11. Jake
CHAPTER ELEVEN
jake
Sausage Squad Group Chat
River :
Congrats buddy! Sorry I can’t be there, but I can’t wait to check it out.
Thoren :
You could at least send him flowers.
Jake :
Yeah, where’s my care basket like Lily got?
Thoren :
Doesn’t make it to your grand opening. Doesn’t send a gift. What’s he even good for?
River :
Care basket is on its way, asshole.
River :
*screenshot of order of bag of gummy dicks*
Jake :
HAHAHA Thanks man. Wish you were here.
T his weekend almost killed me with all the hours I put in at the shop completing my orders and building the desk.
Despite my burning desire to want to peek into my store, I forced myself to only go to and from the shop out back.
I didn’t even drive past the front, taking the side roads to avoid the urge to look.
Even with the long days, this anxious buzz under my skin hasn’t gone away.
There’s no expectation for my store to do magically well.
Cedar Ridge is a rather small town, but having a real storefront that is all mine has always been the end goal for me.
That doesn’t mean I don’t fear I’ll have no customers and my mom will sit there alone day after day while I lose money.
Sleep evaded me for most of last night, which made it easy to drag myself out of bed this morning and head for the gym.
I took my truck today so I could bring my bag of clothes I plan to keep in the store.
My mom spent twenty minutes on the phone with me last night explaining how important image was and how I at least needed to have a button-up shirt or two around to slip on when I was in the store. She’s lucky I love her so much.
I can’t keep focusing on what might happen when I open those doors today, or I’ll go crazy.
My only hope is that a mouthy little blonde is at the gym this morning to distract me.
After my talk with Evelyn, I did a little internet sleuthing and found the obituary for Jana Sage Wright.
I felt like even more of an ass after reading about how she was a pillar of our small community and raised her niece, Amber.
She was only fifty-one when she had her major stroke and passed eight months later.
Finding out about all of that should have told me to go easy on Amber, but I won’t.
She finds a way to piss me off every time I see her, and I doubt that’s magically going to stop because I know her aunt died.
I can be empathetic to her situation while still pushing her buttons.
To my delight, she’s posted up at a squat rack when I enter the gym.
Our eyes collide in the mirror as she reracks, and I send her a wink .
The blush that creeps down her neck sends a thrill through me.
Throughout my workout, my gaze finds its way to her.
The douche is here again, but he seems to keep his distance despite his eyes being glued to her as well.
Amber steps onto the treadmills, and I can’t hide the small smile that we have a similar routine.
As I make my way over to join her, Kyle beats me to it, taking the open one next to her.
This guy is starting to piss me off, but I jog on one in the row behind them.
Their conversation is too low for me to hear, but there’s an ease of familiarity between them.
I’m dripping with sweat by the time Amber hops off and picks up her bag.
She waves to Kyle before turning to me with a “See you later.” That acknowledgment eases some of the tension in me, so I hop off my treadmill and make my way to the locker room to shower and change.
I take my time, finger-combing my hair and taming my short beard.
I listen to my mom and put on a button-up shirt but still have my jeans and boots.
At least these ones are mostly scuff and stain free.
The shirt feels restrictive, so I roll up the sleeves and leave the top two buttons undone.
My mom will complain when she sees me, but you can only teach an old dog so many new tricks.
I promised Mom I wouldn’t enter the store until she got here and could experience the opening with me and watch me take it all in.
So, here I am, sitting in my truck in the back alley waiting for her to let me know when she’s here.
I could wait in my shop, but I’ll start tinkering and ruin my nice shirt.
I’ve been sitting in my truck for about twenty minutes when Amber pulls up next to me.
She left the gym over an hour ago, and when she steps out of her car, it’s in the same sweaty outfit she had on.
I try to slink into my seat, but with my tinted windows, she doesn’t seem to notice I’m here.
Her eyes are red-rimmed and puffy as she gathers her things and heads up to her apartment. Where has she been for the last hour ?
My phone dings as I watch through the glass door as she ascends the steps.
Grabbing it off the seat, I read the text from my mom saying to come to the front of the store.
I straighten out my shirt and twirl my keys while walking around the building.
My steps falter when I take in both my parents standing on the sidewalk waiting for me.
Their eyes shine bright with pride, and my mom wraps her arms around me.
Emotion sits heavy in my throat as my dad pulls me into a hug next, patting me on the back.
“I’m so proud of you, Jacob.” His voice cracks, and he clears his throat to cover it.
Mom not so subtly wipes her eyes, then clasps my dad’s free hand. “Well, let us in so we aren’t crying out on the street. I can’t wait for you both to see it!”
I hadn’t even bothered looking at the store yet, too focused on the fact that my dad made it for opening day.
This is why I work so hard to help support my parents.
They would give anything to support me, and I don’t take that for granted.
When I turn to the store, there’s a large banner hanging over the front window announcing the grand opening today.
My mom gives me a nudge, so I unlock the front door and hold it open for her to escort my dad through.
Following them in, I’m taken aback by how amazing it looks.
The sleek gray walls and black concrete floors are nothing new to me, but the navy-blue accents everywhere are.
There are accent rugs under some of my furniture displays, and the dining tables are set up with dinnerware.
In one corner, there’s a blue velvet couch set up with one of my coffee tables, and upon closer inspection, it has my lookbook displayed on it.
None of it is overdone, just set out naturally, with an open spot off to one side.
“That’s where I thought we could put the front desk you made,” Mom says when she sees me eyeing it. “What do you think?”
I don’t have the words to tell her how grateful I am. It’s so much better than I could have imagined. The fact she came together with my friends and they did all this has my eyes burning as I swallow down my emotions.
“Thank you. Just … thank you, Mom.” We stand there hugging for so long that my dad clears his throat.
“Might want to get that desk and set it up. You open in thirty,” he says, ambling over to the couch and slowly lowering himself on it. “I hope you don’t mind me breaking this in early, I doubt I’ll be moving until you close.”
The smile on my face is wide. I nod to him and make my way out the back to get my dolly and the desk.
With some careful maneuvering, my mom and I get it in and set up on time for opening.
She chatters incessantly while I hook up the computer and card reader I bought.
I will still have my mom take orders on paper until my website is set up and we figure out how to input custom orders, but at least I have this ready.
She knows about Amber and our trade of services since she’ll need to know how to work the new website too.
My dad listened with a keen eye, chuckling when I told him this was costing me much more than it was costing her, due to all the materials.
“It’s time,” my mom announces. “Go do the honors, honey.”
Glancing up from behind the desk, I see the small hoard of people waiting out front. All my friends are out there, as well as a few locals. For the second time this morning, I’m overcome with emotion.
Thoren rushes in first when I unlock the front door, slapping me on the back as he goes straight to the corner to talk with my dad. Lily follows close behind, wrapping me in her warm embrace. “We’re so proud of you. I want to make an order, but I’ll wait until the crowd leaves to do it.”
One by one, the small crowd enters the store, and I greet them all.
Michele whispered something about loving how our community shows up for their own as she hugged me in passing, and I couldn’t agree more.
Last to walk in is Amber. Her previously sad eyes hidden behind makeup, and a fake smile plastered on her face.
“I brought you a small gift. Evelyn said you liked it, so I hope you didn’t lie to her. Congratulations, Jake.” She hands me a small gift bag, then steps back out and heads to her store. I should talk with my customers, but my feet follow her of their own accord.
“Where are you going?”
“I have to open my own store. I’ll stop in again to talk more about your website when Lauren gets in this afternoon. Good luck today,” she says over her shoulder, unlocking her store.
There’s a nagging feeling to follow her, but I go back to my store instead.
My mom is talking to someone at the desk, and the rest of the patrons walk around looking at everything.
Opening the gift bag, I see a bundle of the candles Evelyn had burning in here on Friday.
Lily pops up beside me and smiles at the gift before pulling me to the side, then flicks my ear.
“Ow, what the fuck was that for?”
She scowls at me, crossing her arms. “I don’t know where to start. We’re supposed to be besties, and you don’t even tell me you slept with my other best friend? And I cornered Thoren because you’re as subtle as an ox, and I know you know about the pregnancy.”
“What was I supposed to say? Hey, sorry you have a shitty friend, and she conned me into taking her virginity? That I didn’t know until it was too late, and I feel like a piece of shit about it?”
The shock on Lily’s face makes me feel even worse.
Clearly, she didn’t know about the virgin part, and my asshole status just got an upgrade.
“Oh, Jake.” She grips my arm tenderly. “Look, I won’t tell her you told me that tidbit, and I don’t know what’s going on between you two.
Just be easy on her for a bit, okay? She’s been through more than any of us know, and she’s heading for a spiral if she doesn’t start talking about it soon. ”
Her concern is evident, and it makes Evelyn’s words float through my head again.
The mask she seems to wear around everyone else slips when she’s around me.
If pushing her buttons gets her to let out some of her pent-up anger and hurt, I’ll be that for her.
It’s no skin off my back when I get enjoyment out of watching her squirm and the light that flares in her eyes when she’s mad.
I nod, letting a wide smile cross my face. “Sooo, can I congratulate you on the baby now?”
Tears well in her eyes as she bites her lip and nods.
“You two will make the most incredible parents. I better be the godfather. Congratulations, Lily.”
Thoren comes up behind me, and I wrap him in an embrace. “I am so excited for you guys.”
“Just keep it on the down low for another month. We were hoping you could make the crib?”
“Fucking hell, is the goal to make me cry today?” I mutter. “I would be honored.”