Page 9 of Worthy Now
“I wasn’t a bad boy,” I grumble, rolling my eyes at the term. “I was a moody prick with a huge chip on my shoulder. Fortunately,I inherited my mother’s looks. The girls liked me and I didn’t complain. I’ll admit I may have been a bit of a player before Tessa and I got together, but that was a long damn time ago. I’m pretty tame nowadays.” Alicia takes that as an invitation to snuggle into my side, and I force myself to not check on Tessa to gauge her reaction.
“So, what happened after you two got together?” Bobby pushes, and I glower at him. What the hell is he doing, digging up my past relationship when I’m clearly here with someone else? What a dick move. Tell you what, he won’t be getting that raise any time soon.
“Did you take one look at her, and all other girls ceased to exist, or did your daddy find out about the trail of panties you left in your wake and decided to teach you some manners? Nothing like a good old-fashioned ass-whooping to drill those core values into a young fella, am I right?” His booming laugh turns into an uncertain chuckle when no one else seems to join in.
My body goes taut at the mention of my father, every muscle locking up tight, as Alicia peers up at me with curiosity and concern. She knows my relationship with my old man was difficult at best, but I’ve never offered her any details. Dave, Rich and Phil are locals and have most likely heard the rumors circulating back in the day, but they respect me enough not to pry. After a momentof uncomfortable silence, Carter pushes to his feet and claps his hands together.
“Looks like the ladies could use a refill. Megan, would you mind getting some more white wine? Bobby,” he adds, giving the older man a pointed look. “I could use some help getting the leftover meat inside before the flies get to it.”
And that right there’s why I love the guy. He can be a ruthless motherfucker at times, but he’s proven over and over again that I can count on him to have my back when push comes to shove. Robert Nelson’s been dead a long time, and I’ve certainly come a long way since. That doesn’t mean I feel comfortable discussing the abuse I suffered at his hands with people I have to work with. Only a select few know my full story, including the woman sitting across from me, regarding me with sad yet understanding eyes. And it’s at that moment, I realize I have no intention of ever widening my circle of trust. Tessa may not have been a part of my life these past few years, but deep down, I still trust her with the secrets of my past. I mean, shit, she was the one who’d gotten me through a big part of it, and I’ll always be grateful for the love and support she gave me when I needed it most. The fact that I break out in a cold sweat whenever Alicia looks at me with questions in her eyes does not bode well for our future. The desire to open up and tell her the sad tale of my childhood is pretty muchnonexistent, and that’s when I know I’ll have to make some hard choices before the day is out.
“Uncle Jake.” A small hand tugs on my arm, and I turn to meet my godson’s pouty face. “Josie’s almost eaten the entire pack of gummy bears and she’s not sharing. I told her that if she didn’t give me any, I wouldn’t share my Skittles, either. But she still won’t do it.”
My eyes flare and I hit Nathan with a warning look. He catches on fast for his age, noticing his mistake immediately, but it doesn’t save me. His mother is already staring daggers at the side of my face.
“Jake Eric Nelson. I thought we agreed you’d stop smuggling sugary treats into my home. Do I have to start frisking you at the door?”
I flash her a grin. “Oh, you’d love that, wouldn’t you?” She arches a perfectly shaped eyebrow, and I deflate, choosing to keep my commentary to myself for the time being.
“Nathan, go scrounge up the rest of the candy and put them in the pantry. Then I want you to come and eat some food that doesn’t turn you into the Tasmanian Devil, is that clear?”
“But mooooom,” my little buddy wails, sticking his bottom lip out and hitting her with his puppy-dog eyes. I have no earthly idea how they manage to refuse these kids anything. They certainlyhave me wrapped around their chubby little fingers, and there’s not a damn thing I can do about it.
“Don’t make me repeat myself.” Megan’s expression brooks no argument. Cold as ice, that one.
“I’m sorry,” I say once her son waddles off to do her bidding. “I just can’t help myself. Have you seen their cute little faces? I swear Josie’s been practicing that adorable lip wobble in the mirror. I’m a pushover when it comes to those kids, and I’m not ashamed to say it. I do feel bad for going behind your back, but in my defense, you weren’t supposed to find out.”
“Oh, well. That makes it okay then,” Megan drawls, throwing her hands up in exasperation. “You didn’t think I’d notice something’s up once they start bouncing off the walls? You have no idea what they’re like once that sugar hits their system. Would you like to stay and put them to bed tonight? Because I can promise you, they won’t be as cute then.”
“I get your point,” I mumble, feeling like I’m eight years old and getting scolded by my mother. Megan really has the whole parenting thing down to a fine art, and I actually feel ashamed of myself.
“I’ll let it go one more time because I know how much you love my children, but next time, there’ll be consequences. Is that understood?”
“Yes, ma’am,” I reply, watching Megan’s expression soften. “Note to self. Don’t get caught next time,” my low whisper falls from the side of my mouth, making Alicia giggle beside me. It’s a miracle I manage to duck just in time to dodge the half-eaten hot dog Megan lobs at my head.
Five
Tessa
“Son of a gun,” I mutter as I balance on the tips of my toes in the cereal aisle, stretched to the max and feeling slightly defeated. My fingertips catch the corner of the box once more, and it begins to tilt. I watch with bated breath as it rocks back and forth, just to settle right back in the exact spot I found it in when we first started this ridiculous song and dance. I release a frustrated growl, ready to say to hell with it—because let’s be honest. No one needs a bowl of muesli that bad—when an overwhelming presence crowds my back. A corded forearm enters my peripheral, and a sizable hand easily swipes up the desired item before depositing it into my shopping cart. I don’t have to turn around to know who my knight in shining armor is. The way my entire body lights up with a sudden awareness—pulse racing as the room temperatureseems to climb by several degrees—gives his identity away. Steeling myself for yet another tense interaction, I turn, surprised to find nothing but subtle amusement on his serene features.
“I see you haven’t grown an inch since middle school. Pretty sure I remember reading an article you wrote about the challenges of being a short woman in America once. It was quite entertaining,” he drawls in his deep baritone. I can’t stop the small sigh that escapes me at the sight of that smile. Those damn dimples always made me weak in the knees.
“I just don’t understand why they can’t find a system that works for everyone. I mean, it’s not rocket science, is it? Wouldn’t it be in everyone’s best interest to keep items within reach of all customers? I was about two seconds away from abandoning my cart, heading back home, and starting my day over with a bucketful of mimosas.”
“Well, lucky for you I’m here now, ready to offer my services. Can’t have you going hungry, and I wouldn’t advise drinking on an empty stomach. Take it from someone who’s made that mistake a time or two.”
I thank him, grabbing a few things off the lower shelving before I resume my grocery hunt. Jake falls into step beside me, and I take the opportunity to study the contents of his cart. Pleased to discover that his palate seems to have evolved from microwavedinners and nauseating amounts of sweets. His load now holds an impressive amount of fresh fruit and vegetables, as well as a wide variety of lean meats and seafood. I snort when he deposits a family pack of Oreos on his growing pile and eyes it like he wouldn’t mind ripping the box open right then and there. Some things never change.
“My own personal shopping assistant,” I say with theatrical flair, pressing my hand to my chest when Jake once again retrieves an item that’s out of my reach and hands it over to me. “How will I ever repay you?”
Jake chuckles, a deep, sensual sound that seems to have a direct link to my core.
“You could agree to go to the fall fair with me next weekend?” I freeze mid-step and slowly angle my body toward him. Narrowing my eyes with suspicion, I try not to hyperventilate as my heart threatens to punch a hole through my chest. Am I hallucinating? Did I, in fact, abandon this grocery mission in favor of chugging copious amounts of mimosas, and am now basking in some alcohol-induced dream where Jake Nelson is asking me out on a date? Someone pinch me because this can’t be real.
“You want me to go to the fall fair? With you?” I ask, needing clarification while I prepare for the part where he laughs in my face and tells me I’m hearing things. But the expected ridicule nevercomes. Jake blows out a sigh at my wary expression and takes his sweet time considering every possible choice the potato chip aisle has to offer, while I focus on my breathing and try not to sweat through my shirt. When he finally selects a winner and faces me again, I’m hanging on by a thread.
“Look,” he says, grazing his teeth over his lush bottom lip while he considers his next words. “I know I’ve been kind of a dick since you arrived, and I’d like to apologize. You have a lot going on, with your mom being sick, and I haven’t been fair to you. I’ve done a lot of reflecting these past few days and I’ve come to the conclusion that I need to let go of what happened between us if I ever truly want to move on with my life. Figured it might be nice to do something as a group. Relive the glory days when things weren’t this—” he waves a hand at the space between us. “Complicated. Megan and Carter have a babysitter lined up for Saturday night, and I thought you could probably do with a bit of fun yourself. So, what do you say? Wanna get the old gang back together and cause some trouble?”
