Page 11 of Unofficial

Jess stares in shock. She hadn't heard about this little tidbit. "They are?"

"You made quite an impression, Jess. They respected the way you found compromises between modernization and preservation. No other architects in the area have been successful in bridging that gap. You came in clutch."

The others on the team hold their glasses up as well, all cheering for her, and she blushes. "Thank you. It really was a team effort, and I'm happy we were able to find ways to make it all work out so everyone ended up happy."

Beer bottles clink around her, and she's suddenly transported back to the last night she was in the bar. The last night she saw the man she's still madly in love with. The tears sting at her eyes, but she blinks them away. She'll never let anyone see her cry. She just can't.

Paul wraps an arm around her shoulders, and she looks up at him with a forced smile. One drink. She just has to stay for one drink, and then she can leave before Kade inevitably shows up. He's here most evenings after work, and he should be ending his day right around now.

As though she called him, Kade walks through the door and nods to Tim before taking his usual seat at the rail. The bartender nods back, but his eyes tell Jess he won't draw attention to her. Tim was always so nice. Too nice, actually, to work behind the bar on Saturday nights. It gets rowdy, and he always has a difficult time getting others to take him seriously.

"I have to go," Jess says, her voice quiet. "Thank you so much for this."

"Where are you going?"

"You know, I'm not feeling very well. I think it might've been what I ate for lunch, but just in case it's not, I don't want to risk anyone else getting sick."

He looks down at her with concerned eyes. "Do you need a ride home?"

Kade turns around, and she shifts to use Paul as a human barrier. "No, I'll be okay, I think. But I should get going. I don't want to risk a mess in my car driving home. Thank you again. This is so appreciated."

He opens his mouth to say something else, but she reaches for her purse and hurries towards the door. She can feel Kade's eyes staring into her back, but she never turns around to look at him. Instead, she hurries to her car around the corner and drives home as quickly as she can. She was not prepared to see him tonight.

Chapter Five

Kade felt the air shift the moment he stepped foot in the bar. Like something he's been waiting for just blew in and waits for him there. For some reason, he hasn't been able to take his mind off Jess, and he wishes she'd talk to him. That he could see her. Things didn't end the way he would have liked, and he misses talking to her. She was the only person besides Drew he found comfortable enough to confide in.

Tim avoids looking Kade in the eyes, and he can't figure out why. They weren't what he'd consider best friends, but tipping at least fifty percent on every bill should earn him at least a proper hello.

"What's up?" Kade asks when he sits down.

"Nothing much," Tim says and sets the normal beer in front of him, still not meeting his gaze. "You?"

"You're acting weird. Why?"

He shrugs and turns his back to grab a bottle from the cooler and hands it to a waitress to Kade's right. "I'm not. Just a little busy."

"There's a larger group and like five people in here. The happy hour rush hasn't even hit yet. This isn't busy, so what's up, man?"

Leaning on the counter, Tim finally looks him in the eye. Kade's been in here multiple times in the weeks since he and Jess ended things, so it takes him by surprise when Tim says, "I think what you did to Jess was stupid and messed up. And I can't figure out for the life of me why you'd let her go. She's perfect for you, and you seemed happy. What the hell's wrong with you?"

"I don't know," he answers, somewhat concerned at how deep this conversation got considering they only ever had a bartender-patron relationship before now.

"I watched you come in here night after night and pick up girl after girl. Each one inevitably getting her heart broken by you, but then you met Jess. For the first time, you seemed genuinely happy. And she seemed like she was going to stick because you weren't here trolling for other girls anymore. I can't for the life of me figure out why you'd want to be miserable like you were before Jess."

"Now, wait a minute," he says and shifts as Tim pours a beer from the tap. "I wasn't miserable. I took many women to bed. Many! I'm never happier than when I have a sexy as hell woman in my bed. Getting naked with them is one of life's greatest pleasures."

"Okay."

The nerve of this guy! "You don't believe me?"

"If you say you were happy, you were happy. You just seemed happier with her. That's all. And I heard about how it all went down from her friend who came in looking for you one night. That really sucks, especially for those of us who would kill for a girl like her."

A girl like her? Something twists in Kade's gut. Does Tim have a thing for Jess? Does he want to hook up with her? And would she ever give him a chance?

Just as he opens his mouth to ask, movement from behind him catches his eye. He turns around to the large group of people, but he doesn't recognize anyone. Something feels familiar, though. Like a smell he remembers but can't place.

"Are you meeting someone tonight?" Tim asks, pulling his attention back to the bar. "Or are you just on the hunt to hook up with someone?"

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