Page 100 of Everything In Between
Her jaw drops. “That we should break up? You’re joking.”
“Not at all.” I grit my teeth again. “She said it wasn’t good for either of us. That it was bad for you.”
She falls silent, then carefully asks, “What did you say?”
“I told her no. That if she had a problem with it, then I’d find a new publicist.”
Jersey’s surprise makes it all worth it. One of these days, she may stop being so shocked that I’ll keep choosing her. “You didn’t!”
“I did, and I meant it. No one is breaking us up if I have anything to say about it.” I swallow thickly and glance at her. “But—Jersey, I don’t want to ever hurt you. If you feel like being with me is bad for you, I don’t?—”
“It’s not. Don’t ever think that. There’s only ever been a few things I’ve been sure of in my entire life, and one of those things is that you’re good for me. You are.”
My lips twitch, her words relieving the knot of tension balled up in my chest. “You’re good for me too.”
When I glance back at her, she’s still watching me. Those full lips curved up and her eyes twinkling.
“Why are you looking at me like that?” I ask her.
“Because I love you,” she says without hesitation. “I love you a whole lot.”
I squeeze her hand again, feeling like the luckiest guy in the world. “I love you a whole lot, too.”
THIRTY-EIGHT
jersey
MONDAY, APRIL 7
The restof the drive passes uneventfully. Hayes flips on a random playlist on his phone and we play a game where we each take turns guessing the name of the song. Bonus points if we can name the artist too. I hold my own on the pop songs, but Hayes has me beat by a long shot when it comes to the alternative and rock genres.
Some of his guesses on the country songs have me laughing so hard the muscles in my abdomen start to hurt.
Time flies by and soon we’re pulling off the highway and driving over the long bridge into the town Hayes tells me is called Minocqua. My stomach rumbles when we drive past the sign, indicating our arrival.
“Hungry?” Hayes asks with a sideways smirk.
“Maybe a little.” My cheeks flush.
“I know a place that has crazy good food. It’s a hole-in-the-wall. You up to checking it out?” He glances over at me when we’ve stopped at a red light.
Reaching behind me, I dig around in my bag and pull out a hat. Settling it on my head, I fluff my dark hair around my shoulders and then give Hayes a smile.
“Let’s do it.”
A few minutes later, Hayes is parking the car in a somewhat empty parking lot, but I suppose it’s still early in the day. The neon sign on the outside reads “Red Zone: Sports Bar and Grille.”
Hayes scoops up Periwinkle and her little dog bed, ignoring my confusion and giving me a wink. Together we walk into the dimly lit bar and I look around, taking in my surroundings. Right away I’m met with the sight of the long bar, an impressive display of shiny bottles of liquors and spirits lined up in a tier illuminated by a back light.
There’s a shorter, heavyset man standing behind the bar who saunters over as soon as we walk in, tipping his chin up at us as we enter. He lays out two small cocktail napkins in front of two empty seats and then braces his hands against the bar.
“Well, as my eyes deceive me, if it isn’t our own hometown superstar back to grace us with his presence.”
Hayes steps forward and extends his free hand, Peri still relaxing in his other arm. He’s holding her like a football, which is endearing. The bartender shakes his hand, a broad grin on his face. “Good to see you, man.”
“Good to have you back, Hayes. We’ve missed you here. And who is this beauty you’ve brought along? She your lady?”
Hayes’s whole face lights up. “She sure is. Jersey, this is Mickey. Mickey, this is my girlfriend, Jersey.”
