Page 85 of When We Were Reckless
A group of middle-aged ladies sitting at the bar was watching the whole show, their eyes bulging. He gave them a big grin and a wink, taking his sweet time to get dressed in the T-shirt. It was two sizes too small and fit him like a second skin.
“Jesus Christ,” Mason muttered. “Don’t make me regret putting you behind the bar.”
I snort-laughed. This should be fun. Ridge was saving up for a Harley and was looking to get some extra hours before he left for football training camp in August.
“You won’t regret it.” He puffed out his chest. “Business will be booming. I’m catnip for the cougars.” He kept his voice low so the ‘cougars’ at the bar wouldn’t overhear.
With that, he swaggered over to the group of ladies who were practically swooning off their bar stools and leaned across the bar, oozing charm and swagger. “What can I get you, ladies?”
I didn’t have a chance to hear their response. It was the dinner rush. A group of eight sat at one of my tables, and for the next couple of hours, I was run off my feet.
“You’ve been spending a lot of time with Jesse this summer,” Mason said when I stopped for a break. I guided the straw to my mouth and took a sip of my Sprite. My gaze drifted across the taproom to the kitchen, where Declan was visible on the other side of the pass.
Had he said something?
“He’s… Jesse and I are friends.” I cleared my throat and took another sip of my drink. “I mean, he’s practically like a brother to me.”Lies.
Mason nodded, not the least bit suspicious. I exhaled a breath of relief and ignored the twinge of guilt.
“He’s always thought of you as the sister he never had.”
If only Mason knew. I remained silent. It was the safer choice. I didn’t want to put my foot in my mouth and say the wrong thing.
“I think Alessia was always jealous of his relationship with you,” he mused.
My eyes widened. Mason had never discussed Alessia with me. So why was he bringing it up now? “Why would you say that?”
He shrugged. “Just a feeling I got.”
“Do you…” Unable to meet his eyes, not wanting to give myself away, I toyed with my straw and summoned my courage to ask a question I wasn’t sure I wanted the answer to. “Do you think he still loves her? I mean… does he talk about her with you?”
“I don’t know if he still loves her. But I know he’s not over her yet.”
My stomach dropped, and disappointment punched me in the gut. Had Jesse told him that? Had he told Mason that he wasn’t over Alessia? “Oh. Well, yeah… I guess it would be hard to move on from something like that.”
Mason nodded. “Look at Mom. It’s been five years, and she’s still having a hard time moving on.”
“That’s different, though,” I protested. “Mom and Dad were together forever, and they had kids and a whole life together. And Mom… she’s moving on.” Even as I said the words, I knew it wasn’t true.
Mason shook his head, disputing my words. “All she ever does is work. That’s not moving on. She’s not dealing with it at all.”
“Mom’s doing great,” I insisted. But, once again, I was lying. Yesterday, when we’d spoken on the phone, Mom complained that Dad was on yet another vacation, his fourth one this year. When I told her that she should take a break, she brushed me off and said that someone had to pick up the slack at work.
Just then, my phone buzzed. I slid it out of my shorts pocket and read the message as Mason moved further down the bar to wait on a few customers.
Jesse: I’m hungry. Ravenous, even.
So you should eat something.
Jesse: How about you bring that sweet pussy over here tonight so I can feast on it.
Oh my God.
My cheeks flamed. I used my hand to fan myself. Why was it so warm in here?
He definitely didn’t think of me as a little sister anymore. I looked up to make sure Mason wasn’t watching and caught Ridge’s eye. He smirked as if he knew exactly who I was texting.
“Is it getting hot in here, or is that just me?” He puffed out his chest. Ridge had a giant-sized ego to go with those big muscles of his.
