Page 98 of Whisking It All

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It was too cold to be on the roof of Lemon and Thyme, but maybe the cold was what Jamie needed to convince himself that it was all real. He’d really fallen in love with his best friend’s daughter. He’d really lied to Ethan for weeks. He’d really thought that somehow this would all end with him getting to keep them both.

He propped his elbows on his knees and stared out at the bay. He wondered how long it would be before others in the town sided with Ethan. After all, Jamie hadn’t grown up here like Ethan had. He wasn’t really one of them.

If Ethan didn’t forgive him…

He squeezed his eyes shut, the harsh November wind whipping against his skin, and prayed to whatever deity was listening that he hadn’t just destroyed one of the most important relationships in his life.

Gavin and Baz pushed through the door onto the roof, a look of relief washing over Gavin’s face when he saw Jamie. Gavin pulled his coat around himself tighter and sank down beside Jamie, staring out at the bay alongside him as though Jamie hadn’t just blown apart their friend group. A beer bottle appeared in his line of sight, dangling from Baz’s fingertips.

“Little early for that, don’t you think?” Jamie asked.

Baz shrugged, still holding out the bottle. “Thought you could use it.”

Jamie accepted the bottle, taking a sip before setting it aside. It just made him even more nauseous. The last time he’d sat on this roof and drank a beer, Tessa had been sitting in his lap as she tried—and failed—to convince him that leftover cake scraps were an acceptable substitute for lunch.

“Where’s Ethan?” Gavin asked.

“At home, last I saw him,” Jamie replied, gesturing lamely to his swollen cheek.

“Your mic was hot,” Gavin said.

Jamie snorted, eyeing his phone where it lay silent beside him. “I know.”

After turning on his phone to the flurry of frantic texts and missed calls, Jamie had found a clip of the interview online. His voice, clear as day, carried over the weatherman’s discussion of wind speed. Tell me, princess, you wearing any panties under your skirt today?

A heavy metal rendition of the overture to The Marriage of Figaro blared from Baz’s coat pocket. He pulled his phone out and flashed a glance Jamie’s way. “It’s Ethan,” he said, before answering the phone and stepping away to take the call.

Jamie dropped his head in his hands, scrubbing them through his hair. “You guys should go. I don’t want anyone to take sides here.”

“Who’s taking sides?” Gavin asked.

“Jamie, is Tessa here?” Baz asked, holding the phone against his ear.

“No. I left her at Ethan’s,” Jamie said, his stomach dropping.

“She’s not here, man,” Baz said into the phone. His lips pressed together in a tight line as he held Jamie’s gaze.

Jamie got to his feet, taking a step towards him, but Baz held his hand up and shook his head, taking a step back as he continued to listen to Ethan on the other end of the phone. Falling back, Jamie reached for his own phone.

It had been nearly two hours since she’d called, begging him to leave town with her. His breath caught in his chest. No. She wouldn’t… He tapped out a message, cursing as his fingers fumbled the spelling in his haste to reach her.

Jamie: Where are you? What happened with Ethan?

He stared at the phone, waiting for the status to change, to indicate that she had read his message, but it didn’t budge. He blew out a frustrated breath and called her instead. It went directly to voicemail.

“Her phone is off,” he said, staring at the useless device in his hand in disbelief. “Maybe she went back to the cottage,” Jamie said, as if saying so could make it true.

He knew she wouldn’t be at the cottage. With a certainty that sank into his gut like lead, he knew she was gone.

Baz hung up with Ethan and slid the phone back in his pocket. “All her stuff is gone. Well, not all, but enough,” he said.

Jamie fell back a step, feeling like he’d been punched all over again.

She left. She promised to stay and she left anyway.

“Ethan doesn’t know where she went?” Gavin asked.

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