3. Melissa
3
MELISSA
“ Y ou ready for this?” I asked, grinning as I got out of the car and pushed the door shut. “Bridget’s going to lose her mind.”
Jason leaned against the side of his truck and took in the decrepit majesty of Jokers. He had changed into a well-worn Navy t-shirt and a pair of jeans that looked soft enough to snuggle in.
“I know. She might kill me for not telling her I’m back.”
“Does your mom know you’ve retired, or are you gonna surprise her, too?”
His smile fell. “Nah. I—uh… I don’t keep up with her as much as I do with Bee.”
I reached over and squeezed his hand like I had in the hospital. “I’m sure whenever you decide to tell her, she’s going to be happy for you.”
His eyes lingered on my face. Did I forget to pluck that pesky hair on my chin again? The way Jason was looking at me had me fighting off goosebumps .
Needing to break his gaze, I fidgeted with my crossbody clutch, checking to make sure I had my debit card with me.
“You look nice,” he said.
I looked down at the burnt-orange romper I threw on after work. “You think so? I got this for a date I have this weekend. I’m taking it out for a test run.”
“Is your boyfriend gonna be here tonight?” he asked.
“Date,” I clarified. “Date singular . We matched on an app, and I agreed to dinner. We’ll see how things go.”
Jason’s tongue slid across the front of his teeth as he looked me up and down. “If you look like that, I guarantee it’ll go well.”
Was he flirting with me? I dismissed the notion. No way was Jason McGrath flirting with me. Twenty years could change many things, but it would never change the fact that I wasn’t girlfriend material.
I was just the girl next door. His buddy. His little sister’s best friend.
The one who knew her secrets.
“Come on,” I said as I hit the lock button on my key fob. “Let’s go scare the shit out of Bee.”
Jokers was bustling. It wasn’t out of the ordinary for a summer night. Still, the place was packed. The poker club was piled up on our side of the U-shaped bar. At the end of the bar, Bridget was hunched over talking to— Kyle.
“What the hell?” I muttered under my breath.
Kyle never came to girls’ night.
Anger flowed through my veins. I clenched my fists and forced myself to let out a breath to tamp down the desire to rip his balls off and choke him with them.
Kristin and Will—her fiancé—were huddled up talking to Steve and Erica. Maddie, Luca, Chase, Hannah Jane, and Isaac were in their own conversation. No one noticed that Jason and I had walked in.
I felt Jason stall behind me. The heat from his chest radiated against my back. He searched the bar for a moment before spotting Bridget. I looked up and watched as his face lit up like a lightbulb.
Chase was the first one out of the group to spot Jason. “Holy shit,” he muttered, wide-eyed, as he looked away from his conversation.
That got Bridget’s attention. She looked at Chase and then followed his gaze to Jason.
Jason had tears in his eyes. “Hey, Bumble Bee.”
“I forgot he’s why we started calling her Bee,” Maddie whispered.
“Oh my—” Bridget’s eyes widened, and she bolted from the bar to her brother. I stepped out of the way just in time. She jumped and wrapped her arms and legs around Jason like a koala bear clinging to a tree. “What the hell are you doing here?” she squealed through happy tears.
Kyle seethed as Jason spun Bridget around in a bear hug. Thoroughly displeased and jealous, he nearly knocked a stool over as he launched off the bar to beat the hell out of the man who had his hands on Bridget.
Chase smacked his hand against Kyle’s chest and shoved him back down onto a stool. Kyle reared up to retaliate, but Chase pinned him with a deadly glare. “That’s her brother, shit dick,” he growled. “Remember him?”
Kyle’s eyes flicked at me.
I raised an eyebrow, daring him to try me. Chase might be too amicable to punch him in the face, no matter how much he probably wanted to, but I wasn’t. It would’ve felt so good to break his nose and watch him cry like a little bitch .
“Yeah,” Kyle said as he elbowed Chase away from him. “I knew that. Now get your fucking hands off me before I press charges, Brannan.”
No love lost between those two.
With arms slung around each other, Jason and Bridget walked back to the group. “Y’all remember my brother, Jason, right?” Bridget said as she beamed proudly.
“Long time, no see,” Chase said, grinning as he pulled Jason into a bro hug. Once upon a time, those two had been thick as thieves.
Jason grinned. “Dude, it’s been fucking forever.”
Steve hopped off his barstool and repeated the gesture. “Welcome back, man. You just visiting or…”
“Nah, I’m out. Said goodbye to the Navy, and I’m moving on to greener pastures.” Jason turned and caught Maddie as she bolted at him. “Mad Dog! Damn, you haven’t changed a bit.”
Maddie laughed, her long white-blonde hair flying around them. “Just my last name. Welcome home.”
“So I heard. Congratulations, kid,” Jason said. “You gonna introduce me to the man stupid enough to marry your crazy ass?”
Luca came up behind Maddie and grinned as he shook Jason’s hand. “Luca DeRossi. Keeper of said crazy ass.”
“Jason McGrath. I’m Bee’s brother.”
Steve grabbed Erica’s hand and brought her into the circle. “Jase, this is my wife, Erica.”
One by one, Jason was introduced to the members of the poker club who hadn’t grown up with the rest of us: Luca, Erica, Kristin and Will, and Hannah Jane and Isaac.
The hellos turned into lively conversation as everyone got Jason up to speed on life in Beaufort. From the corner of my eye, I saw Kyle finish his drink and push away from the bar .
He shoved his way into the group and wrapped his arm around Bridget’s waist.
Jason stared at Kyle’s hand on Bridget and raised an eyebrow.
“Um,” Bridget stammered. “Jase, you remember Kyle Kingsley from high school, right?”
Jason cracked a smile. “Yeah. Sorry, I didn’t recognize you.”
Kyle put on a smarmy smile and waved it off. “No worries, man. I’m sure you were just excited to see Bridget. We’ve got plenty of time to catch up before the wedding.”
Jason choked on his tongue. “ Wedding ?”
Bridget bit her lip and held out her left hand, showing him the ring. “Kyle and I are engaged.” She let out a nervous breath and smiled up at her fiancé. “We’re getting married.”
Oh my damn.
Had Bridget not told Jason either? All hell broke loose when Kyle spilled the beans to the rest of us. Bridget had been mortified. We were shocked.
And Chase was… Hell, I didn’t know what Chase was. He disappeared for two days after it happened.
“I need a beer,” I muttered to Maddie.
“Girl,” she snickered, “There’s not enough alcohol in the damn state to get us through this. Might as well just go for the hard liquor.”
Hannah Jane grabbed my arm and Maddie’s and dragged us away from the corral. Erica and Kristin followed.
“So, she really didn’t tell anyone,” Maddie said quietly.
The rest of the boys followed Chase over to the pool tables. I would put big money on their game of stripes and solids being Chase’s idea.
Kyle’s arm was snaked around Bridget’s waist, and her hand was on his chest. They were snuggled up as they stood around and talked to Jason .
The whole scene made me sick to my stomach.
“Has anyone asked Bee why she kept it a secret?” Erica asked.
Five heads shook.
“You and Bee hang out all the time,” Kristin said, looking at me. “Did she tell you when he proposed?”
“No,” I clipped. “I found out when y’all did.”
Maddie ran her hand back through her hair and tossed it to the side. “I mean, Jase has been gone for a long time. But I thought they were closer than that.”
“Hey, y’all!” Bridget called from the bar. “Let’s do shots!”
The five of us exchanged mischievous grins before flocking to the bar to let loose.
“Nope, nope.” I waved my hands in front of my face when Bridget tried to coax me into another drink. “I’m switching to water.”
“Awww.” Bridget plopped down on a barstool and spun around. “You’re no fun.” She pointed to the booth where the boys— sans Kyle —were crammed in. “Go sit with the DDs if you’re gonna be a buzzkill.”
“Maybe you should switch to water, too,” I advised.
“Hell no!” Maddie whooped. “My sweet little Bumble Bee knows how to have a good time!” She plopped down on the barstool beside Bridget.
I looked at Luca and Jason for backup, but they simply raised their hands and shook their heads. Bridget started giggling and nearly tipped over. Maddie wrapped her arms around Bee and pulled her back onto the stool.
“Lord have mercy.” I shook my head as I squeezed into the booth beside Jason. “Mad and Bee, when they’re tipsy, are t-r-o-u-b-l-e. ”
“Not much has changed, then.” Jason chuckled as he stretched and draped his arm across the back of the booth. His fingertips grazed my shoulder, mindlessly tracing abstract shapes.
The boys and I started up a spirited game of up chickens, down chickens while Maddie, Bee, Hannah, and Kristin got another round of drinks.
Jason had just passed me the quarter when I heard Kristin shout. “Oooh! Yes! Let’s do it!”
“Do what?” Will called back, looking over the top of the booth at his fiancé.
“Truth or dare!” Erica said. She was totally sober but looked just as giddy as the rest of them. A night without kids did that to a person.
Isaac raised an eyebrow. “Aren’t y’all a little old for that?”
Maddie laughed. “That’s where you're wrong, Daddy Warbucks. Truth or Dare only gets better with age!”
I shook my head and went back to the next round of up chickens.
“You having a good time?” Jason asked quietly.
I looked up at him with furrowed brows. “Of course.”
“Wanna dance?”
“Are you asking Chase? Because I sure as hell know you’re not asking me.” I laughed.
Jason lowered his eyes. “Why wouldn’t I be asking you? The last time I was here with you, we danced.”
How the hell did he remember a thirty-second dance from twenty years ago?
I giggled and nudged him with my shoulder. “You can’t go more than five minutes without teasing me, can you?”
Before Jase could get a word in otherwise, one of the girls let out a banshee screech.
“Do it!” Hannah Jane screamed. “I dare you! ”
Every head at the table snapped to the bar to see what the hell Hannah Jane was caterwauling about.
Maddie was sitting on a barstool with her knees apart like she was waiting for a lap dance. Bridget stood between them and picked up a shot glass full of tequila.
“Holy shit.” I cupped my hands over my mouth. “She’s gonna?—”
Bridget dipped the tip of her finger in the shot glass and wiped it across the top of Maddie’s cleavage. She took a pinch of salt and sprinkled it on the line.
Maddie picked up a slice of lime and held it between her teeth.
Bridget brushed Maddie’s hair off her shoulder, held the shot glass up, and shouted, “Bottoms up, bitches!”
She leaned down and licked the salt off the top of Maddie’s boob with the flat of her tongue.
The rest of the girls squealed at the top of their lungs.
Bridget straightened up, grabbed the shot glass, and knocked back the tequila in one swallow.
Maddie bit the lime and tossed the peel onto the bar. Without a moment of hesitation, she grabbed the front of Bridget’s tank top and hauled her in, planting a raunchy kiss square on her mouth.
“I said with tongue ,” Hannah Jane shouted.
Bridget smirked, holding Maddie’s head steady as she slid her tongue against Maddie’s and kissed the hell out of her. Their breasts were flattened against each other. Maddie was squeezing Bridget’s ass while Bridget dug her fingers into Maddie’s icy blonde hair. Bee sucked Maddie’s bottom lip between her teeth with a devilish grin.
Oh my damn.
Finally, the girls came up for air. They were grinning like lunatics .
“Oh for fuck’s sake,” Jason groaned, turning his eyes away from his sister’s antics.
“Holy shit,” Luca muttered with wide eyes. He shifted in the booth.
“That was hot, right?” Isaac said. “Like, dude—I know it’s your wife, but that was hot as fuck.”
Chase adjusted the front of his jeans. “Yep. That was hot.”
I blushed and stared directly at the table as the boys mumbled among themselves, trying to ignore the tingle between my thighs.
It had been so long since I’d gotten any action that watching a freaking truth-or-dare kiss turned me on.
“Hot. Definitely hot,” Luca grunted as he pushed out of the booth. He pulled out his wallet and threw enough money down to cover his tab. “Well. I’m calling it a night. If y’all will excuse me, I’m gonna go home and fuck my wife.”
There was a mix of get some and have a good night as Luca picked up Maddie, threw her over his shoulder, smacked her ass, and hurried home.
Apparently, it was past Steve and Erica’s bedtime, so they were the next out. Kristin’s younger sister, Kylie, was babysitting Steve and Erica’s two kids, so she and Will left to go pick Kylie up. Chase left with Isaac and Hannah Jane.
“It was so good to see you,” I told Jason as I flagged down Miss Wanda to pay my tab. “I mean, I guess it would have been better not to see you in the hospital, but I’m glad we ran into each other.”
Jason shoved his receipt into the pocket of his jeans and crossed his arms. “Any time is good to see you.”
“What’s next for you, flyboy?” I asked as Miss Wanda handed me my debit card back.
His eyes cut to Bridget and Kyle. They were sitting in a booth, talking. “Well, I was planning on crashing at Bee’s apartment for a few nights, but… ”
“She moved out of that apartment ages ago,” I said quietly. “Bee and Kyle have been living together at his house for a while now.”
Jason rubbed the back of his neck. “Apparently, there’s a lot going on that I’m not aware of.”
Understatement of the year.
“So, where are you staying?”
He crossed his arms, biceps straining against the sleeves of his t-shirt. “Probably gonna end up driving back to Morehead to get a hotel room.”
“Good luck,” I said. “You know how fast places book up in the summer.”
Jason grimaced. “Shit. I should’ve asked Chase if I could crash with him.”
“You can stay at my place,” I offered. “It’s nothing fancy, but I have a spare couch.”
His eyebrows rose. “Really? You don’t mind?”
“Yeah,” I said. “I work a lot, so I’m pretty much just there to sleep. Stay as long as you want.”
Jason glanced back at Bridget. The corners of his jaw flared as he clenched his teeth. “Tell me something.”
“Anything.”
“Is she happy?”
Ask me anything but that, Jase .
“Y’all have a lot to catch up on,” I said as I pulled my keys out and jingled them, catching Jason’s attention. “Come on, flyboy. Let’s go home.”