Righting a Wrong (A Ripple Effect Romance Novella) (12 page)

“Gross.” But really, Cambri couldn’t agree more.

Twangy country music blared through large speakers in the small, crowded room. Cambri glanced around, noting how it hadn’t changed at all. Same barn-style walls, same wooden floor, and same ugly florescent lights. The only difference was it seemed more crowded than she remembered. Even at 5:30, the place was already packed. A quick look around brought her back to high school and how she’d let Jace coerce her into coming here way too often.

“Wow,” said Cambri. “Either the food is better than it used to be, or the band must be a popular one.”

Jace murmured something unintelligible as he focused on something behind Cambri. She turned around to see a familiar looking woman with long, blond hair headed their way. Her hand was being held by a curly-haired guy trailing behind.

When she caught up, her smile brightened. “Jace, what a surprise to see you here.” The guy moved to her side, still holding her hand.

“Hey, Jace, how’s it going?” he said.

Several more people walked in the door, crowding the space. Jace pulled Cambri in front of him and rested his hands on her shoulders, sending shivers down her spine. “Cambri, this is Eden and Drew, some really good friends of mine. They live in Bridger as well and were married a few months ago. You might already know Eden. She was a sophomore when we were seniors.”

No wonder she looked familiar. “Oh, that’s right.” She nodded at Eden then glanced at Drew. “But you’re not from Bridger, are you?”

He shook his head. “Jace and I met in college.”

“Oh,” said Cambri. “Is that how you two met? Did he introduce you?”

An awkward silence descended, making Cambri wonder what she’d said.

Jace finally chuckled. “That’s one way of putting it.”

Another awkward pause.

“What’s another way?” Cambri asked, more than a little curious.

“I was dating Eden when Drew came to town and stole her away from me.”

“Oh.” Open mouth, insert foot. Cambri cringed, not liking the thought of Jace dating someone else, talking to someone else, getting emotionally involved with someone else. Had he once been her best friend as well? “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to bring up—”

“It’s okay,” Jace cut her off. “Everything worked out for the best.”

Eden watched Jace with a nervous anticipation. “Really?” she said.

“Really.” He sounded so sure, so unaffected by it all. His fingers squeezed Cambri’s shoulder, as though assuring her it was true.

Drew put an arm around Eden and hugged her close. “You guys want to join us?” He gestured in the direction they’d come from. “There’s plenty of room at our table.”

Jace’s fingers slid from Cambri’s shoulder to her hand, where they interlocked with hers, leaving behind a trail of tingles and goosebumps. Hmm
…
she could get used to this.

“If it’s okay, we’ll pass for tonight,” said Jace. “But definitely some other time, okay?”

“Okay.” Drew nodded in understanding, then looked at Cambri. “It’s really good to meet you, Cambri.”

“You too.”

Eden waved goodbye and followed her husband away.

Cambri leaned against Jace’s chest and glanced up, breathing in the spicy smell of his cologne. “What was that all about?” she murmured.

A slow smile touched his lips. “Let’s just call it restoration.”

“I see.”

Jace relinquished her fingers and placed his hand on the small of her back, guiding her toward one of the few empty tables left in the room. Cambri purposefully slowed her steps so she could enjoy his touch. It suddenly felt as though their friendship had morphed into something that went a little deeper. She liked it.

She squeezed past a large man in a cowboy hat and slid into a seat.

They ordered their meal and had to raise their voices to be heard above the noise of the ever-increasing crowd. When the food arrived, Cambri picked up a limp sweet potato fry, gave it a shake, and laughed when it bounced.

“Hasn’t anyone told you not to play with your food?” Jace stole it from her and ate it. “I can’t believe you don’t like these.”

Cambri dunked one in ketchup and gave it a try. It turned to mush in her mouth, and she grimaced as she swallowed. “And I can’t believe you do. It tastes like baby food.”

“How do you know what baby food tastes like?” he teased, shoving a few more fries in his mouth.

“Okay, Mr. Semantics. It tastes the way I
imagine
baby food would taste. Happy?”

“Happy.”

She picked up her burger and took a large bite. Either she was hungrier than she realized, or it had been too long since she’d had one, because it actually tasted good. Well, decent at least. “Not bad,” she said.

Jace grinned. “Congratulations. It only took you ten years to say what your heart’s known all along. Whether you like it or not, you’re a sucker for good, old-fashioned American food. Admit it.”

She leaned across the table and lowered her voice, as though ready to tell him a secret. “Never.”

“Killjoy.”

Cambri laughed. She’d almost forgotten what it felt like to connect to someone the way she did with Jace. Her mother once told her to marry her best friend, but at the time, Jace wasn’t even close to the romantic figure she’d dreamed of marrying. She’d responded with a “Gross!”, making her mother laugh.

But then a few years came and went, and her friendship with Jace grew stronger. She’d even found that she liked his arms around her when he gave her a hug and enjoyed his touch when he’d nudge her or lean close to whisper something only she could hear. And when he’d kissed her
…
suddenly the thought of marrying her best friend didn’t seem gross at all. That’s what scared her the most. As much as she cared about her best friend, she didn’t want to be held back. There was too much she wanted to do.

So she’d left to have her experiences, go to school, and get away from temptation. She met new friends, dated a bunch of guys, and eventually realized that friends like Jace were about as common as seeing dragon fruit in the produce section of a local grocery store. Not common at all.

As she finished off her hamburger, she couldn’t help but wonder that if she hadn’t gone away and experienced a life outside of Bridger, would she have appreciated Jace the way she did now? Would she realize how rare a find he was? Probably not. Sometimes it took going without to make you realize that you’d rather have it with. And Jace was definitely with. She knew that now.

“Want to dance?” he asked.

Cambri eyed him with hesitation. This wasn’t a new thing, him asking her to dance, but it had always been to an upbeat song—unlike the slow, romantic melody that now played in the background. What would happen if she danced with him? How much more would her heart break in a few days when she had to leave and say goodbye?

Jace stood and held out his hand to her. “You know we can’t leave here until we do. It’s tradition.”

Could something still be a tradition even after years of it not happening? Cambri placed her hand tentatively in his, and he pulled her to her feet. Then he linked his fingers through hers and led her to the middle of the room where a few couples were already dancing in a small, circular area devoid of tables, including Drew and Eden. They smiled and nodded.

Jace pulled Cambri close, holding one of her hands in his and resting the other at her waist. It was old-school, as though he’d been taught by his grandfather, and Cambri loved it. That was Jace, the way he’d always been, standing apart from everyone else and doing things his own way. It showed in his house, the way he interacted with people, and in the way he danced.

Cambri caved to the temptation to lean her head against his shoulder and close her eyes. His arm tightened around her, pressing her closer, and she was lost to the daydream of what it would feel like to be held by Jace every day, to wake up to him every morning, and snuggle beside him every night. To work together and play together and eat greasy hamburgers behind her father’s back.

Could she really get on the plane on Tuesday and leave this all behind? Her heart hurt just thinking about it.

Cambri burrowed closer, forcing her mind to a happier place. A place where they fixed up that house together and planted a new maple tree—one that would grow large enough to hold a tire swing for cute little dark-haired, dark-eyed children that would look just like—

“Cambri?” his voice whispered into her ear.

“Hmm?”

“The music’s stopped,” he whispered again.

“I don’t care.” Why did he keep interrupting? Cambri wanted to stay lost in her happy little dream of what could be.

He chuckled and took a small step back, moving his shoulder away from her head. “The band’s taking a break. No one’s dancing anymore.”

“What?” Jolted back to reality, Cambri looked around, noting that she and Jace were the only people still on the dance floor. Most people didn’t seem to pay attention, but a few knowing smiles came her way, including Eden’s.

Jace looked down at her and grinned. “You were falling asleep, weren’t you?”

“No, I was just, uh
…
thinking.”
About you
…
and our future kids.
And you.
Oh, geez, what had come over her? She took a deep breath to try to clear her muddled thoughts as Jace led her back to the table, where he relinquished her hand. It suddenly felt so lonely.

“I think I should probably get you home. You’ve had a long week.”

What? Home? But it was only seven o’clock! Cambri frowned, nowhere near ready to say goodnight. “No, really Jace. I’m not tired at all. I was just thinking.”

“About what?”

Cambri’s fingers drummed against the counter as she searched for a reason that didn’t include future little Jaces and Cambris swinging from a tire swing in the front yard of
his
house. “About your, uh
…
”
C’mon, Cambri, think, think, think
. “Store.” It was the first thing that came to mind and something she’d been wondering about anyway.

Jake shot her a half skeptical, half confused look. “You were thinking about my store? Why?”

She forced her fingers to stop drumming. “You never talk about it, but at that zoning meeting, you made it sound like
…
I don’t know. Is everything okay?” She eyed him nervously, wondering if she had any right to ask.

Jace drew his brows together, as though trying to switch his train of thought to something completely off-topic. “Yeah, it’s okay. Not great, but okay.”

“What’s going on?” With the music no longer playing, at least Cambri didn’t have to raise her voice to be heard.

He glanced around as though not sure if he really wanted to get into this right now, then gave a sigh of resignation and leaned forward, resting both elbows on the table. “When Grandpa retired, my parents took over for a few years while I was away at school. They overspent and made some unwise supply purchases that they weren’t able to sell or return. On top of that they didn’t keep accurate records, which resulted in a large IRS fine that I’m still trying to pay off. It doesn’t help that business is slower than it’s ever been.”

“Oh no.” Cambri suddenly felt even worse for purchasing her plants in Ft. Collins. She should have gone through Jace, even if it meant putting in a special order and waiting for them to arrive. “You’re not going to have to close the store, are you?”
Please say no.
After all he’d sacrificed to keep it going, that was the last thing he’d want.

“No, it’s not as bad as that. At least not yet. It’ll just take longer to pay down the debts, which means I can’t reinvest or make updates anytime soon. It’s kind of at a stand-still, but if things continue to go the way they have been, then we might be in trouble.” He fiddled with his napkin. “New homeowners tend to frequent hardware stores, and that small influx of increased business would have been helpful, that’s all. But really, we’re fine. ”

He didn’t look nearly as confident as he sounded, which tore at Cambri’s heart. She placed her hand over his, stopping him from massacring the napkin. “Is the developer still interested? I could help you put together a campaign to convince everyone—”