Page 54 of The Devil in Blue Jeans
She rested her chin in her hand and sighed again.
“Oh, my goodness, Charly,” Aubrey grumbled. “Stop sighing and start talking about what is going on with you.”
Charly blinked, suddenly reminded her best friends were in front of her getting the bar ready for the busy day ahead. The country rock playing from the speakers above the bar hit her ears again as awareness returned to her. She didn’t dare sigh again, even if she wanted to. “I’m just feeling confused—that’s all,” she told her friends.
Willow was cutting some limes into quarters to top the drink glasses. “About Jaxon?” she asked.
A nod. “A few weeks ago when I saw that girl all over him, it made me feel so weak. Like what was happening with Marcel was happening all over again.”
Aubrey gave a soft look. “I think that’s expected. Marcel betrayed you terribly. Of course, when something similar happens it would bring you back to that trauma.”
“I know,” Charly said.
Willow stopped from adding the margarita salt into a dish and settled in front of Charly, resting her hand on Charly’s arm. “But it’s more than that?”
“I don’t like that I don’t even recognize myself,” Charly said quietly, keeping the conversation private. “I don’t like that I was so affected or that I jumped to immediate conclusions.”
Aubrey paused from grabbing another beer to put in the fridge. She glanced up, frowning. “What do you mean?”
“I feel like I’m not emotionally stable,” Charly explained, hating admitting weakness but needing her friends’ input. “I’m reacting in a way that’s unlike me. I don’t think the worst in people immediately without proof. I’m not that person.”
Willow picked up a lime and began cutting it. “But like Aubrey said, it’s kind of expected to feel shaken after what happened.”
“Maybe,” Charly said, before shaking her head again. “I don’t know. I mean, it makes me feel...” She shoved her hands into her hair, frustration nearly blinding her. “Damaged. And that makes me think I shouldn’t be even casually seeing Jaxon. The last thing I want to do is hurt Jaxon in a way that Marcel hurt me, and I don’t trust myself right now and my emotions. They’re all over the place.”
“Whoa, girl,” Aubrey said, calmly. “Maybe you should just breathe for a minute. You guys aren’t serious. You’re just having fun right now.”
Before Charly could, a voice behind her said, “I’m really sorry to interrupt.”
Charly spun on her stool, finding one of the blonde women who had to come to the last divorce party they had, who had been sitting at the table a little behind them. “You’re not interrupting at all. What can I do for you?” Charly forced a professional smile.
The woman twirled the hair by her face around her finger. “I don’t think you can help me, but I actually think I can help you.”
Charly cocked her head. “How?”
She finally dropped her hair and sighed, crossing her arms over her chest. “We haven’t met before, but I’m the assistant to the real estate agent that sold you this place.”
“Billy Palmer?” Charly asked.
“That’s him,” she said with a nod.
Charly thought back and recalled that she did talk to this woman on numerous occasions on the telephone. “Are you Sara?” she asked.
She smiled and nodded. “Yeah, it’s really nice to meet you in person.”
“It’s nice to meet you too,” Charly said, sensing Willow and Aubrey going still behind her.
Sara’s smile began to fall. “I’ve been hearing around town that you’re seeing Jaxon Reed.”
“I am,” Charly confirmed.
She paused and finally glanced through her lashes, sheepishly. “Well, I kind of heard you talking about not trusting your emotions, and I know that sounds awful. I shouldn’t have been eavesdropping, but I feel like it’s my obligation now to tell you that Jaxon came into Billy’s office after your grand opening to talk about the bar.”
Charly exchanged a long look with Willow and Aubrey noting her best friends both had shock shining in their eyes. Charly’s stomach immediately dropped. “To talk about the bar?” she asked.
Sara nodded. “When he had come in, he was furious that Billy would sell his bar to a bunch of women. From what I heard when I was sitting behind my desk was that he said he’d do anything to make sure you didn’t ruin the bar he’d built.” She paused. “I took that to mean that he’d get close to you to soften you up to what he wanted for the bar.”
This wasn’t exactly news to her. “We already know the locals weren’t happy about us buying the bar, and honestly, I get why they weren’t. We’d completely changed the place until they didn’t feel welcome.”
