"If you ask me, it's good you got out of Texas. I was worried about you there."
Diesel stares down at the beer bottle in his hands. He picks at the label and starts to ramble on. "Fuck, man, I was worried about myself, but I still wonder if it was the best time for me to leave. If Brandy comes back..."
I shake my head, and it's my turn to slam my hand onto the table. "She left, man. She left you. No note, no reasoning, no excuses, nothing. She left. Wouldn't answer your phone calls or anything. You need to get her out of your head."
"I know I do. It just doesn't make sense. It's like I need closure. I can’t stop thinking about her. I really thought she was the one."
I lean back in my chair and look up at the large beams of wood overhead. Never did I think that I would become some kind of therapist or anything. "Look, dude, this is where we're at. You signed on to come here, and now you need to make the best of it. Forget about Brandy. Forget about the past."
He finishes off his beer and stands up, tossing it into the trash can that's next to us. "You're right. Let's get back to work." I stand up and grab the board that we were hammering into the bar. We both get back to work with no more talking between us. I start to get lost in my head, thinking about Diesel and how he felt about Brandy. And I start to understand it a little bit more.
What would I do if Tara just up and left without saying a word to me? I wouldn't handle it half as well as Diesel has. With that thought in mind, I know that I want to go see her today. I told Pres that I would lay low, but maybe I can get into town and out without making a scene. I just need to see her and make sure she's okay. She was pretty freaked out this morning when she left. And I know I told her I would give her time, but the time I'm going to give her, I'm going to make sure she doesn't forget about me.
Chapter 12
Tara
By mid-afternoon, I'm already missing Jason. I don't know why I keep doing this to myself, but he has to wonder why I'm running hot and then cold. Fear is a shitty thing. Today, I'm working the bakery with Emery.
We've stayed busy catching up. Since she remarried Nash, she's cut back on her hours quite a bit. I keep waiting to hear the sounds of a motorcycle coming down Main Street, but I haven't yet.
"Hi, can I help you?" Emery says to a newcomer.
The pretty blonde shakes her head but smiles. "Would it be okay if Tara helped me?"
I look up in surprise and instantly recognize a woman from last night at the Guardians' clubhouse. I wipe my hands on my apron and walk toward her. "Hi, I remember seeing you last night, but I don't think we got to meet. I’m Tara."
The woman seems friendly enough and holds her hand out. "I'm Ashley." We shake hands, and I point to the display case. "What would you like?"
“Um—" She brings her long, red-tipped fingernail to her lip like she’s thinking hard about it. “Probably the strawberry pie. I've heard really good things about it."
I’m a little surprised that she's ordering Jason's favorite dessert, but I shrug my shoulders. Maybe he's just bragged about it to her or in front of her. I grab a plate and dish her up a big helping of the dessert and hand it to her with a fork. "Can I get you anything else?"
She says, "No," and then hands me her money and says, "Keep the change" before walking over to a table and sitting down.
Emery looks at me with surprise on her face. It's weird. Ashley seems nice enough, but there's something weird going on here. And the longer I stand behind the counter and feel Ashley staring at me, the more off-kilter I get.
I help a few more customers before finding my way over to where Ashley's sitting. "How's the pie?"
She nods and smiles. "It's good. Do you think you can join me for a minute?"
I look over at Emery, and Emery nods her head. Obviously, she's eavesdropping. I sit down across from Ashley. I'm not really the best at small talk, but I try to smile at her and at least appear friendly. "I don't think I've seen you around town before."
She shakes her head. "No. Most of my time is spent at the clubhouse. Jason and I spend a lot of time together."
She says it plainly with a smirk on her face, and that's when I realize that maybe Ashley isn't as friendly as I think she is. I lean back in my chair. "Excuse me?"