Page 86 of Finding Jess

Jess threw her one quick glance before pulling the door open.

Scarlett stood on the other side, not looking up as she typed something out on her phone.

“Hey,” Jess muttered, before reaching a hand down to adjust her own shirt.

Scarlett finally glanced up from her phone, a smirk curling her lips as her eyes flicked between Jess and Sam. “Am I interrupting something?”

Jess forced a laugh, smoothing down her hair with one hand. “No, of course not,” she said quickly, stepping aside to let Scarlett in.

Scarlett raised an eyebrow, clearly unconvinced, but she didn’t push it. Instead, she made a beeline for the fridge, yanking it open like it was her own. “Right,” she drawled. She grabbed a sparkling water, cracking it open and taking a long sip. “You weren’t answering your phone. I had to come get my charger. I left it in your bag on the trip.”

Jess frowned, shooting a quick glance at Sam. “Yeah, sorry, I meant to give it back to you yesterday,” she muttered. “It’s in my room. I’ll go get it.”

As Jess disappeared down the hallway, Scarlett leaned against the counter, taking another sip from the can as she studied Sam. “I’m glad you’re here, actually,” she said, releasing a deep sigh. “I need to vent about the wedding catering situation. It’s a total nightmare.”

Sam’s pulse was still pounding in her ears, the remnants of the moment they’d just shared hanging heavy in the air. “What happened?”

Scarlett rolled her eyes. “The caterer decided to change the menu last minute,” she said, letting out a huff of frustration. “Apparently, they can’t source the seafood we picked. Now they want to substitute it with some fancy vegetarian option, but Terrence is freaking out because half his family is expecting crab cakes.”

Sam forced a chuckle, stepping closer to the counter. “What are you gonna do?” she asked, hoping her voice didn’t sound as shaky as it felt.

Scarlett sighed, taking another swig of the sparkling water. “No clue,” she muttered. “I need to figure it out today, though. I’m this close to just saying fuck it and ordering pizza.”

Sam cracked a grin at that, but her mind was only half on the conversation. She could still feel the ghost of Jess’ touch, the heat of her body pressed against her own. And now, the sudden shift back to reality was like being doused with a cold bucket of water.

Jess reappeared, holding the charger in one hand. Her expression was carefully neutral, but Sam could see the tension in the tight set of her jaw.

“Here,” Jess said, holding it out.

Scarlett took it, shoving it into her bag without another glance. “Thanks,” she said. “Okay, I need you to help me handle this catering mess before Terrence has a meltdown.”

Jess shot Sam a quick glance before looking away. And she couldn’t tell if it was disappointment or relief in her eyes.

But either way, Sam knew the interruption was for the best. Even if everything in her body screamed the opposite, continuing what they’d started would’ve been a bad idea.

It was opening the door for a mess of unspoken feelings and who knows what else.

It wasn’t something that could happen. And if it did, it definitely shouldn’t just be on a whim of high emotion.They had too much history for that. Too many old feelings mixed in to make it casual.

“Okay,” Jess said, moving to stand beside Scarlett. “Let’s figure this out.”

Sam nodded, stepping in closer as the three of them leaned over the counter. But even as they dove into a discussion aboutthe wedding menu, she couldn’t shake the feelings still coursing within her. And when she caught Jess’s eye across the counter, she saw the same raw, unspoken tension reflected back.

Whatever happened wasn’t over. Not by a long shot.

Chapter eighteen

Sam walked through the door into the busy bar and restaurant space.

Although it had been difficult to fit in Scarlett and Terrence’s wedding events around her busy work schedule, this was a night she knew she couldn’t miss.

They’d delayed their engagement party at the beginning, planning to hold it closer to the wedding when Terrence’s friends could fly in. And Scarlett had double—and triple—checked that she’d be able to make it.

But now, walking in, she was filled with nerves.

She hadn’t talked to Jess since their kiss earlier that week. She’d opened her phone half a dozen times, ready to text or call. But she couldn’t do it. She didn’t know what to say.

Or whatnotto say.

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