28. Chapter 28
Chapter 28
James
“H ey, man, where’s your head at today?”
I looked over at Jesse, who had paused in caulking the shower door to stare at me. “Sorry, just feeling distracted. Did you need something?”
He shook his head, amused. “I was asking if the rumors were true that you and Jack blew the roof off the Thirsty Beaver last night.”
Smirking, I continued to work on screwing in the brass light fixture Lizzie had chosen over the sink. “Exactly who’d you hear that rumor from?”
“Jack.”
We both laughed, but my mind returned to last night, still alternating between moments of absolute joy in thinking about my girlfriend—and dread over watching Denise Kinney take in every moment of it.
It had been a great night, up until then. Everyone had been in good spirits, and Lizzie— God, Lizzie. Her actual performance during karaoke had been the icing on the cake, and even now I couldn’t help smiling at her rendition of the boy bander classic.
Watching her up on that stage—relaxed, goofy and carefree, despite anything that may have been weighing her down—well, it made me never want to look away. She looked so radiant, so happy .
More than anything, I knew without a doubt that I would do damn near anything to make sure she always felt that way.
But then I’d spotted fucking Denise Kinney, looking on like a predatory hawk from her barstool perch. She’d been surrounded by her clan of Cabin Cougars—how most of us referred to the handful of middle-aged, upper-class women from the area all rumored to treat Lake Elska’s summer season like their own personal buffet of man meat. Most were also married, but half of their husbands were just as bad—Joe Kinney, one of the worst.
And every single one of them thought their status made them untouchable. It was disgusting.
But it wasn’t that I was worried about Denise wanting another go at me like she had before. Instead, the look on her face when she saw me with Lizzie made me realize she might still be harboring some bitterness, considering I’d used the excuse of ‘professional boundaries’ with her. And knowing what the Kinneys were capable of, it could make life a whole lot messier if she decided to act on it.
And I couldn’t let anything happen to what I had with Lizzie. I’d do anything to protect it and her.
For the time being, though, it would be smart to keep a lower profile. Lizzie and I had been planning to run over to Heartwood for dinner later on, but maybe I’d see if she minded doing dinner here at her place instead. Prevent the possibility of running into Denise again so soon or exposing Lizzie to unnecessary stress.
Because she didn’t deserve any of it.
Glancing over, I noticed Jesse had paused in his work, focused now on his phone screen, brow furrowed.
“Anything wrong?”
Jesse looked up, the worry evident on his face. “Look, I didn’t want to tell you, seeing as we are so close to the end of Lizzie’s reno… but I might need to take a day or two off. It’s Tara.”
I felt my heart quicken. “What’s going on with Tara?”
Tucking his phone back into his pocket, he sighed. “Her doctor is concerned about both her and the baby. We already knew it was going to be more of a high-risk pregnancy anyway, because of her thyroid issues. But it seems like things are flaring up worse. Being on her feet all day at the clinic isn’t helping things.”
“Ok, so what can they do to help her? She’s still got like three months or so left of her pregnancy, right?”
“They want her to go on bedrest, take an early leave. If she doesn’t, they said she could lose the baby or have other complications.” Jesse’s usually happy face was solemn. “And I’m not willing to risk either one.”
Tara had been a registered nurse for the past six years and loved her job—but it had taken her and Jesse a few years to finally get pregnant. Hearing this news must’ve been a tough pill to swallow.
“Jesus,” I said, running a hand through my hair. “I’m sorry, man. Will the clinic work with you guys on it?”
“Oh, they’ll hold her job and just bring in a locum to cover things while she’s out; that part isn’t a problem. But her current benefits will only cover sixty percent of her pay for eight weeks total. Whether it’s bedrest or her maternity leave, that’s the max.”
“Shit, that’s not even going to get her through the rest of her pregnancy, much less any time after the baby comes.”
“Yep.” Jesse shrugged, and I could see the stress written all over him. Between his career shift and a post-pandemic freeze on pay increases at the clinic, I knew things had been tight for them for a while. And I planned on giving Jesse a raise as soon as we completed Lizzie’s renovation, along with every upcoming project. I could easily afford it, and he was family. He was worth it. They both were.
But I also knew I could do a lot more than that.
“Listen, I want to help.”
“No.”
“Jesse…”
“I mean it.” His tone was sharp, in a way I rarely heard it. “This is why I didn’t even really want to fill you in on what was going on. I knew you’d try and give us money. But I’ve got it.”
“I know you do. But the money would make it easi—”
“James, I don’t fucking need your pity.”
“This isn’t pity, man, I swear. I’ve got resources to share… and, you’re family.”
“Yeah, well, this is my family. And I know how to take care of them. Just worry about yourself, alright?” Jesse’s eyes blazed, his fist balled at his side. “All I need from you is a day off to help get Tara settled at home.”
The anger in him rattled me—I couldn’t remember the last time I’d seen him like this. I was quiet for a moment as we stared at one another. “Of course, whatever you need.”
“Thanks.” Jesse turned away to continue his work on the shower, and I knew it was his way of putting a cap on the issue. I tried to refocus on what I’d been working on, but my head wasn’t in it. A few minutes later, he spoke again. “I’m done here…. I’ll clean up and head home.” But he clearly wasn’t asking. And before I could even think to respond, he was gone.
I stood in the silence of that room for a long time after he left, thinking about Jesse, and Denise—and for what seemed like the millionth time, how money seemed to do nothing but cause problems.