Chapter 13
Chapter Thirteen
Ever
The clock on the wall ticked toward ten.
Five minutes.
Five minutes until I could lock the doors, clean the last of the mess, and go home to my big, empty house where I would absolutely not think about Jude.
Not even a little.
I dragged the scoop through a tub of chocolate ice cream, rolling it into a perfect round before dropping it into a dish and sliding it across the counter to the last customer.
“Have a good night,” I said with a smile that came easy.
That part of me never struggled.
Customer Service Ever? She had her life together. She knew what to say, how to say it, and how to make everything feel normal.
It was everything outside of that that got… complicated.
The bell over the door jingled.
I didn’t think much of it at first. We still had a few minutes before closing. It wasn’t unusual for someone to slip in last minute, hoping for a quick cone or shake before we flipped the sign.
“Welcome—” I started, turning toward the door, and stopped.
Jesse.
He stood just inside the doorway, one hand still on the handle, a small smile pulling at his mouth like he already knew he was about to get a reaction out of me. And I did react.
I smiled because I was happy to see him.
That part was real.
“Hey,” I said, stepping closer to the counter.
“Hey yourself,” he replied, walking toward me.
He moved easy. Confident. Not flashy, not trying too hard. Just… steady. Like he knew who he was and didn’t need to prove it to anyone.
That should’ve done something to me.
Something big.
Something noticeable.
But it didn’t. Not the way it did when someone else walked into a room.
I shoved that thought away before it could fully form.
Nope, not doing that when Jesse was standing right in front of me.
Jesse leaned his forearms on the counter, looking at me like I was the only thing worth paying attention to in the room.
“You miss me?” he asked, voice low, a hint of teasing in it.
I huffed out a small laugh. “You’ve been gone, what, four days?”
“Felt longer,” he said.
That was… smooth.
I smiled again, tucking a piece of hair behind my ear. “How was your trip?”
He shrugged one shoulder, like it hadn’t been anything worth talking about. “Good. Saw some old friends.”
“That’s nice,” I said. “Where’d you go?”
“Out of town.”
I waited. That was it. That was all he gave me.
“Out of town,” I repeated.
“Yeah.”
Okay then. Cool.
I grabbed a rag and wiped down the already clean counter just to have something to do with my hands. “What did you guys do?” I asked, trying again.
“Just hung out. Caught up.”
Another dead end.
I glanced up at him, studying his face for a second. He didn’t look uncomfortable. Didn’t look like he was hiding something. Just… not offering anything. Which was… weird.
“Sounds fun,” I said anyway.
“It was,” he replied easily.
Silence stretched for a second, but it didn’t feel awkward to him.
To me?
A little.
“So,” he said, shifting slightly, “everything good while I was gone?”
“All good,” I said. I should have told him about my tire, but I kept that to myself. “Just getting ready to close in five minutes.”
“Good,” he said. “I just wanted to see you,” he added.
That should’ve made my heart do something.
Skip.
Flip.
Anything.
I smiled at him. “Well, here I am.”
He reached out, resting his hand lightly on the counter, fingers tapping once like he was thinking. “You want to do something soon?” he asked.
“Sure,” I said easily and with no hesitation. I was still holding out hope that this thing with Jesse was what I needed and not Jude.
This was normal. This was what I was supposed to want.
“Tomorrow?” he asked.
“I work,” I said. “Twelve to six.”
He nodded. “Then after?”
“After works.”
“Alright,” he said. “I’ll swing by.”
Lark’s voice cut in from behind me. “Time to flip the sign,” she said, already moving toward the door.
Jesse glanced over his shoulder, then back at me. “I’ll let you get to closing,” he said. “Like I said, I just wanted to see you.”
There it was again.
“Okay,” I said softly. “I’m glad you did.”
He gave me one last look, something a little more focused in his eyes than before, then pushed off the counter and headed for the door.
Lark flipped the sign to “Closed” as he stepped out.
She leaned against the door, watching through the glass as Jesse walked to his bike, started it, and pulled away.
Then she turned around and squealed. “He just wanted to see you!” she whisper-yelled, bouncing on her toes.
I laughed, grabbing the container of dirty scoops from under the counter.
“Why aren’t you jumping up and down and happy?” she demanded, following me behind the counter.
“I am happy,” I said.
Which was true.
I was.
Just… not in the way she expected.
Lark crossed her arms, tilting her head at me like she was trying to figure out a puzzle. “That wasn’t ‘I’m happy,’” she said. “That was ‘I’m pretending I’m happy.’”
I snorted, setting the scoops in the sink and turning on the water. “I’m realistic.”
“Uh-huh,” she said slowly. “Do you like him?”
“Yes,” I answered immediately. Too immediately.
Lark’s brows lifted. “Okay,” she said. “You said that like you were answering a multiple-choice question you didn’t study for.”
I rolled my eyes, grabbing the soap. “I like him.”
She hummed, unconvinced. “Does this have anything to do with Mr. Free Milkshakes?” she asked.
I laughed, shaking my head. “No.”
Earlier, I had told her everything.
About the flat tire.
About Jude showing up.
About him refusing my money and somehow walking away with a deal for unlimited milkshakes instead.
She had been way too excited about that part.
“I like Jesse,” I said, more evenly this time. “I just don’t want to get myself too hyped up.”
Lark made a small hmph noise but didn’t push it. Which, coming from her, was basically a miracle. “Fine,” she said. “Be realistic.”
“I will.”
We fell into the rhythm of closing.
Lights dimmed.
Machines shut down.
Surfaces wiped.
The normal end-of-day routine was familiar.
Lark finished her side of things first and grabbed her purse. “I’m heading out,” she said. “Don’t stay too long.”
“I won’t.”
She paused at the door, looking back at me. “For what it’s worth,” she added, “he did come just to see you.”
“I know,” I said.
She nodded once and left.
The quiet settled in after her.
I finished the last of the cleaning, double-checked everything, and then walked to the front to lock up.
The click of the lock sounded louder than usual. Or maybe it just felt that way.
I grabbed my bag, turned off the remaining lights, and headed out the back to my car.
I slid into the driver’s seat and shut the door, sitting there for a second before starting the engine.
And then, because my brain hated me, I thought about earlier.
About Jude.
About the way he had followed me home.
About the way he had walked into my house like it was the most normal thing in the world.
About the way he had made sure I was safe.
Jesse hadn’t done that.
The thought hit before I could stop it.
Jesse had come to see me when he got back. That was good, and that mattered, but… he hadn’t been there when I needed help.
He hadn’t followed me home.
He hadn’t— “No,” I said out loud. I shook my head and gripped the steering wheel.
Nope.
Not doing that.
Jude wasn’t interested in me.
He had never been interested in me.
He was just being nice. Just helping.
I started the car and pulled out of the lot. “Focus on Jesse,” I muttered.
Because that was the smart choice and the right choice.
And I was going to stick to it.
I had to.