Strictly Business (24 page)

The only word Jess could say was, “Bethany.”

“Yeah, she saw you. You forget darlin’, you’re in my neck of
the woods. People here tell me what my girlfriend does behind my back. I’m not
going to marry a whore... not again.”

* * * * *

Even as he said the words, Jake wished he could call them
back. Even as he was yelling accusations, some piece of him registered the
shocked and hurt expression running across her face. He knew, somewhere deep,
he knew he was wrong. But he couldn’t stop the words, the pain. And he wouldn’t
apologize. He waited for her to say something. The words that would tell him he
was wrong. Or the words that would shatter his heart forever.

Instead she said nothing. He watched her face, her eyes, and
knew he’d made a mistake. He’d seen her silver eyes fire in anger, spark with
laughter, heat with desire, glaze over in pleasure. Now, he was looking at iced
steel.

Jake watched her, shoulders stiff, back straight, a blank
look settled on her face. He waited for her to yell, to cry. He waited to feel
the sting of her hand on his cheek, knowing he deserved at least that.

She very slowly turned and walked to the door. Jess opened
the door, risking one last glance over her shoulder. He hadn’t moved. He
couldn't. She left, closing the door gently behind her.

Jake watched the door shut, feeling his heart shatter within
his chest. It would’ve been better if she’d slammed it. It was over. Never had
a closing door felt so final. Jake headed to the cabinet in the corner. This
required tequila, and lots of it.

* * * * *

Jess went back upstairs, to her room. Or, the guest room. It
wouldn’t be hers anymore. She picked up her cell phone and called the cab
company, asking for the car to come back. She packed her stuff, all of it. It
took much less time than she’d expected. She laughed wryly. A place that had
meant so much to her, and she hadn’t even made a dent. Tomorrow, it would be
like she’d never been there.

She went downstairs. Seeing Marsha in the kitchen, she
stepped in, giving the woman a huge hug, much to Marsha’s surprise. Something
in her face must have tipped Marsha off, because she hugged back, patting
Jess’s cheek as she backed away. Jess walked out the back, seeing the cab ready
and waiting, thank God. She was not at all sure how much farther pride would
carry her. She waved at Ben, then glanced over, seeing Mike running toward the
cab.

“Jess, what happened?”

Mike looked terrified. Jess wished she could say something
to ease his worry, but she just couldn’t. If she said anything, anything at
all, she would break. She just shook her head at him, waving her hand.

Mike, pulled her in for a hug, squeezed her for a minute.
“Call me.”

Jess nodded as she opened the car door. She would call as
soon as she could speak again. She took one last look around, taking in the
scenery. The guys, all busy working. Cody fighting with Demon, Ben watching and
laughing. Marsha standing on the back porch, by the swing, looking like Jess
was leaving her. Jess looked at the trees, the hills, still green even in
August. The barn needing a coat of paint. She had thought she’d found home. It
looked like she’d been wrong. Jess sighed as she sat down, closing the door
behind her. It wasn’t the first time, but it might just be the most painful.
She couldn’t imagine anything in her life ever feeling worse than this.

Mike knocked on the glass and Jess put down the window.
“Jess, obviously something went wrong, but you said that love wasn’t
comfortable. Stay. Talk to him. Maybe this is just an uncomfortable time.”

Jess looked at him, patted his cheek and shook her head.
“No, this is too hard. It shouldn’t be
this
hard.”

Mike opened his mouth to say more, then finally nodded and
stepped back, watching as the cab pulled away.

Jake heard the sound of boots, followed by the door
slamming. Rather than acknowledge someone had even entered his house, he sat at
his desk with his head in his hands, looking at the mostly empty tequila bottle
on the corner of his desk.

“So, it’s true? I didn’t read that wrong?”

Jake looked up. He'd known it was Cody before he'd even
walked in. No one else would've been stupid enough to bother him right now.
When the question finally penetrated his fuzzy brain, he managed a nod.

“So, what happened?”

Jake heard the anger and accusation in Cody's tone, which
just served to rile him up even more. Drunk and pissed off is not a good
combination.

“She fucked Mike.”

“Mike, like Mike her foreman?”

Jake nodded.

Cody laughed.

Jake glared.

“They were in Evanston this weekend. They got a hotel room.
Bethany saw them. Said they were kissin’.”

Cody nodded. “And you what? Asked Jess and she
said
she fucked Mike?”

“I called the damn hotel! They had
one
room. Only
one, Cody. He’s been after her forever. I knew it as soon as he got here.”

“Did you ask her? Did you even ask her why she was in
Evanston?”

“She didn’t deny it. She didn’t say anything. She just
turned and walked the hell out.”

“What did you say to her? Did you tell her
Bethany
had seen ’em together?” Cody was shouting right back at him, venom dripping off
of Bethany’s name.

Jake put his hands on his head, running them through his
hair. “I don’t know. I don’t know
what
I said.” He sat, falling backward
since his legs wouldn't hold him up anymore. “I’m pretty sure I called her a
whore. Among other things.” His voice had gone eerily calm even to his own
ears.

“Because of Karen. You believed Bethany because of Karen.”

Jake only nodded.

Jake watched while Cody considered this. He could see anger
warring with a lifelong friendship. Anger won out.“You’re a damn fool! You
weren't even this stupid when you actually thought I would lie to you over your
fucking ex-wife. You don’t know what you had, what you threw away. Do you even
know who she is?”

His question confused Jake, but in his drunken state, he
couldn't even manage to shrug.

Cody shook his head. “A damn fool. You deserve this one,
pal. Whatever pain you feel, this time you brought it on yourself.”

Before Jake even knew he was considering it, he threw the
tequila bottle straight at Cody’s head.

Cody ducked as it crashed into the wall. He backed up,
opening the door. “If you ever pull your head out of your ass, let me know.
I’ll tell you why she was in Evanston. Right now,” Cody shook his head again,
“you don’t deserve to know, and you sure as hell don’t deserve her!”

* * * * *

Jess walked into her house, dropping her suitcases as soon
as she was in the door. She would deal with them tomorrow. She looked at the
answering machine, seeing it flash twenty seven messages. She realized she
hadn’t checked her home voicemail in almost two months. She went to her fridge,
pulled out a bottle of water, the only thing in there, and sat down to listen
to the messages.

Jess fell into bed that night, sure she wasn’t going to
sleep. She knew the tears were coming, she could feel them burning her eyes,
her throat. She was surprised they hadn’t surfaced already. She lay her head on
the pillow, waiting.

She woke the next morning, shocked she’d slept, and slept
late. It was almost nine. She needed to get dressed, get to the office. She had
to pack this house, call a realtor. She had to call Cindy. Check in with Mike.

That was when it hit.

She sat up in her bed, feeling the water roll down her face.
She was almost relieved. The sooner she cried, the sooner she could move on.

Unfortunately her heart had other plans. She cried all day
Wednesday, all night Wednesday night, all day Thursday. She couldn’t shower,
couldn’t move. She had water sitting by her bed, knew she should drink it. She
should find food. She couldn’t. She couldn’t stop the tears, the sobbing.

* * * * *

Thursday night Jess heard the front door open and close
quietly. She knew the door had been locked so she figured it was probably
Cindy. She tried to pull herself together, but couldn't even manage to move.
When Cindy walked into her bedroom she was still in a heap on her bed, sobs
wracking her shoulders.

Jess looked up and waited while Cindy took in her
appearance. “Aren’t those the same clothes you were wearing when I left you on
Tuesday?”

Cindy patiently waited for an answer. Words that Jess just
couldn't seem to form.

“Have you eaten anything, sweetie?” Jess shook her head no.
“Water?” Another head shake.

Cindy nodded. “Okay, let’s shower first. Then we’ll eat. I
promise you’ll feel better after some food and water.” Cindy walked over, using
her much larger frame to leverage Jess off the bed. She half carried, half
dragged her into the bathroom, stripping her like she was a child and getting
her into the shower.

Jess finally managed to speak. “Can’t …stop…crying.” Her
words were slow, her voice scratchy, but she got the words out.

“I know.” Cindy sat on the toilet while Jess showered,
handing her a towel when she finished. As Jess dried off, Cindy headed out,
giving Jess a few minutes to dress.

When Jess made it out of the room, she walked into the
kitchen to find Cindy putting away groceries. There were also plates and fresh
Chinese food sitting on the table. They sat and ate in silence. The tears were
still sliding down occasionally, but waning, and the sobs had finally stopped.
After the meal, during which Jess barely touched her food, she helped Cindy
rinse the dishes. When the last plate was dried, Jess turned to her best
friend.

Before Jess could even form the question, Cindy answered.
“Mike called me. He hadn’t heard from you and he was worried. He told me you
might need a friend.”

“Thank you.”

‘Thank you’ was completely inadequate. She needed to say
more. As she mentally dug around for the words, Cindy shook her head, holding a
hand up. “No, no, we're not doing the ‘thank you’ thing. Do you want to talk
about it?”

Jess shook her head, one last tear sliding down. “No.”

“Okay.” Cindy waited a few minutes in silence before saying,
“So, let’s open our business here. I like Austin. I already have a house. You
already have a reputation in this area.”

Jess was horrified at the thought, which must have shown on
her face, because Cindy started to backpedal.

“We don’t have to talk about it now. I was just trying to
take your mind off…just give you something else to focus on.”

Jess shook her head again. “No. Wyoming. I still want to go
to Evanston.”

Now it was Cindy's turn to look horrified, which was almost
enough to bring a laugh to Jess's lips.

“Jess, I don’t think that’s such a great idea. I mean… God,
sweetie. Are you sure?”

Jess nodded. “Wyoming is…home. I need to be there.”

Cindy stared hard, clearly trying to see if she meant what
she said. After several long minutes, Cindy nodded. “Okay. Wyoming it is.
Tomorrow, me and you…we’ll quit our jobs and start packing our houses.” She
looked around, taking in Jess’s sparse, clean, bland house. “How about we sell
them both furnished?”

"No, we can't do that. I have everything here. I can
hire a moving..."

Cindy interrupted. “Seriously. New state, new home, new
life. Let’s start fresh.”

Jess looked around her house. It was classically elegant.
She had hired a decorator to make sure that her home looked perfect. "It
does kind of look like a hotel, doesn't it? Not a home." Then she sighed,
long and deep.

“It’s a new you, too, Jess. I like seeing you, the real you,
instead of all this,” she said waiving her hand around her. “Let’s celebrate
that!”

Jess nodded, a hint of a smile sliding across her face.
“Let’s do it. New house, new business, new life. But same great friends.”

Champagne or not, this was a toast to a new future.

Jake hadn’t spoken to Cody in over two months. He’d left for
a couple of rodeos and hadn’t even mentioned to Jake he was going. This
shouldn’t be all that surprising. Hell, nobody was speaking to Jake much
nowadays. Not that he blamed any of them. He’d been nasty and ill-tempered
since Jess had left. He groaned softly just at the thought of her. It was still
so raw, it felt like yesterday.

The only one that bothered him was Cody. Cody had been a
brother to him his whole life, so not speaking felt wrong. He knew he needed to
apologize to him, but he wasn’t even sure where to begin. He had to do it soon.
His parents were due in tomorrow, and they wouldn’t like seeing their 'boys'
fighting. Jake swiped his hand across his face.

Thank God he hadn’t booted Mike out after Bethany’s little
visit. The only thing that had stopped him was tequila. He’d been drunk for
three days. When he finally sobered up, he’d already realized his mistake. So
he hadn’t kicked Mike out of his house. And Mike hadn’t asked why Jess had
left. He knew Jess hadn’t told him. If she had, there was no doubt in his mind
that Mike would’ve beaten the crap out of him. Jake was bigger but he would’ve
let Mike do it. He deserved it.

He knew from the crew that Jess had been back out to the
house a couple of times, but he hadn’t seen her. He was pretty sure Mike had
played a part in that too. And now the house was done. He hadn’t been able to
convince himself to buy any furniture for it, so the hands had all pitched in
and helped him move some of the existing stuff over there.

Marsha had opted to stay at the old house, although she’d
come over to the new one to cook. She had glared at him, mumbling that “someone
oughtta use such a nice kitchen.” Jake had moved his bed and his office
furniture over there. He’d taken the leather couch as a temporary fix for the
living room. He had bought a new big screen TV, but it was still sitting on an
old crate from the barn.