27. Brody #2
He gestures toward the rack of her designs. “I wonder if doing this on a bigger scale is really what she wants. Or is it just what she thinks she should want…”
He trails off, but I get it. Jami’s idea of success is making her parents proud.
My stomach twists. “I don’t know. I guess you know her better than me.”
“Yeah…maybe,” he says, picking up his crutches and heading outside.
We’re both lost in our thoughts by the time we reach the house.
Once inside, I search for Jami. She’s gone.
Her things are gone. Her apartment isn’t far—she could have walked.
But why wouldn’t she wait for me to drive her?
My heart races. Is she really pulling away?
Shouldn’t I have expected this? Why the hell did I let myself fall for someone who might never stay?
I take a fast shower, pull on a nice pair of pants and a button-down, and Jaxon does the same. Then we head out, my shoulders tight with thought, stepping into the night.
“Are we grabbing Jami?” Jaxon asks.
“Not sure.”
“Let me text her.”
I drive slowly, waiting for the reply. When the text comes back, he says, “She’s got a lift.”
“With who?” Damn. That came out way more jealous than I intended.
“I don’t know. Want me to ask?”
“No…as long as she’s got a ride.”
He stares at me for a beat longer than feels comfortable. I try not to squirm. Fuck. Maybe I should just tell him. Clear the air. Get it all out. But…I want to talk to Jami first tonight before doing anything we might regret.
Cars line the street as we pull into Ma’s for one of her famous kitchen parties—drinks, music, singing, too much food, and way too much cake. Normally I’d love this chaos. Tonight, I’m anxious.
The door swings open before we even reach it. Ma throws her arms around me. “Happy birthday, Brody!”
“Thanks, Ma.”
The kids come barreling in, initiating a tickle war. I lift them onto my feet, spinning them around, all the while scanning the room. Who’s here—and more importantly, who isn’t—because that could clue me in on who’s driving Jami.
Once the kids take off into the other room, I head to the kitchen. Sadie, Verna, Theresa, and Rachel are helping Ma set up the buffet.
“Jami here?” I ask casually.
“Not yet,” Verna says. “Why, you miss her?” The others nudge each other, grinning. I just shake my head.
“Of course he doesn’t miss her,” Ma scolds, pointing her spatula at them. Then she smiles, brilliant as ever. “Elise is here. She’s in your old bedroom. Said she needed to talk to you in private.”
My stomach tightens. “What about?”
She winks, whacking me lightly on the butt with her spatula. “Rumor has it, she’s staying in town. Now go, talk to her.”
What the fuck?
I trudge up the stairs, each step heavier than the last. I’m not looking for a confrontation with Elise—and the last thing I want is to hurt her—but she needs to know by now that we’re never getting back together. Not now, not ever.
I pause outside my door for a few long seconds, heart hammering, not sure what I’m walking into. Finally, I open it.
Elise is sitting on my bed, scrolling through her phone.
“Brody.” She jumps to her feet. “Did you see this?” She holds her phone out to show me Nicola’s socials, the picture of Nicola and Jami.
“Yeah, Jaxon showed me earlier.”
“Isn’t this fantastic for her?”
“It is.” I glance around. “What did you want to see me about?”
“I wanted—” she begins but is cut off.
“Oh, sorry I didn’t mean to interrupt.” We both turn to find Jami in my door. “Your Ma told me you were up here, and I wanted to give you this.” She has a birthday bag in her hand.
“You’re not interrupting,” Elise says with a big smile. “I was just showing Brody this.” She holds her phone out to Jami.
Jami grins. “I saw it.”
“Did you know it now has over a million likes? Everyone wants your clothes.”
Jami gulps. “Are you kidding me?”
“No, and…” She gives me a big grin. “I called a buyer I know in Toronto. He wants to see you ASAP.”
Jami’s eyes go wide. “Why…why would you do that?” For a moment I can’t tell if she’s happy about that or not.
“Because you’re Brody’s friend, and in this small town, we’re all here for each other. Isn’t that right, Brody?”
I scratch my chin, not really sure what is going on here. But one thing I do know is Elise broke my trust once…is she trying to get it back by helping Jami?
“You really have a buyer friend?” I ask, trying not to sound too suspicious as unease moves through me. A part of me wonders if she’s fucking with Jami, just to push her out of town. But what if she’s not? This could be Jami’s big break. If that’s what she really wants.
“Yes, Elliot Kane.”
Jami’s mouth drops open. “Elliot Kane. Wow.”
“He’s well known,” Elise explains to me. “He’s a buyer for the big department stores. I met him through my studies when he visited our campus to talk to the students.”
“This is…wow…” She stops and shakes her head, like she can’t find her words. “Thank you,” she finally says, her throat making a strange sound.
“Hey, us designers have to stick together.”
She nods, glancing down. “We do have that in common, don’t we?” She shoots me a quick look, and I can’t read her at all. Then she turns back to Elise. “That was really nice of you.”
“He wants to see you tomorrow. I can give you all the details.”
“Tomorrow?” Jami’s eyes practically bulge. “I don’t know how…”
Feeling protective, maybe even irrationally so, I bite back the instinct to tell her not to go. But this is her dream. I can’t stand in her way.
“We’ll get you there,” I say quickly. “I’ll call Frank, get you to Deer Lake. From there, you can fly straight to Toronto.”
Her blue eyes flick between Elise and me, glistening and unsure. I hope to God she doesn’t think I want her gone.
“This is what you want, right?” I ask gently. She stares at me a long second. “Jami?”
“You think I should go?”
Fuck.
My stomach tightens. My throat seizes. Breathing feels impossible. I want to tell her to stay, that I love her, that I want her all to myself. But I can’t. Not now.
“Yes,” I manage, voice tight.
She nods, small and determined. “It’s what I want, too. Thank you, Brody. Thank you, Elise.” She runs her fingers nervously over a button on her blouse. “I…I better get home. I need my sketches, some product…get packed and ready.” She glances down. “Oh, and your present.”
I take it from her. “I’ll drive you.”
“No,” she says, shaking her head. “I was talking to Liam. He could only stay for a minute. I’ll grab a lift with him.”
Liam? My chest tightens. “Jami—”
I take a step toward her, but she raises a hand and backs out of my room. “You stay…” Her gaze slides to Elise. “Enjoy your party.”
And just like that, she’s gone.
The door clicks shut, and a hollow sort of panic settles in my chest, because instinct and history tells me she’s leaving for good.