Page 67 of Finding Yesterday

“Flowers and stems

Family and friends

Memories faded

Life broken, jaded.”

That last part is a punch to the gut, and he has to be referencing his tattoo of flowers. The pain in Jack’s voice, his skills with rhyme, make it hard not to feel emotional after his performance.

The laughter is gone, but this time, Jack was really good, his deep-seated torment spilling out in his mysterious words.

“Wow, Jack,” is all I can manage to say.

He’s quiet as he returns to the counter where he starts cleaning up for the night.

I start tidying my station too, and when the silence gets to be too much, I can’t help myself when I say, “Tell me what the tattoo means. Please?”

He meets my gaze, hesitating. Finally, he replies, “All right. But only if you’ll have a drink with me.”

“Fine, but it can’t be Myrts.” I shake my head. “Everyone will be there, watching us. Flapping their mouths.”

“Ugh, definitely not Myrts.” He rubs his chin then nods. “I have an idea. It’s a nice night. After we close up, can you get your jacket from your car?”

“Sure.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

WE HAVE FOLDINGchairs on the roof of The Fine Bone, and the view is breathtaking. It’s dark, but the moonlight illuminates the rolling vineyards in the distance. After making sure I’m settled in, Jack goes back to the restaurant and returns with jar candles and two steaming amber drinks.

There’s a chilly breeze up here, and I’m definitely glad for the jacket.

He hands me my glass. “A hot whiskey sour. It’ll warm you up.”

“Thank you.” I take it, using extra care with the hot drink. Then I hold it up to him. “To a gossip-free zone.”

He lifts his glass up. “To a gossip-free zone.”

I take a sip, and my face puckers automatically. But it’s actually smooth, and I don’t even need to shake it off. “This isreallygood.”

“It should be, it costs enough. I used top-shelf stuff. But yeah, it’s worth it.”

“It just might be.” A warm buzz hits, and everything feels just right. There’s no question in my mind that Blue Vine is the place I want to stay forever. I wish more than anything Jack did too. I nod toward the view and smile. “This is amazing.”

“It is, isn’t it?” He gazes into the distance. “There’s something magical about this place.”

“There really is.” I want to continue with, “So stay,” but I don’t. Instead, I take another sip of whiskey.

He glances at me, his eyes clouded over. “So, it’s about the accident.”

“Your tattoo.”

“Yes. I had one memory. It was a flash of moonflowers.” He clears his throat. “It’s theonlything I’ve ever been able to remember about that day, so I had it tattooed on my arm.”

“Oh.” It’s hard for me to grasp why this was so hard on him given the circumstances, so I ask, “Why do you think it eats at you so much?”

He exhales. “There’s gotta be more to the story. I mean, I repressed the memories. That’s pretty messed up. Maybe I had something to do with what happened? I don’t know.” In the moonlight, I can see his jaw tensing. “And that’s the worst part. I need answers, but I never get them. You know when you have a word on the tip of your tongue, but you can’t pull it up?”

“Yes. I hate that.”

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