Chapter 22 Jensen #2
A bit of a smirk finally tugs at the corner of his lips again. “I could see that, but at the same time, I assume she’ll want to keep the business separate to some extent. Let’s just come up with a name for shits and giggles at least.”
Stella squeals. “Ooo, okay, this is going to be so fun. But also I need a burger to think clearly.”
“That’s fair,” Beck says and immediately turns to grab some plates. When he sets them down, he pulls his phone out of his pocket. “You guys dig in, I’m going to call my dad real quick.”
I’m out of my seat before I even realize it. “Is everything—”
“Everything’s fine, baby,” Beck cuts me off. “He just wants to check in. I’ll be back, you eat.”
I let out a small sigh in relief. “Okay, tell them I said hi.”
Beck nods then holds his phone up to his ear before heading up the stairs. I watch and wait for him to disappear then Dottie’s up and chasing after him.
A smack comes to my arm. “Jensen James. You better start talking.”
I look at my sister, eyes wide. “Okay, first, ow, and second, what the hell was that for?”
“Oh, don’t you dare. I knew something had to be going on with how damn happy you look, but that man just called you baby, and you want to gloss over it.”
I sputter a laugh. “What? No, he didn’t.”
“Yeah, he did. I know it just happened but I’m replaying it in my head because I’m pretty sure I almost fell out of my seat with a swoon.”
Wait…he did say baby. I hadn’t even really registered it, it just felt natural to hear.
Stella’s voice turns to a whisper. “Jensen, you like him.”
“Well, duh, you are one of the few who actually knows how I feel about him.” I take a deep breath. “But it’s not—”
“No, Jennie, it is like that. Try again.”
I sit back down next to her. “It is, but it isn’t at the same time. Can you just trust me? This isn’t anything like what happened with Travis. We’re not even really dating, just roommates with benefits.”
Stella hums softly. I know she’s leery, but that’s simply from my past experience, not her lack of trust.
When she doesn’t say anything, I add, “I told him he’s not allowed to kiss me. I know in my gut that it would be the end of me. I have boundaries set and so does he.”
“Good, and listen, I’m never here to judge you. If you want to date Beck, then date Beck. He seems really great.”
“We’re not dating, Stel. Just…getting it out of our system.”
Stella’s eyebrows raise up high. “O-kay! If you say so.”
“We’re not dating. I’m serious.”
Stella holds her hand up to count. “You live together, the man calls you ‘baby,’ I’m imagining you both are exclusively fooling around with each other during this time…a.k.a dating.”
Well, shit, when she puts it like that…
“But we don’t kiss, we don’t go on dates, per se…we just happen to enjoy each other’s company.” Alright, not helping myself too much here. “And there’s a definite end, remember? He may have called me baby, but he also said it was temporary.”
Stella stands up with a smug smile and grabs a plate. “Temporary, my ass.”
I reach for my glass and send the remainder of my wine straight down my throat. Come on alcohol, help me out here.
Stella stops filling up her plate and pours more in my glass. “You might as well take the bottle, Sis. It makes the delusion easier to swallow.”
The evil eye I give her doesn’t faze her, and for that, I drink some more.
“You know, you didn’t want me to do a reading last time we were on the phone but I did one for you anyway. Want to know what I learned?”
“No,” I answer immediately. “I’m begging you, please.”
Stella shakes her head as she digs through the food boxes. “Fine, fine, I won’t say anything. However—”
“Stella!” I snap, but she just laughs me off.
“Relax, I’m moving on from you and loverboy.” When she’s satisfied with her choices on her plate, she comes back to sit next to me. “I was going to say, I think you should have your business named something witchy and powerful.”
“Of course you do,” I mumble with another sip of my wine. Rounding the island, I grab my plate and start getting my own food.
Stella’s mom loved doing tarot readings, crystals, and star charts. I remember every full moon we would have these big sleepovers where her mom would do all these rituals.
After she passed, my mom really made an effort to keep them going. Even though Dad and I weren’t exactly big into it, it was always the thing we did as a family every single month until Stella and I moved out.
“What would you name it? And put a little bit of your PR brain into it,” I tease her.
She scoffs. “I always use my PR brain!”
Before I can give her another smart-ass remark, Beck walks back down the stairs and gives one for me. “Was that the same brain that told you to bring four bottles of wine to our Thanksgiving meal?”
“As a matter of fact, it was.” Stella scrunches her nose taking another sip. “It is also telling me I’ll be crashing in Jensen’s bed tonight as well.”
Humph. “You think?”
Stella simply sticks her tongue out at me so I retort with my middle finger.
“Alright, alright, no sister fights.” Beck makes his way over to my side, his hand briefly landing on my back as he steps around to grab his own plate.
Butterflies flutter in my stomach. “You have a good talk?” I ask cautiously. I still really want to know what happened between him and his dad, and with the way they talked to each other last night I’m even more curious.
Beck gives a small nod. “Yeah, we did, my parents said hi back to you.”
Well, that seems like it’s all I’m going to get on that front. I swallow down any other questions.
“What about something with angel numbers?” Stella blurts out. Gah, I love her. “For the name of your tattoo shop. I know you and Dad don’t really get into all of it like me and Mom, but we all have angel number tattoos.”
“Okay…I do like that.” I give Stella a grateful smile.
Beck gives me a small nudge with his elbow. “Are the angel numbers the 222 on your arm?”
“Yeah, I have twos for alignment—”
Stella snorts a laugh. “Your guardian angel was shoving that number down your throat when you were…” She trails off when she catches the look on my face. She holds up her glass. “Sorry, wine makes the PR brain work less.”
Beck steps around me again to fill up his plate. “When you were what?”
I’m itching to send Stella my middle finger again, but you know what, Beck gets to be vague about whatever happened with his dad, I can be vague about this. “When I lived at home. I had some things that weren’t exactly in alignment.”
Beck’s mouth opens but Stella tries to recover her fumble. “But now you are with your shop, so why not something like Tattoo 222 or Ink 222…maybe—”
“You could do Tinta 222,” Beck says, earning both a stunned look from me and an impressed one from Stella.
“Since when do you know Spanish?” I ask.
Beck shrugs. “I don’t know a lot, but you mumble Spanish when I annoy you sometimes…I wanted to know what you were saying.”
My heart feels like it skips a beat. I don’t know what to say, honestly.
Stella takes this one for me. “I like Tinta 222, I think you should go with that, Jennie.”
I clear my throat. Shit, Beck really is going to steal everything from me.
“Yeah, I think I will.”
I foresaw the headache today, but I didn’t quite realize how much of a bitch she would be.
Rolling over, Stella doesn’t budge. She’s always slept like the dead, but with a wine hangover, there will be no waking her until she’s ready.
I quickly get ready for my double today, only bothering to be somewhat quiet for my own headache.
Agreeing to a double shift at Winedown might not have been the best move, but money still has to be made. I want to be able to control when I use Beck’s money so there are many more doubles in my future.
I barely make it five feet down the hall before I know, without a doubt, that Beck’s not here. It’s entirely too quiet in this house for him or Dottie to still be here.
Part of me hoped they might be across the street at the dog park but when I see the notepad on the counter with a glass of water and a bottle of Advil I know that’s not the case.
Morning Jenni-cakes,
Dot and I are headed to the training facility for a run, then Dex and Miles meeting us there. Red Bull is in the fridge, and medicine on the table if you need it.
P.S. If I were to take Dottie to one of those groomers that do cool styles and temp dye their fur… How mad would you be?
Shaking my head, I shake out two pills and gulp them down with some water before picking up the pen.
If you plan on stalking me later, I’ll be at Winedown all day.
P.S. Very mad. My dog is cool enough on her own.
Raiding the cabinets, I grab a couple of the varying power and granola bars that Beck ordered with groceries last week, then snag the Red Bull from the fridge.
Before I can bring myself to walk out the door, my eye catches on the glass of water Beck left out.
Picking it up, I drink it all, and the reasoning in my head is that Lucie would be proud, and my slight hangover demands it…
not because it could earn me a good girl comment from the man who set it out.
When I get to work, I shoot off a text to Stella to let her know where I’ll be.
Thankfully, Stella didn’t bring up the topic of me and Beck again.
After finding out that Beck’s secretly been learning Spanish, I think Stella knew I couldn’t handle any mentions of him when we retreated back to my room for a sister sleepover.
My feelings for him were written so clearly on my face that she didn’t have to bring it up.
Sliding my phone in my back pocket, I turn around ready to get things open and find Mia beaming at the bar.
“Hi, I’m here for my daily Beck update.” Her chin rests on her hand as she leans on the bar top, like she’s ready to eat up every word I’m about to say.
No, no, no. I refuse to talk about this again. Why do I have such nosy friends?
“You know I think maybe we should start with a shift update…are we out of anything important? Anyone call out that I need to know about?” I try some leading, a.k.a. avoiding questions, but Mia’s not falling for it.
“Winedown is completely amazing now that I’ve taken it over, nothing is out of stock, everyone’s working who’s supposed to be, and I want to know about you and Beck. You’ve given me nothing for a whole week! You had three days off, and I demand to know if they were well spent.”
“Okay, they were well spent.” I shrug her off and tie my apron around my waist. “Can I start opening the bar now?”
Mia’s eyes roll, but given the professional she is, she shrugs me off. “I shall find out how it’s going on my own then. I’ll cut you first tonight, my girl.”
Thank god.
I let out a sigh as Mia gets up from the barstool, then says, “Nice hickey.”
“Dammit.” My hand covers my neck. I swore the collar on my button-up covered it fairly decently. “Hey, I said they were well spent.”
“It seems like it.” She laughs. “Have a good shift, I’m going to step out for lunch with my parents but then I’ll be back. Text me if you need me.”
“Sounds good,” I say, but then remember something. “Oh, Mia, you know Will and Callie with the Blues?”
“Yeah, Callie’s the redhead right? And Will is the one who doesn’t drink?”
“Right.” I nod. “Will’s going to ask her to marry him, so we’re wanting to throw them an engagement party after Opening Day. Her brother is going to plan it mostly, but wanted to know if he could rent out the place.”
Mia raises an eyebrow. “Rent out the entire restaurant, or just upstairs?”
“Lucie mentioned upstairs, but Adam said the whole place if possible. I can give you his number if you want to talk it out.”
Mia comes back to the bar, waving her hands. “Wait, wait. Is Adam the really big one? Super hot, but always looks serious?”
I can’t stop my laugh. “That would be him. He’s not always serious, he’s actually pretty fun, gives teddy bear energy when you get to know him.”
Mia cocks her head. “If you say so. Just give him my email. If it’s business related it should stay in my inbox. That’s what my parents would say, at least.”
“I’ll pass it along. Oh, and whatever date he gives, go ahead and mark me off.”
Mia spins on her heels with a wave. “I know, I know. Have a good shift, Jensen.”
And you know, I actually do. We’re busy but not slammed. I’m working with competent people today which was a major surprise, considering it’s the day after a national holiday.
It isn’t until about two in the afternoon that my sister finally shows up at the bar with a few shopping bags in hand.
“Excuse me,” she says very overdramatically as I make my way to her. “I’m in need of a drink after fighting off the Black Friday shoppers.”
“Oh, you poor soul, what can I get you to revive you?” I joke.
“Hit me with the hard stuff. Coke on the rocks, don’t you dare get me a diet.”
“Coming right up.” Getting her drink, I decide to pop a cherry on top just for the fun of it. “Here you are.”
She picks up the stem. “Ah, gracias. Nice hickey, by the way. Now I get why you had on a turtleneck.”
Shit, has everyone noticed it today?
“Moving on. What are you doing out shopping?”
Stella smirks, but doesn’t pester anymore. “I picked up a new power suit. Flying out to New Jersey tonight. Did you know that having your mistress show up with a turkey for a company Thanksgiving is not a good look?”
I fake disbelief. “I bet they didn’t even get to break the wishbone.”
Stella fights her laugh as she swallows the cherry. “The wife threw the turkey through the conference room wall.”
“As she should.”
“As she should,” Stella parrots in agreement before taking a sip of her drink. “I’ll be there for a bit, and again, no need to further discuss at this time, but I am down to get a place here together if you want.”
My stomach turns, and Stella can see it all over my face.
“It’s just an option on the table, Jennie. I’m thinking of making the move whether you want to or not, so don’t think this is something you have to be a part of, or that you’ll be leaving me high and dry.”
“Thanks, I’ll keep it in mind.”
Stella’s smile grows again. “Good, and P.S. I wrote a very inappropriate note on yours and Beck’s little pad on the counter.”
My eyes shut as I grumble, “How inappropriate?”