Chapter 8
Jacksonville, Oregon, is filled with men who have gold fever. A fine place for me to settle for a while. The El Dorado Saloon is comfortable, and the owner makes sure no one harms his girls. I know I could do worse. I only wish sometimes I could do better.
The cinnamon rolls had turned out perfectly, so there was that.
But she had spent way too much time wondering about what she should wear, which was very stupid, because she knew she had to look like herself.
Well, a more put-together version of herself.
She had momentarily toyed with the idea that she was going to need to buy new clothes, but no.
She was going to stick with the bedazzled, rhinestone look that she always favored.
Because that was who she was, and that was the woman who was running for mayor.
Outlaw ticket.
She didn’t know why she had been so confrontational with Flynn last night.
Maybe the same reason you ran from him in the bar …
It was all building. She’d felt embarrassed. Embarrassed when Austin had brought up the notion that there was something between her and Flynn, because she didn’t like to acknowledge it.
Because it made her feel small and afraid, and she wanted to run from it. But of course, that didn’t make any sense to Flynn.
Because when he looked at her, he saw the same woman everybody else saw.
The one she was pretending to be today.
She had on a white cowgirl hat, a fringed jacket, a white tank top, and white bedazzled jeans. Her boots were bright pink.
She had chosen lipstick to match, not even bothering with subtlety. Subtle had never been her grift.
Flynn had texted her that he would come pick her up in the morning, and she had decided not to argue with him. It really made more sense for the two of them to meet in town, but she supposed the optics of their rolling in together were better.
She had West drive her to the end of the long driveway with all of her signs, baked goods, and flyers. Along with a spangled tablecloth for the folding table that Millie was providing for them.
West gave her a sidelong look from the driver’s seat.
“You look good.”
“Thank you.”
“Am I going to have to vote?”
“Do you normally not?”
He shrugged. “I don’t give a shit what happens in this place. Not on that level.”
“You … you have to … West.”
Her brother was the definition of unbothered. Unless he chose to be. He was always one badly placed insult away from a bar fight. Or one disastrous affair away from one.
West really didn’t have a single fuck to give, and sometimes she found him to be a charming renegade, but currently, she found him annoying.
“Sorry, I’ve inherited Mom and Dad’s apathy for civic duty of any kind.”
“Well. Well.”
She really was going to have to talk to them about this. But every time she had seen her dad this week it had been for show rehearsals, and her run for mayor hadn’t come up.
“Oh, it’s come up,” West said, as if he was reading her mind.
“It has?”
“Several times.”
“Well, why didn’t they say anything to me?”
“Because you haven’t been around. You’ve been with Flynn.”
“Well, that’s my business, isn’t it?”
“For sure. You know we all live and let live.”
“Yeah. Sometimes too much. It might be nice to know my parents’ opinions on this major decision I’ve made.”
“You mean Flynn or do you mean running for mayor?”
Right. Because her family didn’t know that Flynn was a ruse.
“Both. Maybe it’s getting serious with him.”
West lifted a brow. “Is it?”
“No.”
Right then Flynn rolled up, and she could feel West’s tension increase.
“Oh, stop it,” she said. “It’s a bit rich coming from you. Also, it’s a bit rich that you care now.”
“It’s because he’s actually involved in your life. And you seem to be … hanging out with his family. Sex is one thing, Jessie, but relationships are another.”
“What would you know about relationships?”
He grinned. “Nothing. But I definitely worry about you being in one with the wrong idiot.”
“Let me worry about the idiot.”
“Sure.”
Poor West, he knew less about her than he thought. But then, he was in good company.
What really galled her about her discussion with Flynn last night was that he was closer to the truth than just about anybody. He had called her out. On the bit.
The persona that she was so dedicated to. He was the only person who seemed to realize that’s what it was, and he was the last person she wanted realizing that.
But the trouble with playing a game like this was there was no easy exit ramp. At a certain point, you were completely committed to playing a role, and what else could you do?
What else could you do?
She got out of the truck with as many things in her arms as possible. West grabbed a stack of signs and a tray of baked goods and followed her out, even though she was grumbling.
Flynn got out of the truck, went around to the passenger side, and opened the door. She stood there, clutching all her things, gazing up at him, willing him not to say anything about their fake dating. Willing him to … something.
“Looks like you’re all ready,” he said.
He looked up, and West was staring at him. She had never experienced her older brother being overprotective in this way.
He had always been pretty relaxed with the guys he thought she was seeing. But he definitely had his hackles up right now.
“I’m good,” she said, shoving her brother’s shoulder.
“Good to see you,” said Flynn.
“Yeah,” West returned. “Give your sister-in-law my regards.”
Flynn chuckled. “She can get them from you herself if she wants.”
“Take care of my sister.”
“Oh, West, your sister can take care of herself.”
Jessie climbed into the truck, and Flynn firmly closed the door behind her.
They exchanged a few more words that she couldn’t hear, and then Flynn opened the driver’s side and got into the truck. “I take it your brother doesn’t know that we’re not really sleeping together?”
“No,” she said.
“Why didn’t you tell them?”
“Because he was being a dick about it, so I didn’t want to give him the satisfaction of knowing that it wasn’t real.”
“Great. So if I end up getting my spine pulled straight out of my back, that would be why. Because of your pride.”
She also had a feeling that he might be referring to their interaction last night. And her pride.
“Yes,” she said, doing her best to sound cheery and not sincere at all, because he wasn’t going to make her break, not right before they met the public.
“I would’ve driven up to get you. West didn’t have to bring you down.”
“It’s fine.”
She felt allergic to the idea of his seeing her trailer.
She could live in a house somewhere else if she wanted to, but it didn’t make any sense.
It was a lot more logical for her to continue to stay on the family property and save money, but old habits and baggage clung tightly to her, and she didn’t want …
She didn’t want him finding out that she lived in a camper.
That she was weird. She didn’t want him to see her personal things. She didn’t want him to see her.
Because as long as people didn’t see you, they couldn’t really hurt you. If they didn’t know you, what could they say? What could they do?
“I’m sorry,” she said, feeling that they really had to clear the air or the day was going to be a disaster. “About last night. The thing is, we have to work together, and I don’t know how to do that if we’re …”
“What?”
“I can’t do physical stuff with you.”
“A level of connection will be inevitable—we’re pretending to be in a relationship. Which was your idea, I might add. You came to me. You wanted to do this and now you’re acting all put upon about it.”
“Well, I … underestimated some things,” she muttered.
“I can accept a truce,” he said.
“Great,” she said. “Truce.”
“All right, so now we have to focus on the fact that we are about to stare Danielle down for two hours.”
“How often do you see her?” she asked.
“In what capacity?”
“As … family. I mean, I got the impression from last night that it’s definitely complicated.”
“Yeah. It’s complicated. It might be easier if we were totally estranged, but we aren’t.
It’s more a weird, uncomfortable kind of competitiveness.
I think she doesn’t love the notion that her mom had sex with my dad.
Because honestly, if you know my mom, that’s kind of an insane thing.
She is the most buttoned-up … I dunno, she fits with them, you know?
She doesn’t make any sense with my dad. She doesn’t make any sense with me.
I’m completely and totally the odd one out. ”
“But you do see them.”
“Sometimes I go over for Thanksgiving. Christmas. Other holidays. I never lived there.”
“Oh. So you never really see her and this is the first time, and I’m traumatizing you.”
He laughed. “No. I went over on Memorial Day for barbecue. Didn’t do Fourth of July this year.
So I guess it’s been about four months since I’ve done anything with the family?
But we all stood around and made polite conversation.
Things are a little weird now that Danielle and Michael are together.
You know, the Michael who isn’t our brother. ”
“That was truly a bonkers decision on her part,” she said.
“It was. And now that I am related to Millie, the whole thing is even weirder, names aside.”
“Right.”
“I never wanted to be part of that family,” he said.
“And you don’t like them.”
“No. Especially not Danielle and Mike. My half brother, I mean. Though I don’t like him either.”
“So you’re not in contact with them but …”
“It’s just very complicated.”
She left it at that, because she didn’t know what else to say.
“Can you swing by Scallywag’s? I put in an order for a dispenser full of coffee, and one with hot water.”
“Sure.”