Chapter 17
Chapter Seventeen
Jess
Jess pulled into the parking lot of Ale Co.
with a sigh, the dull thrum of nerves pressing against her ribcage.
Her palms were clammy against the steering wheel as she shut off the ignition.
She wasn’t even sure why she was anxious; it was just dinner with her cousin, a casual get-together.
But there was a tight knot in her stomach that had nothing to do with the food she hadn’t eaten all day.
She slid out of her car, smoothed the front of her sundress, and forced her shoulders back.
She could do this. Even if she still felt like she was walking around in someone else’s life some days, juggling being a divorced woman, a single mom, and the owner of a failed business that was still getting hit financially.
She was holding herself together in the quiet moments, pretending she wasn’t lonely as heck.
The rustic charm of Ale Co., with its string lights and patio music, made her smile. It hadn’t changed much. She stepped inside, scanning the cozy wooden tables, the familiar bar with its chalkboard beer list, and the soft buzz of conversation and laughter.
Anna was perched at the edge of a booth. Jess waved the moment their eyes met, but it was the figure across from her that made her falter mid-step.
Cody. She hadn’t seen her cousin in over a decade, probably, but he still reminded her of that awkward teenage boy who had just graduated from Marine Corps bootcamp.
He looked up, as if sensing her pause, and stood with a half-smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes.
“Jess,” he said warmly.
Her heart twisted. He looked the same, and yet not. His dark hair was a little longer, his frame leaner, his eyes shadowed by something she recognized intimately: grief. It had been a year since his father passed. And not long after, his relationship with Nessa had quietly imploded.
Jess smiled, though it felt stiff. “Hey, Cody. Wasn’t expecting you.”
He gestured toward the booth. “Anna ambushed me. Said it was this or game night with the grownups.”
“You know we’re the grownups now, right?” Anna laughed.
“She’s not wrong.”
In the center of the table was a basket of fried pickles, already half-gone, and an assortment of other appetizers: onion rings and pretzels, sweet potato fries, and sliders.
Jess slid into the booth beside Anna. “Going all out?”
“Cody ordered everything while he waited,” Anna said, her eyes dancing. “Some things never change.”
Cody shrugged. “I was hungry. And it felt like old times.”
Old times. Jess swallowed hard, the memories bubbling up uninvited. Sleepovers at their grandparents’ place, bike rides to the lake, fighting over the last piece of pie at Thanksgiving.
The server appeared to take their drink orders. Jess asked for an iced tea, Anna chose a cider, and Cody, a local pale ale.
After a few minutes of dipping into the appetizers and catching up on meaningless chatter, how hot it had been lately, how weird it was that the town parade was canceled this year, the server returned for their dinner orders.
Jess went with the grilled chicken salad. Anna picked the blackened fish tacos. Cody got the brisket sandwich with a side of fries.
“God, I forgot how good the food is here,” Jess said, sipping her tea.
“You used to come here with Matt all the time, didn’t you?” Cody asked, his tone gentle, not prying.
Matt was Jess’s high school boyfriend. He wanted a life with a stay-at-home wife, raising babies, while he worked. That wasn’t the life Jess saw for herself, so they went their separate ways. It wasn’t long after that she decided to move to California.
Jess nodded, a quick bob of her head. “Yeah. Feels like a lifetime ago.”
Anna reached over and squeezed her hand. “You look good, Jess. Seriously. I know this year’s been…a lot. But you’re still standing.”
Jess gave her a lopsided smile. “Some days it feels like barely.”
“Still counts,” Cody said.
There was a beat of quiet between them before the conversation slipped into stories from childhood, laughing about the time Cody tried to build a zip line in Grandma Ruby’s backyard and ended up breaking her birdbath.
Or the way Jess used to boss them around during their made-up talent shows, always demanding to be the director.
“I think I still have the VHS of our Fourth of July musical,” Anna said, giggling.
“You mean the one where I tripped over the sparklers?” Cody groaned.
“That was your greatest performance,” Jess deadpanned. “You really sold the whole ‘flaming idiot’ thing.”
They erupted in laughter, loud and genuine. For the first time in a while, Jess didn’t feel like she was outside herself, watching the world move on without her. She was here. Present. Laughing.
Dinner arrived, and the table quieted as they dove into their food. But conversation soon turned to more serious subjects.
“So, how’s being back at your parents’ house?” Cody asked.
Jess looked down at her plate, unsure how to answer. “It’s…humbling.”
“You built a business from the ground up,” Anna said firmly. “You took a leap, Jess. That takes guts. This is just a temporary setback.”
Jess met her cousin’s eyes and saw nothing but pride. It made her throat tighten.
“You’re stronger than you give yourself credit for,” Anna continued. “You always have been. Even back when you thought wearing butterfly clips and glitter lip gloss made you invincible.”
Jess laughed through the burn of tears. “Don’t knock the butterfly clips. That was a power look.”
Cody raised his glass. “To power looks and fresh starts.”
They clinked glasses, even Jess with her iced tea.
By the time they finished eating, the restaurant was buzzing with Friday night energy, and the air had cooled outside.
Anna wiped her mouth with a napkin. “So… what do you guys think? Should we crash game night at Mom’s?”
Cody arched a brow. “Those game nights get intense. I’m not emotionally prepared for charades.”
“Come on,” Jess said, feeling lighter than she had all week. “We can at least stop by for a bit.”
They paid the bill, split it without argument, and walked out together.
The drive to her Aunt Lily’s was short. Jess kept thinking about the conversation with her cousins and how they had helped her get out of her head for a short time.
She was back in her head, driving alone now, but they’d given her hope that it was possible to get out.
When they all stepped into Lily’s house, it was like walking into a different world.
The living room was packed. Kids were sprawled on the carpet in front of the coffee table, deep into a game of Candy Land.
The adults occupied the dining area and the kitchen, drinks in hand, laughter ricocheting off the walls.
Jess smiled. There was Margot, animatedly explaining the rules of a new game to Lily and Jess’s parents. The scent of brownies baking wafted through the air.
A tiny blur zoomed toward her. “Mama!”
Jess scooped up Maisie, spinning her around. “Hey, munchkin!”
“I’m having the best time! Grandma gave me a donut!”
“I see that,” Jess giggled. “It’s still on your face.”
“Cody!” Margot called out. “So glad you could join us! We’re about to play some gin rummy. Can I deal you three in?”
Jess stood there, watching the swirl of life around her. Everyone laughing. Kids shouting. Music playing low in the background.
“I’ll play,” Anna offered.
Cody was a little more hesitant. “Margot cheats when she keeps score.”
“Well, I never,” Margot gasped dramatically.
Everyone laughed, and Margot winked at Cody. “You can sit next to me and watch me like a hawk, superstar.”
“Deal,” he chuckled as he made his way to the table.
Jess was hesitant to play, wasn’t really feeling like getting tied up in a card game that went for long hours. As everyone stared back at her, she knew that she couldn’t say no.
“Okay, I guess I can play,” she said with a forced smile. “I’m old now, though. This can’t be a game that goes past midnight.”
“Midnight?” Anna asked with a mock gasp. “I was thinking ten. It’s just past eight now. Surely, we’ll all be ready for bed soon.”
“I’ll outlast you all,” Margot chimed in.
“You used to be the first one to tap out,” Henry chided.
This caused another round of laughter as they all agreed it was true. Anna, Cody, and Jess took their seats around the table. Jess was seated between Anna and Lily, which was nice. She felt more at ease there, knowing that they both understood her better than her own parents did.
She took a deep breath and watched as Margot started dealing the cards.
Jess still wasn’t sure if she wanted to be here right now, but these game nights had been a core memory for her, and judging by the giggling coming from the floor where the kids were, it was going to be one for Maisie, too.
She would play cards and be present in the moment, because she wanted to give her daughter a good childhood surrounded by love.