Chapter 28
When Joel and Jesse showed up at the tavern, they watched Lucy rushing around to help her customers.
“You know, she may not even remember what she said,” Joel said.
Lucy accidentally locked eyes with Jesse. She groaned and put her head down on the bar.
“She remembers,” said both Joel and Jesse.
“Poor thing. Go. Put her out of her misery.” Joel gestured toward Lucy, planning to stay back and give them some privacy.
Jesse nodded. “Come with me. I’ll need backup. You know her—she’s not gonna believe me when I tell her.”
“Good point.” It had taken her a long time to understand that they really liked her and weren’t just playing with her. She would probably think Jesse was just being nice when he told her how he felt about her.
Lucy looked over to see the two of them grinning like idiots. So much for not making fun of me. She felt a fresh surge of humiliation so strong that she wanted to quit her job and run away. Then her embarrassment fused with anger. Who told them to bother me with their damn contest anyway? Who told them to come flirt with me every damn day and confuse me and act like they cared?
Jesse walked toward Lucy, careful to avoid any physical contact with anyone or anything in the middle of the crowded restaurant. Joel followed behind, and Lucy found herself having to face both of them.
“We need to talk, Lucy,” Jesse said.
“What if I don’t want to?” Lucy said, avoiding eye contact.
“Please?”
Lucy sighed and nodded, resigned to her fate. This was what she’d been stressing out about all day. It was somewhat of a relief that they’d finally shown up. At least now she could get the awkward discussion over with. She still wanted to be friends with both of them, but it would be so uncomfortable now.
“Out back. I don’t need the whole restaurant overhearing this,” Lucy grumbled.
Lucy walked out the back door and carefully held the door open so the guys could follow. She was relieved to find they were alone in the back parking lot. Servers and busboys often snuck out back for a smoke, but thank goodness there was no one else around now.
Lucy leaned back against the wall of the building. Jesse stood in front of her, with Joel to her left. Though she usually loved Joel’s company, she didn’t know why he had to be here now to witness this awkward exchange.
Jesse didn’t seem to know where to begin. The silence was unbearable for Lucy, so she finally decided to speak first. She forced herself to look Jesse in the eye.
Lucy spoke quickly, angrily. “Look, I know what I said last night. Can we just forget—”
Jesse spoke loudly so he could be heard over her protestations, “I love you too, Lucy!”
Lucy stared at Jesse for what seemed like a full minute.
Joel chuckled softly.
“What?” Lucy asked finally.
“I love you too, Lucy,” Jesse repeated with a twinkle in his eye.
Lucy looked over at Joel, who smiled and nodded at her. She saw that his smile was warm and caring, and she realized they hadn’t been mocking her after all. They were just excited to tell her how Jesse felt. She allowed herself to believe Jesse’s words for just a moment, then her usual doubts took over.
He’s just saying that to be nice. He knows I feel like a fool, and he’s just trying to make me feel better.
“Jesse, you don’t have to say that just because—”
Joel laughed out loud. “Lucy, Lucy. You have no idea…”
“Oh, Lucy,” Jesse said, looking at her with adoration. “I’ve been in love with you for so long. Long before this silly contest ever started.”
“But…but…I didn’t even know you before then,” Lucy said with confusion.
“I knew you,” Jesse said. “I know you don’t like hearing about all those times I used to watch you when you didn’t know I was there, but I couldn’t help myself. It was always the highlight of my day. I’d come in and watch you wait on people, lookin’ so pretty and smilin’ so sweet.” Jesse arched an eyebrow and grinned at her. “You drove me crazy when I’d see you lean over in that short skirt of yours.”
Lucy glanced down at her work skirt and looked back up at him. She could see the desire in his eyes. She was too stunned to blush.
“And you know how sometimes you’d sneak off to that back room so you could study for a quick bit? Then you’d feel a chill and pull on your sweater? That was me. Sitting next to you. Jus’ tryin’ to be close to you for a while.”
Lucy’s eyes grew wide, and she nodded. Looking back, she remembered how often that had happened. She recalled looking around to see if there was an air-conditioning vent blowing on her. Here she’d always thought it was just cold in that room.
“It always made me so happy to come in and watch you talk with people. You were always so nice, ’specially when you were dealin’ with little kids. And the way your eyes lit up every time you told anybody that you were gonna be a teacher. You were just so sweet and so lovely…” Jesse threw up his hands helplessly. “I fell in love.”
Joel’s smile widened as he saw Lucy’s expression slowly change from doubt to belief. She was starting to understand that these weren’t just idle words. Jesse obviously knew so much about her. He clearly wasn’t making it all up to spare her feelings.
“It’s true, Lucy,” Joel told her. “Not that he told me any of this when he picked you ‘at random’ for our bet.” He made air quotes, then smirked over at Jesse.
Jesse chuckled. “That’s right. I knew I could never try to court any other woman, and I knew if I chose you for our wager, I’d finally be able to talk to you. I’m in love with you, Lucy Ann Westbrook.”
Lucy took in his beautiful words and finally allowed herself to believe them. “Oh, Jesse,” she said softly. She knew she could never express her devotion as eloquently as he just had.
“So. You know how I feel. Now, do you really love me,” he asked with a grin, “or were you jus’ wallpapered on the bark juice?”
Lucy laughed. Eyes shining, she replied, “I really love you,” then added, “my darling.”
Jesse’s handsome face broke into that boyish grin that Lucy adored. She’d never seen him look as happy as he did at this moment. The two looked deeply into each other’s eyes, happy to be in love but aching to hold each other.
Joel looked at Jesse, then at Lucy, then back to Jesse. “You win.”
With that, he turned and walked down the parking lot, singing Rick Springfield’s “Jessie’s Girl.”Lucy laughed as she watched him walk away, then turn invisible.
Jesse looked at Lucy and said, “I’m sorry you had to say it first. I jus’ had no idea…”
“Me neither,” she said, shaking her head and gracing him with a lovely smile.
Jesse looked worried. “Are you all right, Lucy? I’ve been so worried about you since yesterday. I’ll never forgive myself for letting you get hurt like that.”
“It’s all right, Jesse. I’m all right now. Thanks for staying with me. I never could have gotten through it without you by my side.”
“I never felt so helpless. I just couldn’t stop it. I couldn’t protect you. I-I couldn’t—”
“It’s okay. It’s okay,” Lucy said soothingly, wishing she could take him in her arms. Now that she knew how Jesse felt about her, she realized how hard it must have been for him to witness her suffering. It would have killed her if she’d had to watch him be tortured like that right in front of her eyes. It was hard enough for her just thinking about him going through it back in 1863.
Jesse moved in closer to Lucy, making her heart race. He usually kept a respectful distance, but now he knew he was welcome in her personal space. Lucy leaned with her back against the wall as Jesse towered over her. She looked up at him adoringly and wistfully imagined standing on her toes to kiss him. If only.
Instead, she held up her palm in the same way she had with Joel when she wanted to feel what it was like to touch him. Jesse held up his palm against Lucy’s. The sensation was frigid, but it still felt good to have some kind of physical contact with him.
“I’m sorry,” Jesse said as his hand went right through hers.
“For what? Being dead?”
“Yes. Because now I have something to live for.”
Lucy smiled. She pushed her hand all the way through his palm before putting her hand back down. “I’m sorry, too, but I really have to get back to work. I wish I could stay here with you.”
“I know. We’ll go somewhere alone soon so we can talk without Bluebelly around.”
Lucy’s smile lit up her face and Jesse’s whole existence. “I would love that.”
“We could go to one of the park areas where it’s quiet. I wish I could bring you a bottle of wine and flowers. Treat you like a lady like you deserve.”
“You always treat me like a lady, darling.” That was one of the things she loved most about him. “What kind of flowers would you get me if you could?”
“I don’t know. What are your favorite flowers?”
Lucy thought for a moment. Long-stemmed red roses were beautiful, but so common. It was nicer to have something more unusual. The answer was suddenly obvious. “Yellow roses!”
“Of course!” Jesse said. “I wish I could buy you roses and wine and take you somewhere romantic. Then I’d lay you down on a blanket and make passionate love to you.”
Lucy’s face colored, but she didn’t break eye contact with him. “You would?”
Jesse grinned at her, that mischievous look that turned her on almost as much as his accent did. “Yeah, I would! I’m in love now, so it’s okay.”
Lucy laughed. “Yes, I guess it is. I would have loved that, Jesse. To be with you. I would have been so honored to be your first.”
They looked longingly at each other for a moment, then Lucy sighed and glanced at the door.
“You need to go,” Jesse said.
Lucy nodded and turned to go back inside.
“Lucy!” She turned to look at him. “I just want you to know that this is the happiest day of my…you know…whatever this is. See you soon, my lovely rose.” He blew her a kiss, then turned invisible.
Lucy smiled at the space where he’d disappeared, then walked back in to work.
She hurried over to check on her badly neglected tables. Apologizing profusely, she hurried to refill empty glasses and check on food orders that were quickly cooling in the kitchen. Lucy wondered if any of her customers had seen her sneak out back with a man and were angry with her. They didn’t seem to be, and Lucy didn’t care if they stiffed her on the tip.
Lucy spent the rest of her shift in a happy daze. She kept replaying Jesse’s words over and over in her head, that deep, sexy voice drawling, I luuurrrve yoo too, Loosey.
Lucy’s mind reeled as she thought of all the times he’d called her his rose. She thought back to the day when she first spoke to him. When those two “reenactors” approached her on the street. She recalled the times they’d sat in the tavern, outside at the table, and in the gazebo. He had been in love with her the whole time.It was so hard to imagine, but it was a wonderful idea to get used to. Jesse had fallen in love with her by watching her from afar. It was like something from a fairytale.
Though it had a wonderful beginning with the two of them falling in love, the ending would be much darker. She tried not to think about it, but the harsh facts still remained. Jesse was dead and Lucy was not. They would eventually be separated, either when Jesse crossed over or when Lucy was done with school and had to move away to find a teaching job.
Lucy took a deep breath and concentrated on the immediate future. For now, she could spend time with Jesse, savoring each moment until it had to end.