Page 24 of Wasted Memories
She was silent for a moment before saying, “Does this have something to do with your dad? Easton thought you might be acting out.”
“Easton is known to overreact, mom. Please don’t listen to him.”
“He’s your brother, honey. He’s naturally going to be worried about you.”
Yeah, my brother was so damn worried that he hadn’t spoken to me since he moved away.
Not wanting to talk about my relocation any further, I changed the subject. “How’s coffee boy doing?”
I could practically see her eye roll through the phone. “I know you’re not happy with my decisions, Wesley, but you have to understand where I’m coming from on this. I lost your father the moment he was diagnosed. He wasn’t the man I knew anymore; he became a stranger. I was grieving the man I loved since before his first surgery.” She gave me these same reasons before I drove away.
I started thinking about my dad and all the memories we had together. All the fishing trips, picking me up on the last day of school to go camping every summer, working on the old cars he always had too many of.
Not wanting to turn this day into an emotional mess, I made up an excuse to get her off the phone. “I’ve got to head out the door for work.”
“Please promise me you’ll call at least once a week.”
I didn’t want to make any empty promises to her, but I had a feeling she wouldn’t let me off this phone until I agreed.
“I’ll do my best. Talk to you later, mom.”
“Bye, sweetie.”
I finished cooking my eggs and ate them straight out of the pan, not wanting to dirty more dishes than I had to.
Things were already going to shit here in Oldport, and here I thought I drove away from all my problems. In the back of my mind, I had a feeling my problems were just getting started.
Chapter Ten
Emerson
Jettdroppedmeoffat work five minutes before my shift was supposed to start. We’d gotten distracted in the grocery store looking for snacks for the game tonight and lost track of time. I’d asked to work a shorter shift today in the hopes I could get home earlier, using the double I picked up on Saturday as a way to convince Elijah. I was shocked when he said it was fine.
I tried to push what Brendt told me the other night out of my head. Jett and I had been getting by so far, and if I asked him about it and made a big deal out of it, I wouldn’t get anywhere. I also had a feeling Jett would be livid if he found out I knew he’d been dealing.
I walked through the back door of the Tavern and grabbed my apron out of my locker, stuffing my phone and wallet in there. I was about to head out to the floor when I heard raised voices coming from Elijah’s office next to the break room. On my way over to his office, my knee hit the edge of the small table. I cursed under my breath, pausing a moment to see if they heard the table legs scrape across the floor.
The office door swung open.
Of course, they heard.
“Just who I wanted to fucking see.” Elijah turned around and threw what looked like a crumpled receipt on his desk.
I stopped in the doorway to the dimly lit office, looking between Elijah and Jessica. “You seem more pissed than usual.”
“Jett’s wonderful friends are still refusing to pay for their shit.” He ran his hands down his face, heaving a sigh. “I’m going to have to start turning them away. I can’t keep losing money on them.”
What other problems could Jett cause for me in the span of twenty four hours?
“I’m really sorry, Elijah. I’ll talk to him again.”
I wasn’t sure I could change Jett’s mind about paying for their food. I didn’t even know what the reason behind it was. Jett wouldn’t tell me why he started this feud with Elijah but the least I could do was try to put an end to it. It was petty to me, for them to continue going to the man’s restaurant but then refusing to pay. And all for what? To send him a message and prove he wasn’t happy with something he did?
I gnawed on my bottom lip. Did this have something to do with what Brendt told me? I really fucking hoped not.
I loved Jett, but that didn’t mean I agreed with everything he and his friends did.
“Em, you don’t have to do that. Elijah is the owner of this place; he should be the one to handle it with his customers. Just because you two are dating doesn’t mean it’s your job to have that conversation with him,” Jessica said, her eyes catching on the blue haze on my cheek that I tried to cover with makeup.
