Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter
Twenty-One
Jacob
If there was one thing I could be grateful for, it was that today was Sunday.
The store was closed, which worked in my favor because I wouldn’t have had the energy to make it otherwise.
I’d been holed up in my house, going mindlessly through the motions.
My emotions ran hot and cold whenever I thought of Amariah, and the problem was that I was trying not to think of her.
I’d even avoided my mother’s calls because something told me that Mrs. Luke had already clued her in.
I didn’t want to hear my mother’s diplomatic logic, nor did I want her scolding me for skipping Sunday service.
Not today. Besides, I couldn’t have gone if I tried.
Since I didn’t get the opportunity to take Amariah out to dinner, I spent the night drowning my sorrows in the bottom of some Uncle Rufus’ whiskey.
It was either that or spend the night crying, and I refused to drop another tear over Amariah. Not again.
When I finally pulled myself out of bed and into the shower, it was because I was ready to talk.
I needed my guys and a strong cup of black coffee to fight this hangover headache.
Outside, the weather matched my melancholy.
Another three inches of snow had fallen overnight, and the cold felt like it seeped straight into the bone.
Hopefully, Oak instead, he turned, as if basking in the coffee shop’s ambiance.
As soon as our eyes connected, a smug smirk crossed his face, and he made a beeline toward me as if he were offered an open invitation.
“Hello, gentlemen,” Aaron greeted. He stretched out his hand. “Jacob, right?”
As if he doesn’t remember my name. This dude.
Reluctantly, I shook his hand. “Yes. Andrew, right?”
He chuckled. “No, it’s Aaron. Aaron Baker.” He glanced at the empty spot next to Koby. “Do you fellas mind if I join you?”
Bryce extended his arm to stop him from sitting. “Actually, we—”
I placed my hand on his arm and brought it down. “No. It’s all good. We can stay for a bit longer.” I gestured to the seat. “Please, sit.”
“Thank you,” he said cheerfully, sitting down. He stretched out his hand to Koby for a handshake, and he took it. “Aaron Baker. And you are?”
“Koby Thomas.”
When Aaron looked in Bryce’s direction, Bryce just tossed up his hand in a quick wave. “Bryce,” he said, not offering anything further.
“So how do you know Jacob?” Koby asked. I knew it was his attempt to see if Aaron offered the same information to them as he did to me.
“I don’t,” Aaron took a sip of his drink. “He’s a friend of my fiancé, Amariah Luke. You may know her.”
“Yeah, we know her. We all grew up together,” Bryce said, his voice indicating how uninterested he was in the conversation. “Fiancé, you say? That’s news.”
Aaron shrugged. “If you know Amariah, she’s private. I shouldn’t have let it slip, but I let the excitement get the best of me. She understood, though.”
“Yeah, that’s the thing about this town. As much as everyone knows each other’s business, we can keep the secrets that we especially don’t want to be known.” I couldn’t help the jab.
Aaron’s nostrils flared, but then his face straightened. “You know I’m really beginning to love this quaint town.”
“How long will you be in our quaint town?” Bryce chimed in.
He leaned back. “Well, I was supposed to leave today, but with this weather, I’ll be here a few days.”
“Shame.” I shook my head. “I know you were ready to go back to the city.”
“Hmph,” he scoffed, that same smug expression returning to his face. “Not really. I’m enjoying getting to know my future family and friends.” He eyeballed us. “Besides, as long as I’m with Amariah, I’m good.”
Koby was the first to pick up on the tick in my jaw and hurriedly intervened. “Well, we’d love to continue this chat, but we were headed out.”
Aaron nodded, gesturing his hands as if he were permitting us to leave. “Don’t let me stop you guys,” he said as we stood. “It was good to meet you. Hopefully, you’ll be able to attend our wedding.”
“Wedding?” Bryce reacted before he could stop himself.
Aaron laughed. “Yes. The ceremony that typically happens after you propose and she accepts. The wedding. I’d love it if all of you could come. Feels like we’re family already, especially with you working for my father-in-law and all.”
This cocky and disrespectful son of a… I halted the thought before this man made me lay down my religion.
I patted Aaron’s shoulder, gripping it more roughly than necessary.
The sight of him unsuccessfully trying to withhold the wince of pain gave me satisfaction, even if it was only temporary. “Good to see you again, Alex.”
Bryce tossed the tip on the table. “And if the invitation doesn’t get lost in the mail, we’ll be there.”
With that, we all chuckled watching Aaron massage his shoulder as we walked out of Oak & Bean. As soon as the door shut behind us, Bryce and Koby turned to me.
“Forget that clown. Make sure you talk to Amariah ASAP,” Koby advised me, and Bryce seconded his statement.
We all dapped each other before we parted ways. As I drove home, I was torn. I know what my mind told me, but my heart was tugging at the strings to see this through with Amariah. At this point, I wasn’t sure what would win out, love or anger.