Chapter 16
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Dallas
“God damn it,” I mutter under my breath as I use my hammer to remove the crooked nail I just pounded in.
It’s not the first mistake I’ve made today, and I’m sure it won’t be my last. My head is elsewhere, and I can’t seem to focus.
Linc approaches and squats down next to me. “Everything okay?”
I’m not sure I should be discussing my personal life at work, especially with my boss, who’s connected to Josette through Royal and Callie. But Linc seems sincere in his concern, so I shake my head and stand. He pushes to his feet as well, and I take a deep breath and blow it out slowly .
“I don’t know if you know this, but I’ve been seeing Josette,” I say.
He nods. “I didn’t know for sure, but I had a feeling it might go that way. She’s great.”
“She is,” I agree.
“What’s the problem?”
I explain about her weird behavior yesterday morning, then her flimsy excuse about why she couldn’t see me after she had lunch with Callie because the mimosas made her sick.
“Did you do or say anything to upset her before she left?”
“Not that I’m aware of.”
“What were you talking about when she ran?”
I didn’t use the word “ran,” but it’s a pretty good description of what happened. I’d been so confused, then disappointed when she cancelled on me last night.
“Nothing, really. I kind of have an online war going with this guy on Cackle. Nothing too serious. Just tossing barbs back and forth. It’s entertaining. But the guy isn’t a guy, at all, like I’d assumed. The user handle is misleading. Josette asked what was going on, so I told her the truth. That’s when she suddenly remembered she had plans with Callie and bolted.”
Linc shakes his head. “That is strange. Maybe she was telling the truth. Do you have plans with her for tonight?”
“I told her I’d text her when I get home from work and she said okay,” I say, frowning at the memory of her lackluster response .
“Well, I guess you’ll find out when you text her. If she blows you off again, then you’ll know something is up.”
He slaps me on the back with that, then walks away. I know he was trying to help, but I don’t need to wait to see what Josette will do when I text her later. I know her. I know something is wrong. I just don’t know what it is.
When we break for lunch, I pull out my phone to see I have no messages. Biting back my disappointment, I open my thread with Josette and tap out a text.
Me: Hey. How are you feeling today?
I set my phone aside to dig some food out of my lunchbox. Unwrapping the turkey sandwich I made this morning, I take a big bite. Then another.
I’m nearly finished with it by the time Josette replies to my text.
Josette: Feeling better. Thanks.
That’s it. Nothing more, nothing less. I’m not usually one to try to read tone into a text message, but hell, that one seems distant. Aloof.
Did I do something wrong? I don’t think I did, but now I can’t stop playing yesterday morning in my head over and over, trying to figure out why Josette went from hot to cold in an instant the way she did. She said she’d just remembered she had plans with Callie when she rushed out, but there was a bit of panic in her expression and her choppy movements didn’t really fit the situation. And now, she’s avoiding me and being distant in her text messages.
I just don’t know what to think .
I try to push her and the whole situation from my mind for the rest of the day, but as soon as I finish working, it all comes rushing right back in. I check my phone to see no new messages, and though I know I should probably leave it to Josette to reach out when she’s ready, I can’t resist trying one last time.
I wait until I’m home, showered, and dressed in a pair of jeans and a nice t-shirt before texting her.
Me: Hey, Josette. I’m home and starving. Want to grab some food? We can eat out or order in. I have no preference.
Several long minutes pass before I get a response. And it’s not the one I’d hoped for.
Josette: Sorry, but I’m wiped out tonight. I just want to sleep. I’d love to hang out tomorrow, though.
Me: Okay, sounds good. Get some rest. Xoxo
I added that last bit on a whim, hoping she’d respond with something warm in return, but I got nothing. I’m disappointed. I’m also tempted to knock on her door, but I manage to refrain, deciding the best course of action is to give her time and space for whatever she’s going through, whether it be physical, mental, or emotional. I can’t––and won’t––force my presence on her, and I can wait until tomorrow night to find out if something is wrong between us.
I really am starving, so I grab my keys and wallet and head out the door. As I take the elevator down to the first floor, I decide to hit O’Malleys. It’s casual enough for what I’m wearing, the food is good, and the beer is cold.
It’s a short drive over, and once I park, I head inside. It only takes a quick glance around the half-empty dining room to spot Linc and Royal seated near the bar. I head over to say hi before finding my own table.
“Join us,” Linc says before I can make an excuse to leave.
I glance at Royal, and he smiles and nods. “Take a seat.”
Thanking them, I slide into an empty chair while Royal waves at someone behind me. A few seconds later, a waitress delivers a frosty glass. Royal fills it with beer from a nearly full pitcher on the table before passing the glass my way. The waitress waits while I peruse a menu, then promises to deliver soon when I order the cheese fries. Apparently, Royal and Linc have already ordered their food.
“So, I take it things didn’t go well?” Linc asks me, and I shake my head with a sigh.
“What didn’t go well?” Royal asks.
Linc looks at me for permission, and I nod, then he turns to his brother, saying, “Dallas has been seeing Joey, and now she’s avoiding him, and he has no idea why.”
Royal’s gaze shoots toward me, his eyebrows hiked up as he says, “I didn’t know that.”
“Yeah,” I murmur, still hung up on Linc calling Josette “Joey.” She never told me she had a nickname.
“Callie didn’t tell you?” Linc asks Royal, and that one shakes his head.
“Not a word.”
“Joey?” I ask before they can continue the conversation without me. “You call her that? ”
I don’t know why, but something about it tickles the back of my brain. Like there’s something familiar about it even though I know I’ve never heard a single person call her that. But then again, I haven’t talked to anyone she knows about her except for these two, and they’ve never called her “Josette,” either.
“What do you call her?” Royal asks, snapping me out of my thoughts.
“Josette. That’s what she told me her name is.”
“It is,” he says, “but I’ve never heard anyone call her that besides you. Everyone else calls her Joey.”
“Why wouldn’t she tell me she has a nickname?” I ask, and Royal and Linc both shrug.
“You said she’s been avoiding you?” Royal asks.
“Since yesterday morning,” I say with a dip of my chin.
“Why don’t you tell me what happened, and maybe I can provide some insight,” he offers. “I know her better than Linc does.”
I describe the scene from yesterday morning, even going so far as to quote our whole conversation about the Cackle post before she bolted. Royal’s eyes go wide before he explodes into laughter. Linc and I glance at each other with confused expressions before turning back to Royal.
“Oh, my God,” he says on a rough exhale as he wipes at his eyes. “What are the odds? Oh, shit. I can’t believe Callie didn’t tell me this.”
“What are you going on about?” Linc asks him.
Royal looks right at me instead of his brother, and, with laughter in his eyes, says, “You’re Bodacious Buckaroo.”
My head snaps back. “What? How? What ?”
Royal shakes his head. “Josette Barnes is JoeyB.”
I’m…gobsmacked. I don’t know a better word to describe what I’m feeling.
I recall the whole scene in my living room again, this time seeing it through new eyes. Josette–– Joey and I were commenting back and forth while sitting right next to each other. And she darted out of my apartment right after I explained what I was doing.
That was obviously when she figured it out, and now she’s hiding from me. Is she planning to break things off with me tomorrow night? Do I want her to, now that I know who she is?
No. I really like Josette. A lot. Actually, I like JoeyB, too. We may antagonize each other on Cackle, but there’s no interaction on there I look forward to more. And honestly, knowing what I know about Josette, I’m proud of her for standing up for herself online and not taking any shit from me.
I need to find a way to fix this.
“Don’t tell anyone about this. At least not yet. Okay?” I say, looking from Royal to Linc and back again.
“I won’t. I promise,” Linc says.
“Fine,” Royal grumps. “I can wait to call Callie out for keeping secrets until you’re ready.”
“Thanks,” I say.
Josette doesn’t know that I know that she knows I’m Buckaroo. Hopefully, she won’t try to break things off tomorrow. I need some time to make sure she knows how much I care about her before she figures out we both know what we both know.
God, this is confusing. But I’m going to find a way to straighten it all out so I don’t lose the girl over a silly online beef.
A beef that is now over.