Page 64 of The Devil in Blue Jeans
Settling in next to Eli, Gunner called, “Are you having a breakdown?”
Jaxon froze on the spot, directed his gaze at them and scowled. Everyone was working around him at the farm, but he’d barely said a word to anyone all day. And eventually everyone stopped talking to him.
The sun remained hidden behind a thick blanket of gray clouds, matching his mood. The air felt heavy and damp, as if the weight of the clouds pressed down upon his shoulders. He pushed past it all, searching for the warmth and the light. “I can’t let her go,” he finally said aloud.
No one spoke up after he declared this, so he turned back to face his childhood friends. “How do I win her over again?” His voice was near begging. The sensation he felt burning through his veins was unbearable. If he had to endure this much longer, he’d crawl out of his damn skin.
Eli shook his head doubtfully. “You’re asking the wrong person for advice about love. I’m horrible at relationships.”
Jaxon looked at Gunner for an answer. “You write songs about love,” he said. Hopefully Gunner knew some secret Jaxon didn’t. “What should I do? Drop to my knees and grovel, begging for forgiveness?”
Gunner raised his hands as if surrendering and shrugged. “Just because I write songs about love doesn’t mean that I actually know anything about it. Most of my inspiration comes from other people. It’s not personal.”
Jaxon swore angrily once more continuing to pace. Charly had made it clear that she didn’t want any kind of relationship with him now, and he understood. She’d just come off a heartbreak. The last thing she’d want was complicated, and because of his talk with Billy, Jaxon had made it complicated. “I have no idea how to change her mind,” he called out, frustration clenching his jaw.
Eli cleared his throat and offered, “Just an idea, but if there’s anyone who knows what you should do, I suspect it would be her two best friends.”
Jaxon stopped pacing and considered it. He shoved his hands into his pockets. “Would talking to them cross a line?” The last thing he wanted to do was piss Charly off more.
Gunner shrugged again nonchalantly and suggested, “I don’t think so. You’re asking for advice, what’s the harm in that. Besides, it’s probably the best way to get an answer anyway. They know her. They’ll know if you should back off and stay away, or if you can somehow fix this.”
Jaxon pondered, thinking it all through, but the same thought came slamming back into his mind. He couldn’t accept Charly’s refusal of a relationship. Nothing seemed right without her. He’d never fought for anything this hard before besides his bar, and he wanted to fight for her.
Done with standing around and doing nothing to make this right, he grabbed his phone out of his pocket and searched for the bar’s new number and dialed it.
After three rings, Willow answered with her gentle voice, “The Naked Moose.”
“Hey Willow, it’s Jaxon,” he said, hoping to hell this didn’t backfire on him. “Is Charly at the bar with you right now?”
She hesitated before replying, “No, she isn’t here right now.”
“That’s what I was hoping for,” said Jaxon, only imagining the confusion Willow must feel at such a statement. “Listen, can I drive over and talk to you and Aubrey?”
“Ah...” Willow paused, and her voice became muffled, telling him she was talking to Aubrey. She finally said, “Yeah sure, come on by.”
“Great,” he said. “I’ll be there in twenty.” He slid his phone back into his pocket and looked at his friends. “This could end in total disaster,” he said grimly.
Eli nodded. “It could.”
Gunner agreed, “A definite chance.”
“It’s a chance I gotta take,” he finally said.
Without another thought, Jaxon ran to his truck and drove downtown as fast as he could without earning himself a speeding ticket that would eat up more of his time.
The main street was busy. Tourists standing in the middle of the road, taking photos of the two-lane street with the mountains in the back. He honked at the those in his way, until he found a parking spot and parked quickly.
It was only four thirty in the afternoon when he jogged toward the bar, and when he entered the bar was empty, which came as a relief. He didn’t want anyone eavesdropping on his conversation. He walked in but stopped short when he saw the expression on Willow’s and Aubrey’s faces—they weren’t livid with anger, but instead filled with sadness.
“What happened?” he asked, closing the distance quickly.
Willow and Aubrey traded a long glance before Aubrey gave Willow a nod to explain. She turned to him and said, “Charly’s ex-fiancé, Marcel, got into a bad car accident last night. He was hit by a drunk driver then a big rig.”
Jaxon took that in and didn’t even know what to do with it. His first instinct was to say,Why would she care?The man betrayed her in the worst way possible. But he knew Charly and knew her heart was too big to totally turn her back on her ex.
Besides, Jaxon could tell by their expressions that it wasn’t good, even without them having to explain further. “Is it serious?” he asked, folding his arms over his chest.
Aubrey nodded solemnly. “Very serious. He’s on life support at the Arizona General Hospital and won’t survive this.”
