Page 25 of The Devil in Blue Jeans
Jaxon laughed. “Can’t say it crossed my mind.”
She just smiled. “Consider your coffees on the house for the rest of your life.”
Gunner called, “Does that go for me too?”
“No,” Isabella said to everyone’s laughter.
“Take care,” Jaxon said. He rapped the top of the truck’s roof and then stepped back as they waved, driving away.
Jaxon made his way back up the porch steps and grabbed his beer as Eli said, “A baby—it’s hard to imagine, huh?”
Jaxon agreed with a nod and took a seat in the chair next to Gunner, who him asked, “How’d it go with Charly last night?”
“Great, until she ghosted me this morning.”
Gunner’s brows shot up. “That’s a first.”
Before Jaxon took a swig of his beer, he said, “Definitely not something I’m used to.”
Eli smirked knowingly. “Karma’s catchin’ up to ya.”
“No doubt about it,” Jaxon said after he swallowed. The truth was, he was miffed by the fact that someone was talking about him behind his back. Sure, the last six months he had nothing more than one-night stands, but that was a way for him to escape the pain of losing both his dad and the bar he had built. He had never made anyone promises of a relationship. He’d always been clear that sex was the only thing on the table.
But he knew his battle went beyond that because Charly had been cheated on. He was currently the enemy. He didn’t know why he was so invested. She came with emotional baggage from a breakup just over two months ago. She had her back up most times. Most of all, she had bought his bar and was only agreeing to small changes, when Jaxon knew she needed more to appease the locals who had loved the bar the way it was when he owned it. If the bar failed, the town would lose the one place where the younger crowd could come together for a good time in a place that mirrored life in Timber Falls.
He couldn’t watch his bar burn to the ground.
But damn that heat between them...those sweet moans...that lush body... Yeah, he couldn’t forget any of it.
Jaxon took another swig of his beer as Eli said, “The cowboys were stirring up some trouble at the bar today.”
Jaxon glared at him suspiciously. “How do you know that?”
“I stopped by for lunch and overheard them complaining about something or other.”
“What were they griping about exactly?” Jaxon inquired.
Eli drank the last of his beer before speaking. “A cowboy from Valley Ranch was really giving it to Willow. I wanted to go and sort it out, but Charly waved me off and she took care of it.”
Gunner asked, “What happened?”
“She laid into them properly,” Eli said with a smirk. “I bet when they come back again, they’ll probably sip a few of those fruity cocktails from the menu to support the new direction of the bar.”
Jaxon laughed. “I’ve tried one of those cocktails and liked it.”
Eli nodded. “I drank one today.” His mouth twitched. “I can’t say I liked it, but I got through it.”
Again, Jaxon chuckled. He also knew Eli wouldn’t let this go unpunished after what happened to his sister. “You sure you didn’t have anything to do with their change of opinion?” he asked.
“I let Charly handle her business.” He gave a slowly building smile. “Then I reminded the prick he shouldn’t stick around that day and should probably leave a good tip.”
Jaxon chuckled approvingly. The Valley Ranch cowboys caused trouble at the bar often, instigating fights. He had no right to get involved now that he didn’t own the place, but he’d never stand idly by and watch Charly and her friends get pushed around. “Let me know if they start any more stuff like that.”
“You know I will,” Eli assured him.
Jaxon took another swig of his beer but couldn’t shake off his worries about Charly. Was she all right after today’s incident? Was she thinking of him? Why wasn’t she replying to his damn message?
He couldn’t take it anymore. He’d already learned enough about Charly to know she put on a brave front. But he couldn’t stand the thought that she might feel unsettled after being with someone so soon after she ended her engagement.
