chapter 30
[Jude]
O’Malley’s on the northside is the last place I expected to go on a Friday. As the last official weekend before the holiday, Ashford’s has been a madhouse. As much as I could use a drink, I hadn’t intended to go out and deal with people, but when Angelica messaged me, I couldn’t refuse.
Knowing this place is more of a firefighter’s bar, I try to downplay my appearance, wearing jeans and a green waffle-weave Henley. As I approach the bar, the familiar itch of playing a role comes over me. Who will I need to pretend to be for her friends?
I didn’t want to think that way, but old habits die hard.
I’ve also been struggling with the rest of the items on her list. I hadn’t forgotten about it.
Ask forgiveness and make amends were the most difficult.
As I wander through the bar, because Angelica said she was in the back at a booth joined with a table, I don’t immediately see her.
However, I do see someone else I hadn’t expected to ever see again.
“Miss Nazar,” I address Eva Nazar, my former top manager, who quit the day after Christmas a few years ago.
“Mr. Ashford.” Her jaw is tight as she greets me in return.
At the mention of my name, Angelica appears over the back of the booth. She’s tucked into the corner facing the wall, which explains why I didn’t see her.
“Mr. Ashford?” Angelica glances from Eva to me and back.
To Angelica, it probably appears silly that a woman older than me addressed me so formally, but Eva was always the epitome of professionalism. And even if I was younger than her, I was her boss, and therefore, she addressed me as such.
All eyes are suddenly on me. Instantly, I recognize Eva’s husband.
Zebb is a former football star from our high school, although a few years older than me.
He went on to play professionally, and I followed his career.
When I looked further into A Snowball’s Chance, before making a donation, I learned more about his involvement with the charity. He is the charity.
His eyes focus on me as he slides his arm around his wife’s shoulders. If he could leap over this table and strangle me, I bet he would.
I swallow, knowing I’d hold my own, but I don’t want to fight him.
My gaze swings to Angelica. She hadn’t told me she was friends with Eva. Or maybe Zebb is her friend, as a fellow in the department. I hadn’t really put two and two together that they might work in the same firehouse.
I also recognize Dane, Angelica’s brother.
“Hey man, what’s up?” He lifts his hand in greeting, but the tension around the table becomes thick as an iceberg.
I’m intruding.
Everything in me wants to shout that I’d been invited. And for half a second, I worry Angelica did this on purpose. She set me up to feel uncomfortable around this collection of people.
Especially with a woman I falsely accused of stealing from Ashford’s.
I didn’t really believe she’d short a register, but she was on security tape having sex in one of our fitting rooms. Highly inappropriate. But as I’d been guilty of the same act a time or two in the past, I couldn’t really fault her.
I had already faulted her, and she quit.
Suddenly, this seems like a moment.
“Eva, could I have a word?”
“How about two words?” Zebb states, glaring at me.
“Zebb,” Eva says, lowering her gaze and swiping her long hair around her ear. The diamond on her finger flashes at me.
She looks so much happier than when she worked for me.
Taking a deep breath, I glance at Angelica, still perched on her knees and staring at me over the back of the high booth.
Her gaze bounces from me to Eva, and I wonder if she knows the story.
Focusing on Angelica a second, I count to four on an inhale and another set of four on the exhale. I find that freckle. My freckle.
Then I turn back to Eva. “Eva,” I begin, licking my lips while fisting my hands at my side. “I’m sorry.”
Her eyes widen.
“I’m sorry I doubted you when you’d been one of our best employees. And I’m sorry I suggested we let you go for that incident in the fitting room.”
“What incident?” Angelica asks, her voice rising as she glares at her friend.
But Eva and Zebb share a look, and Eva’s face turns pink.
I roll my lips before saying, “Can you forgive me?”
My heart is hammering. If there was ever a moment a second stress cardiomyopathy incident might strike, this is it. My ribs begin to tighten as if caving in on my insides. I unflex my hands, stretching my fingers, before pulling them back to fists.
Please forgive me.
“Of course,” Eva says, glancing at Zebb a second before looking back at me. “It was a long time ago.” She waves a dismissive hand. “And, you did me a favor. Leaving Ashford’s was the wake up call I needed to start my own little shop.”
My shoulders slowly lower. I loosen my fists. She’s letting me off too easily, but most of all, I’m glad she found another path.
“I’d love to see it,” I admit. Retailers love to check out other retailers. Although I won’t be doing it because I consider Eva competition. I’d just like to visit her shop.
“You’re welcome at any time,” Eva says, offering me a hesitant smile.
“Let me out,” Angelica says, her voice carrying over the group, and I turn in her direction.
The person in a chair near the booth moves, and the person in the booth scoots out, and Angelica walks across the bench on her knees, with her coat and her purse suddenly in her hands, before stepping away from her friends.
Standing right in front of me, so close I want to pull her in for a hug when I’m not that guy, she says to me, “Let’s get out of here.”
Taking my hand, she leads me out of the bar and onto the sidewalk. Snow is lightly falling, and I glance up at the dark sky.
“I’m so proud of you, Jude.”
When I gaze down at her, her face might as well be the moon, illuminating the heavens. Her smile is wide. Those eyes of hers are flames of light.
“I’m kind of proud of me, too,” I admit, though I tremble just a little bit. The rush of adrenaline is slowly settling in my system.
“For a minute there, you almost gave me a heart attack.” She slaps her hand above her left breast. “I thought you and Eva . . .”
“Oh no. God, no.” I shake my head. Eva is beautiful, but she has nothing on the angel in front of me.
Angelica wrinkles her nose. “Your fitting rooms, Jude? Really?”
Guess I won’t be telling how I lost my virginity any time soon. But it doesn’t matter what happened before.
“I checked another thing off the list.”
“You did?” She tilts her head.
“Ask forgiveness.”
Slowly, she smiles. “You’re really taking the list seriously.”
I’m taking you seriously. And if I want to make a better impression . . . be better . . . I need to change.
I want to change.
“Still up for a drink?” I ask.
She hesitates. “There’s another bar down the street.”
“Perfect.” I hook her arm in mine and let her lead the way.