Page 15 of I Saw Her First
Jesse glares at me. “She didn’t get me a job; she set up an interview.”
I sigh. It’s such a minefield around Jess. “That’s what I meant. Thanks for setting up an interview.”
She smiles. “Of course. He completely charmed them.”
Ha. NowthatI’d like to see.
“I didn’t even know you knew how to make coffee,” I add. His last job was in retail, I think, but he changes jobs so frequently that I can’t keep up. That, plus he hates talking to me.
Jesse shovels a forkful of food into his mouth, shrugging.
“They train you,” Daisy says, taking a delicate bite of her ginger duck and swallowing. “That’s why I thought it could be a good position. You get barista training you can use anywhere.”
I nod appreciatively. Jesse is lucky he met someone with connections like this.
“I hope you thanked Daisy,” I say.
He shoots me a murderous look, then glances at Daisy. Mischief morphs his expression. “Oh, I thanked her.”
My stomach lurches at the implication. “Alright, we’re eating,” I say with an uneasy laugh.
Daisy drops her gaze to her food, her face crimson.
God, Jesse. Way to make her feel uncomfortable.
I nudge the conversation back on track. “Who knows, maybe you’ll end up running your own coffee shop one day.”
Jesse huffs incredulously, slamming his fork down. “Right. Because being a barista isn’t good enough for you, is it?”
My mouth pops open in shock. I hadn’t meant that at all—I’d just been trying to encourage him.
He shoves to his feet, pushing his half-finished meal away. “Not all of us can run our own company, Dad. Not all of us want to.”
Daisy stares at Jesse in surprise, reaching for his arm. “Jess—”
But Jesse yanks his arm away. “I’m not hungry anymore. I’ll be upstairs when you’re finished.” And with that, he stalks from the room.
I blow out a long, tired exhale when he’s gone. I guess I’d expected with Daisy here he might behave himself, but no chance of that, obviously.
“Sorry about him,” I mutter, raking a hand through my hair.
“It’s okay.” She takes a long sip of her wine as I poke at my food, wondering if I should continue or go and talk to Jess.
“Believe it or not, this is the most he’s spoken to me since he’s been home.”
Daisy cocks her head, brown-eyed gaze moving across my face. “Can I ask… what happened between you two?”
I open my mouth, contemplating what to say, then snap it shut. It’s not my place to tell Jesse’s girlfriend why he hates me. “You’ll have to ask him.”
She twists her lips to one side. “I have, but he wasn’t very forthcoming.” Pushing her plate away, she sighs. “Thanks for the food. That was delicious.” She motions to my meal. “It’s good, right?”
Despite the somber mood, I smile. “So good.”
Her smile doesn’t quite reach her eyes. “Guess I should go see if he’s okay. He’s on the top floor?”
I nod.
She starts to leave the room, then turns back uncertainly. “Thanks, Weston. For trying. With the dinner, and… with Jess. Don’t give up on him, okay?”
