Page 44 of Jumping In

I look to where her gaze has landed. An employee crouched down, pulling the product up toward the front of the shelf. He’s a few inches taller than me, two years older, but we share our mother’s eyes and our father’s nose. When he turns toward us, it’s confirmed.

“It is! Hey, Jake!” MJ walks up to him and gets pulled into a hug once he rises. Although he’s gotten into a lot of trouble over the years, he’s always had a soft spot for MJ. My brother nods at me in greeting as I push the shopping cart closer to him and off to the side. He claps my hand and pulls me into a hug as well.

“Whatcha guys doing here?” he asks.

“Grabbing some stuff for my mom for Thursday,” MJ replies.

“Oh, right on.” Jake runs his hand through his hair, his eyes darting around.

“Well, you’re obviously working, so we won’t keep you,” I break the awkward silence.

“Thanks, bro. Hey, uh, do you have a few to talk? I can take a break and meet you out front in ten?”

I shake my head as MJ chirps, “Sure.”Damn it.

“Cool, I’ll see you soon.”

We grab the last few items on the list and check out. On our way out, we see Jake leaning against the wall, smoking a cigarette.

“Baby, why don’t you take the keys and get loaded up? This should only take a few minutes,” I offer.

“Oh, are you sure?” she asks. I lean in and kiss her forehead.

“Yeah, I’ll be there in a few.” I keep my eyes on her as she pushes the cart toward my car and loads the bags into the trunk. “What’s up?” I greet my brother as I approach him.

“Just wanted to check in. We haven’t talked in a while.”

“Alright, well, I’m fine. Just busting my ass at the shop like usual,” I reply tersely.

Jake blows out a breath of smoke. “Isn’t the hearing coming up soon?”

“Yeah, two weeks from today.”

“Think you’ll get off?”

“MJ’s dad is pushing for community service. I don’t really want to entertain the alternative right now.”

“Look man, I just want to . . .” I glance behind me and see MJ putting the cart into the return stall and turning toward us.

“It’s cool. We’re cool. Just stay clean, yeah?” I nod to my older brother, hoping he understands what I’m asking of him.

“Yeah, I’m doing good, man. The house I’m at is nice. This job is pretty easy, and it’s decent money. And I’m sober.” The sweet and tangy mix of surprise and hope bubbles up again, but I tamp it down, reaching out to shake my brother’s hand and turn back to my girl.

“Good, stay that way,” I say, heading toward MJ, who is just a few steps away now.

“I plan on it. And thanks again bro, I owe you!” he yells. I try to hide my wince, burying my face into MJ’s hair and kissing her neck as I wrap my arm over her shoulders.

The wind whips MJ’s hair around as we zoom down the highway back to Oakridge. The sky is a beautiful palette of pinks and purples as the sun dips below the mountains. It’s quiet in the car, both of us lost in our own thoughts. MJ rolls up her window and turns to face me. “So, are you going to tell me what Jake was talkingabout back there?” And there it is. She’s always so observant.

My jaw ticks as I grip the steering wheel. “It's just Jake. Probably doing some twelve steps or something and handing out long overdue thank-yous.”

“Then why have you been bouncing your leg since we ran into him? And I’m pretty sure you will not have any skin left on your bottom lip from biting it so much.” She huffs, crossing her arms across her chest. It takes effort to stop my leg from bobbing and to release my lip from my teeth. I hadn’t even realized I was doing either of those things. MJ seems to take the change as confirmation when she adds, “Yeah, come on. If we’re in this relationship, we’re in it. Tell me what’s going on.”

Relationship? My heart does backflips, banging against my ribs. We’re going to have to come back to that, though. She’s hurt and I don’t think I can continue avoiding this anymore. I see a familiar exit sign and pull off the highway, taking a well-worn dirt road for a few minutes. I park the car and grab my sweatshirt from the back seat before running around helping MJ out of the car. Taking her hand, I lead her into the open field still filled with wildflowers. I lay down my sweatshirt and sit next to it. She sits down next to me, her eyes filled with uncertainty and questions.

I sigh, leaning into her. Kissing her forehead, I take her hand and pray to whatever god will listen that this conversation goes okay.

Chapter 17

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