Page 3 of When We Were Reckless
“With his injury, you mean?” Last August, he broke his vertebrae in two places. That would have been enough to get anyone down. But Jesse had always been stubborn and determined. Three months after that crash, he’d been riding again. So none of this added up.
“That had to be rough,” Mason said. “But I think it was everything that happened with his ex that messed with his head.”
“What did she do?” I gritted out between clenched teeth, my eyes narrowed. Holden’s brows shot up.
Tone it down, Quinn. I cleared my throat. “I mean… Do you guys know what happened?”
“He didn’t want to talk about it,” Mason said. “Can’t blame him. If my girlfriend cheated on me, I wouldn’t want to talk about it either.”
My jaw dropped. “Cheated on him? Alessia Rossicheatedon him?” My hands curled into fists. If she were standing in front of me, I’d plant one of them in her pretty face. But, instead, I took a deep breath and exhaled. I wasn’t usually a violent person, but she brought out the worst in me. “How could she do that to him?”
“Shit. I thought you knew,” Mason said. “Do me a favor and just keep it to yourself.”
I nodded. “Yeah. Sure. I won’t say a word.”
Why had he lied to me?
They broke up before he came back home last fall. When I asked him if he was okay with it, he told me the decision was mutual, that they wanted different things out of life. And I’d believed him. Probably because it was what I’d wanted to hear. I’d been so happy that after three years with Alessia, he’d finally figured out what I’d known all along. She wasn’t the right girl for him.
And I wasn’t just saying that because I was in love with him. I’d met Alessia Rossi. The first time was two years ago when he brought her home for his brother Jude’s wedding.
She was beautiful. On the outside, anyway. A tall, willowy brunette with flawless olive skin, and big boobs, she was every guy’s fantasy—the opposite of me in every way. Whenever Jesse had looked at her, which was all the freaking time, you could tell that he really loved her. His love for her made him blind, that’s for sure.
Alessia was one of those girls who pretended to be sweet and friendly,especiallyaround guys, when really, she was cunning and manipulative.
“Your friendship with Jesse is so sweet,” she’d cooed, but I could tell she had meant the opposite. Then to further cement my hatred for her, she’d said, “Jesse has such a big heart. Do you know how many charities he donates to?” She’d laughed like it was a bad thing instead of a good one. “I swear, he’s the biggest sucker for sick kids. Whenever kids message him and tell him they’re in the hospital and they’re his biggest fan, he’ll drop everything to visit them.”
As if I was just another sick kid and not someone special to him. So yeah, I really,reallycouldn’t stand Alessia Rossi. And how he could have spent three years with that shrew was a mystery.
She must have a magic vagina, that’s all I could say.
* * *
“Have you been listening, Quinn?” I looked up at my brother Declan AKA the executive chef. His green eyes flashed in annoyance, and he speared a hand through his dark hair.
Next to me, Aubrey stifled a laugh. Aubrey was the front-of-house manager and worked for my brothers since they opened the brewery last year. The gorgeous curvy redhead knew I hadn’t been paying attention to whatever Declan was saying. She, on the other hand, hung on his every word.
Declan was the only one who couldn’t see that Aubrey was madly in love with him. Wasn’t that always the way?
“Of course, Declan. I listen to everything you say.” I batted my lashes and gave him a sweet smile that didn’t fool him for a minute.
He exhaled loudly and crossed his tattooed arms over his chest. I guess I could kind of see why women called him hot. But no way would I want a hot-tempered guy like Declan, no matter how ‘hot’ he might be.
“What are today’s specials?”
I peered into the kitchen through the shelves of the pass, searching for a clue. The stainless steel gleamed, and the white subway tiles sparkled. Pans sat on the gas burners, but I couldn’t tell what was in them. A few wood crates were on the counter, but I couldn’t identify anything inside them. Declan was a forager, so God only knew what he’d dug up today.
The sous chef, Casey, was slicing meat into paper-thin slices. Bingo. “Carpaccio…” I squinted at the slab of meat. “Wait, no. Is that prosciutto?”
Declan threw up his hands. “I don’t have time for this shit,” he growled. “Aubrey. Fill her in.” I rolled my eyes as he stalked back into the kitchen to lord over his little empire.
Declan was a perfectionist and a culinary genius. Out of my three brothers, he was the most volatile and the one I argued with the most. Pretty sure Declan thought he was Gordon Ramsay. This summer was already shaping up to be a kitchen nightmare.
After Aubrey filled me in on the specials, Mason called my name. I spun around to face him as he came to stand in front of me. “Has Ridge McCallister ever given you any shit?”
Ridge? “No. I’ve never even talked to him. Why?”
“He’s coming in for an interview. Just wanted to make sure you’re cool with it.”
