She’s looking at me with dinner plate eyes again. “I’m sorry for what I put you through, too, Jagger. I was a silly teenager. I didn’t deserve you.”
“Like I said, honey. It’s in the past. Leave it there, okay?”
A nod. “It’s there for good now.”
“Good.” I don’t want to let her go, but I know that I have to. “Now, no more crying, okay?”
“I promise.”
“Okay.” I kiss her forehead. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Bright and early.”
She stands at the door until I pull out of the driveway. When I get home, I have not one, but two guests sitting at my front gate.
“Well, if it isn’t Mutt and Jeff.”
“I tracked you.” Rush admits. “Halen tipped me off though.”
“So you knew that I was at Jinny’s house, and therefore, with Bowie.”
“I won the bet.” Axl brags. “Got any beer in the house?”
“Nope. But you’re welcome to go to the bar down the street if you like.” I answer facetiously.
“Na, that’s okay. I brought some. It’s just in the car.”
“Asshole.” I snuffle. “Well, bring it in before my neighbors call the cops on me for drinking in public.”
“Who says they’re for you?”
“Fuck you, asshole.” I laugh, as Rush follows me into the house.
“So, are you going to make Halen stop fucking whining about Jinny and Bowie, and pull them off his roster, or what.”
“Yeah, did you cave, man?” Axl says, rubbing it in.
With an exasperated sigh, I answer. “Look, the girl is just about the smartest, most hard-working chick on the planet. You know we spent two hours in my shop together this morning...two hours...” I lift two fingers up in the air. “And she already gave me like ten ideas, and she helped me confirm two of my own. I’d be stupid not to bring her on and that’s the truth.”
“Good for you, man. But now you’ve got to worry about that other prick.” Axl states.
“Why, you’re already here.” I joke, and he elbows me. “Yeah, I know. But the ball is in her court this time, man.”
“Good.” Rush states. “It’s about time a woman of that caliber was on the top of the mountain instead of holding it up.”
“From the look of it, that asshole held her back. You know he’s had her doing all the fucking grunt work in the office, instead of letting her get her hands dirty? Fucking asshole.”
“That’s the difference between you two, man.” Axl offers. “You see her potential totally different than he does. You see it as an opportunity and that insecure asshole sees it as a threat. It’s just too goddamn bad that she was blinded by love. I’m glad he fucked around on her. Looks good on him. Karma is a real bitch.”
“Everything happens for a reason.” Rush confers. “It’s just too bad that she got hurt in the process.”
I breathe in deeply and then breathe out again. “Let’s just hope that she can get her head back on straight fast enough.”
“Why do you say that? Does she seem fucked up?” Axl asks.
“No, just hurting. She cried pretty hard.”
Rush lifts a brow. “Yeah? In front of you? Over Boston?”
