Chapter Nineteen

“Do you see Jack?” Noah asked as he sat down next to Juliet at the bar in the Foggy Bottom on a Friday night a week later. Jack had texted them that he had some good news to share.

“Not yet,” Juliet answered. With just a few days before the big meeting, everyone was on edge, and they all welcomed the chance to come down to the familiar neighborhood bar to celebrate.

The Foggy Bottom was a favorite place for locals to grab a beer and a sandwich. Or, in Juliet’s case, the best nachos in town, which Hector G, the owner, had just placed in front of her, along with a whiskey sour. Just as she took the first cheesy bite, she noticed a man in a white shirt and dress pants standing near a pool table across the room. Devin Chambers took a sip of his drink, looked directly across the room at Juliet, and winked.

Juliet immediately dropped her chip and pretended to rummage through her purse. Viv, who was next to Noah, leaned over and said, “Please tell me that isn’t who I think it is.”

“I’ll explain later,” Juliet whispered.

Noah frowned. “Did that horrible man just wink at you?” He frowned. “Also, what on earth did you say to Tyler Wells? I ran into him at the grocery store and he sounded really excited about meeting with you.”

“When does Tyler not sound excited?” Viv asked.

“This appeared to be extra excited,” Noah said with concern.

Juliet took a big sip of her drink. “Well, my talk today went really well with Ryan, so I texted Tyler and asked to have coffee.”

Speaking of Tyler, there he was, waving from near the door. She reluctantly waved back. “I wasn’t expecting this.”

“So many suitors.” Viv suppressed a chuckle by taking a sip of her drink.

Juliet groaned. To make it worse, Devin made a shot, then straightened out and full-out waved.

“You’d better tell us what’s going on here, hon,” Noah said. “Because I sort of feel that someone’s getting themselves in some very hot water here.”

“I know Devin from a long time ago,” Juliet blurted.

“You slept with him?” Noah’s glass of beer hit the table with a clink.

“I did not sleep with him,” she insisted. “It was one date.”

Noah shook his head in puzzlement. “Did you tell Jack about this?”

“First of all, I didn’t get a chance to. But second, I’m not going to. Jack has enough on his mind. I’m just going to make certain I don’t run into Devin again.”

“That would be fine if our town wasn’t the size of a bottle cap.” Noah paused. “What if Devin finds out you work for Jack? No, wait—what if he finds out you slept with Jack? Could Devin get angry and then take his anger out on Jack?”

Viv choked on her drink. “You slept with Jack?” She looked incredulous. “This is what happens when I leave for one night?”

“Yes, but it’s not serious.” She turned back to Noah. “I mean, nothing ever happened with Devin, and I can’t stand the guy. So he’s a nonissue.”

“Okaaay,” Noah said, looking dubious. “Hope you know what you’re doing.”

“It’s not even a secret,” she said firmly. “There’s just nothing to tell.”

“Okay.” Viv caught up to the conversation quick. “So forget Devin. Tell me about you and Jack.”

“I told you, it’s not…anything.” But Juliet’s heart knew she was lying. “Until I have myself figured out, I’m not getting serious with anyone.”

“You are determined,” Noah said sadly. “But I think that’s a little sad. You may be missing out on the love of your life.”

She should have brushed that comment off as a typical Noah-ism, blunt and full of drama. Instead, she broke out into a cold sweat. Because how would she ever really know herself? Or trust herself? How would she ever get over the terror of making another mistake?

“Jack is different,” Viv said, her tone earnest.

“What do you mean?” Juliet asked, sounding skeptical. Yet she knew he was, down to her soul. And she was different with him than she’d been with her other boyfriends. But she didn’t want to admit that, and she didn’t even want it to be true, because she wasn’t ready for different. The timing was bad. Her life wasn’t in order.

Viv assessed her with deep blue eyes that reminded her very much of their dad’s. “I can just tell,” she said with a little sigh. “You’re just yourself with him. You’re able to tell him exactly how you feel.” She made circles with her finger in front of Juliet’s face. “And you sort of have this little sparkle in your eyes whenever you look at him.”

“Sparkle, Viv?” That was…ridiculous. Sparkle was a term reserved for little children, ones who wore glittery costumes and shoes and nail polish, not adults. And she was trying very hard to be an adult.

“She’s right,” Noah said. “I’ve never seen you so much yourself.”

Before Juliet could react, the door opened, and Jack himself walked in. As he stood there, searching the room, her heart gave a flutter. He looked handsome and relaxed and confident.

Being hot was fine, but the thing about Jack that really melted her was that he listened to her and believed she’d figure things out. He believed in her. Now she just needed to make sure she believed in herself.

As their gazes locked across the room, she felt a rush of blood in her ears, a thrumming of her pulse. And she couldn’t keep herself from smiling.

Suddenly, Juliet became aware that Viv was staring at her. “See,” she said with a smug expression. “Sparkle.”

She didn’t have time to respond to her annoying sister. Jack walked over and stood next to Juliet, lightly touching her back with his hand, a move that sent a little shiver through her. Hector G walked over to take Jack’s order. “Sorry I’m running late,” Jack said, “but I just got some great news,” Excitement stirred in his voice. “We got the federal grant to clean up the junkyard.”

“That’s amazing,” Noah said.

Juliet frowned. “But Omnibuild…”

“…has agreed to look over the feasibility study with the green plan that we did for that land.” Jack looked pleased. “If Devin can wait for the cleanup, he’ll find that this land is actually a lot better suited for what he wants than my granny’s.”

“That’s terrific news,” she said, squeezing his arm. She wanted to throw her arms around him and kiss him but she didn’t know how he felt about showing affection in public. Since they weren’t really dating. So what exactly were they doing, then?

“Well, it’s a start.” Jack gave her a hopeful smile. His gaze was filled with other things, too, affection and a mischievous twinkle that made her blush. “I’m cautiously hopeful.”

She was, too. But not just about the land.

Jack got whisked away by some of the city council members, excited to discuss the news. Noah left with him, and Viv went to chat with friends, leaving Juliet alone with her nachos. Which was fine with her. Leo slid into the seat beside her, placed his beer on the table, and stole one.

“Hey, that’s my dinner,” she said with a chuckle, grabbing a chip herself and then pushing the plate toward him so they could share. “So, where’s Tessa?”

“Resting up.” He grabbed another chip. “She passed on coming tonight.” Leo smiled and bumped her elbow with his. “We don’t often get to talk, just the two of us.”

“That sounds like the beginning of a big brother talk.” Actually, she thought, Leo really was the big brother she’d never had. They fought over chips and had heart-to-hearts. Lucky her.

“Not necessarily. But I can listen. Especially when it’s about Jack.”

She rolled her eyes. But secretly, she was amazed at how he’d read her mind. “How do you know I want to talk about Jack?”

“Just a hunch. I mean, you two are going around looking all googly eyed at each other.”

“The truth is,” she said, looking him in the eye, “I think I’m falling for him.” Wait, where had that come from? It had literally fallen out of her mouth, and once the word avalanche started, she couldn’t stop it. “I really, really like him. But how will I know if I can trust my own judgment?” She paused and thought about that. “You’ve seen me at my worst—remember after my breakup last year? You of all people wouldn’t want me to get involved with someone who was clearly wrong for me, would you?”

Leo let out a heavy sigh. “Juliet, that’s the last thing I’d want.” He rubbed his neck, like he was thinking hard about what to say. “Seeing Jack and you together, I guess I’ve been reevaluating. Jack has so much to give. I love him like a brother. Maybe you can be the one to help him get over his past. I just don’t want to see you hurt.”

“Leo, it’s okay. I was honest with him about not wanting anything serious, and so was he.”

“He was lying.” Leo stuck his fingers in his mouth and whistled and waved. “Jackie! Over here.” Leo rubbed her shoulder. “If you really care for him, don’t give up on him, that’s my opinion.”

Across the room, Jack waved. Leo sent him a thumbs-up. And wow. Leo was giving her his blessing? “I don’t want to screw up again and have my heart broken.” It was all about fear, wasn’t it? “I’m…afraid.”

Leo looked at her with a wise smile and shrugged. “You’ll never find love unless you learn to trust yourself. And somebody else. Take it from someone who had to learn how to do that.” Then he ended the discussion by stealing one last chip. And kissing her on the head.

“Well, thanks for the talk…I think.”

“And thank you for sharing your nachos,” he said as he washed them down with his beer.

As Jack made his way toward them through the crowd, Leo said, “Uh-oh. Here comes trouble.”

But Juliet followed his gaze to find he wasn’t looking in Jack’s direction. He nodded toward the other end of the bar, near the pool tables.

Devin was gone. But Tyler was waving again. Except this time he appeared to be on the way over.

She couldn’t help groaning. “I think I’ve given him the wrong impression. He’s way too enthusiastic.”

“Tyler is enthusiastic about everything.”

“This feels different.”

Leo chuckled. “This is so much fun.”

“Watching me suffer?”

He rubbed his hands together in an evil fashion. “How about we make a little wager.”

“Leo! Stop. This isn’t funny. No wagers.”

“Five bucks says Jack’s going to do…something.”

She narrowed down her gaze. “Do something? To Tyler? Like, threatening?” Jack didn’t strike her as the threatening type.

“No, not threatening. Caring. Like he doesn’t want a guy staking a claim on you.”

“That’s ridic—”

Before she could finish her sentence, Jack sat down next to her.

“Hey there, Leo,” Jack said. “Juliet,” he added, flashing her a smile that instantly made her feel like the bubbles in her drink. Light and floaty and fizzy inside.

Jack looked at her glass. She slid it toward him.

Jack had barely taken a sip when folks began to make their way over, probably to congratulate him. And Tyler was halfway to their table. So she said, “Everyone seems excited. How are you doing?”

“Devin’s slicker than a boiled onion,” Jack said. “I don’t trust him one bit. But maybe I bought us a little bit of time. I still need to find a buyer for my granny’s land.”

“I agree with you,” Leo said, popping up at Jack’s side. “That guy is not going to give up your grandma’s land for a project that costs even more. Especially when he’s proven he’s about as into green as the North Pole.”

As Leo wandered off, Juliet said to Jack, “Before someone else claims you, I just wanted to tell you that no matter what happens, you’re doing everything you can. Not just for your grandma. For the town, too. Your ideas are bold. I admire your courage.”

He shook his head. “I’m just doing my job. It’s time for us to think about doing things differently. Blossom Glen would be ahead of its time with this green project.”

As Jack talked, Leo’s words echoed in her ears. About trusting herself. About pushing past her fear. “Maybe we need to think about doing things differently, too.” She moved her hand back and forth between them. You and me.

He looked surprised. Just as he opened his mouth to reply, a voice behind Juliet made her heart sink.

“There you are,” Tyler said. “You look incredible, Jules.” Tyler kissed her on the cheek. “Hi Jack. Mind if I join you all?”

Oh no. This was the worst. What had she done?

“I got your phone message about meeting up,” Tyler said to Juliet, “and I thought I might find you over here. Good guess, huh?” He looked around at the throng of people. “You used to love pool,” he said enthusiastically. “How about we get away from the crowd and play a little one-on-one?” He waggled his brows in a way that made Juliet want to flee.

Or barf. Or both.

Just as she opened her mouth to tell him there would be no one-on-one ever, Jack said, “Hey, Ty, want to rack ’em up with me? How about we play some 9-ball?”

Tyler’s eyes lit up. “Hell, yeah!” he said before suddenly becoming subdued. “I mean, that is, if it’s okay with you, Juliet.”

“Please. You guys go for it.” As Tyler turned to walk to the tables, Jack gave her a little wink. A wink that said I’ve got this.

Leo suddenly popped up at her side, nodding knowingly and rubbing his fingers together like she owed him money.

She hated all men.

“Just to warn you, Jack,” Tyler said as they each grabbed a cue, “I’m pretty good at this.”

“I consider myself warned,” Jack calmly chalked his pool stick.

“Let’s bet on the winner,” Tyler said. “Say…fifty bucks?”

“Fifty bucks?” Juliet whispered to Leo. But he just motioned her to keep watching.

“I probably shouldn’t bet,” Jack said. “It wouldn’t be right for me to take money from my constituents.”

“Ha ha, Jack,” Tyler said. “Funny. We can play for a round of drinks if you like.”

“Okay, Ty. Rack ’em up.”

Tyler gathered the balls with the triangle. “Since you’re mayor, I’ll let you break.”

“Well, I haven’t played in a while, so bear with me.” Jack took his place at the end of the table, leaning his long form over to break.

The cue ball hit the others with a big smack and they all went scattering.

One ball went in. The nine ball.

“No way,” Leo said, sitting up.

Tyler’s mouth dropped open and he turned as red as the felt on the table.

Everyone standing around exclaimed and cheered and whooped.

“What just happened?” Juliet asked, taking in the chaos. “I think I’m missing something.”

Leo was laughing so hard he was holding his stomach. “Game’s over.”

“But they only just started.” She thought she understood pool. One pocketed ball was not a game.

“If a player sinks the 9-ball on the break, he wins. It’s called a Golden Break.”

That’s when Jack glanced over, a big, confident, satisfying grin on his face.

Jack slapped Tyler on the back. “No hard feelings, okay, buddy?”

“No hard feelings,” Tyler said, as they set down their sticks and walked over. “Are you two dating?”

Juliet held her breath. She didn’t expect Jack to say yes. Because they had an agreement. Plus if he said yes, the answer was sure to fly around town faster than Mach 3 speed.

Jack stared at Juliet for a long second. Asking her a question with his eyes.

Her heart flew up to her throat, making it hard to breathe.

Then Jack spoke. “Now might be a good time, Juliet, to do things a little differently. Is it okay if I tell Tyler the truth—about us?”

Juliet’s heart literally blocked her throat. His words echoed what she’d said to him earlier. And they sounded exactly like what she’d been trying to convey to him earlier.

That she cared.

But did she trust herself to care?

Her pulse pounding at her temples, she gave him the slightest nod.

Jack put his arm around Tyler’s shoulders. “Juliet and I are dating.”

“Is that what you wanted to talk to me about?” Tyler asked her.

“Um—yes,” she said. “Yes, it was. I wanted to let you know.” Which was a teeny lie but—she’d seen enough to understand that Tyler might be a great kindergarten teacher, and kind, but he was not for her. And she didn’t really need to go any deeper than that.

“Well, congratulations, Juliet,” Tyler said graciously. “I—wish you the best.”

“Thank, Ty,” she said. “I wish you the best, too.”

Tyler went to the bar to order a drink. Jack sat down and took another sip of her whiskey sour.

“Where’d you learn to play pool like that?” she asked.

He shrugged. “Didn’t I tell you I had a misspent youth?”

He was very near. Everything in the bar—the music, the clinking of glasses and pool balls, the hum of conversation—faded away. “Jack,” she said. “So…we’re…dating.”

He stared straight at her. “You okay with that?”

She stared right back and cracked a smile. “Yeah. I am. But I have a question.”

“What’s that?”

“How did you do that—that break thing?”

He let out a big laugh. “If you really want to know, I’m happy to explain, but…maybe some other time. I have an idea about a better game to play.”

Then Jack Monroe kissed her, right there, in front of all their friends and half the town. A full, steady, enthusiastic kiss that made her go hot and cold and made the room whirl around her like a brightly colored carousel.

A little voice inside of her whispered, This is it. He’s the one.

Which should have shocked her. Or made her deny it. Except it just felt too good.

And it felt like she’d waited a lifetime for that kind of good.