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It had been a great and emotional evening and I wasn’t working so I decided to take advantage. “How about we go grab some Blue Moons?”
Lucy threaded her arm into mine. “Sounds great. Jason, we’ll be at the bar.”
We left the office, Jason following behind, and I sat, for the first time ever, on a stool on the customer side of the bar. Matt, who could pass as Jason with a hat on, came rushing down and Lucy ordered two beers. Amy and Val came and sat as well, already wielding their own drinks.
They were drilling me with questions about med school and demanding I come at least once a week when the normally quiet Jason belted out, “Well I’ll be damned. Look what the cat dragged in!”
We all turned, craning our necks to see who Jason was speaking to near the front door. He was in a bear hug with a man a good two inches taller than him, dark, rich skin, huge forearms, and a Dodgers cap.
When they let go of each other, the man’s face was visible under the cap, and I dropped my beer on the floor, sending glass and foamy liquid around our feet.
Chapter 2
Mike
It had only been hours since I got the keys to my new apartment, but another set of strong hands would be helpful, and I needed to hug my old buddy. We kept in touch over the years, but Jason was a man of few words, especially on the phone. But he called me out of the blue a couple months back practically giddy about getting engaged. He said he was claiming me as his best man, and I needed to visit. We caught up after only exchanging texts for probably a good year. That’s when her name came up.
Jaz.
It had been years since I spoke to her. I tried to check in on social media, but she never made posts. On her birthday people would wish her well and sometimes she was tagged in pictures, mostly her behind the bar. I knew Jason had hired her a while back because it came up in one of our short text exchanges. But it had been a while since she came up in conversation. When he called to tell me about Lucy, he told me about everything and everyone. Jaz was getting close to her internship. She was really doing it. She was going to be a doctor.
We both said that in high school, and I knew I loved the medical field, but decided I didn’t have the time, or money, to pursue medical school. Instead, I got my bachelor's degree and became an RN then went on to get my CNP. When I spoke to Jason, hearing Jaz’s name jolted me. I couldn’t shake her from my mind. Then my hospital was sold to a large corporation and cuts were being made. Having one of the lowest tenures, I figured I’d be cut soon so I had been applying all over. On a whim, I sent resumes back home.
I had been accepted with the stipulation of getting licensed in Georgia. What a pain in the ass. But after a fee and a few weeks, it was all set. I hadn’t even told my parents because I wanted to surprise everyone once I was back for good. It sounded like Jason had a lot going on anyway when he first called, and Jaz wasn’t quite done with school, so I didn’t want to interfere, yet. And maybe I was a little scared I wouldn’t go through with it.
Standing outside of the club, I took a few deep breaths and braced myself. I knew Jason would be happy to see me, but wouldshe?
“It’s done, you may as well get it over with,” I said to myself. I shook my shoulders and pulled the door. I had barely made it inside when I heard Jason’s familiar voice and was immediately wrapped up.
We were still giving our friendly smacks to each other’s backs when the sound of shattering glass interrupted our reunion, and we both turned to the source.
“You’re hurting my hand, bro,” Jason said. I didn’t even realize I was squeezing when I saw her. She was as beautiful as ever, even more than when I was here last time. She wasn’t a 20-year-old girl, she was a woman. Her dark curls were longer than I remembered and draped over her shoulders. Her arms were toned and nearly covered in tattoos. Her small breasts filled out the skin-tight tank she had on, and I could make out the definition of her abs through it. She was still slender, but some curves had found a home on her. She was always beautiful but now she was…sexy as hell.
“Nobody move,” a curly haired blonde yelled as she jumped from her stool. Jason ran to her and scooped her back up onto it. She must be Lucy.
“You stay put. I’ll get the broom. Come on in man, sorry for the commotion,” Jason said as he waved me into the bar.
Jaz sat stiff as a board on her stool and didn’t take her big brown eyes off me. Slowly, I made my way closer, trying to avoid the shards of glass. Another man who could’ve been Jason’s twin ran from the end of the bar with some towels.
As I got closer, Jaz shook her head like she was coming out of a trance and hopped off her stool. “Matt, let me help with that.” Her voice…it was the same.
The man, who apparently was Matt, waved her toward her stool. “You’re not on the clock anymore, now get back before you get glass in your foot.”
The place was just as I remembered. Rich wood bar tops, dim lighting, a few tables scattered around, even a few comfy chairs and loveseats in the corners.A small, brightly lit stage was opposite the entrance. The drum set sat alone on the stage raised above the small dance floor.Even though we weren’t old enough to drink back then, Pops always had us run barback and threw us some cash. I missed his funeral because of football but Jason said he understood, my scholarship was on the line. My parents attended and donated to the charities his parents requested. Now the club was Jason’s place. He kept it just as his dad had it, and I think he’d be proud.
Jason came out with a dustpan and broom. Matt took it and started sweeping up the shards. Jason grabbed a towel and helped get what was left of the beer that Matt hadn’t already. “Alright,'' Jason said as he stood, “now let’s have a seat.”
Jaz was still standing as I walked over just an arm’s length away. “Jaz, you look…”Speak dammit!Stunning, gorgeous, like I want to throw you over my shoulder and carry you out of here with your newfound ass in my hand. Nothing.
She tucked some hair behind her ear and her full nude glossy lips opened. “Mike. Long time,” she deadpanned.
I swallowed hard. Why was I reacting this way? I couldn’t say anything. My heart was about to beat out of my chest.
“Mike. Wait, this istheMike?” the blonde, that I was guessing was Lucy, squealed.
Jason grabbed her hand and pulled her close. I don’t remember ever seeing such a huge smile on that man’s face, even before all the bad shit happened. “Mike, this is my girl. This is Lucy. Lucy, meet Mike.”
Lucy stepped in and wrapped her arms around me. “Mike, I’ve heard so much about you! I’m so glad to meet you! This is my friend Amy and her partner, Val.” She pointed to two sharp looking women that were standing with her and Jaz when I came in. They both extended a tiny hand and gave an impressive shake, even though they weren’t very firm.
