6. Griffin #2
“See.” He waggles his eyebrows. “My duckies are irresistible. Just watch all the girls come through and fall in love with us just because we have cute ducks all over the place.”
Alec scratches his chin in consideration. “Fuck, I think you’re right. Remember that one chick the other day, the tourist? She was totally digging in.”
“Yeah, she was digging me with my hair flip.”
“You and your fucking hair flip.” Alec shakes his head, and I have a distinct impression that I’m intruding over here.
There’s also a tiny seed of longing for my own friend who I could’ve joked around with any time. But that won’t ever happen again. Because Caleb won’t ever laugh at my jokes again.
I throw my thumb back. “I think I’m actually going to head—” I start but the Viking interrupts me.
“I’m Jacob, by the way.”
“Oh, Jacob, right. Okay, good to meet you?” Why does that sound like a question?
“You’re not heading anywhere without us,” Alec tells me and then turns to Jacob. “Come on, we are going to LPs. Griffin here needs to unload.”
“Heck yes! I love therapy sessions at LPs.” Jacob claps his hands with an excited smile on his face.
“I don’t think it’s a good idea,” I tell them both.
“Why not?” Alec frowns.
Yeah, why not? Because you are jealous Jacob is the one who holds her heart? Ridiculous, man, fucking ridiculous.
“Griff, you are not running away from us.” Jacob steps up, slapping a hand over my shoulder. “Don’t worry, this here”—he motions between us three—“is a safe space. Whatever you need to talk about, it will stay in the circle of trust, okay?”
“Um…”
“Dude, he won’t let you leave now that he knows you need a therapy session.” Alec shakes his head. “Best to just go with it or he’ll come all the way to your house with you.”
“You guys are so weird.”
“Thank you!” Jacob beams at me like I just paid him an honest-to-God compliment.
Yeah, he’s perfect for Julie…
“So, you own this tattoo shop?” I ask Alec as he locks up the front door while Jacob went over to talk to seagulls. Apparently, they were in distress.
“Yeah, this baby is mine and Jacob helps around when he can.”
“That’s pretty cool,” I admit, realizing that so much had actually changed in LC over the years. None of us are kids anymore.
“Thanks.” Alec smiles. “If you ever want something done, just holler. We’ll get you set up.”
I nod in thanks as he calls for Jacob to leave the birds alone and come over.
“So, what’s his story?” I nod toward the Viking. “He wasn’t here before.”
“Nope, he moved here not too long ago from Chicago. Jacob’s family really sucks, and he needed to be someplace else, so we adopted him.”
“I see. I guess he settled right in.”
“Understatement of the year.” Alec laughs. “There isn’t a soul here who doesn’t love the guy.”
Yeah, including my girl…
“Have they been dating for a while then?” I ask before I can stop myself.
“Who?” Alec frowns.
“Him and Julie.”
A huge arm drapes over my and Alec’s shoulders. “Man, I knew you had it bad for her,” Jacob states with a shit-eating grin on his face.
“Had it bad for whom?” Alec frowns some more.
“Brother.” Jacob sends him a look. “Open your eyes, our boy here is head over heels for my Julie-San.”
“She’s not yours,” I grit out before I can stop myself and that shit-eating grin of his only grows wider.
“See?” He waggles his eyebrows while Alec gapes at both of us before whisper-shouting, “Seriously?”
“No wonder you don’t have a girlfriend. You’re clueless,” Jacobs tells him.
“Look whose duck is quacking! I don’t see any girlfriends around your Viking ass either.”
“That’s about to change,” he says taking a deep breath of the salty air around us. “I can smell it in the air.”
“Mm-hmm, sure.” Alec gives him an unamused look. “Keep telling yourself that.”
“I swear. I feel my wife coming my way very, very soon.”
“The day any sane woman decides to tie herself to you will go down in Loverly Cave history.”
These two continue bickering and teasing each other like an old married couple but I tune them out because there’s only one question I desperately need an answer to.
“So, you and Julie are not…you know, together?” I ask, breaking up their conversation. My hand nervously rubbing the back of my neck.
They both stare at me before Jacob says, “Nope. Not even close, but…” He trails off, puckering his lips.
I stay right where I am, my eyes drilling into him to finish that thought but he’s clearly waiting for me to press the matter.
“But what?” I grit out and Jacob sighs with exaggeration.
“Oh, thank God, I thought I’d have to hold my breath waiting for you to ask forever.”
“Jacob,” I warn.
“She’s not dating me. But she is dating.”
Fuck…
“So, you just lived at the base this whole time?” Alec asks after taking a sip of his beer.
We finally make it to LPs, the only decent bar in our town, and as soon as we sit at one of the booths lining the back wall, Alec starts his inquisition. He might be worse than my mother, but for once I’m not so eager to switch the subject.
She’s dating someone. Of course she is. But for some reason, knowing it’s not Jacob made it more real. More terrifying and that notion is terrifying all on its own.
I don’t care. I don’t care . Don’t care at all, I keep playing the mantra on repeat inside my head while nursing my beer and contemplating how much will it hurt tomorrow if I move up the alcohol ladder.
Love and Peace hasn’t change at all since we lived here. Sure, we couldn’t actually drink back then but all the kids growing up in LC made their way here almost daily what with our parents practically worshiping the place.
Willa Loverson—the owner who was known for her special brews my mom likes so much and wearing more handmade jewelry than one can count—has a special menu with shakes and non-alcoholic drinks for underage guests, and it was nice to see it still intact on the wall above the long L-shaped bar.
But that’s about the only normal thing you’ll find here because there are no cosmopolitans, martinis, old-fashions or all the rest of your usual drinks.
Oh no, in Loverly Cave we serve Cupid’s Arrow, Downer’s Luck, Groovy Sip, Fry, Mellow-yellow, Free Love, Eros Spell, and others along the same line. In hindsight, I shouldn’t be surprised at Julie’s coffee-less coffee shop when the bar doesn’t serve normal cocktails.
The décor in here is another story. No two pieces of furniture are the same, the walls are covered with hippy art, the outdoor patio is covered with heart-shaped string lights, and inside there is a large stage for karaoke nights.
It’s as eclectic as they come but it also feels like home. Just how it’s meant to be in Loverly Cave.
I field a few more questions about my time at Air Force from Alec and get ready to order Downer’s Luck when all of the sudden Jacob speaks up with this pensive look on his face. “So, what’s the plan?”
“The plan?” Alec furrows his brows. “What plan?”
“That’s what I’d like to know. What is our plan to get Griffin his girl?” Jacob asks in all seriousness.
“Oh yes! We need a plan! You are so smart, Jackie,” Alec coos.
“Nope, no, no, no, and no again. No plans.” I lift both my index fingers to point at them.
“I may’ve been gone for a long time and don’t know how you two operate but I’ll bet my left kidney it’s not on the smart, cautious and most importantly, mature, side.
There will be no plans. There is no my girl.
Julie is a grown woman and can date whomever she likes.
I didn’t come here to infiltrate her life. ”
“You’ve got nothing to worry about.” Alec grins, slapping my back and effectively ignoring all I just said. “We got you.” He turns to Jacob. “So, what do we know about the other guy?”
“Didn’t you just hear what I said? I don’t want you guys to make any plans!”
“He’s a Loverly Cave native. She told me they went to school together and it was very surprising when he asked her out.
He’s been generally good to her from what she’s told me.
But he did take her to a car show last week.
” Jacob lists random facts, and despite my insistence that I want nothing to do with this, I’m taking it all down.
“A car show?” Alec screws up his face. “The dude took Julie to a car show?”
“I know.” The other twin to this crazy combo bulges his eyes in agreement. “That was my reaction as well, but Jules said that was fine since he did go to yoga with her the previous time.”
“Hmm, so he’s smart and compromising. Damn, he’s actually putting in an effort, huh?”
Screw compromising, if he’s not worshiping the ground she walks on, he’s an idiot. Effort my ass. Try learning the names to all the herbs she grows…
“Yep.” They keep talking to each other while I’m growing restless here.
Name. What is his name, Jacob? I’m screaming on the inside but hell if I’ll show my cards to these two. I don’t even want to show them to myself.
“How long has this been going on for?” Alec asks.
Mm-hmm, exactly how far gone is Julie for him?
“They’ve been on like four-five dates, I believe.”
Okay, four-five is…not ideal but it’s not a month long relationship either.
“Okay, the real question is, how into him is she?”
“Are you two doing this on-fucking-purpose?” I grit through clenched teeth.
“Doing what?” the double-trouble committee asks in unison, batting their lashes like clueless schoolgirls on playground.
“Not saying who this guy actually is.”
“Oh, thank God you finally asked.” Jacob exhales dramatically once again while shooting me a knowing smirk. The asshole was totally doing it on purpose. “He’s name is Owen.”
Owen…
I blink. Just blink and blink and blink some more.
“Is he okay?” I hear Alec ask as he waves a hand in front of me.
“Shit, who’s giving him mouth to mouth when he faints?”
“You two share a common denominator. You can kiss him.”
“Who?”
“Julie!”
“Don’t you and him share Luke?”
“Yeah, no. Not even close.”