Page 49 of The Hometown Dilemma
“I didn’t like those people. And I didn’t like the person you became around them.”
She settled on one of the high stools, hooking her heels around the bar at the bottom. “What do you mean by that?”
“It’s fake, Jaime. All that ass-kissing, and for what? The long shot of a twenty grand a year job? You’re worth so much more than that.” I had no idea how much designers made, throwing out the first number that came into my head.
“Oh, am I? The way you’re acting doesn’t seem like it,” she huffed, crossing her arms over her chest and pushing her tits up even further in her scoop neck dress. I loved it when she did that, but now any thoughts of fucking her had gone right out of my head.
“Let me explain.”
“Please do. Because you’re not making any sense.”
I sat on the stool on the opposite side of the table and looked over at her. “With those people tonight, it’s like you were acting, putting on a front, trying to show a version of you that comes across as fake. When we’re working together, you come alive with the customers, showing therealyou.”
Jaime rolled her eyes, tossing her mane of dark hair. “Don’t be ridiculous. I’m the same person in any situation.”
“No. You’re not.” Trying to explain her somewhat split personality was harder than I’d anticipated, and I wasn’t entirely sure which of them I faced. “Some of the things you came out with tonight, you’d never say that at home.”
She shrugged. “So, I was trying to make a good impression. Colm could be my new boss.”
Instead of youwere the words that went unspoken.
“Shall I get us some drinks? It would be a shame to waste this view.” I swept my hand in an arc, gesturing towards the Empire State Building, lit up and sparkling in the dark night sky. The correlation between that visual and how I felt about Jaime didn’t go unnoticed.
“If you want.” Without meeting my gaze, she began rooting around in her purse.
With another sigh, I headed for the bar.
“Hey, buddy, what can I get you?” The bartender grinned and I wondered how many people they’d had in the rooftop bar that night. He seemed pretty cheery despite the few customers dotted around the area.
I took a quick look at the cocktail menu and selected a couple, one vodka-based, and one whiskey-based, knowing Jaime would pick the vodka one. By contrast, I could quite easily have gone for neat whiskey, but it wouldn’t end well. I didn’t like how the evening was panning out but didn’t quite know what to do to rescue it. If only I could have kept my thoughts to myself.
The bartender took care in making the drinks. I watched his every move. Could a cocktail menu make Dempsey’s even more appealing? We’d obviously catered for the sports fans at the college, but that was half the battle. Maybe it could be something that set us apart from the other bars in town. He caught me scrutinizing his moves and grinned.
“You want a go?” He offered me the cocktail shaker.
I mirrored his smile. “Ha, no thanks. But I could do with a lesson sometime. I own a bar in North Carolina, thinking of diversifying.”
“Got any jobs going? I’m from Raleigh and thinking of going back. New York is expensive, man.”
I snorted. He wasn’t wrong. This visit with Jaime had certainly shown me that. From seeing her old apartment block to dinner this evening, I’d forgotten how much the place cost.
“Always got openings for a good barman. My place is Dempsey’s in Abbott Ridge if you’re serious about it.”
“Would love to but my girlfriend would kill me. She’s a dancer, mostly does Broadway shows so she’s going nowhere in the near future.”
The parallels between our lives struck a chord. If Jaime did get offered this position with Colm, I’d have a decision to make. And I knew it wouldn’t be an easy one. She’d turned out to be the right woman for me at the right time. I’d fooled around for years, knowing I wasn’t serious about any of them, even Jaime’s sister. For once, I could actually see a future with someone. But that someone seemed to see a future elsewhere.
He pushed the two drinks towards me, spreading his hands wide with a flourish. I handed over some cash, giving him a healthy tip, knowing it would mean something to him.
“Look me up if you’re ever in town,” I said, taking a sip of the whiskey cocktail. “Because this is seriously good.”
“Absolutely.” He turned his attention to the woman standing to my left and I headed back to the table where Jaime seemed engrossed in her phone. “Here.” I passed her the pink vodka cocktail.
Barely looking up from the screen, she took a sip, not even saying thank you.
How had we gone from wanting to tear each other’s clothes off earlier to not even speaking?
After a few minutes of silence, I couldn’t take it anymore.
