Chapter Twenty-Three
Jack
I wake to the sound of birds having what sounds like a heated argument right outside Jinnie’s window. It’s hot already. I blink awake to find her already half-dressed, pulling a bakery shirt over her head. Her hair is a mess, her lips still slightly swollen from last night.
I reach for her, catching her wrist. “Stay.”
She smiles but shakes her head. “Can’t. Bakery opens in an hour. I’m lucky I was able to switch shifts with Lisa and sleep in as it is.”
I sit up, the sheet pooling at my waist. “Let me take you to breakfast first.”
“Tempting.” She leans down, pressing a quick kiss to my lips. “But how about you drive me to work instead? I know those chocolate muffins you love will be fresh.”
Her fingers linger against my jaw, and for a second, I think about pulling her back into bed. But she’s made it clear that the job is important to her. I don’t want to risk her losing it because I can’t get enough.
“All right,” I groan.
“Think of it like this: you can pick me up after work and then we can do...whatever.”
I grin, liking the sound of that. “Okay, deal.”
I throw my clothes on quickly while she’s in the tiny bathroom. The place is small, but it feels cozy rather than cramped. It’s very much a reflection of her. Little touches everywhere—colorful throw pillows, plants in the windowsill, photos stuck to the fridge with magnets. I walk over to look at them while waiting. Most are of her with who must be her parents, a few with friends. They all show her smiling and happy.
Max saunters over, eyeing me with what can only be described as feline disdain.
“Sorry about last night,” I tell him, feeling ridiculous for apologizing to a cat. “Although, I think it’s you who owes me an apology. You never interrupt a man when he’s with a lady. I wouldn’t do that to you.”
He blinks slowly at me, then turns and walks away, tail high in the air.
“He’ll warm up to you,” Jinnie says, emerging from the bathroom. Her hair is pulled back now, face freshly washed. She looks beautiful, even in her simple work uniform.
“I doubt it.” I laugh. “Pretty sure he thinks I’m the competition.”
She grabs her purse and keys. “Ready?”
The drive to the bakery is easy, filled with the kind of comfortable silence that only comes after intimacy. Jinnie stares out the window. Every now and then, she glances at me, her lips curving in a small, private smile that makes my chest tighten. I’m already looking forward to picking her up from work. We’ll have a few hours before I have to be at the bar to play. That’s more than enough time to do what I’m thinking about.
Lisa nearly drops a tray of muffins when we walk in together. Her eyebrows shoot up, eyes darting between us.
“Well, well,” she says, wiping flour-dusted hands on her apron. “Look who finally showed up.”
Jinnie rolls her eyes. “I’m five minutes early. Jack gets the good muffins today.”
Lisa grins. “Oh, I bet he does.”
Jinnie shoves her playfully before disappearing into the back. Lisa turns to me, looking me up and down before nodding. “You’ll do.”
“Excuse me?”
“You’re a hundred times better than him .”
“Him?” I question.
Lisa shakes her head. “She deserves someone decent after that last disaster.”
I freeze. “Last disaster?”
Lisa frowns. “Yeah, her ex was a real piece of work.”
It’s not like I didn’t think she’d never been in a relationship, but I find it odd Jinnie never mentioned an ex. We spent all day talking yesterday and she never said a word. It seems like this ex was a big deal.
Lisa’s eyes widen, suddenly realizing what she’s said. “Oh, shit. I thought you knew.”
My stomach drops to my feet. “Knew what?”
She shifts uncomfortably, glancing toward the back where Jinnie disappeared. “Look, it’s not my place to—”
“Please, tell me about her ex so I don’t make the same mistakes,” I plead, hoping that will keep her talking.
“That asshole keeps dragging things out. He’s intentionally trying to make her life hell.” She leans closer. “He won’t sign unless she pays him off. Total gold-digger. He’s not going to sign those divorce papers unless there’s something in it for him. Poor Jinnie is dealing with all of this on her own. I didn’t even know about it until last week.”
My head is spinning. Married . Jinnie is married? The woman I just spent the night with, the woman I’m falling for, has a husband somewhere.
“Is he around?” I manage to ask. Then remember I’m pretending I know more than I do. “I mean, if I’ve got a jealous husband coming after me, I want to be ready.”
Lisa snorts. “I’m pretty sure you can take him.”
I swallow, glancing toward the door where Jinnie disappeared. “What’s she giving him to make him sign?”
“I don’t know. She’s been saving every penny to pay for the lawyer. That’s why she’s always picking up extra shifts. That damn lawyer is robbing her blind. Extra this. More of that. Lawyers are snakes.”
I try to keep my expression neutral, but inside, I’m reeling. All those conversations about dreams and futures, and she never once mentioned this massive part of her life. I find myself questioning everything. Is she really eighteen? Do eighteen-year-olds get married and divorced before they’re nineteen?
Holy shit.
I slept with a married woman. I’m a lot of things, but contributing to adultery is not something I want on my record when I go to meet my maker.
Lisa looks at me with concern. “Forget I said anything. It’s not my place.”
But the damage is done.
Jinnie returns then, with a box that I assume is filled with those chocolate muffins I had been craving up until two minutes ago. “Special delivery,” she says. “I have a minute. Let’s sit down and eat.”
“Uh, I can’t. I have to go.”
She studies my face, her smile faltering. “Everything okay?”
“Yeah. Just remembered I have something to finish at Aggie’s. She’s probably wondering why I didn’t come home last night. It was rude of me not to call.”
It’s a weak excuse, but I need air. Need space to think.
Jinnie’s brow furrows, but Lisa swoops in, distracting her with a question about the day’s orders. I can’t tell if Lisa knows the bombshell she dropped on me and did it on purpose, or if she really thought I knew.
“I’ll, uh...see you later?” I say.
Jinnie nods, but confusion flickers in her eyes. “I’ll walk you out.”
“No!” I blurt the word out. “I mean, you stay. I’m fine.”
She looks really confused. “Okay. Should I call you when I’m off?”
I nod. “Yeah, just let me know.”
I’m out the door before she can ask anything else.
I get in my truck and sit for a few seconds. I barely notice the heat. My mind is spinning. I don’t even know her. I thought I did, but it turns out Jinnie has a lot of secrets. Big ones. What else isn’t she telling me?
I start the truck and roll down the window to get some air. I know I need to ask her about it—but is it my place? If she didn’t offer the information, is it right for me to ask? And what about last night? What the hell was that about?
There are just too many thoughts for me to try and get straight. I need to do something. Something physical. For the first time, I don’t want to write a song about what I’m feeling. Because I don’t know what I’m feeling.
I pull to a stop next to Aggie’s truck and jump out. Aggie is in the greenhouse.
“Hey,” she calls out. “I take it you had a good time yesterday!”
I can’t talk to her right now.
“I’m going to grab a shower,” I say and keep walking. “I need to work on that song,” I mutter, not stopping.
I head straight to my room and close the door behind me. I jerk open the closet and pull out some clean clothes. I stomp into the bathroom, suddenly very anxious to get clean. I scrub my skin, trying to wash away the night before, but the water can’t wash away the knot in my stomach. The water pounds against my neck and shoulders as I try to think it through. How could she not tell me? I’ve shared everything with her. My mom. My dad. My dreams. My fears.
And she couldn’t tell me she was married ?
I turn off the water and grab a towel, still fuming. I can’t believe I let myself fall for someone who would lie to me like this. Not by what she said, but by what she didn’t say.
Back in my room, I throw on some clothes and grab my notebook. Usually, writing helps me sort through my feelings, but today the words won’t come. I stare at the blank page, tapping my pen against it.
My phone buzzes with a text from Jinnie: Everything okay?
I stare at the message, unsure how to respond. What am I supposed to say? Hey, just found out you’re married. Thanks for the heads up.
But I can’t say that. I need to figure out what I’m thinking.
Me: Just tired. Talk later.
It’s cowardly, but I need time to process.
How did Aggie not tell me? She’s been pushing us together and she had to know Jinnie was married. It makes me second-guess everything I thought I knew about Aggie, Jinnie, and this place. Just when I thought I was settling in, I discover it’s all bullshit.
I grab my guitar, thinking it’ll help, but my fingers fumble over the strings. Had she looked at someone else like that once? Had someone else known the feel of her skin, the sound of her breathless laughter?
And why the hell hadn’t she told me?
I set the guitar down with a frustrated sigh and run a hand through my damp hair. The walls of my room feel like they’re closing in, and I can’t sit still. I need to move, to do something—anything—to get my mind off this. I have to get out of here. I pull on my baseball cap and walk out of the house. Again, I ignore Aggie. I find myself walking back to my old campsite.
I kick a rock into the water, watching the ripples spread.
I can’t even be angry. Not really. Because what right do I have to her past? We’ve known each other barely a month.
But last night...last night felt like more. Felt like the start of something real.
And now?
Now I don’t know what to think.