Page 78 of Isabelle & Jason
“You don’t have to say anything else,” Charlie assured her. She turned to her husband. “Use your imagination.”
Isabelle thought the heat in her face was bad until Ash’s skin took on a deep red coloring and his hands clenched into fists. Her eyes widened, and she glanced warily at Charlie.
“Don’t worry,” her friend assured her.
“Did you report him?” Ash snapped.
Isabelle flinched. “I didn’t… I don’t really have proof. It was a couple years ago. All I have are tox screens from the hospital after…” She couldn’t bring herself to meet Ash’s eyes. “Someone stepped in and prevented him from taking things further…” She fingered her napkin in her lap. “Anyway, I thought you ought to know because he’s working for you.” It felt stupid to bring this up, like she was tattling. “I didn’t know if you would want to?—”
“I’ll handle it,” Ash ground out. “Don’t worry, Izzie. He’s not going to get a job anywhere in Copper Creek after I’m done with him.”
Isabelle’s eyes widened. “You… I mean, I appreciate it, but you can’t guarantee?—”
“Oh yes, I can. He might not have a criminal record, but the fact that he tried something with you means he likely tried it before, or he’ll try it again. That’s a character issue I’m not willing to overlook. Your word is all I need. This person who stopped it. Would they be willing to come forward?”
“Probably,” Isabelle said weakly. “I could ask him.”
“That might be a good idea. If Dillan gives us any trouble, I’ll need his information.”
Isabelle nodded. While this whole thing was terrifying to think about, she had the strangest feeling of something uncoiling in her stomach. The peaceful feeling that came with the relief was small, but it felt like it was a good start for moving forward.
29
Jason
Jason knew he liked working for Mateo Palmer. And today was no exception. Was today going to be stressful and busy? Absolutely. But it would be so worth it. Nikki had allowed him to hire two other individuals to work with him on regular days, but with the fundraiser going on, he needed additional hands.
That was why Mark had just walked through the door.
They grinned at each other, and Jason pulled Mark into a bro-hug. They clapped each other on the back and pulled away. It had been a couple months and everything had finally settled. Last week they’d had a heart-to-heart, and their friendship had been salvaged.
Mark glanced around the café. “This place is nice.”
“Yeah. I’m surprised you haven’t shown up before today.”
His friend shrugged, shoving his hands into his pockets. “Figured I’d give you some space. This is your happy place. Wouldn’t want to change that.”
Jason chuckled. “Well, I’m glad you’re here today. We’re opening in an hour, and I need all the help I can get.” He moved toward a door to the backroom where he prepped and baked the food. Then he returned with an apron. “Here, wear this. You won’t have to cook anything, but you’ll need to fix sandwiches. I’ll have a girl on the till and another guy helping with the food. I’m expecting we’ll be quite a bit busier than usual, and that’s saying something because we’ve been busy since the first day we opened.”
“That’s good, right? Nikki said this place is doing really well.”
Jason nodded, heading back to the prep room, and Mark followed. “It’s really good. Means they’ll be able to keep this place open long-term.”
“And you want to work here long term?” Mark’s voice held a degree of hesitation and curiosity. “You decide for sure if you want to settle down in Copper Creek for good?”
Jason stilled. He’d been grabbing the supplies for the cannolis, but Mark’s question was weighed down with several unknowns. When Mark added to his question, Jason knew he couldn’t brush it off.
“Even if she doesn’t become yours?”
She. Isabelle.
Jason didn’t meet Mark’s eyes. “Even if she isn’t mine, I want to stay,” he said. He might be a glutton for punishment, but that was the honest truth. He’d fallen in love with this town, and if he were completely honest, he’d admit to the fact that he still held out hope that something would work out with Isabelle.
Eventually.
Mark whistled, long and low. “That’s brave.”
Not really. But Jason knew what Mark was getting at.
