Charlotte gave her an annoyed look. “Jen, I don’t know if I can live with myself if I don’t make you try this sandwich. It’s my treat today.”
Jen’s eyes widened. “No way. That’s not necessary.” It had never even occurred to her that anyone would treat her to lunch.
“No, I insist. My idea, my treat. Besides, we’re celebrating you booking four weddings this week. That’s amazing. Dean said that’s the most ever in one week since they started.”
Jen picked at the corner of the menu. She usually had no problem being enthusiastic about her accomplishments, especially around the guys at work, but she wasn’t usually concerned about looking like a jerk. For the first time in a long time, Jen wanted this friendship thing to work out with Charlotte, and nobody liked a bragger. So she just nodded.
“Yeah, I was pretty excited.”
Charlotte laughed. “I heard. Dean told me how after number four you sent all of them an email full of Beyoncé GIFs.”
Jen smiled. “I totally did that. There’s a lot of testosterone in that place.”
“No kidding. They love having you though. Dean’s been so impressed with all the things you’ve been implementing,” Charlotte said.
That shocked Jen a little. Not that they liked having her there, but that Dean would be compelled to talk to Charlotte about her accomplishments. It made Jen feel incredibly guilty. How was she going to continue to be friends with Charlotte on a lie? They were just getting to know one another and Jen had already broken girl code in retrograde.
“I like the job a lot. Sucks that the position is temporary. It will be hard to go back to just bartending when Tara comes back.”
They were interrupted by the server again, and Charlotte took it upon herself to order two Chicken Avocado Clubs, two salads, and two fresh lemonades. She glanced at Jen for approval, so she just nodded her head feeling a mix of appreciation and a bit of embarrassment. Taking a gift made her feel like she must appear needy, and that was the last thing she wanted.
“So, what if Tara doesn’t come back?” Charlotte asked. “That’s a real possibility. I can only imagine how hard it would be to leave a newborn with someone else so I could go back to work.”
There was obvious longing in Charlotte’s expression, and Jen couldn’t help wondering if she and Dean were thinking about having children. There was at least a decade age gap between them, so Jen figured they would probably need to get right to it. But she wasn’t going to pry. They weren’t that close yet. Maybe never would be.
“I don’t know what would happen if Tara chose not to come back. As it is, she’s planning to. But even if she didn’t, that doesn’t mean they’d offer me the position.”
“Of course they would. You’re obviously amazing at it. Not everyone has a knack for sales and customer service type of jobs.”
“Yeah, I don’t know. It just comes easily to me I guess.” Which was true. Imagine that. “I’ve never considered any other career besides working in theater. I think I still dream of teaching acting or of opening up my own company for children. It’s always been part of my identity.”
The previous year, the Maple Springs Community Theater, where she’d worked for the past three years teaching voice and assisting in productions, had lost its funding and was finally forced to close several months ago. Jen had adored that job, and the loss had devastated her, not only emotionally but financially. It wasn’t like she’d made great money, far from it. But it wasn’t like she had a college degree, so she’d been content to make subpar money doing something she loved.
Tara going on bed rest and leaving the Stag guys without a receptionist long before they’d expected was just an easy opportunity for Jen. No interviewing necessary—thank goodness because she sucked at it. Although going in and asking the guys to let her have the job had nipped at her pride a bit, she’d done it, and even she was surprised at how much she’d been enjoying the work.
“I can see you opening your own theater company,” Charlotte said. Jen wished she felt comfortable enough mentioning how much those words meant to her, but just smiled. “But there are other things you could do in the meantime, I’m sure. Maybe find a summer camp to work at. Or help with some high school productions. If you love theater that much, you’ll find something.”
Jen hadn’t tried brainstorming on that lately. She’d been too busy trying to keep her head above water and her mother alive, but Charlotte’s words sparked something inside of her. “You’re right. I could consider some various things. In fact, I should start looking around, put feelers out. Sometimes I get tunnel vision when it comes to things like that. Thanks for the push.”
“That’s what friends are for,” Charlotte said.
Jen smiled as their food was placed in front of them. It was definitely the best lunch she’d had in a while.
* * *
They’d been back from their lunch date for a little over an hour, and Jen still hadn’t seen Charlotte come out of Dean’s office.
Five more minutes went by. Ten. What are they doing?
She probably didn’t want to know.
Finally the door opened, followed by the sound of Charlotte’s happy laugh. Jen watched as Dean followed his girlfriend through the main room of the Stag, toward the front door.
“Thanks again for lunch,” Jen said from her desk.
“It was so fun. We’ll do it again soon,” Charlotte said. She then gave Dean a final kiss and left.
He watched her walk away for a moment and then walked over to Jen’s reception desk and leaned his arms on the high counter.
“Charlotte said you guys had a good time today.”
“We did. It was really nice of her to ask me,” Jen said. Before he could reply, she put up a hand. “Listen, speaking of which … we need to discuss something.”
Dean lifted an eyebrow. “What?”
“I need to tell her.” Jen looked at him, knowing by the look on his face that he knew exactly what she meant. He glanced to the main part of the room, toward the front door, and then back at her. Obviously checking to see if they would be heard, so she lowered her voice and continued. “I have to do it, Dean. It’s eating me up inside. I like her a lot, and I know she’s probably going to hate me once it’s out, but I can’t go on with the guilt.”
Dean’s lips quirked. “I understand your feelings, and I’m sure she’d appreciate them. But she already knows.”
Jen’s mouth dropped open. She was … shocked. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, I told her. When we decided to make things official, I told her. I had to.”
“So … today … she knew?”
He nodded. “She knew.”
Jen had no clue what to do with that knowledge. Her entire life she’d been working with the belief that women would judge you, stab you in the back, and turn on you in a hot second. Forgiveness, understanding … those were things she didn’t have a lot of experience with.
“Wow,” she said, suddenly feeling emotional. “She’s been so nice to me.”
Dean chuckled. “She’s a nice person.”
“Yeah, but … that takes a big person.”
He shrugged. “Maybe. But I told her it was a long time ago, that it didn’t mean anything, and there wasn’t a chance in hell it would ever happen again.”
Jen’s eyes narrowed. “Jesus. Be careful or you might leave me with a shred of pride.”
Dean smiled. “You know you feel the same way.”
“Fine, you’re right. But she wasn’t mad even for a minute?”
“Well, yeah. Or … I guess you could say she wasn’t happy to hear it. She definitely hadn’t seen it coming, but we talked about it. Both of us know that adult relationships come with adult baggage. I mean, her ex fiancé works with me for Christ’s sake.”
“God, yeah. You’re right.” Jen furrowed her brow at him. “You two are weird. But I like you together.”
His grin was about the most genuine she’d ever seen on Dean. “Not as much as
I do.” When he began to walk away, she called his name. “Yeah?”
“Does uh … anyone else here know?”
He walked back over to the desk. “No. I’ve told no one else, and I have no plan to. But if you feel the need to tell anyone, I understand and respect that. Just ah … give me a heads-up. Okay?”
She scoffed. “Why would I feel the need? I was just curious.”
Dean raised an eyebrow. “Whatever. You can keep telling yourself that.”
Seven
Jen hadn’t gone to check on her mother today. It was Saturday, so she’d given herself a day off from negativity and despair. Plus, she still hadn’t bought anymore almond or cashew milk. Instead she’d cleaned her tiny apartment, tended to her plants, gone for a walk, and lain by the pool. Basically, every free activity she could think of.
She continued her self-care as she got ready for the evening. That included a bath, shaving all the things, spending a lot of time on hair and makeup, and even fresh nail polish. Black, to match her dress. Several times over the course of the day she’d considered just staying home, but she’d promised everyone she was going to Shakers this evening. Jordan had even stopped by the Stag yesterday to say hi and make sure she was coming. And even Charlotte had texted earlier to see what Jen was wearing. Total woman stuff, which had Jen feeling amused and awkward.
The thing that kept eating at her was having to see TJ with his girlfriend again. He’d left work early yesterday and she’d overheard him telling Jake that he was going to her place. It made Jen want to scream, which was ridiculous because they had nothing going on between them. It was just plain jealousy, and that was one of many emotions she preferred not to dabble in.
After grabbing her purse, Jen locked up her apartment and headed down to the parking lot. She hesitated on the first floor by the mailbox, glancing over at her mother’s unit. The flashing lights of the TV filtered through the curtains.
Blowing out a breath, she continued to her truck. Everything was fine. She deserved a day off from worrying. And arguing. If nothing else, her mom was a big girl, she had a phone, and she damn well knew how to use it.
A few minutes later she pulled into the square in downtown Maple Springs only to find that most of the parking was taken. Not a surprise, between the wedding going on inside the Stag, the band at Shakers, and the couple of restaurants open. Jen decided to park in the alley behind the Stag and couldn’t help noticing a certain white Camaro some ways down.
She needed to get TJ out of her head. A bit of a challenge considering she would be seeing him soon. Tiny cheerleader would probably be hanging on him. What if they got drunk and made out? Ugh. That might be more than she could handle, she thought, as she walked across the green.
The sky was light blue and red as the sun set. People milled around, heading to and fro, and she stepped carefully up the curb and through the grass. She’d worn her favorite pair of strappy booties that showed off her toenails, which she’d also painted. It felt nice to get done up, something she hadn’t done in a while, and she felt pretty, even.
Once she was out front of Shakers, she panicked a bit. Normally she would not have minded walking in alone, but this felt … different. Anxiety was taking over, and she hated it.
Pulling out her phone, she shot Charlotte a text. “You guys inside?”
She paced back and forth a bit, waiting. What if they weren’t there?
“Yes! Head straight back. We have a table.”
With a sigh, Jen stepped inside. She hadn’t been inside of Shakers in years. On a Saturday night it was more bar than grill, so the odor was a mix of fried food and the cologne of desperate men.
It was pretty packed as she glanced around the room. The left side was still mostly people dining, but the entire right side was crowded with bar patrons. There were three or four pool tables near the door, a long bar along the far wall, and a stage and dance floor in the back. Currently the band’s set was up, but the members were not onstage.
Jen decided to just head to the back as Charlotte instructed, hoping she’d spot them. The music playing over the speakers wasn’t too loud, but the place still felt overwhelming in the way a bar on the weekend does. Jen angled her neck to scan the room ahead and smiled when she saw Charlotte waving, but before she could get there two strong arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her back against a hard wall of man.
On instinct she revolted, turning, ready to give someone a dressing down—this wasn’t the first time she’d experienced this type of behavior from a man—and found Jordan smiling down at her. His arms were still locked around her waist, but she decided not to be angry even though it was a little forward. Okay a lot. But he did look handsome.
“You’re finally here,” he said in her ear. “And you look so sexy tonight.”
“Thank you,” she said. Jen didn’t blush, but she was a little taken aback by his comment for some reason. It was just so unexpected. Her friends were already here. Were they watching? Was TJ watching?
“Your friends are this way.” He nodded toward the stage and grabbed her hand.
Jordan led her through the crowd and up to a big round table, where, sure enough, Dean and Charlotte, Jake and some random woman, and of course TJ, were sitting. He was lounging back in his chair, a foot casually propped on one knee, his fingers squeezing a beer bottle while he stared back at her. Her first thought was that he looked a little hazy. How long had they all been here? Her guess was long enough to get a good buzz going. The next thought was, why was TJ alone? An empty chair sat between him and Charlotte with no sign anyone had recently vacated it.
“Sit. We’ve been waiting for you,” Charlotte said, grabbing her hand and pulling her away from Jordan and toward the empty chair beside TJ.
“I didn’t mean to keep you all waiting, but now the party can start,” Jen teased.
Jordan leaned down to speak in her ear. “I’ve got to do a few things, but what can I bring you to drink? Anything you want.”
“Anything?” she asked playfully. He nodded. She considered her options. “Even Glenlivet and water on the rocks?” She asked, knowing it was a top-shelf choice.
His eyes widened and his face lit up with amusement. “Yes ma’am.”
“This dress is so great,” Charlotte said when Jordan walked away. “I could never pull off something like that.”
“Thanks.” Jen had splurged on it last year. She loved that it showed off all her tattoos, which covered her entire arm and shoulder from the top of her left breast all the way down to her elbow. “It’s one of my favorites.”
Charlotte’s smile and kind comment reminded Jen of the conversation she’d had with Dean earlier in the week. She hadn’t seen Charlotte since then and it was still hard to believe that she knew that Jen had once had sex with her boyfriend. After deliberating, Jen had decided maybe it was best if she didn’t say anything about it. What good would it do if the two of them had already hashed it out as a couple? Obviously, she was choosing to still be Jen’s friend. Hopefully it wasn’t to spite her later.
No. She couldn’t think like that. Diane’s words and paranoia had to get out of her head.
She turned to her left. “Hey,” she said to TJ.
“Hello.” TJ sat up straight in his chair and scooted closer to the table. Was that to be closer to her? His eyes darted to her shoulder, and she waited for him to make a smart-ass comment about her ink.
Instead his eyes met hers. “You look beautiful tonight.”
Her eyes widened in surprise. “Thank you.”
When he went back to his beer and didn’t look at her again, she was annoyed. He didn’t get to just compliment her without an explanation.
“You riding solo this evening?”
He stared at his bottle. “I am.”
“Why?” The conversation of their friends and the ambient noise of the bar gave them a bubble of privacy. Leaning on the table, he turned his head to look at her. His eyes were a little bright, but he wasn’t wasted. She
doubted TJ ever got wasted, but he’d definitely had more than one beer.
“I ended things.”
Never mind. He might possibly be full-on drunk. “No more tiny cheerleader? Say it isn’t so,” Jen teased.
They stared at each other for a long minute, neither speaking. Suddenly a hand came between them, cutting off their gazes, and set a glass down in front of her. “Scotch and water for the lady.”
“Thank you,” she said, giving Jordan a polite smile.
“You need another beer?” he asked TJ.
“No thanks.”
Jordan leaned on the back of Jen’s chair. “One of my bartenders is late, but as soon as he’s here, I can join you.”
“I’ll be waiting,” she said with a smile.
He walked away after giving her shoulder a squeeze. Feeling eyes on her, Jen shifted in her seat.
“How drunk are you?” she asked TJ.
“I’m not drunk.”
That was obviously debatable. “Why don’t you like him?” She asked the brooding man next to her. Was he just feeling the effects of a bad breakup or was she imagining the possibility that he could be a little jealous? Foolish of her to get her hopes up, but he had just called her beautiful.
“He’s too forward.” He took another swig of beer.
“What’s wrong with that? A lot of women like a forward man. No games. Lay it all out there. Leaves no room for misinterpretation.”
“Maybe. If you’re looking for a casual hookup.”
She shrugged, swirling the ice in her glass. “I’ll assume you weren’t trying to offend me with that comment.”
“Of course not. I didn’t mean to imply anything about you.”
She cocked her head. “Then why did you say it?”
“Well … in my experience, when a guy comes on that strong from the get-go, he has a specific endgame. And it isn’t taking you home to his mother.”
Jen bristled. Bingo. As much as she wanted to deny it, he was just about right.
“At least he plies me with quality whiskey.” She held up her glass as TJ glared at her.
Maybe This Time_A Whiskey and Weddings Novel Page 8