11. Chapter 11
Chapter 11
James
“O k, so spill it. There’s gotta be some big reason why you dragged us out here tonight, James.”
I’d texted the guys earlier in the day about meeting for dinner at Dearing Creek’s finest—and only—steakhouse, Loon’s Landing. I knew Jesse was already suspicious as to what was going on—seeing as I had stopped showing up for work. Based on his texts, all he knew was what Rick had told him—he’d caught me meeting with Denise Kinney early yesterday morning, and that I’d left with my tool bag shortly thereafter.
And nobody had seen or heard from me since.
I smirked at Jack across the table. “Why, you got somewhere better to be?”
“Actually, not this time,” he said, grinning. “Marty and I were planning to grill up some brats tonight, but I told him I needed a night out with my boys instead.” Jack had been staying with his father at the old house since he’d moved back to Dearing Creek a week ago, but their roommate situation was only temporary—he’d already been working with a realtor to scout out a property somewhere near my place, west of Lake Elska.
He and his dad had a complicated history, thanks to Marty’s past alcoholism—which led to his parents’ divorce when Jack and his sister Lacey were just kids. And while they’d mended fences several years ago after Marty sobered up for good, both men needed their own space.
“Well, I, for one, will be going home to a pissed-off pregnant wife,” Jesse cut in, setting down his beer as he wiped the foam from his upper lip. “But I told her I needed to find out what James is up to, since he refuses to give me a straight answer over the phone.”
“Relax, man. I wanted to break the news to you in person.” I took a breath to steady my heart rate— why was I feeling so damn anxious? “So, I met with Mel on Tuesday morning.”
“And? Are you finally talking to him about a promotion? God knows you’ve been there forever…”
“No. I quit, actually.” I picked up the oatmeal stout I’d ordered, taking a sip. “Mmm, this is good… have you two tried this one yet?”
“Hold up, did you seriously just try to divert our attention with your questionable taste in beer?” Jack shook his head, raising a hand to flag down the server.
I shrugged. “What? It’s a really good beer.” I took another swig to hide my smile, but it was more to calm my nerves than anything, considering I was about to reveal the other piece of my news.
Our server, Tina—an old classmate from high school—arrived at our table with a smile. “You boys ready to order?”
His expression suggesting I’d officially gone insane, Jesse finally looked away, glancing down at his menu. “I’ll take the steakhouse special burger with mushrooms, garlic mashed and a side salad, please.”
I set my menu on top of his. “I’ll take the same.”
“What the hell… I will as well.”
“Oh, and another round of drinks, please, Tina.” Grinning, she nodded, walking off towards the kitchen. Turning my attention back to the guys, I noticed Jesse was still staring at me. “What?”
“Nope, you don’t get to say ‘what’ , not after dropping a bomb like that.” Jesse paused, then lowered his voice. “Was this about the other day in the shower with Denise Kinney?”
“Wait, you saw that?”
Jack’s eyes bugged out of his head, holding a hand to his mouth to stifle his shocked laughter. “Holy shit, man…”
Jesse shrugged. “I wasn’t watching, but I heard it. I thought she might try to pull something with the way she’d been eyeing you the last few weeks. Especially with Joe being out of sight this week.” He motioned towards his phone, laying on the table. “I recorded your conversation. Even with the door shut, you can still hear most everything.”
“Wait… exactly what did you do with Denise in the shower?”
I glared at Jack. “Keep it down, man.” Then I leaned back in my seat with a sigh. “Like Jesse said, she’d been giving me a bad vibe for a while. That day, she asked me to take a look at her shower head… Anyway, she had me cornered.”
“Was her ‘shower head’ up to code, then?”
“Knock it off, Jack. I’m being serious here.”
But Jesse was nodding, now looking serious as well. “So let me guess… she threatened to turn it around on you with Mel to get you fired?”
“Yeah, basically. So, I got ahead of it myself and told Mel everything. Quitting on my own was just the better solution all around. He wasn’t happy about it, though.”
“Course not, you’re practically family to the guy,” Jesse said, shaking his head. “I’m really sorry, man. Fucking Kinneys.”
“Thanks. Over and done with.”
Jack eyed me. “I’m sorry, too. You didn’t deserve any of this.”
“Didn’t deserve what?”
I tensed at the interruption, praying the voice didn’t belong to who I knew it did. Sure enough, Luke Hardon had paused next to our table, decked out in a suit with his typical air of ‘God’s gift’ surrounding him. Another guy that I didn’t recognize stood just behind him, looking on curiously.
“This conversation is none of your business, Hardon.” I gritted my teeth as I said it, keeping my eyes locked on his.
Luke, however, seemed unaffected. “Come on, just trying to be friendly, Tate,” he said, returning my gaze with a smile. Then he glanced back at the man standing behind him. “I went to high school with these guys. And gentlemen,” he said, turning back to us, “this is a good friend of mine, Sam Lennon.”
Jesse gave the pair a quick smile. “Nice to meet you, Sam.”
“Yeah, welcome.” Jack gave a small wave.
I said nothing, staring sullenly at my traitorous friends until I finally sighed. Fuck, I was letting that guy get in my head, just like I always had. Of course, it was with good reason. But that didn’t give me permission to be rude to his companion.
“Hey.”
Sam gave me a quick smile and nod, sensing the tension.
It’s not like it was much of a secret, anyway. Everyone from around here knew Luke Hardon and I had butted heads for most of our lives—starting from the moment I became a resident of Dearing Creek over twenty-five years ago.
And even though the Hardon family reigned over the neighboring town of Heartwood, our two small communities shared a school system—so he and his brothers had been a constant presence in my life.
But only Luke had decided it was his job to make my life hell. I could still hear his voice echoing down the hallways of LakeView Middle School, piercing through me worse than a dagger ever could—though I never let it show.
“Poor James, his own parents wouldn’t even stick around for him… what a loser…”
“So, anyway, what are you men up to tonight?”
I yanked my mind out of the memories I’d rather forget, giving present-day Luke a stony look. “What does it look like?”
Jesse muttered under his breath, “Dude, don’t…”
I held up a hand, forcing a smile onto my face as I looked back to Luke. “Please, don’t let us hold you up from your dinner. Why don’t you move along and enjoy your night?”
Luke paused, looking for a moment like he wanted to say something, but instead gave a quick tip of the head to the table before the two men walked away.
Jack leaned across the table, his voice low. “You have to stop letting Luke Hardon rile you up. I told you, he’s not the same asshole he was back in high school.”
“Yeah, well… he hasn’t given me any reason to think otherwise,” I said, giving my friend a look. “Anyway, doesn’t matter. I’m fine, as long as he stays out of my way.”
But I knew Jack was right. The past may have made it impossible for me to forgive Luke Hardon or the rest of the rich assholes he was related to—but letting him get under my skin accomplished nothing.
“Ok, let’s just forget Luke and get back to the conversation,” Jack said, leaning back again. “You quit Aaronson Construction. What now?”
I took a breath, working to hold back a smile. “Well, that brings me to the second part of my news…”
Jesse paused, his pint glass halfway to his lips. “Wait, you don’t mean…”
“Horizon Remodeling is officially open for business, boys.”
Jack let out a whoop, slapping me on the arm. “Yes! It’s about damn time. Congrats!”
Jesse was grinning. “I’m really happy for you, man. Seriously.”
I smiled at my friends, feeling the tension in my gut finally begin to dissipate. “Thanks. It took me a while, but… I’m finally ready.”
“So, I assume you finally dipped into the inheritance, then, for seed money?” Jack kept his voice light, but both he and Jesse knew how much I’d resented that money—how bitter I still felt towards the man who’d left it for me.
I nodded. “I did. But I’m still not looking to make it known around here that I have it, ok?”
“Of course not. You don’t need to worry about any of that.” Jesse’s eyes were sincere, and I was grateful—but ready to change the subject.
“Thanks. Anyway, tomorrow I’ll be picking up a bunch of equipment and supplies I had on order. And then, I’ll be needing some crew so I can start drumming up some business…” I glanced at Jesse, not bothering to hide my smile this time.
“Damn it, James… you better not be messing with me…”
“What d’ya say, brother?” And as I waited for his response, I noticed my friend had tears in his eyes.
“You already know I’m in. All the way, until the end.” He reached over to place a hand on my forearm—after a beat, Jack did the same.
“You’ve got my support, too. Any financial advice you need, figuring out profit-and-loss statements, business projections, you know I’ve got your back.”
I smiled at him gratefully. “Thanks. But just so you know, this doesn’t mean that you’re losing my help on your fishing charter venture. I’m still here for anything you need, got it?”
“Oh, I’m not worried. I know where to find you, brother.” He grinned. “Look at us… The Three Js, taking Dearing Creek by storm once again.”
Jesse grinned. “They won’t know what hit ‘em.”
The three of us laughed, settling back as Tina returned to the table with our meals. As we fell into excited conversation and making plans, I felt lighter, more hopeful than I had in a long time.
This was my chance to clear out the cobwebs and finally forge ahead.
And I wasn’t about to fuck it up this time.