The Last Second Chance: A Small Town Love Story (Blue Moon Book 3) (10 page)

Why did she find that so sexy?

He had his hand on the back of her barstool, his knee was brushing hers. She hadn’t realized that she was leaning in until she felt his breath on her face. He smelled like the outdoors and wood fires. His Artic eyes were fixed on her face and she was so close Joey swore she could hear his heartbeat.

She was weak with hunger. It was the only explanation, besides her hormones revolting against her wasteland of a sex life. Either option was better than considering the possibility that she wanted Jackson Pierce as much as he wanted her.

“Hey, Jax. Hi, Joey.” The spell was broken by the skinny man with glasses and neatly pressed khakis who climbed onto the stool on Jax’s left.

Joey’s hand clamped down on Jax’s thigh. While Anthony Berkowicz looked about as harmless as a bucket of puppies, he was the son of Rainbow and Gordon Berkowicz and, as such, was second generation Beautification Committee, the nosiest, most meddling organization in town. He was also editor-in-chief of
The Monthly Moon
, Blue Moon’s community newspaper or tabloid. The expose he’d done on Summer and Carter before they were dating predicted they would have a half-dozen children after Summer gave up her career in the city and moved to Blue Moon.

Huh,
Joey thought
.

Well, he sure as hell wasn’t getting any fodder on her, Joey decided.

“I’m going to the restroom and he’d better be gone by the time I get back,” she hissed at Jax.

“If you don’t get your hand off my leg we’re going to have a bigger problem than Anthony Berkowicz,” Jax whispered, looking pointedly at her hand. “A much bigger problem.”

“Funny.” Joey pulled her hand back faster than if she’d touched hot coals. “Nice to see you, Anthony,” she called over her shoulder as she headed to the bathroom.

“
H
ow’s the newspaper biz
, Anthony?” Jax asked, willing the blood to return to his head.

Anthony’s head bobbed. “Not bad. Not bad. How’s the farm?”

“Good all around. What brings you out to Shorty’s on this frigid night?”

“Just doing a little digging,” Anthony slid his phone in front of Jax.

On the screen was a picture of him and Joey sitting side by side at the bar someone had posted to the Blue Moon Facebook group four minutes ago.

“Do you live upstairs or something? That’s a faster response time than the fire department.”

“I go where the stories take me,” Anthony said.

Jax drummed his fingers on the bar, debated for a second. “Anthony, I’m going to lay this on the line. I’m after Joey. I intend to marry that girl, but if she gets a hint that the Beautification Committee is sniffing around us, she’s going to head for the hills on principle. And if that happens and you’re the reason behind it, I’m going to hunt you down and fill your apartment and your newspaper office with all kinds of shit. Pig, horse, goat, dog. I have access to an unlimited supply. Now, on the other hand, if you find yourself somehow useful to my cause, I’d be happy to give you an exclusive on whatever you deem fit after Joey marries me.”

Anthony swallowed hard. “Uh-huh. I see.”

“Can I get you something, Anthony?” Ed asked, dropping Jax and Joey’s plates on the bar.

“Uh. Yeah. Can I get a diet?” He glanced at Jax. “To go, please.”

Jax clapped him on the shoulder. “Glad we’re on the same page.”

The slim man paused, holding his soda. “Oh, yeah. Just so you know, you might want to have the same conversation with Ellery.” He pointed in the direction of the ladies’ room as a woman dressed for a death metal concert pushed through the door.

“Shit.”

J
oey grabbed
a fistful of paper towels out of the dispenser in the ladies’ room and dried her hands. She had faith that Jax could get rid of Anthony…if he wanted to. There was, of course, the possibility that he’d want Anthony to print a bunch of fake crap about them getting back together in hopes that it would convince her to give him a second chance.

And if he did that, Jax knew nothing about her, she realized.

The door swung open and Ellery, Beckett’s paralegal, strolled in, her chunky Frankenstein boots squeaking on the tile floor.

“Hey, Joey,” she said, cheerfully. “I’d ask what’s new, but I already know. So I’ll just say congratulations.”

Freaking Blue Moon and its freaking big mouth.
“Thanks,” Joey grimaced. “And before you say it, no, I’m
not
on a date with Jax. I didn’t even know he was coming here. So don’t you get any nosey BC ideas.”

Ellery leaned into the mirror to tug at her long spider leg lashes. Her hair was in braided pigtails and she was wearing the reddest lipstick Joey had ever seen. “Got it!” she said triumphantly. She held a single lash on her fingertip. “God, that thing’s been driving me nuts since I glued these on.”

She dunked her hands under the faucet. “Anyway, what were you saying? Oh, yeah, you and Jax.” She laughed.

Joey frowned. “What’s so funny?”

“Oh, it’s nothing personal. It’s just the idea of you and Jax dating. I know you probably get all kinds of pressure about it since you used to be all hot and heavy way back in high school, but I’m with you. You and Jax would be a huge mistake. I think you’re smart to keep your distance.”

“You expect me to believe you and your prying little group aren’t plotting right now to march me down the aisle with Jax?”

Ellery’s eyes widened until Joey couldn’t see her charcoal gray eye shadow. “Absolutely not. We take our matchmaking very seriously,” she laid a hand on her heart, her black fingernails glittering under the fluorescent lights. “And part of that is recognizing who does and doesn’t have potential for a long-lasting, happy relationship.”

“And you’re saying that Jax and I don’t have that potential?”

“Exactly. And it’s not like I’m saying anything you haven’t already said a hundred thousand times. You’re just too different. Besides, who knows how long Jax will decide to stick around this time? You’re being smart protecting yourself and just staying friends.”

“Then why did Anthony show up here four seconds after I sat down next to Jax at the bar?”

Ellery shrugged her shoulders in her pink skull cardigan. “Maybe he just wanted a Diet Coke?” Her eyes lit up. “Trust me. The BC already had a conversation when Jax moved back. You two just aren’t meant to be. Now, Jax and Moon Beam Parker? I wouldn’t be surprised if we start seeing sparks from those two.”

“Jax and Moon Beam?” Joey felt her right eyelid start to twitch and pressed the palm of her hand over it.

“Don’t jinx it,” Ellery grinned. “It’s in the early stages. Just imagine how nice it’ll be to have Jax chasing someone else and finally giving you your space.”

“Yeah. Nice.”

“Well, I gotta go see a man about a basket of cheese fries. See ya around,” Ellery said cheerily as she strolled out the door.

“Nice.” Joey said again as the door closed. She stared grimly at her reflection, not liking the feeling of doom that settled in her belly.

Back at the bar, her spirits lifted slightly when she noticed Jax no longer had a newspaperman for a neighbor.

“Is Anthony still alive or do we need to dig a shallow grave?” Joey asked.

“He’ll live to write another day,” Jax promised, his gaze fixed to her face. “What’s wrong?”

Joey shrugged. “Nothing. Just hungry,” she said, reaching for the burger she no longer had any appetite for.

“I can still tell when you’re lying, Jojo,” Jax warned her.

She looked him in the eye and took a big bite. “Starving,” she said through a mouthful of meat and cheese and ketchup.

Jax shook his head and turned his attention to his plate. His knee pressed against her leg, the contact sending a zing through her veins.

“Do you do that on purpose?” Joey asked, dropping her burger on the plate.

“Do what?”

Joey looked down pointedly at their legs.

Jax grinned. “What do you think?”

“I think you do it on purpose to annoy me.”

Jax swiveled on his stool, pinning her knees between his legs. His hands rested on her thighs. “Or maybe it’s because I can’t stand to be so close to you and not touch you. Maybe when I’m touching you everything feels better for just a second until the next breath when I need more.”

Joey’s breath was caught in her throat.

“Does that answer your question?” he asked, his grip strong on her legs.

Joey wet her lips. “What do you think of Moon Beam Parker?”

J
ax had
no idea what to wear to a movie club night, so he went for a step above farm wear with a clean pair of jeans, a white button down and a lightweight forest green sweater. He couldn’t find his loafers, wasn’t even sure if they’d made the trip from L.A., so he went with the pair of suede lace up boots he’d gotten from Willa, the owner of Blue Moon Boots.

He grabbed his dark wool coat out of the hall closet and yelled a good-bye to Carter and Summer in the kitchen.

“We’re not having sex this time,” his brother yelled back. “You’re allowed to come back.”

Jax made a show of stomping down the hall covering his eyes.

“I am entering the kitchen,” he shouted.

Carter beaned him with a dinner roll and Summer muttered something about never living things down as she loaded plates into the dishwasher. Valentina’s ears were visible over the island as she helped with the clean up by licking the dishes before they went into the washer.

“Sorry, Summer,” Jax said, without a hint of contrition.

She shot him a frown.

“Is that your mom look? Because it’s pretty fierce.”

She brightened. “Really? Good. Because if these two monsters are anything like you and your brothers I’m going to need all the weapons I can get.”

Carter stepped up behind her and wrapped his arms around her, his hands resting on her belly. “Honey, the twins aren’t going to stand a chance against us.”

“Please. Have you seen your brother look at Aurora? He’s lucky she’s a sweetheart, because she could set the house on fire and steal a car and run over some old ladies and he’d be putty in her little hands. What if we have two adorable little girls and you’re so busy being wrapped around their little evil fingers that I’m the one who has to be the bad guy?”

“You could have two boys who are idiots and decide they want to see how deep the hay has to be in order to survive a jump out of the loft in the barn,” Jax suggested.

“Oh my God. I hadn’t thought of that. What if we have two boys who run around trying to murder each other?” Summer asked, spinning around in Carter’s arms.

“We’ll make your parents move in with us. Five adults against two kids.”

Summer nodded as if actually considering it. “Okay. That’s a good option. Good thinking.” She leaned into her husband’s chest. “I love that you’re a problem solver.”

Carter met Jax’s gaze over Summer’s blonde hair and he slowly shook his head. Jax grinned and winked.

He took his Nova just to be sure his mother wouldn’t insist on driving and he wouldn’t have to puke before they got to the theater. They’d yet to have their first big snowfall of the season, so his rear wheel drive was fine for the night and the car’s beefy heater pushed out tropically warm air.

He wondered if Joey was going to the movie night. She hadn’t said anything about it at dinner last night. It had felt like a date, he thought with a smile. It was clear that the heat between them wasn’t all just anger anymore. He had never had the patience that his father had. He was his mother’s son in that aspect. The fact that he’d been willing to chip away at Joey’s resistance for six months proved that she mattered. More than anything else that he’d wanted in this lifetime. He just hoped he wouldn’t still be chipping away in ten years. The woman had the resolve of a steel girder, unbending, never wielding. And he loved her for it.

He just needed to keep chipping away. And maybe pay Ellery a visit to find out what she said to put the shadows in Joey’s eyes last night.

Jax got to Phoebe’s townhouse a few minutes early and let himself in the front door. Mr. Snuffles peeked around a cardboard box near the front door. His corkscrew tail wiggled when he spotted Jax and he trotted over on his stumpy little legs. He made a grunt of approval when Jax bent to pick him up.

“I see the snot is clearing up nicely,” Jax said to the dog.

Mr. Snuffles grunted a happy reply.

There were half-packed boxes everywhere. Phoebe and Franklin had been in the process of moving in together for months now while their search for a house was ongoing. Now that they were building a place on the farm, it would take another six months or so. At this stage, he couldn’t tell if she was in the process of packing or unpacking and decided not to mention it in case she tried to enlist his help.

Jax had moved around enough in his time on the West Coast that he kept his personal belongings to a minimum. The house he’d bought furnished and he’d sell it the same way. He had no attachment to anything in it. He had a small storage locker with clothes, personal items, and files that he’d have shipped home when he returned next month.

Maybe it was time to start looking for his own place to live,
he considered. Carter and Summer deserved to have the house to themselves with the babies on the way. And he was going to need his own space at some point. A garage. An office. A king-sized bed. He’d have to think about it.

He heard a thumping noise upstairs.

“Mom? You ready to go?” he called up. Mr. Snuffles wiggled in his arms so he set the dog down in the kitchen.

There was no answer from Phoebe, but there was another thump. She was probably in her closet. Jax took the stairs lightly two at a time. “Mom?”

Her bedroom door was ajar.

“Hey, Mom, are we going or—”

“You’re early!”

“Oh my God.” Jax turned to run out of the room and tripped over a box in the hallway. He almost went head first down the carpeted stairs, but managed to catch himself on the railing only skidding down two stairs on his stomach.

“Jax, honey, are you okay?” his mom called.

“Don’t come out here! Not until you put some clothes on.”

“Sorry about that, Jax. Didn’t realize it was so late,” Franklin peeked out of the bedroom. His lack of wardrobe was blatantly evident.

“Oh my God. Oh my God. Oh my God.” Jax chanted his way down the stairs, carefully clutching the banister. He had rug burn on his forehead and probably his knees. But it was his eyes that burned with the image that would take more than therapy and drugs to erase.

“I’ll be in the car,” he yelled over his shoulder from the kitchen. As his stomach pitched, he decided he’d better settle it with a little snack. He found some cheese and lunch meat in the refrigerator and grabbed a few slices of both. Jax tossed a slice of ham to Mr. Snuffles, who looked thoroughly confused, before hightailing it to his car to eat and pretend what happened hadn’t happened and wonder if he was the only one in Blue Moon not having sex.

His mother hurried out of the house a few minutes later. Her cheeks were pinker than the fuchsia turtleneck she now wore.

Phoebe gave him a shameful look and a few moments of blessed silence when she got in the car and Jax headed toward downtown.

“Here,” she said finally. “I brought you this. I know you eat when you get upset.”

Jax glanced over at the beef stick his mother was brandishing. “Mom, that’s the least appropriate snack you could have found in this situation.”

“Jax, listen, what you saw is very natural,” Phoebe began.

He gagged.

“Oh, honey, are you car sick? I can drive if you want me to.”

T
ake Two’s
parking lot had more than two-dozen cars in it by the time they pulled in. “How many people are in your movie group?” Jax asked his mother, still not able to look her in the eye...or the general direction.

“Oh, just a few. Forty-six, I think? And the members can bring guests if they want. Shelby won’t be here because she’s working nights at the hospital this month.”

“I thought this was just a little thing,” Jax said feeling the panic rise. “You
said
this was just a little thing.”

Phoebe patted his leg and Jax bolted out his door. “I know where that hand’s been, Mom!”

“Pull it together, Jackson, and put your big boy underpants on. Your mother has a vibrant, exciting sex life. Get used to it.”

Jax bent from the waist and dry heaved. “I think I might die from this.”

Phoebe slapped the beef stick against his chest. “Eat this and stop thinking about…what you’re thinking about.”

Jax straightened and took a deep breath of the frigid Blue Moon air. He ripped the plastic off of the beef stick and took a bite.

“Better?”

“Nothing a case of beer or amnesia won’t cure,” Jax said weakly.

“That’s the spirit. Now get in there and let me show off my genius son.”

“You’ll understand if I don’t look at you, right?”

“Of course, sweetie.”

It was worse than he thought. Phoebe led him past the concession stand before he could order a full-moon sized bucket of popcorn to settle his stomach and before he knew it, he was being dragged up on stage where a lone chair sat front and center.

“I’m not sitting on the stage, Mom,” he hissed.

“It’s only so everyone can see you,” she said, ignoring his resistance and marching him up the stairs onto the stage. “Clayton, do you have the mic?”

“Right here, Phoebe,” a man built like a retired linebacker lumbered toward Jax. His spectacular fro temporarily blocked the stage lights. Clayton’s wife, Lavender, a tiny daisy of a woman, waved at Jax from the front row.

“Hey, Clayton,” Jax greeted him and waved at the man’s wife. Clayton and Lavender Fullmer were the owners of Take Two and the parents of Grayson Moon, one of Jax’s lacrosse teammates.

“Hey, there Jax. Thanks for coming out tonight. The sooner Frieda Blevins gives up her niece’s selfie story, the better,” Clayton whispered.

“That’s what I hear,” Jax let Clayton hook the lavalier mic to the collar of his sweater. “How’s Grayson doing these days?”

Clayton’s face split into a wide grin. “Kid’s a literal rocket scientist. Can you believe that?”

“No shit?” Jax asked.

“No shit,” Clay shook his head with pride. “He works for one of those private companies on the West Coast that’s building private spacecraft. He loves it. He’s marrying a mountain climbing ER doctor named Aimee this summer. I said to Lav the other day, how did someone we created turn out so good?”

“And what did Lavender say?”

“Dumb luck.”

Jax laughed. “I don’t know about that. From my recollection you two were pretty good at the whole parenting thing.”

“We did okay. And so did yours judging by how you three turned out.” Clayton said, handing Jax the body pack.

Jax hooked it on his belt in the back. “I wouldn’t go that far. I’ve got a ways to go to catch up to Carter and Beckett.”

Clayton clapped a meaty hand on his shoulder. “Son, your mom’s busting with pride tonight and half of Blue Moon showed up here for you. It’s okay to bask a little.”

Jax shrugged it off. He told stories for a living. When you measured that against rocket science, or family law, or organic farming, it seemed a silly, useless profession. And it made him feel foolish for being on stage in front of all these people to show off something that really didn’t matter in the grand scheme of things.

Sometimes he wished he wasn’t so compelled to tell these stories. Wished that the characters weren’t alive and busy in his head. Maybe someday, after he told enough of their stories, they’d leave him alone and he could find work he could be proud of.

Rainbow Berkowicz, in her boxy bank president suit took the stage with Ernest Washington. Ernest, sporting his trademark bandana, threw Jax a peace sign, “That Nova still working out for you?”

Jax nodded and grinned. While Ernest was at heart a true VW aficionado, he usually had a classic project car squirreled away on his car lot somewhere. Jax had bought his ’68 Nova from Ernest his first week back home when he and Summer had gone on a Blue Moon-style shopping spree.

“Cool,” Ernest said, rolling on the balls of his feet.

“Ready to get started, Jax?” Rainbow asked.

Ready for what, exactly?
“Sure,” he said with a confidence he didn’t feel.

Rainbow turned on the mic she held and addressed the crowd. “Excuse me. If I could have your attention please.” The crowd slowly quieted and Jax took his first good look around the theater.

It felt like a sea of faces the size of Beckett’s wedding audience, but this time they were all looking at him. He picked out a few friendly faces here and there. Jules from the juice place was there with her husband, Rob. Gia, Evan, and Ellery were splitting a box of candy a few rows back from the front. His mother was cozied up between Fitz, who was sporting a pair of glasses that made him look like an academic burnout, and Elvira Eustace. Mrs. McCafferty from McCafferty’s Farm Supply on the square was looking chipper in overalls and a purple turtleneck in the front row.

“Thank you all for coming tonight. As most of you know, we’ll be viewing
Awake in the Night
, which was written by our very own Jackson Pierce.”

The applause was overzealous and a little embarrassing in his opinion, but Jax waved politely.
It would all be over soon, wouldn’t it?

“Jax, would you like to give us a synopsis of the film and maybe take a few questions before we start?” Rainbow suggested.

“Uh, sure,” Jax said, his amplified voice bounced around the theater. He stood up, more comfortable on the move than sitting under the scrutiny. “I wrote
Awake in the Night
on spec while I was working as a production assistant after moving to L.A. I think I was a little homesick for Blue Moon, which is why I wanted to write about a small town.

“It’s about a woman who married her high school sweetheart right out of school, started a family, bought a house. And she just wakes up in the middle of the night one night and starts wondering if she made the right choice. Her whole life is routine. She works Monday through Friday in a job she doesn’t care about. Wednesdays are laundry. Thursdays are groceries. Kids have swim team and soccer practice. She and her husband haven’t had a conversation about anything but the school pickups or the lawn mower in weeks. And every night, she wakes up and lays there, regretting and wondering.”

Jax paused. “Am I going to ruin this for anyone if I keep going?”

People in the audience were shaking their heads.