Chapter 16
Jessie
Islam my hands over my ears when I walk into the Plot Twist and hear a god-awful screeching noise.
“Lainey?” I call out. It’s five minutes to closing, so I thought I’d see if she has time to sit and catch up after she closes. Kacey is on the road with Knox again, so it would be nice to have some girl time.
Lainey is about the only person outside of the Harts I’ve let into my life. “Let” isn’t really the right term when she didn’t give me much of a choice, but that’s why I love her.
“Back here!” she shouts from behind the counter.
I step through the gap between counters to find her on the floor, surrounded by soaking wet towels. The coffee machine is dripping and screaming above her.
“What the hell? What can I do?” I squat next to her.
“There are more towels in the back, third shelf up.” She’s flustered. Her brunette hair looks wild and coupled with the coffee grounds smeared across her cheek, Lainey looks like she’s mid-battle.
I dash into the back for the towels. “What happened?” I ask as we soak up the mess. Thankfully, the screaming has stopped.
“This machine has been giving me trouble. I’ve called the repair company twice, but they keep pushing back my repair appointment. I thought maybe it was something I could troubleshoot on my own, but when I turned it back on, it started screaming at me and dumping coffee everywhere.”
“You should’ve called them when it was screaming at you and put them on speaker.”
“No kidding. Being down a machine during my morning and afternoon rushes is not ideal. I’ve had more than one disgruntled customer waiting for their drinks.” She stands.
Drip, drip, drip.
She looks down to find the culprit: the hem of her yellow sundress is dripping coffee. She frowns and wrings it out.
“You know, Carson is super good at fixing things. I can call him and have him come look.” I’m already pulling out my phone.
“What about Trey? Maybe he could fix it,” she suggests.
I scoff. “Oh no. I mean, I’m sure he could fix it if he could find the right TikTok video. But I don’t want to risk it with your expensive machinery. Carson will be in and out.”
“Oh, that’s okay, you don’t have to—”
“Too late, it’s ringing.” I smile at her, forcing her to accept my help—and Carson’s, after I volun-tell him.
“Yeah?” he answers.
Always the charmer, this one. “What are you doing?”
“Picking up fencing supplies. Why?” A truck door shuts on his end of the line.
“Perfect. Swing by the Plot Twist, please. There is a screaming coffee machine that has your name on it.”
“A what? Jessie, no, I—”
“It will only take a few minutes. Pleaseeee . . .” I beg. “Lainey needs this machine operational, and the repair company is giving her the run around.”
There’s a long silence before he grumbles, “Fine,” and hangs up.
I slap the side of the machine. “He’ll be here in a few.”
Ten minutes later, Carson strides into the shop. He’s clearly been working in his dirty Wrangler jeans, straw cowboy hat, and pearl snap shirt.
“Thanks for coming. I really appreciate it,” Lainey greets him.
He gives her a soft smile before glaring at me. “Sure. What machine is it?”
“This one. I have the book here and some tools.” She hands him the instruction manual and explains what she’s already tried. Carson flips through the pages before removing panels and tinkering.
His untamed, long hair falls in his face. Before long, he takes his hat off, pushing it out of his face mindlessly as he works.
“When was the last time you had a haircut? You look like someone they’d find living under a bridge,” I poke at him.
Lainey’s eyes flare, but I chuckle. I love ruffling Carson’s feathers.
He turns his head just enough to shoot me an unimpressed look.
“I’m serious, you need a haircut and a shave. It’s summer, for Pete’s sake! You could do a fade or shag cut. You have the texture for it.”
He stops working and turns to me. “Are you done?”
I smirk. “Yes, I feel better now.”
“Great.”
It’s not long before Carson has the machine purring, happily grinding coffee and not overflowing to the floor.
“You are a miracle worker.” Lainey bounces on her toes.
“I wouldn’t go that far. You just needed to—”
Ding!
“Lainey,” a voice barks from across the shop. All heads turn to find her boyfriend standing at the door, arms out in a what-the-fuck gesture.
Lainey sucks in a breath. “Oh my gosh, Chadd. I’m so sorry. I completely lost track of time. I was trying to fix the machine and—”
“We’re late,” he cuts her off. “You aren’t even dressed? And what’s on your face?”
She swipes at the coffee grounds on her cheek. “Sorry, Carson just got the machine fixed. I don’t think I’ll be able to come to dinner.” She walks around the counter toward him.
“I RSVP’d for a plus one. It would be rude to show up alone. This couldn’t have waited?”
No, bro, it couldn’t have. What is this guy’s fucking deal? I’ve only met Lainey’s boyfriend a couple of times, and he never acted like this. I bite my tongue and pretend to be anywhere but here as Carson quietly puts the panels back onto the machine.
“Not really. This machine being down has been a huge pain. Chadd, you know Jessie, and this is Carson. Carson, this is Chadd,” she introduces them, clearly trying to change the direction of their conversation.
Carson gives him a single nod as he packs his small toolkit.
“Great, can we go now? We’re going to be late.”
Lainey tucks loose hairs behind her ears and looks down at her coffee-stained dress. “I–I can’t go like this. I haven’t cleaned up or closed the shop yet. I’m sorry. I’ll come to the next one.”
“Just lock the door and let’s go. You can change at home quickly.”
“I can’t just lock the door and leave. Nothing has been cleaned and no morning prep is done.”
He shakes his head. “Whatever, forget it.” He storms out without another word.
Ding!
Lainey visibly deflates.
“Cool, so would you like to punch him in the face, or should I kick him in the nuts?” I ask Carson.
Lainey lets out a strained laugh. “It’s okay. It’s my fault. I forgot we had plans for one of Chadd’s work dinners, and he’s been stressed about work recently. He’s not normally like that.”
Carson still stares at the door before sarcastically saying, “Right.”
“Thank you again for your help.”
“No problem.” He takes that as his cue to leave and heads back to the ranch.
Lainey and I set to cleaning. She tackles the mess behind the counter while I flip chairs onto tables before sweeping and mopping the floor.
“So . . ." I break the silence. “Does he talk to you that way a lot?”
Lainey sighs. “No, not really. I mean, more lately, but like I said, he’s just stressed at work. This dinner was important. I should’ve set an alarm and been ready. It’s my fault.”
“Okay, I get that. Losing track of time is on you, but how he reacted to it? That’s on him.
He was super rude and demanding. You’re running an entire business here—he has to understand that.
” The way he spoke to her, his tone of voice and body language reminded me of how my father used to treat my mother. I’m sure he still does.
She nods. “We’ll be fine. I’ll make the next one. Anyway, how’s life? It looks like things with Trey are going good.”
I can’t stop my smile.
“That good, huh?” she chuckles.
“It’s not like that. We’re just . . . becoming friends. He asked me to go to Arizona with him.”
“What?” She gasps. “Tell me more. How did this come about? You said yes, right?”
“Not exactly. I can’t afford the time off, and we aren’t dating or anything, so wouldn’t that be kind of strange? To take a trip together?”
“Use PTO, and no, I don’t think it’s strange. You two live together and have clearly grown close. It’s okay if you want to go, Jessie. I think it would be fun.”
“Maybe. I’ll think about it. He did say I could change my mind.
” I tell her about Trey’s sponsor and the photoshoot.
Lainey is always happy for everyone, so even though her boyfriend was just a total jerk to her, she gushes about the opportunity to travel and wants me to go.
Our conversation moves onto books, and before long, we have the shop cleaned and ready for opening tomorrow.
“Thank you so much for your help. It was great to catch up, too.”
“Of course.”
We hug goodbye, and Lainey locks the front door behind me.
I parked down the street. As I walk, I scroll on my phone looking for music for the drive home. I don’t notice the note on my windshield until I’m in my car. I open my door to retrieve it from under the wiper.
I scan the street, but don’t see him. I’ve always known he follows me from time to time, but it’s getting more frequent, and he’s getting more threatening. I need to talk him down and give him more money—that should help.
I take a deep breath and put my car in drive. Deep down, I know no matter how much I give him, Daryl will only come back asking for more. Especially now, with Trey living with me.