Page 46 of Happy Hour

“So how was getting caught the morning after?”

“How the fuck did you know about that?” I growled at Emma with a mouth full of food.

“Spencer—who else?” Emma took a bite of her eggs, chewing slowly. “Look at it this way; they don’t know it was you.”

I let out the breath I’d been holding since she started talking. “I can’t say the same for Jameson,” I warned. “he knows about you and Aiden.”

“What do youmeanhe knows?”

“That’s exactly what Imean, Emma.” I answered taking another bite of my blueberry pancakes. “Wesawyou.” I raised my eyebrows at her as we sat there in the corner booth of the Cracker Barrel restaurant in Downingtown Pennsylvania.

We had arrived in Pennsylvania early this morning and decided to get some breakfast before Jameson had to be at the track.

Alley and Spencer were already at the track so Jameson invited Emma and Aiden to come along with us and I knew the reason why.

Emma slouched in the booth throwing her tiny arms over her head. Aiden was in the bathroom and Jameson suddenly had to make a phone call when Aiden got up.

I’m pretty sure he was having a conversation with him about what we witnessed. I actually feared for Aiden’s safety, which was why I kept looking over my shoulder to see where the hell Jameson had disappeared to.

Emma perked up with a sense of alarm. “Wait,” she glanced around suspiciously. “Where did Jameson go?”

I tried to play it off, really did, but my facial expression must have betrayed me.

Emma threw her napkin on the table. “Thatstupidprotective asshole!” she spat and tried to get up. “Why can’t he mind his own business.”

I jumped up and pummeled her, knocking us both against the back of the U shaped booth.

“Calm down.” I grabbed her head, pushed it against the funbags, and began petting her spiky black hair as if she was a damn cat. “Just calm down. He probably just wanted to have a fewwordswith him.”

Emma was pissed so I knew my usual tactics with showing the funbags to Jameson to calm him down, wouldn’t calm Emma down.

I tried a different approach. Petting her.

“Get off me!” she snapped pushing me away. “He isnothaving a few words with him and you know it. Look what happened to Ryder?” Her eyes scanned the restaurant. “Since when has Jameson ever used his damn words? He only knows violence.” She sighed shaking her head dejectedly. “Poor Aiden, he doesn’t stand a chance against Jameson when he’s angry.”

She was right, poor lanky Aiden didn’t stand a chance.

We both looked up when we heard shuffling of feet to see Jameson sit down across from me and nonchalantly began eating his pancakes again. He never said a word, just continued looking down at his plate and eating as though nothing had just happened.

I’m inclined to think that latter, especially when Aiden returned.

With a bloody lip, bloody nose and the beginnings of a black eye, Aiden said down just as calmly as Jameson had.

One look at him and Emma went into fit of pure hysteria.

She was yelling at the top of lungs at Jameson while Aiden remained silent beside her, looking down at his hands.

Just like any other situation I was faced with, I started laughing because Emma was acting like an Umpa Lumpa on crack and Jameson...well, Jameson was being Jameson. Refusing to look up at any of us, his face set like stone in a grim expression eating his pancakes.

“I can’t believe you Jameson!” Emma screamed and then burst into tears causing Jameson tofinallylook up.

I don’t think he ever intended to hurt Emma but it went that way.

“Just because you’re incapable of having anormalrelationship with anyone, doesn’t mean I can’t.” Emma told him. “I love Aiden.”

Slowly, Jameson shook his head but didn’t say anything. His gaze dropped to his plate once again as he continued eating.

“You’re such a hypocrite, Jameson.” At that point, Emma was pissed that Jameson is not paying attention to what she has to say, so she added fuel to the fire. “You think I don’t know what you two are doing?”

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