Page 69 of When You're Home
“She’s right, man. I’m not driving. Dem is picking me up on his way home from work.”
Jake nodded once, his eyes focused on the receipts in front of him.
“Speak of the devil…” Fielding held up his phone and plastered a big grin across his face. “Dem’s here, so I’m out. See ya tomorrow night at the house, Jake.”
He hopped off his bar stool and made his way over to Tori. He wrapped his arms around her from behind and gave her a hug, resting his chin on her shoulder. She smiled but didn’t turn around to look at him. That would have felt just a littletoointimate. He moved to lower his head toward her neck, and she swore she heard him inhale. She swatted at his arm, but his affection didn’t bother her. She knew he was just messing with her like he always did, and she smelled like French fries and fried fish anyways.
“Fielding!” she scolded him when he didn’t let go after a few more seconds.
“Goodnight, Victoria,” he teased before releasing her. “And hey, if you change your mind about the party tomorrow, just call me. I’ll pick you up, and I’m more than happy to be your DD so you don’t have to sleep over at the house. Open invitation.”
He gave her a dazzling smile and held her eyes with his for a few seconds before his phone vibrated again.
“I’ll be right out,” he barked into the phone before turning on his heel and walking toward the front door. “Good night, kids! Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do!” Fielding called behind him as he pushed out of Clinton’s.
“Does that guy work here now and I just don’t know it?”
Tori hadn’t heard Mike come out from the kitchen. How much had he just seen? She took a deep breath and chastised herself—it didn’t matter if he saw Fielding’s arms around her. She was free to do what she pleased with whomever she pleased.
“No, sir,” Jake answered, stacking up his receipts and turning around to the computer. “That’s Fielding Haas. He works valet at Mama Maria’s and The Grille, and he spends a lot of money at the bar here.” He held up the receipts in his hand for emphasis. “Tori and I have been hanging out with him lately. He’s good people.”
Mike surveyed them for a moment, then nodded. “Speaking of good people…”
Tori braced herself. She knew what was coming next. She had been anticipating it all week. Rhett hadn’t been back to Hampton since the first part of spring break, and that had been almost four weeks ago. Easter was just a few days away, so it made sense that he was due home this weekend. It was inevitable that Mike would ask about him.
“I’m surprised Wheeler isn’t on the schedule this weekend.”
Jake glanced over and tried to catch Tori’s eye. She refused to look at him, not willing to show an ounce of emotion, instead scrutinizing the beer tap handles in front of her.
She hadn’t talked to Rhett since the morning after the party. She kept waiting for the pain of what she had done to start to fade, but the same intense sharpness rose up in her chest anytime she thought about her golden boy. He had hurt her, yes, but she had struck back so viciously and with such finality. Part of her regretted everything about that morning: about how she responded when he tried to apologize for mishandling the Chandler situation, about what she made him believe about Fielding. But then she reminded herself why she did what she did.
It was better this way. Maybe not better for her, but it was better for him this way. She couldn’t give Rhett what he wanted—what he deserved—in the future. Being with someone else would make him happier in the long run. Even if that someone else was Chandler.
“He’s in Virginia this weekend,” Jake finally replied when he realized Tori wasn’t going to contribute to the conversation. “He had to go down to find an apartment and meet with his grandfather since he’s moving next month.”
Tori’s breath stilled in her chest. She knew Rhett was in Virginia—Anne had mentioned it when she had called to invite Tori and her dad over for Easter dinner—but hearing the words out of Jake’s mouth made the situation more real. Was he apartment hunting with Chandler? Was she going to move to Virginia? Tori knew enough about the other woman to know that she was graduating next month, too. It had only taken her four years to earn her degree, opposed to Tori’s eight-year track. Chandler would be able to follow him if he asked her to.
“That makes sense. Well, I know you guys are both off tomorrow, and we’re closed on Sunday, so have a nice weekend.”
“I’ll be around if it gets busy and you need me to come in,” Tori offered as Mike turned to head back to the kitchen. “Just call me.” She wouldn’t mind having a distraction from everything going on this weekend. Jake and Fielding would be in party mode tomorrow, then she would be spending Sunday with her dad and Rhett’s family. She also had her bi-annual scans on Monday. She always felt keyed up and anxious before those appointments, but this time there was an extra layer of sadness to contend with. The scans reminded her of Rhett’s absence and the reason for his absence.
Mike smiled at her and nodded before turning to head back to the kitchen.
“I will not be available tomorrow night Mike, so don’t call me,” Jake shouted after their boss.
Tori saw Mike’s shoulders shake with laughter.
“Go home, Jake!” he hollered back to him.
“Yes, sir.” Jake circled the bar, grabbed Tori’s hand, and pulled her behind him.
“You okay, baby?”
She knew she was a sucky actor. Jake saw right through her.
She gave him a sad smile and nodded but quickly turned her head away. She couldn’t deal with Jake being nice to her right now on top of the heartache she was already feeling.
“You did good,” he whispered, giving her a once-over to assess if she was going to be able to hold it together on the ride home.
