8. Chapter Eight
Chapter Eight
S itting at the bar every night since he last spoke to Jess has Kade feeling pathetic. When Tim looks at him, Kade knows he still thinks he's an idiot for letting a girl like her go. He probably is, if he's honest, but he doesn't care. He can’t care. He tells himself he comes here to pick up women, but he can't fool himself. Deep down, he knows he comes looking for Jess.
He's thought about calling her every night since he left her place as she cried on the other side of the door, but the memory of what he did to her, what pain he caused her, stops him. Calling her and giving her hope he'd be willing to try something he swore he'd never do again would be nothing short of selfish. No, what he did before was selfish, but doing this would be downright cruel. So, if he doesn't want a commitment, why can't he get Jess off his mind?
"Want another?" Tim asks.
Kade looks at the half-gone beer in his hand and sighs. "Might as well."
"Meeting anyone tonight? Or are you just seeing if someone strikes your fancy?"
"Strikes my fancy?"
Tim chuckles. "It was the nicest way I could think of to say if you were on the prowl or meeting up with someone to ultimately take home."
"That obvious?"
"Not really. You've been here alone a lot. No one really seems to catch your eye these days, do they?"
No, no, they do not. "I guess not."
"Probably because they're not a dirty-blonde haired beauty you used to spend a lot of time with. Then again, maybe the one you're waiting for will be here tonight."
"Who the hell are you? And what are you talking about?"
Tim levels Kade with a glare. He knows it was nothing short of a terrible act, but what else could he say? That he's been here every night for weeks hoping Jess would walk in? Nope. He wouldn’t do that.
"Why would you say she might be here tonight?"
"Because she's sitting at the other end of the bar in a really nice dress," Tim says. "But I didn't tell you that she was here."
His heart immediately races, and he nods before walking to the bathroom. When he comes out, he takes the long way around the bar, and sure enough, Jess sits with a glass of wine in front of her.
"No beer tonight?" he asks and takes the seat next to her.
"Tim told you I was here, didn't he?" Jess asks, her eyes not even glancing back at him.
"I went to the bathroom and needed to stretch my legs. You look nice."
Taking a sip of the white wine, she just nods. "Thanks."
"Aren't you going to tell me I look nice?" he jokes.
"I'm sure you look like you always do," she says, and he can't decide if it's a joke or not.
"How have you been? How's work?"
She finally turns and looks at him. "Work's good. The jewelry project we worked on impressed the Historical Society, and they've recommended us for other projects that are getting started now. It's been really busy, actually."
Projects she hasn't reached out to him or his company to help with. Once they started dating, she threw business his way, but it's been rather quiet from her firm since they ended things. "That's great, Jess."
"Thanks. How have you been? Still dealing with the work drama?"
He closes his eyes, grimacing at the memory. "Yeah, Jack got into an accident on site. Drove a piece of machinery into the side of a building, and when they took him to the facility, his blood alcohol was over double the legal limit."
Her face immediately changes to concern when he opens his eyes. "Is he okay? Was anyone hurt?"
Of course, she'd be the type to worry about people she doesn't really know. Her genuine goodness kills him. "He'll be okay, but he has to either finally go to rehab or lose his job. No one else got hurt."
"How did HR handle everything? You used to be worried they'd try and turn it around on you when the inevitable happened."
"Luckily, I'd documented everything. I made sure to send a lot of communication follow-up through email for the written chain, so when they came to talk to me with the owner, I had my ass covered. The head of HR I spoke with is in some hot water, though. No one's seen her in the office for a few days."
"Yikes."
He nods and signals to Tim. "Can I get a beer?"
"Meeting someone tonight?" Jess asks.
"I was hoping to run into Lena," Kade jokes and chuckles.
"Good luck. She's dating a guy named Joe. He's absolutely smitten with her, and she's already said she's going to marry him."
Kade freezes as Tim sets the drink in front of him. "You're making that up."
"I'm not. Lena got my number from a friend of a friend who knew someone I worked with or something, I guess. I think that's what she said. We've been talking, and she told me all about him. When we went to dinner, I saw them together. They are actually really cute."
"You became friends with Lena? After..." He trails off, unable to finish the statement of one of the worst nights of his life.
"Trust me, your surprise doesn’t compare to mine. She's not a bad person. We've hung out a few times, actually. The story of how we met is a real hit when people ask."
Jess and Lena are friends? This doesn't sound or feel like anything good for him. "So, are you here just having a drink before heading home?"
"I'm meeting someone, actually."
"A date?"
Her eyes focus on her wineglass. "Yes."
A feather could have knocked him over and off the barstool. He's surprised at the sting of the thought of her with another man. He tries to find the words to say, but he fails and stays mute.
"It's only our third date," she answers one of his unasked questions. "I'm meeting him here because I learned my lesson that moving too fast doesn't end well. Until I know what his true intentions are, I'm going to be careful. I got burned pretty badly last time."
"How'd you meet him?" he asks, finally finding his voice.
"Lena, actually. He's a high school buddy of Joe's. He and his last girlfriend broke up because he wanted to get married, and she didn't. That alone sounds like he's looking for more than just someone to casually date."
The words were meant to hurt, and they became a sword that cut right through his damn sternum. Before he can say anything, a handsome man walks into the bar and sits down on the opposite side of her. His hand rests on the small of her back, and he kisses her cheek.
"Hey, Jess. You look fantastic. Ready to go?"
Jess lifts the glass to her lips and finishes the wine before signaling to Tim. "I just need to pay my tab."
"I got it," Kade says. "Have fun on your date."
He stands and walks over to his original seat without another word, but he can't stop himself from watching the couple as they stand. The guy helps her put on her jacket, and she laughs at something he says before he holds the door open for her. His hand rests on the small of her back, and all Kade wants to do is pummel the man to the floor. He put his hands on Kade's girl.
"I added her wine to your tab before you went to talk to her," Tim says as he walks by. "Figured it was the least you could do."
"You're an asshole, you know that? Everyone thinks you're this nice guy, but you're a damn prick."
Tim just smirks and walks away.
If Jess can move on, well, so can he. Hell, he's the one who should have moved on already, but for some reason, he felt it was disrespectful. Now, he can be his true self.
Turning on his stool, Kade scans the room and spots a small woman with red hair sitting alone at a table. Bingo.
Grabbing his glass, he walks over and smiles. "Mind if I sit here?"
The woman shrugs. "Go ahead."
"What's your name?"
"Noelle," she says, her nostrils flaring.
How could he have pissed her off already? It's been less than thirty seconds. "Hi, Noelle. I'm Kade."
"I know."
Shit, that's why she's angry. They've met before. Did he sleep with her? He has never forgotten a woman he's slept with in the past, but he supposes there's a first time for everything. She doesn't look familiar, though. "We've met before?"
"You don't remember," she says and smirks. "But you thought you could come over here and charm me into going to bed with you. Tell me, would you have even bought me a drink first? Or would we have to go Dutch?"
"I just came to have a conversation," he says and holds his hands up in the air in surrender. For a tiny girl, she's got a big attitude.
"You don't want to ask me to dance?"
Narrowing his eyes, he knows he's never danced with this woman a day in his life. He'd remember it because she's barely five feet tall. He has over a foot on her, and that doesn’t make for a comfortable dance. "Excuse me?"
"Isn't that how you work it? Get me to dance and then try and take me home to your bed? Strip down to nothing and let you ravage my body until I'm blissfully sated and falling in love with you just to have you rip the rug out from under me?"
What the hell is this woman talking about? "I have no idea what's happening right now, but I can assure you, I have never danced with you before. I'm not sure how it would work with our significant height difference, but as for the rest of it, I'm not sure I'm interested anymore."
Smirking, she shakes her head. "Height doesn't usually matter when it comes to the type of dancing you specialize in, Kade Finely."
"I'm gonna go now..."
Just as he stands and grabs his drink, she places a hand on his wrist to stop him. "You don't remember meeting me. I'd be hurt if I didn't know you were nothing but the resident playboy here at the bar."
"I'm sorry I don't remember you. Did I take you home one night in a drunken stupor and not remember it or something? I don't really know any other reason you'd be so pissed at me."
Her drink splashes in his face, and she releases his wrist. "We met through my best friend. I think you know her fairly well. Jessica Massey."
Noelle. Jess's best friend with the red hair and fiery personality he didn't particularly care for. Dancing makes sense now. It's how he and Jess met.
Tim hurries over with a towel. "That seems quick, even for you."
"This is Noelle," Kade says, taking the towel and wiping his face. "She's Jess's best friend."
"Oh, shit," Tim says and laughs. “She’s the one who came in looking for you.”
"Yeah, I'm gonna take my tab now."
Noelle holds a hand up. "You know what? Put his drinks on my tab. I got 'em."
"What's your game plan here?" Kade asks. "Revenge on Jess's behalf? Is that it?"
"I want you to know you aren't as hot as you think you are. And the way you broke her heart isn't okay. How you treat women isn't okay. You're a damaged man inside, and I hope to hell you fix yourself before you continue your selfish and damaging ways and piss off the wrong woman."
"Like the one who just tossed a drink in my face on behalf of someone else?"
Smiling, she pulls out a fifty-dollar bill from her purse and sets it on the table. "Just remember, some of us are crazier than others. We know to cut three tires instead of four so your insurance won't cover it. Play your cards right, and you might just end up with candy on your windshield in the July heat with soda on your paint while you're working all day, letting it sit in the Texas heat. Maybe even figure out a way to sneak some glitter into your air vents. Good luck getting that shit out of your truck."
"You're certifiably nuts, you realize that, right?"
Hopping off the chair, Kade can't figure out how someone so tiny can be so spiteful and mean. She talks to him like she's as tall as Shaq and built like Dwayne Johnson. "You have no idea just how nuts I am. But you will if you don't shape up, Kade Finely."