24
Jett
“Did Kelsey convince you to come to Spring Market this weekend?”
I nod at Jace’s question while nibbling my lip. “I’ve been told that it’s a rite of passage for becoming a citizen of this town. So, it sounds like I might not really have a choice.” Picking up a fry and pointing it at him, I continue. “Although I have to say—I am not excited about being thrown into the deep end with the entire town’s population.”
Jace nods along as he dries off the glasses he just washed. The bar is exceptionally quiet today, especially for a Thursday evening, but I don’t mind. It means I don’t feel quite so uptight. And since I promised Noah I would do my best not to drink away my problems after last weekend’s fiasco, Jace is supplying me with soda and french fries until I get bored and decide to go home. Probably not going to happen any time soon, since I have my Kindle out and am reading a steamy cowboy romance where the rancher has his girl up against the side of the barn.
A hand on my shoulder has me jumping straight out of my skin, my tablet tumbling to the short counter behind the bar. When I look up from where it landed—luckily out of any liquids —Kelsey is standing there, her hands raised in defense, eyes wide in shock.
“Sorry,” I mutter.
“I did not mean to make you do that. I said your name a few times, but you were in your own world,” she says apologetically.
I shake my head. “Not your fault. You know I get lost in here,” I say, tapping my temple to indicate my brain.
“Ooh, which one are you reading now? Is it spicy?”
We realized the other day during our discussion of our new business venture that we share a love of romance novels. I know my cheeks are red at her question; I’ve always gotten embarrassed when people ask what I am reading. I know I shouldn’t. Everyone is entitled to enjoy what they enjoy, regardless of the content.
As Kelsey slips behind the bar, retrieving my tablet for me, she glances at the screen. “Oh man, I’ve been wanting to read that! How is it?” she asks as she realizes it is Bailey Hannah’s debut novel.
“It’s really good. Austin is most definitely book boyfriend material.” I leave out any details, because I always hate when people spoil things for me. It could be some minor detail, but it is a detail I want to learn organically. And the trauma of the female main character should definitely be read without outside influence.
I also keep to myself that Austin is not who I picture in that barn scene. Heh. Not internal me fanning myself as I picture Noah Slater holding me against the barn up the road and whispering dirty things in my ear.
“Earth to Jett,” Kelsey says as she taps the counter in front of me with a beer glass.
As my eyes snap up to hers, she smiles. Always smiles on this woman, I swear.
“Lost you for a few minutes there. Thinking about anything worth sharing?”
And the blush is back. Damn. I shake my head no, but the corner of my lips tips up. “Nothing that would not embarrass us both if I voiced it. Especially with guys working here tonight.”
“Might you be fantasizing about a certain dark-haired, dark-eyed mechanic?”
“Shhh.” I almost throw my tablet back across the bar but settle for swatting innocently at her arm. Surely, everyone in this place can now see how red my face is.
“Oh, honey. No need to be embarrassed. We all know you two are together. Heck, Noah has flat out declared that you are off-limits to any other guy in Havenwood.”
“I’m sorry. What?” Surely, I heard her incorrectly.
“Don’t you give me that crap, Jett Taylor. That man is so smitten with you that I could strip in front of him and he wouldn’t even blink in my direction, because he only has eyes for you. Tell me you are not that dense.”
Flustered, I try to sift through my whirling thoughts. “We’ve been spending time together,” I say, wringing my hands in my lap now. “I may or may not have gone to meet his family a few weeks ago.”
The shattering of a glass has me and Kelsey glancing toward the other end of the bar, where Jace is cursing under his breath as he sweeps up the shards.
I cringe as I realize he was eavesdropping. “Going out on a limb and guessing Noah didn’t tell Jace about it.”
“Sometimes my twin likes to overstep,” she hollers over her shoulder, intentionally letting Jace hear before looking back at me. “Sometimes, Jace can be a little overbearing where his family is concerned. And Noah is definitely family. So are you, ya know.”
Jace slips back through the kitchen entrance and slides a plate of chicken fingers with a side of ranch in front of me.
“Your boyfriend said to feed you real food. Something about you getting too distracted to eat lately.”
I roll my eyes. “He’s such a worry wart.” And yet, I still dig into the food, because he’s right. I may or may not get too distracted to remember to fix three meals a day. Kelsey’s knowing smile draws a blush to my face, but I change the subject.
“So, Spring Market,” I say between bites of fried goodness. “What exactly am I supposed to expect aside from way too many people in too small of an area?”
Jace chuckles, but Kelsey shoots me a sympathetic glance. She may be the most over joyous individual I have ever met, but she also understands me about as well as McKenna always has. She is quickly worming her way into my—very tiny—circle of trust.
“It really isn’t that bad,” she offers, as if she is trying to excuse the town from something. It just seems like she thinks the town itself is why I am struggling with the idea of going. And maybe it is.
“I don’t do crowds.”
“We know,” the twins say in unison.
Usually, a response like that toward one of my quirks would set me on edge. And yet, with these guys—much like with Noah—I don’t feel a need to defend myself or offer excuses. They know I struggle with daily tasks that put me around new people. They know I zone out, but they don’t get irritated with me when it happens. They know to be direct if they want me to understand something the first time around.
It is in this moment I realize Jace is right there with Kelsey in slipping behind the iron-clad walls I have built around my heart.
My eyes dart left as I try to wrangle the sudden bubble of emotion settling in my chest. After a moment, I take a staggered breath and start the conversation back up.
“I just need a breakdown of what to expect. Events, when to be where, where to avoid. All the things.”
Jace steps away to tend to a few patrons that have slipped in, so Kelsey answers me. “Everything kicks off at ten. Booths from all the shops in town followed by a chili-making contest. Buck’s deer chili almost always wins. Then at three, fun events start happening down at the Flynn’s place. There is a fun jackpot-style barrel race that’s mostly teenagers. Then we hook up the four wheelers to sleds, wet down the arena, and see who can hold on the longest.”
My eyes widen as I try to imagine what she is describing. “That sounds more than a little dangerous.”
“Oh, it is. But it is so much fun. So freeing.”
“You have fun with that.” I laugh. The things small town people do for fun.