him.
“You said you have a boyfriend…” Tim’s gaze went across the street, then back to me. “But you two still seem to have a thing.”
“A thing?” I blinked.
“Jayme, you and Hunter were the talk of the school last year. Probably the town.” His voice softened. “I heard what people said about you after Colton died, that you and Hunter had probably been hooking up behind his back the whole time.”
“What?” I inhaled sharply. “That’s not true.”
“I didn’t think so. You seem way too sweet to do that, but the gossip was bad. What they wrote on your locker.” He shook his head, his eyes full of pity. “I hated what Savannah was saying about you. Hate that she works here.” He tapped his hand on the counter, licking his lip nervously. “You still really like him? I mean… he’s with that girl… gonna have two kids with her.”
I blinked, feeling my world slide right back to high school. Suddenly I could feel the raw vulnerability of everyone scrutinizing the worst moments in my life and twisting them into something ugly and disgusting. Hunter and I were still a reality TV show here.
Being gone had helped my perspective. I had grown used to no one knowing my past. No one caring about my huge tumble from popularity to one of the most hated girls at school. I liked being simply Jayme, not the girl who people thought let her boyfriend drive drunk, let him die, then went after his twin brother.
“I really don’t want to talk about high school or Hunter.” I closed the glass door to the bakery display, moving to the back, pressing my palm into my chest. “We need more sugar and milk.” I didn’t let Tim respond, as I was already halfway to the storage room, trying to close the door on all the pain the memories stirred up.
Taking deep breaths, I closed my eyes and leaned against the wall. I knew how strong I was, that I could hold myself up without anyone’s help, but I missed sharing my feelings and nightmares with Hunter. He was the only person who understood what it was like to fight these demons no one wanted to hear about anymore. People only saw the shell of a person. If you looked fine, then you should be fine.
As much as I had grown, I realized I was still a mess inside. Coming home only made it evident I had only temporarily tucked this stuff away in Italy, and now the box had popped open, scattering debris everywhere.
Just before I got off work, I had a voicemail from Aubrey that my car was ready. I walked over and went straight into the waiting room area instead of the garage, hoping to limit my Hunter interaction.
“It’s fixed already?” I questioned, stepping into the cool air-conditioned room. Aubrey curled her lip at the sight of me.
“What do you mean? The car part has been here since Friday. Not sure what took so long.”
The car part was in on Friday? That didn’t make any sense. Hunter told me yesterday they hadn’t gotten it in yet. Maybe she was mistaken.
“Sign these.” She pushed forms to me. “Doug wanted me to notify him when you got here.” Her face twisted is disgusted disbelief. “You’re not that pretty. Whatever you do to make guys fall over themselves to make your life easier, I will never understand.”
“Easier?” I dropped the pen in my hand, staring at her. “Are you kidding me? Does losing someone you love in a horrific car accident that paralyzed you for weeks and caused you to learn to walk again sound easy to you?”
She rolled her eyes, walking into the garage, like my experiences were trivial. I felt like the girl in high school had changed, dressing up in the skin of Savannah, so she would no longer be teased or bullied. Yet she’d turned into a bully herself.
“Jayme.” Doug ambled into the room, a huge goofy smile plastering his face. “Good to see you!”
“You saw me Friday, remember?” I chuckled, infected with his simple joy as he wrapped me up in a quick hug.
“Yeah, but it’s always good to see your beautiful face.”
Aubrey made a noise behind him, turning it into a hum as she went back to typing at the computer.
“You work across the street now?” He winked, grabbing my paperwork. “Now I know why Hunter was in such a foul mood this morning. Only time I’ve seen any emotion come from that guy lately is since you’ve shown back up.” He handed me the sheet. “Installed the new radiator, new filter, and topped off all the fluids.” His finger went down the checklist.
“Thank you.” I glazed over the information, my eye landing on the total at the bottom. “Wait… I don’t understand?” My mouth parted. Hunter told me the estimate without labor would be in the three- to four-hundred-dollar range. The tally at the end was one hundred seventy-five dollars.
Doug shrugged, a gleam in his eyes.
“I can’t let you do that.” I shook my head. “Didn’t the part cost more than this?”
“We got a really good deal.” He set my keys on the counter.
“Doug.”
“That’s the total, Jayme. If you have a problem with it, talk to your mechanic.” He took a few steps toward the door, glancing back at me. “I’m having a party on Friday. You should come.”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“Why? I want you there. You’re my guest.” He winked again before pushing through the doors.
My brain still couldn’t get over his generosity. Doug had approved it, but I knew it had been Hunter’s idea, which only jumbled everything in my head and heart.
“See?” Aubrey clacked at the keyboard, her shaped eyebrow lifting. “From the day you walked into this town every guy has fallen over themselves for you.”
“What is your problem?” I hiked my bag higher on my shoulder. “I was always nice to you, even when your so-called boyfriend and friends weren’t. Are you that much of a follower?”
“Whatever, Jayme. Like you could see outside yourself or Colton to notice me enough to be nice.”
Breath heaved through my nose as I slapped my credit card down, not wanting to engage. She probably had a fair point; staying quiet while others bullied was as bad. But it was strange she didn’t have a problem with the actual group that was mean to her. Just me.
Grabbing my receipt, I found my jeep washed and ready for me right outside the garage. Peering back inside I watched Hunter work on a motorcycle, hovering over it, his broad shoulders flexing as he worked. I wanted to go thank him and tell him I appreciated what he did for me, but I stopped when his head twisted, glancing over at his shoulder at me, our eyes catching.
Detached. Icy.
He turned back to the motorcycle, like I didn’t even exist, as though I was no more than a stranger to him.
Swallowing
back the pain scratching across my heart, I climbed in the jeep and drove away. It hurt like hell, but this was probably what we both should do. Act like we were strangers until it became so.
Chapter Nineteen
The week went by in a blur, most of it spent with Jon, Kayla, Tim, and another employee, Trinity, who was around my grandma’s age. She was one of those social butterflies who didn’t want to stop being social just because she was retired. Someone chipper and happy right out of bed at six a.m. Thankfully, Savannah worked the afternoon shifts, saying she refused to get up early. She only worked three days a week, so we didn’t cross paths much. Yet.
Hunter appeared every morning for his coffee, but we didn’t say anything more than we had to. When I tried to thank him for my car, he acted like he didn’t hear me, stunting our conversation back to nods and grunts. I hated it and had to bite my tongue. It didn’t help that with each passing day he looked more and more exhausted, like he wasn’t getting any sleep.
By Friday, I was ready for a break from the café. My regular shifts started next week.
“God, this town.” Stevie collapsed dramatically on my bed, wearing the tightest jeans I had ever seen and an off-the-shoulder crop top that looked like it came straight out of the eighties. But it worked on her. Her hair was wavy and back to black and blonde. “Tell me why I’m here and not in New York again?”
“Because you love me and you knew I would end up in a mental institution by the end of the summer without you here.”
“You should probably be in one anyway.”
“You first.”
She snorted. “Please, Whiskey, I already have a suite there.”
My phone buzzed, but I didn’t bother looking; I already knew who it was. Luca had been texting me nonstop, saying how much he loved and missed me. Sometimes the texts were graphic details of what he’d like to do to me, which didn’t fill my heart as much as I hoped, but my body was game, missing sex more than I imagined.
“It’s so fucking boring here,” she groaned. “And I think I’ve run through all the hot people in this town. I’m gonna get desperate and do something stupid like start going through them again. You know I don’t repeat. One time and done.”
“One time, huh?” I smirked, rolling over on my back next to her.
“Okay, some might have gotten more than that.” She stretched her arms over her head. “Either they were that good or I was that desperate.”
Smiling, I shook my head.
“You should come to New York with me,” she said. “There’s such a great variety of food, sex, bars… always something to do. I mean, it’s Friday night and what are our choices here?”
“Doug’s having a party.” I sat up, shrugging.
“He’s always having a party.”
“I know, but what else is there to do?”
A slow smile crept up on her mouth. “Gee, I wonder why you want to go.”
“You know we aren’t speaking. Which is better. How it should be.”
“Uh-huh.” Her smile only grew. She bounced up from the bed, clapping her hands. “All right. Let’s go.”
Now that she agreed, my stomach dropped with doubt. It was never wise for Hunter and me to get within a few yards of each other.
“Nope. You’re not cowering out now. I know you want to go, so don’t bother putting up this fake ‘No, Stevie, it wouldn’t be right if I fucked his brains out while Krista watched’ expression.”
“I think that’s your fantasy, not mine.” I stood, running my fingers through my hair.
“Please!” She hollered at the ceiling. “Like there isn’t a part of you that wouldn’t love to. Don’t deny your kink, girl. It’s human. We’re basically primal animals. Hunter doesn’t belong with her, and there’s a part of you that would love her to know that.” Stevie grabbed her bag. “And don’t think for a moment she wouldn’t do the same to you. That girl would love to have you walk in on them. You can see it every time she looks at you. She wants you to know Hunter is hers now.”
My gaze dropped to my bare feet. I swallowed the lump in my throat at the thought of Krista and Hunter together. Even seeing the small kiss she gave him at the garage and watching her touch him killed me. Stevie was right; rage sprang up at the mere thought of Krista’s presence near him. I couldn’t deny the anger I felt. I wanted to tear them apart and claim him for myself.
I had my chance and walked away. I didn’t regret going to Italy. It was the right thing for me, and I felt much stronger as a person. I knew what I wanted to do. Who I was, or at least a better understanding than before I left. While I was still haunted by the what-ifs, it was pretty clear that if I’d stayed we would have ended up exactly here.
Twenty minutes later my jeep rolled up to Doug’s like we had hit replay. A crowd hung around on his front porch smoking, and loud music strummed from the backyard. Some people might like the safety and familiarity of the same routine week after week, but I was no longer one of them. Colton had been one of those, and so were his friends—all of them happy to go to Jason’s every weekend over and over again, like it was the most exciting thing.
I was restless now, craving new adventures and experiences. Maybe that feeling had always been there, but I hadn’t acknowledged it. The accident and Italy had changed me. I could never stay here and live this life. Not anymore.
Stevie and I strolled to the house, anxiety taking root in my stomach.
We got to the backyard and stopped. My lids blinked in bewilderment, as though I’d stepped into the twilight zone.
“What the fuck?” Stevie’s mouth dropped, her lids blinking slowly. “Did I get a contact high walking through the house? Did someone give me a roofie and I don’t remember?”
Standing around the bonfire were Aubrey, Jason, and Adam.
“I’m so confused right now,” I muttered, peering around like we were in some horror movie and someone was going to jump out with a chainsaw.
The three of them drank beer, chatting only to each other. Jason’s gaze roamed past Aubrey, as if he were searching for someone.
“I’m scared,” Stevie whimpered overdramatically, grabbing my hand.
“Me too.” I nodded. This was wrong. They shouldn’t be here. They hated and made fun of these people all through school. This was my crowd now. Not theirs.
Adam noticed me, acknowledging me with a nod but made no attempt to come over. After I punched him, our relationship had never quite been the same. Strange.
“Jayme.” Jason’s eyes landed on me, trotting over. “Hey, it’s been a while. Haven’t seen you since graduation.”
“Yeah, that’s because you’re an asshole, a fuckface, and you aren’t friends.” Stevie tipped her head to the side. “What the hell are you doing here?”
“Who are you?” Jason ran his hand through his styled blond hair, confusion blistering his red-streaked eyes. No doubt high.
“Someone you can’t handle, little boy.” Stevie snorted, her eyebrows crinkling. “Just run back to your mommy and daddy’s party.”
“What the—”
“Seriously, what are you doing here?” I cut him off, stepping between him and Stevie, directing his attention back to me, which was easy to do with his short attention span. “You guys hate this group.”
“Oh, that was in high school.” He tipped his head back like that was old news.
“You mean a year ago.”
“Whatever.” He shrugged, his lids half-mast. “When Aubrey started working at the garage, I got to know Doug. He invited us. He’s a cool guy.” Cool probably meant he provided pot.
I peered over at Aubrey and Adam, whose forced smiles told me they weren’t thrilled to be here.
“You called him Dropout Dougie. You called this whole group a bunch of losers.”
Jason shrugged, his attention darting around like a gnat, like I no longer held his interest.
“I can’t deal.” Stevie grabbed my arm, tugging me over to the table full of alcohol. “My brain isn’t
processing this right now. You know how they say some things shouldn’t mix. This…” She motioned to their group. “Is what they meant.”
“Tell me about it.” I rubbed my head unable to understand why they were here. I could see Doug inviting Aubrey since she worked with him. He was that kind of guy and wanted everyone to be included. But the other guys showing up rubbed my skin the wrong way, and it didn’t sound like it was the first time. It didn’t make sense, especially when it was only Jason who seemed to want to be here.
“Doesn’t he usually have his own party on Fridays?” Stevie poured herself a cup full of vodka.
“Yeah.” I nodded. “Unless the whole family is on some tropical island, he does every Friday.”
Stevie splashed some soda water on her drink, sucking a gulp down. “Maybe if I drink enough, everything in Wonderland will go back to normal.” She laughed and took another gulp.
Searching the backyard, I was desperate to see the rest of our friends. Otherwise I was driving to Jason’s to see if somehow the parties got switched. Maybe we had stepped into some alternate universe.
“Jason, let’s go,” Aubrey’s voice whined behind me. “I hate it here. Let’s go back to your house, where our friends are.”
“Stop fucking nagging me,” he snarled at her. “We’ll go when I’m ready.”
“Jason…” Her voice went babylike. “I’ll make it worth your while.”
“Fuck, Aubrey, get off me. You’re annoying as hell.” The sound of the screen door opened. I watched him stomp inside, Aubrey chasing after him, trying to grab his hand. Adam jogged behind like he was scared to be left alone for a moment.
“Oh yeah. They’re so in love.” Stevie snorted into her cup.
“This is all really weird.” I grabbed water out of the bin and took a swig.
“Yeah, but now I’m kinda glad we came.” Stevie’s eyes darted to the door, her body stiffening. “I take that back.”
Chris strolled from the house, a huge smile on his face as he headed for Doug on the other side of the bonfire, not spotting us. Women and men greeted him like they used to with Hunter. Stevie tracked every girl who hugged or batted their lashes at him, her face emotionless.
Broken Love (Blinded Love Series Book 2) Page 19