Chapter Six
Chapter Five
ETHAN
J essa felt warm against my side. I prepared myself for an elbow in the ribs, but it didn’t come, which made me happy. I probably kept my arm around her for a minute too long, but she didn’t pull away, which in my mind was a huge step toward getting her to let me in. Maybe this truce would end up being a very good thing.
I appreciated what she’d said about my parents. One of my most vivid memories from the funeral was seeing Jessa cry. It had caught me off guard because I’d never seen her cry before. And I remember feeling confused because she could so openly grieve for my parents when I couldn’t muster even one tear.
I still felt awful for using Cody’s words against her. The second the words tumbled out, I regretted it. If I was going to get her to open up to me, I needed to be more kind and sensitive.
I soaked in every second of her nearness as my thoughts returned to the way she’d pretended I was her boyfriend in front of dirtbag Cody. That had given my ego a boost, not to mention her touch sent sparks throughout my body. Any excuse to be close to her was a good one.
Our shopping trip had revealed a whole new Jessa. Learning how she avoided the store so she wouldn’t run into him surprised me, as had the look on her face when she saw him with that girl and heard they were engaged. She said one thing with her words, but I wondered if she still held some kind of torch for him. She was so difficult to read.
Jessa and Cody seemed like an odd couple from the start. And I’d always wondered what happened there. I had a feeling cheating was part of the reason they broke up, but it wasn’t my business unless she wanted to share. And she never did that with me. We didn’t get deep. But I wished I knew what had been so bad that she pretty much swore off guys after him. At least that’s how it appeared since she hadn’t dated anyone else and didn’t seem to care about having a relationship.
A relationship with Jessa was pretty much all I wanted. I went out with a lot of girls over the years, but none of them ever made me feel like I did when Jessa was around. If only I could convince her I was more than Ellie’s little brother.
We watched the movie, and I tried to make Jessa laugh by attempting to catch the popcorn on my tongue again. Still a big fail on both accounts. I only got a few snickers and eye rolls from her, and more popcorn ended up on the ground than in my mouth.
Partway through the movie, Jessa got up and headed for the house. I kept looking toward the door, wondering if she’d come back and sit beside me again.
“Hi.” A sweet southern voice veered my attention from where I’d been staring. Before me stood Kassie, the beautiful fiddle player from Cooper’s band, who was also my sister’s roommate. We’d met briefly after a show they played in Grand Rapids last year and in passing the few times Gram and I had gone to Nashville to visit.
She took Jessa’s seat, and I glanced toward the house again. I couldn’t very well tell Kassie the seat was taken, even though that’s what I wanted to do.
“I was hoping I’d get to talk to you tonight,” she said. “We always seem to miss each other when you come to visit.”
“Yeah, we do.” My voice squeaked slightly, intimidated by Kassie’s talent and fame.
“I feel like we already know each other from all your sister has told me.”
“Same. It was really nice of you to let Ellie live with you.”
“Hey, I respect the heck out of your sister and her decision not to live with Cooper until they’re married. Not a lot of people would stick to their morals these days in these kinds of situations. And it’s been fun having her as a roommate. She’s the sweetest person I know.”
I grinned. “She said the same about you.”
Her smile lit up her face, and the glow from the house behind us gave me a glimpse of the emerald green of her eyes.
Everyone laughed at the scene where George flips out over the number of hot dogs versus the number of hot dog buns in the package. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught Jessa walking out of the house. She headed in Tally’s direction, which made my heart sink.
“So, that’s the infamous treehouse.” Kassie motioned toward the tree across the yard.
“It is.”
“Ellie told me how you all built it for her as a favor for Cooper so he could propose.”
“Yeah, that was a lot of fun.”
“It’s very romantic.” She glanced over at me, and I could’ve sworn she batted her eyelashes. “Maybe you can show it to me later.”
It had been a while, but I still knew when a girl was flirting with me.
“Maybe.” I gave her a little smile and focused on the movie.
Thankfully, Jessa was sitting in a place that made it less obvious my eyes were on her and not the screen. I stared at the back of her head like we used to do in church when we were kids to see if someone would sense us watching and turn around. Sometimes, it actually worked. And once, when my target turned around, I let out a rather loud “Yes!” in the middle of the pastor’s message. That got me more than a few disapproving looks and a talk from my mom after the service.
Jessa tilted her head from side to side to crack her neck, and Tally screwed up her face and gave her a smack, which made me chuckle.
Kassie looked over at me, and I made a straight face.
I kept watching Jessa, wishing she’d turn around and look at me, wondering if she would’ve come back to sit with me if Kassie hadn’t taken her seat.
I glanced over at Kassie. “I heard Cooper’s surprising Ellie with a song at the reception.”
Her face lit up. “I hope she wears waterproof mascara because she’s so going to cry like a baby.”
“And he said the band’s playing a little too. It’ll be nice to hear you play your fiddle again. You are crazy talented.”
She smiled and tilted her head away, and her blonde curls fell across her face. I noticed what a nice smile she had, but I found myself instantly comparing it to Jessa’s, which wasn’t right. Kassie was a perfectly nice woman, who seemed interested—if I was reading my flirt-o-meter correctly. Jessa, on the other hand, was not interested. She’d made that abundantly clear over the years.
I wasn’t sure why I tortured myself so. Maybe I would’ve had someone special or been married with a family by now if I hadn’t been so hung up on her for so long. And why? She treated me like a mosquito buzzing in her ear or, worse, Navi from Zelda: Ocarina of Time saying “Hey! Look! Listen!” It wasn’t like her bickering with me was because of some attraction she had for me like mine was for her. My presence seemed legitimately annoying to her.
I looked at the beautiful woman beside me and decided it was time to put Jessa out of my mind. “When the movie’s over, I’ll show you the treehouse if you want.”
Her face lit up again. “I would love that.”
As the movie came to a close, I could see Ellie lean into Cooper’s side as he kissed her forehead and held her, and I knew she was crying. Not long after, the girls all surrounded her and gave her a group hug. Then others came up to her and hugged her goodnight. My heart ached. I just wanted the crowd to disperse so I could hug her too.
Gram and Hal hugged her then walked my way, and Gram gave me a little closed-mouth smile and held her arms out to me. I was happy to go to her and be wrapped up in her warmth and love. No words were necessary. Our parents’ absence was felt by all who knew them.
When I finally made my way to my sister, she was wiping her eyes with a tissue, and her tears started over again when she saw me. We held each other for a while, and Ellie cried on my shoulder.
“They’re here with us,” I told her.
She let go and smiled at me with tears spilling over. “I know they are.”
“Ellie wasn’t kidding.” Kassie took in the craftsmanship of the treehouse we’d built. “This is so cool.”
“Thanks. It would’ve been nice if we’d built it when we were kids when we could’ve gotten more use out of it. But maybe Ellie and Cooper will have some kids to play in it when they visit. Or maybe they’ll settle down here someday.”
“You miss her a lot, don’t you?”
“I do, but I’m so incredibly happy for her. I always thought those two were perfect for each other, so I’m glad it’s finally happening. Plus, having a celebrity as a brother-in-law isn’t half bad.”
She chuckled. “Fame has its perks.”
“What’s your favorite thing about being famous?”
“I’m not the famous one.”
“You’re being too modest. People go crazy for your fiddle solos. I know I did when we saw the show last year.”
She gave my arm a little nudge with her elbow. “That’s sweet of you to say.”
“I speak the truth.” I nudged her back. “And you didn’t answer my question.”
“I don’t know.” She twisted her lips to the side as she thought about her answer. “Probably getting to play in places I never would’ve if I wasn’t in Cooper’s band. We played at the Grand Ole Opry, which was very cool.” Her face lit up. “I dreamed of that as a kid.”
“What made you want to play the fiddle?”
“Alison Krauss.” She didn’t hesitate one second to answer. “My dad took me to see her play when I was eight, and I immediately asked for lessons after that. She was amazing, and I wanted to be just like her when I grew up.”
“Well, I think you succeeded.”
She smiled. “I met her a few years ago, and it was a dream come true to be able to tell her what an inspiration she’d been to me.”
“That’s awesome. I admire you for deciding what you wanted to do with your life and making it happen.”
“Thank you. It wasn’t easy, and I had to sacrifice time doing normal teenage stuff for time practicing, but I wouldn’t change a thing.”
“Knock, knock!” Luke called from the ground below.
I walked out the door and looked over the railing, and Kassie followed.
“What’s up?”
“A bunch of us are going into town to cause some trouble. You in?”
“Sounds fun,” Kassie replied before I could.
I noticed Jessa standing across the yard with the girls and some of Cooper’s band members, and I pushed aside my normal inclination to only want to go if she was going to be there.
“I’m in.” I motioned toward the ladder. “Ladies first.”
“Thanks.” Kassie made her way down and waited for me to hit the ground before we walked across the lawn toward the others.
“What are we doing?” I asked the group.
“A little night swim perhaps,” Luke suggested.
“Yes! Skinny dipping!” Cash cried.
“No skinny dipping!” Ellie pointed at Cash.
Cash stuck his bottom lip out, and then I noticed his eyes shift toward Jessa. She rolled her eyes at him, which sent a shot of jealousy through my body. That eye roll was supposed to be for me.
“What about ice cream at Jimmy’s?” Penny asked.
Luke checked his watch. “They’re closed by now, babe.”
“The Sawmill’s open,” Jake suggested.
We all decided the local country bar was a great place to go. They always loved it when Cooper stopped in there, and they would probably go crazy that his band came this time too.
We all loaded up in a few cars and headed out. Cooper took his bandmates Bentley, Lloyd, and Roy and their wives with him. Ellie went with Tally, and Penny, and their husbands. Which left Cash, Kassie, Jessa, and me in Jessa’s car.
Once on the road, Cash looked back at me and Kassie in the back seat then smiled over at Jessa. “Well, this is fun. Kind of like a double date.”
“Not a double date,” Jessa replied. Her eyes met mine in the rearview mirror, and I smiled at her, which made her eyebrow quirk.
As we drove along and passed by points of interest, I shared interesting facts and some of the town’s history.
“That’s the Abbottsville Hotel. It’s one of the oldest buildings in town, built right around the time the town was established in 1883, shortly after the courthouse was built. It’s a historic building, and that’s where Ellie and Cooper’s reception will be.” I motioned ahead. “And there’s the courthouse. Oldest building in town.”
Jessa snorted. “What are you, the town tour guide now?”
“I thought they might like to know about the town where their friend grew up.”
“We do.” Kassie looked up at the clock tower on the courthouse as we passed by. “That looks very Back to the Future -esque to me.”
I laughed. “Yes, it does. This is the downtown area with all its various shops and restaurants. And right up there”—I pointed to the second-story window above The Brew coffee shop—“is where Ellie and Penny used to live.”
Kassie leaned across my lap to look out the window on my side, and I caught Jessa’s eye in the mirror. It pleased me that she looked unhappy.
As we headed out of town, I continued my tour. “Up ahead is Abbott Farm, owned by Luke’s family.”
“Wait,” Kassie said, “His last name is Abbott. Like the town?”
“Did I forget to mention his family founded the town?”
“Maybe you should rethink this tour guide thing after all,” Jessa interjected.
Kassie angled toward me a little and set her hand on my knee. “Oh, I don’t know. I think he’s doing a great job so far.”
I swallowed hard. “Thank you, Kassie.” I gave Jessa a look as we continued on to the outskirts of town.
“We’re almost to The Sawmill,” I said. “It was another early building in town and originally—”
“A sawmill?” Cash cut me off.
“Actually, it was originally the town hall.”
“No, it wasn’t,” Jessa said. “The town hall is in the center of town.”
“They eventually moved the location to the spot it’s at right now,” I said.
“The Sawmill wasn’t the original town hall location,” she argued. “It used to be a saloon and brothel in one half and a blacksmith in the other. Someone opened up the space and made it a furniture warehouse at some point. And eventually, it was renovated and made into the bar it is now.”
I widened my eyes. “We didn’t have a brothel in town.”
Jessa laughed. “Yes, we did.”
“No, it was the town hall.”
“There was no town business happening behind those doors,” she said, “but people were definitely getting busy.”
Her comment rendered me speechless, and I caught her smirk in the mirror.
“All right, all right, all right.” Cash’s Matthew McConaughey impression was spot-on.
“Where did you hear that?” I asked.
“In school.”
“They didn’t teach us about brothels in school.”
“Our textbooks said it was a boarding house, but Mr. Mayhew told us the truth.”
“Mr. Mayhew’s old enough, he probably knew firsthand,” I joked, which made Kassie and Cash laugh.
Jessa stared at me in the mirror as she pulled into The Sawmill. “Maybe if you’d paid attention instead of making out with anyone in a skirt, you’d be able to give an accurate history.”
“My knowledge of our town history is plenty accurate.”
She found a parking spot and turned off the engine. “You’re fired.”
“From what?”
“Tour guide.” She looked over at Cash. “If you want the real history of this place, I’m your girl.”
I laughed. “We’ve both lived here our entire life. How do you know more than I do?”
“Do you honestly need me to explain why I’m smarter than you?” she asked as we all got out of the vehicle and headed for the entrance.
“Okay, now we’re getting somewhere. You actually think you’re smarter than me?”
“It really goes without saying.”
“I’m sorry,” Kassie interrupted us, “but did you guys used to date or something?”
“What?” Jessa snorted. “Me date him? No way! Why would you say that?”
“Just a feeling.”
“You couldn’t be more wrong. The thought of it is absolutely repulsive.”
Repulsive? If that’s how she felt, I could do better than that.
“Yeah, totally abhorrent,” I fake-agreed. “I’d rather lick a dirty toilet than kiss her mouth.”
She looked over her shoulder at me as we went inside. “You’re disgusting.”
“You’re repulsive .” I narrowed my eyes at her.
“You two are too much, but that looks like fun.” Cash pointed to the line dance happening in the middle of the room then turned to Jessa. “Wanna dance?”
“She’d rather be caught dead than be seen dancing in public,” I answered for her.
She reciprocated the narrowed eyes and added a slight tilt of her head as she answered Cash. “I’d love to.”
“Yes!” Cash took her hand in his, which felt like a knife to my heart, and they made their way to the dance floor.
“I wouldn’t mind a dance,” Kassie said sweetly.
I’d forgotten she was standing next to me, which made me feel like an inconsiderate loser, and I forced a smile. “Yeah, let’s do it.”
I wasn’t a huge fan of line dancing, but we had fun trying to keep up with all the regulars out there. I watched Jessa with Cash. She was so beautiful when she laughed. It was a sight to behold. And though I had a perfectly beautiful and interesting woman at my side, I could not seem to take my eyes off the girl who was the star of my dreams most nights.
When the song ended, everyone clapped and cheered, and then the band slowed things down. I dreaded what I knew was coming next. Cash opened his arms to Jessa, and she accepted a dance with him. And through my heartache, I turned to Kassie and smiled.
“Shall we?”
She gave me a closed-mouth smile and moved into my arms. We danced quietly, my eyes glued to Jessa, who was smiling at something Cash said.
“She doesn’t know, does she?” Kassie asked.
“Who doesn’t know what?”
“Jessa.”
My eyes darted to hers. “What do you mean?”
“Don’t even try to deny it.” She looked across the room at Jessa and Cash. “You’re in love with her.”
I pressed my lips together, trying to hold back my smile. “Is it that obvious?”
“Anyone around you two for five minutes can tell there’s something between you.”
I shook my head. “That’s just how we’ve always been with each other since we were young. We bicker. It’s our thing.”
“It’s sexual tension.”
“Nah. She doesn’t see me like that. I’m like an annoying little brother to her.”
“We’ll see about that.” She moved closer and nuzzled my neck with her nose.
“What’s that now?” Shivers traveled up my spine at her warm breath against my skin. It had been a while since I was this close to a woman. Too bad it wasn’t the woman I wanted.
“Trust me,” she said as she ran her fingers through the back of my hair.
“You’re a great girl, but I’m not that kind of guy.”
She angled away and let out a chuckle as she turned her attention to Cash and Jessa. “I think I just proved my point.”
My gaze followed hers across the room, and Jessa was staring straight at us with daggers in her eyes. The moment our eyes met, she looked at Cash again, but I saw it. She didn’t like what she’d witnessed, and it filled me with hope.
“Told you,” Kassie said.
I couldn’t contain my grin. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” She let go and linked her arm through mine. “Now, you owe me a drink.”