Page 13 of Under the Mistle-Foe

“I code for my parents’ company, and I can do that anywhere,” he said with a shrug. That answered my questionabout what the hell he was doing, clacking away on his laptop every time he was at the diner.

He was a coder, which made sense. Though, with all the wealth the Davises possessed, he probably didn’t even need to work. But his family status was something he’d never flaunted around, even when we were teens. He was always down to earth, and that was probably another reason why he was so likable.

Rich, handsome, and humble. The guy really had it all, which made me wonder if he was single. Probably not.

A guy like him should have interested parties lining out the door for him, or maybe the cute guy I saw with him at the fair was his boyfriend? I wasn’t too sure of his sexuality, but with how many same-sex couples I’d seen in town in my short time back, I wouldn’t be surprised if Jett was dating a man too.

Before I could stop myself, I blurted, “Were you on a date with your boyfriend?”

“Huh?” His confusion made my curiosity feel silly, but since I’d already asked, I might as well get my answer.

I cleared my throat, knowing that the question came completely out of left field. But now that we were friends, it was normal to ask these kinds of questions, right?

“At the fair, just now. You looked pretty chummy with that guy.”

“Oh, you mean Harvey? We’re friends…though we did go on one date,” he said with a sparkle in his eye. He kept his voice light and teasing as he said, “I can’t seem to figure out the formula for keeping a relationship.”

My mind was focused on his answer. The fact he had gone on a date with the guy shouldn’t have been a surprise, but it still left a lingering strangeness in the pit of my stomach. It was probably because I was so used to seeing Jett as a single man that the thought of him dating was just weird,though not being able to keep a relationship was just as unusual to me.

“What about you? Are you dating anyone?”

The softness in his tone almost had me thinking I’d imagined the question, if not for the eager way he watched me for an answer.

“Same as you. Relationships and I just don’t seem to vibe,” I said with a click of mytongue. I didn’t tell him I’d never really liked anyone enough to actuallytry. That seemed too personal a detail, even if we were nowfriends.

“That’s cool,” he commented, which earned him another eyebrow raise from me. “Oh, I just mean…it seems like everyone’s coupling up. Even my best friends told me they were engaged a couple of months ago, so it’s cool that I have a friend who’s single like me. A comrade-in-arms, if you will…”

“I guess when you put it like that…”

We shared a laugh, which ended with Jett shaking even harder now. I shook my head, sniffed my shirt to make sure the smoke wasn’t lingering on my clothes, and then used Jett’s elbow to guide him inside. “C’mon, I’ll treat you to some hot chocolate.”

His lopsided grin had me thinking that maybe being friends with the man wasn’t such a bad idea.

It was only a couple of days later that I came to regret my decision to make friends. If I thought Jett was in my face before, it was nothing compared to now.

He’d completely made himself at home at the diner—so much so that I sometimes wondered ifIwas the owner’s son or him. I’d glance out into the dining area to see him all chummed up to Dad, laughing about one thing or another.

Then I’d turn around to find him inside the kitchen, talking a thousand miles per hour while I did prep work. And sure, the company wasn’t so bad and made passing the time quicker, but there was justnevera break from him.

Worst of all was when I tried to sneak a smoke break, and Jett would follow me to the back, watching me with those judgmental eyes at every single puff. It didn’t matter how much he was shivering from the cold as he bore his heavy gaze on me, he’d stay with me until I was done.

It was as if he was saying if I was going to punish my body, then he would do the same in solidarity. The dude was an enigma I couldn’t understand, but one thing I knew was that he was making my—what was supposed to be stress relief—more stressful than anything else.

I’d finally had enough when I came to the front to take a break, and Dad kept mentioning what a nice boy Jett was. Theboyin question was all smiles as he made my dad laugh with one of his stories.

I couldn’t get mad at him when he was helping my dad relax after weeks of him being on edge because of the cast on his leg, but…goddam the stress was building until everything was irritating me.

Standing and hoping I could sneak out, I grabbed my jacket off the coat rack. Jett immediately caught on to my action. “Are you going for a smoke?” he asked, and his fucking dark eyes stared into my soul. Dad’s too. He hadn’t been too happy when he’d learned about my addiction either.

If I replied I was, I knew he’d insist on following me, and I just couldn’t fucking take it right now. “I’m just gonna get us some hot drinks from across the street.”

“I’ll go with?—”

“No!” I interjected before he could finish. If he came, I wouldn’t be able to sneak in a puff.

I just want to fucking smoke in peace.

A hurt expression flashed through his face and all shades of guilt washed over me.

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