Chapter 43
CHAPTER FORTY-THREE
Olivia
The crisp winter air feels refreshing, even though my fingers are a bit cold as I work the espresso machine.
I’m getting used to the quiet rhythm of the truck, the steady flow of customers, the buzz of the coffee beans grinding, and the occasional chatter of the town’s folks.
Coyote Glen is starting to feel like home, even if I’m still figuring out my place here.
I love these little moments, where everything seems to fall into place.
I’m in the middle of steaming milk when I hear the sound of boots crunching in the snow, the rhythmic jingle of keys, and an unmistakably confident voice.
“Hey,” the guy says, leaning against the side of the truck with a relaxed grin. His voice is smooth, like he’s used to people hanging on his every word. “You have any of that magic in a cup?”
I glance up, my eyes meeting a pair of striking, confident blue ones. His face is familiar, though I can’t quite place it at first. It’s one of those faces you see on a magazine cover or maybe on a poster at a concert venue.
He's tall, with an effortless coolness about him, wearing a leather jacket and a cocky smile that could probably melt the polar ice caps.
“Magic, huh?” I raise an eyebrow, a teasing smile on my lips as I wipe my hands on the apron. “What, like… an espresso with extra charm?”
He laughs, and there's something genuine in it that makes me feel more at ease. “Exactly what I’m looking for.” He holds up his guitar. “I need some festive inspiration.”
“Are you a musician?”
He nods. “Yeah. Roman West… musician.” He laughs. “So, what’s your best drink? Something that’ll make me forget I’m a rock star for a few minutes?”
“Ha,” I laugh. “I could do that. How about a flat white? Not too fancy, but it'll take you to a whole new level of bliss.”
Roman grins, his eyes glinting with a touch of mischief.
“You’re confident. I like that.” He nods toward the machine. “Flat white it is.”
“Are you her?” Both Roman and I stare at the sharp-eyed woman with her hands on her hips, glaring at us. I didn’t even hear her walking up! “Are you the woman Jesse left me for?”
Uh oh.
I’ve heard about Jesse’s ex, Vanessa, but I didn’t know I’d be confronted about her.
Gossip about her is right. She is intimidating.
Roman mumbles something under his breath as he grabs his coffee and backs off. Good for him, he can escape.
I’m stuck here, staring at her.
“I…” I swallow hard. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
She gives me a look that could freeze fire. “Jesse was my guy first. And now, here you are, just waltzing in, trying to play house. How cute. You really think you’re going to get something different from what I did?”
“Erm…”
I feel the blood rush to my face. I’m not sure if it’s anger or just pure disbelief. I wish I had a snappy comeback for her, but I’m at a loss.
She scoffs, stepping closer. “I saw you two at the Lantern Walk. Don’t think I didn’t notice. All cozy and cute, like some perfect little couple.”
I shake my head as my eyes dart above her head. Yep, people are staring. Of course they are. If I were in their position, I’m sure I would be looking too.
“You think you’re special, don’t you?” she continues, dripping with disdain. “You think Jesse cares about you? Please. He doesn’t care about anything. He’s the same with you as he was with me. A moment of distraction, and then he moves on to the next. And trust me, I’ve seen it all before.”
I try to keep my cool, but the way she’s speaking about him… it makes me sick.
It’s like she doesn’t know him at all. Or worse, she thinks she knows him. But he isn’t like that with me. I’ve seen no sign of him being an ass.
“You’re just a rebound, honey,” Vanessa continues, lowering to a venomous whisper.
“He’ll get bored. He always does. And when he does, you’ll be the one left picking up the pieces, just like me.
” She crosses her arms, her eyes narrowing as she watches me.
“I can see it already. He’s probably already thinking about his next distraction.
Because that’s what Jesse does best: ruin women and leave them in pieces. ”
I try to keep my composure, but I can feel my jaw tightening, my grip on the counter white knuckled.
Her words sting. Hell, they tear at something inside me that I don’t like to think about.
It’s hard to keep my mouth shut, but I’m sure Bill Granger is loitering, listening in, and I think Dottie might be behind him.
If this gets out, nothing will be sacred anymore.
“Please… go…” I just about manage to pant out.
“You think I don’t know what I’m talking about? Jesse’s not a good guy, Olivia.”
Please stop it.
I slide my eyes closed, but she isn’t going anywhere.
“He’s just like every other man who’s ever used me. You think it’s different? You think he’s going to change for you? Please. You’re just another one of his projects."
I try to silently glare at her, to communicate with my eyes that she needs to go.
“You’ll see. You’ll feel it when he starts to gaslight you. Starts to make you feel like you’re in a real relationship with him when you aren’t.”
“Enough,” I declare, but clearly not loud enough.
“Do you know how long he played me for?” Oh, she is loving the attention. The more people who look at her, the louder Vanessa gets. “It might as well have been forever.”
I bite my bottom lip, doing everything I can to keep the words inside.
“It would have hurt less if he’d just ripped my heart out, honestly. At least then I wouldn’t have to be in all this pain. Jesse basically trampled all over me anyway…”
“Stop it!” I cut her off, louder than I mean to, the words tumbling out before I can stop them. “You have no idea what you’re talking about. Jesse’s nothing like that!”
I feel the eyes of the crowd boring into me now. Too many people are listening now, and it’s hard to ignore the heat of it all. But I can’t hold back anymore.
“You don’t know him. Clearly, you don’t know him.” I throw my hands in the air in frustration. “If that’s what you’re saying about him, then I would suggest you never knew him. Not like I do.”
The words hang in the air, a defiant banner, and I realize, too late, that I’ve just given too much away. The quiet tension in the air shrouds me, and suddenly it seems the whole town knows more than they should.
They’ve heard me. They’ve listened to my defense of Jesse. They’ve heard how much I believe in him. And that is a kind of confession.
Vanessa stands there, her expression unreadable. I see the flicker of satisfaction in her eyes, like she’s won something, even though I’m the one shaking.
“Watch your back, Olivia,” she says coldly. “Jesse’s not who you think he is.”
I watch her walk away, but my heart is still pounding. The crowd slowly dissipates, but I know this isn’t over. The rumor mill will start turning, and the whispers will follow me like shadows.
Fuck.
Vanessa’s words still feel like a slap across the face as I turn back to the espresso machine, trying to put everything back in its place.
My hands are shaking, and I’m fairly certain that if I hold onto this counter any longer, it will splinter under the pressure of everything building inside me.
But before I can take a breath and find my center, the crowd around me stirs. They’re waiting for the next big thing to happen.
“Two hot chocolates. One with extra marshmallows,” Bill says as he hands me a note. “Everything okay with you, Olivia?”
I force a smile and nod. It probably looks like I’m sucking on a lemon, but I try. “Sure, Bill, coming right up.”
My eyes flick past him to catch the curious glances of the town’s other spectators. Dottie is leaning against the window, arms crossed, looking like she might explode with gossip excitement.
I try to focus on the milk, my hands moving on autopilot. But the voices keep getting louder, a low buzz of murmurs and whispers I can’t ignore.
I need to tell the guys. To inform them of what happened so we can plan accordingly. But the queue is lengthening by the second. I don’t think I’m getting away any time soon.
I pull my phone out of my pocket and, with a glance at the ever-growing line, I type a hasty text to the group:
Olivia: Vanessa just tore me apart in front of everyone. I need to talk. ASAP.
I hit send, feeling the weight of those words struck me like a punch. This isn’t how I wanted to handle things, but right now, it’s all I can do.
The replies come in almost immediately, but none of them is the comfort I was hoping for.
Jesse: What happened? Are you okay? I take it this was about me…
I hesitate for a moment, but I’m not going to lie to him. Not now. I type back quickly:
Olivia: Yeah, it was about you, alright. But the worst part is that people heard, and I’m worried about gossip and rumors.
Karl: What did she say? Where are you?
Olivia: She said enough to make everyone think they’ve got it figured out. I’m not sure where to go from here, Karl.
Leo: Stay where you are. We’ll figure it out. We can’t get away from work right now, but we’ll talk after.
I stare at Leo’s text for a long moment. We’ll talk after. That doesn’t exactly solve anything. But it’s all they can offer right now. I swallow hard and type back:
Olivia: We need to be careful. Who knows who the gossip will get to, and how much it will spiral out of control.
I don’t even know if that’s what I want. Part of me wants them to come here, to take me out of this town and away from the gossip, away from all of it. But that’s not realistic. Not right now.
Jesse: We’ll keep it between us. Don’t worry. Just focus on getting through today.
Karl: Yeah, we got this. Just keep your head down. We’ll handle it.
I nod, even though none of them can see me. It’s not a solution, but it’s the best I can hope for right now.
I need to get through today with my head held high.
I can do that, right?
Right?
The end of the day finally comes, and I’m so ready to close the truck.
The last few hours have been a blur of polite smiles and forced pleasantries as I try to ignore the chatter and whispers, just getting through the shift.
But Vanessa’s words have been gnawing at me all damn day.
I’m exhausted. Mentally, physically, emotionally.
I lock the truck door behind me and breathe in the sharp, cold air.
It’s the kind of night that makes your breath visible, each puff a reminder that I’m still here, still standing even if the world around me feels a little too loud right now.
The streets are quieting down, but the town is still alive with those twinkling Christmas lights that everyone seems so fond of.
Pine and cinnamon still linger in the air, a hint of hot cocoa around every corner, but I can’t get into it. Not tonight.
I hear footsteps crunching in the snow behind me, and I don’t need to turn around to know who it is. Jesse’s voice, deep and warm, cuts through the night.
“Livvy.”
I turn to face him, and there he is, standing in the cold, wearing that look of quiet concern. I want to brush it off, to tell him I’m fine, but we both know that’s not true.
He isn’t alone. It seems that Karl and Leo have arrived as well.
“We’re walking you home.”
I open my mouth to protest because I don’t want to be a burden, but I swallow the words before they can come out. What’s the point in arguing? I need them right now—more than I want to admit.
“We need to know everything that happened today,” Karl insists, linking his arm through mine. “So, we can work out what to do next.”
I roll my eyes. “No revenge. You know I don’t want that.”
Leo practically growls. “Well, she’s a real piece of work.”
“I know,” I agree. “She said terrible things about you, Jesse.”
Jesse’s steps slow, and I feel his presence beside me. He says nothing for a moment, and I can almost hear the gears turning in his head.
“Liv…” he starts, “I don’t know why she’s even back in the picture. Honestly, we were never really together. I don’t even think we were ever close to being a couple. It was more like a situationship, you know? We hooked up a few times, but it never went anywhere.”
I glance up at him, my brow furrowing. “So, she’s been acting like you two were serious?”
“Yeah,” he scoffs, the frustration evident in his voice.
“That’s what’s so weird. She got a boyfriend after that whole thing ended.
And honestly? I thought that was the end of it.
She moved on, and I moved on. It’s like…
we were both just killing time or something.
But now, she’s back, causing trouble for me. And I have no idea why.”
I nod slowly. “Well, she might have achieved that. Because now people are suspicious.”
“Which means everyone might know soon.” Jesse sighs. “We need to figure out how to handle that.”
He doesn’t say Ivy, but we both know who he means. And honestly, I don’t think either of us is prepared to bring her into this yet. But we might not have a choice in the matter.