Rock and Roll Country (Jesse's Girl #1) (8 page)

Plating our eggs, I shut off the stove, and turn to her.  “What’s with the change of heart?”

“I’m not a homewrecker, Jesse. This was a mistake and I’ll never forgive myself,” she shouts, tears spilling from the corners of her eyes.

“Sophie,” I begin, cautiously taking a step toward her. “I have no idea what you’re talking about. What I do know is that there’s no way in hell this is a mistake. You’re an Angel, and I’m already changed by you.” 

“How many times have you used that line?” She asks, rolling her eyes.

“Okay,” I begin, hiding the sting to my pride. “I’m not sure what happened in the last five minutes, but if I’ve done something to offend you I would like the chance to make it right.”

“I’m not the one you should be trying to redeem yourself to,” she snaps.

Reaching for her hand, only to have mine slapped away in return, I sigh. “I’m completely lost.”

Crossing her arms, she leans against the counter and glares at me. “Who is Cressida, Jesse?”

Realization consuming me, I slump. “It’s not what you think.”

“I’m sure that’s what all adulterers say when they get caught.”

“I’m not a cheater, Sophie,” I growl, bawling my fists to contain myself. Eyes widened with terror, she sinks into herself. Taking a deep breath, I step back. “I’m sorry. That was uncalled for. Cressida is a sore subject. She used to be my everything. Now, she’s no one.”

Snorting, she stands her ground. “Right. Just like all the other ‘no one’ wives who sit at home waiting on their husbands.”

Throat constricted, I shake my head. “You’re misunderstanding me. Cressida isn’t at home waiting on me. When I say she’s no one, it’s because she literally isn’t anyone anymore. She died. And when she did everything amazing that she brought to this world, to me, died with her.”

“Oh.” Softening, she reaches out and clasps my hand. “I’m sorry.”

I shrug. “Don’t worry about it. Let’s just enjoy our eggs. I’m afraid they might be cold now.”

“I can fix that,” she says, perking up. “Have a seat and leave it to me.”

Planting myself in the squeaky dinette chair, I watch as she gracefully makes her way to the refrigerator and pulls out two pieces of cheese. Walking back to the counter where our plates rest, she removes the wrappings on each slice, tears it into smaller pieces, and carefully drops each bit onto the yellow mounds of scrambled egg. Carrying the plates to the microwave she heats each one for precisely three minutes before joining me at the table with them.

“Here you go,” she says, proudly placing the most recently nuked plate before me. “Eat up.”

Studying the soggy looking mess before me, I tentatively lift my fork.

“They won’t bite you,” Sophie laughs lifting her own fork to her mouth.

Grinning, I nod and take a bite. The texture is off putting at best, rubbery and liquid all at the same time. The taste of egg hits my taste buds followed closely by the disgust of heavily processed cheese until my brain is so confused I can’t tell whether I’m enjoying the experience or hating it.

“Good right?” She questions.

“It’s interesting,” I reply.

“Stick with me, Prince Jesse, and we’ll make a decent fella outta you yet.”

“If only I could,” I answer, noting the time on the microwave. “I have to get back to the hotel and check out soon. They’re going to charge me the extra day regardless, but the bus leaves in about two hours.”

“Right, of course.” Shoulders slumped, she stands and carries her plate to the sink. “I’ll get you another cab”

“Sophie,” I call, reaching out and capturing her wrist as she passes.

“Yeah?” She questions, looking down at me.

Lost in the watery blue of her eyes, I exhale. “I would like to stay in touch if it’s okay with you.”

“Jesse, last night was great, but let’s not pretend it was anything more than it was. You had your one night with the girl from the bar in Memphis. Now, you’re free to move on to the next city.”

Struggling to find words to express the gaping hole in my chest her words have caused, I let her go. Defeated, I rinse my plate and add it to the now full dishwasher. Ears trained on the words she uses to explain our location to the cab company, I walk to her bedroom and collect the rest of my belongings from the floor.

Placing her phone on the nightstand, she smiles at me. “It was fun, Jesse. It really was. I’m going to grab a quick shower. If you’re not here when I’m out, have a great show.”

Nodding, I reply. “Thanks. Goodbye, Angel.”

“See ya later, Prince Jesse,” she smiles.

“Buck up, mate. You got what you came here for,” Tag says, clapping me on the back as we load our bags into the storage compartment on our bus.

“Did I?” I question, making the mistake of speaking my thoughts out loud. 

“What do you mean? Of course you did. The waitress has been properly bagged and tagged. What more could you ask for?”

Thoughts turned to the silk of Sophie’s skin, the tickle of her hair as it brushed across my chest, I plop onto one of the hard fake leather seats in the dining area where we consume way too much fast food. “Yeah, I guess so.”

“Besides, there’s only enough room on this bus for one broad, and I’ve already called dibs.”

“What are you talking about?”

He nods out the window where Lacey is approaching with a suitcase in tow.

Raising my eyebrows, I ask, “What happened to your ‘bag and tag’ policy?”

“She got in my head, mate. I was with that girl last night. You know the one, crazy hair and too many piercings. Tried getting at you, but you turned her down.”

“Yes, I know the one,” I reply.

“So anyway she was a wild card. Could’ve given that tattooed goddess in the pornos a run for her money, I’ll give her that much. The whole time I just couldn’t stop myself from thinking, ‘She’s not Lacey’. So I called her up this morning and invited her to come along.”

“Last time I saw her; she was ready to have your head on a dingy bar tray. How’d you pull that off?”

“What can I say?” He shrugs, standing as Lacey comes aboard. “I have a way with the ladies.”

Shaking my head, I stand and head toward my quarters.

“Jesse,” Lacey calls, forcing me to turn around. “Before you run off, I have something for you.” Confused, I watch her make her way down the narrow space between the kitchenette and the table. “It’s from Country,” she whispers, pulling a neatly folded piece of paper from her back pocket.

Clasping my hand around the letter, I stare at her trying to form words. Nodding, she signals her understanding and finds her way back to Tag’s arms. Nauseating bundle of flutters in my stomach, I continue my way to my room, the only private room available. Sitting on the bed, I kick of my shoes and rub my face. A part of me wants to open the letter and devour every word within. Another thinks it’s best to leave well enough alone. Torn between my desire to make Sophie mine and my inability to watch my heart being ripped from its rightful place in my chest again, I lie back. Eyes trained on the ceiling I allow my thoughts to consume me until the rhythm of the road lulls me to sleep.

“Okay, Marcus is occupied with a coloring book and Netflix on my phone. What the hell happened to you?” Kita asks, sitting across the table from me. “You’ve been crying since I brought him home. I know you’re not this emotional over Lace running off with whoever that guy’s supposed to be. So, what is it?” 

“No, it’s not Lacey,” I reply, wiping tears from my cheeks. “Although, I could’ve died on the spot when she handed over the keys to her car and told me to use it for the next few weeks. That’ll buy me a little time.”

“Yeah, Pops and Unc are going to have a look under the hood of your heap today. With a little luck, they’ll get it straightened out.”

“Even if they do, it’ll be years before I can afford the repairs.”

“Sophie,” Folding her arms and leaning back, she looks at me. “I want you and Marcus to move back in with me. We still have the extra room. Lacey’s cousin was supposed to move in, but she never did. Rent is much cheaper when you split it three ways, utilities too.”   She pulls an envelope out of the back pocket of her shorts and slides it my way. “After we left yesterday Pops took up a collection. It’s not much, but it should help you finalize things here. I’ll cover you for as much as I can toward the rest. We’ll figure it out.”

Already on the verge of tears again, I push the envelope away. “I can’t put anyone out like that, Kita.” 

“Country, listen to me. You don’t have a choice. Your life is falling down on top of you. The fact that you’re sitting here crying into a cold cup of coffee is proof. Get over your precious pride, and let me help you.”

I laugh. “When you put it like that, how can I resist? Although, once again, you have the cause of my emotions wrong. The initial cause at least.”

“So tell me what started this whole mess then.”

Unable to look at her, I bury my face in my hands. “I screwed everything up! My whole plan derailed by one night with a man I should’ve never let in, in the first place.”

“I assume we’re talking about Jesse?” She asks, condemnation already filling her voice.

I nod.

Carefully choosing her words, she exhales. “Okay. I know you haven’t had a one night stand before, but you didn’t do anything wrong—”

“That’s the problem,” I pull my legs into the chair and rest my chin on my knees, “I don’t feel like I’ve done anything wrong. It was right. It was all so perfectly right that I flipped out and acted like an idiot. That was my only mistake. I’m afraid there’s no going back now.”

“Why would you want to?” She asks. “The guy’s a user. When I said I wanted you to hook up with someone, I didn’t mean you had to devalue yourself in the process.”

“What are you talking about?” I snap. “You’re the one that pointed me in his direction.”

“Only because he was the only dark, mysterious man within a ten-mile radius.” She shrugs. “I never thought you’d fall for his bullshit.”

“That’s just it, Kita,” I start, tearing up once more. “He’s so much more than that. The way he took care of me, held me, called me Angel. That was as real as it gets. And, he’s known loss too. Felt in the same way I have. Something has been connecting us since the moment he walked into Tony’s and last night our hearts collided without either one of us giving consent.”

“Oh, please,” she says, rolling her eyes. “That wasn’t love. It was a good lay, plain and simple. Don’t get stupid on me like Lacey. I already had to smoke one out over her craziness.”

“I’m not Lacey,” I reply, jaw clenched. “I don’t fall in love with every guy I see.” Sighing, I look over at her. “Let’s just drop it, okay. It’s not like I’ll ever see him again, so it doesn’t matter.”

“There’s my girl,” she says, smiling. “Think you can sneak some ribs home from work tonight? We need to celebrate you moving in again.”

Knowing I should be annoyed by her request for me to put my job on the line, I nod. The truth is, Markita’s been the only person I can truly count on these past five years. Even if I know she’s wrong about Jesse and me, I still can’t let that get in the way of our friendship. I need her, so I’ll do whatever she asks and she knows it.