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“Well?” Jamie asks, hands on her hips. “What do you think?”

“Hmm, think I need to try the drinks first.” I smirk, walking towards the bar.

She rolls her eyes but I can see the grin on her face as she walks behind it, pulling a glass out and pouring me some IPA. “So...” she says, handing it over to me. “What’s the plan? You gonna let the staff know that you’re the boss?”

“I dunno.” I shrug, taking a sip and closing my eyes as it hits my tongue. Damn that is good. “I think I wanna see how it runs first, watch from a distance.”

“Yeah.” She agrees. “I thought you might.”

Leaning my arms on the bar, I squint at her. “How you doin’, darlin’?”

“Me??

? she asks, leaning back and folding her arms across her chest. I can already see her closing off from me, J is all good when it’s about anything but her, but ask her about herself and she clams up like nobody’s business. “I’m good.”

“Yeah? And Billy?”

“He’s good.” She says, not giving much away.

I hate the thought of her being out here on her own and not having any family around. But when I first offered her the job, she’d said that she needed a fresh start. Somewhere she hadn’t ever been with Billy Senior.

When she found out she was pregnant he’d been over the moon but he’d been killed before he even got to meet his son and now I know that I have to step up and be there for the kid as well as J.

I shake my head, trying not to go to that place. So much shit happened over there that I’ll drive myself insane just thinking about it.

“Right.” I clap my hands together and step back. “Show me the books.”

I see the relief on her face as I step back off the stool, and I follow her as she leads the way to the office.

She sits in the chair and I perch on the edge of the desk as she shows me everything; the daily ins and outs, profits, orders, that sort of thing. She then starts to tell me about some ideas she’s had. Themed nights, live bands, the list goes on.

She’s in her element and I love seeing her like this. After looking through a load of paperwork and essentially frying my brain, I sit down in the chair opposite her and lean back, resting my hands on the back of my head.

“I think we should start doing days too,” I tell her.

“Yeah.” She replies, shuffling some papers around. “There’s more to it than just opening the doors though, Corey.”

I nod my head in agreement and when I open my mouth to say something else, she interrupts me. “Staff will be coming in an hour,” she tells me looking down at her watch.

“Okay,” I respond and lift up off the chair. “I’ll be back tonight for a good look on how it all works.” I walk back through the bar and kiss J on the cheek before I leave then pull my sunglasses back over my eyes and get into my car.

It’s been nearly a week since I’ve been back at College and I haven’t seen Jackson since he dropped me off, although he has been messaging me almost none stop.

Classes are going well and I even sat in a different seat in each class. I’m proud of myself for this achievement, it may seem like nothing to somebody else but to me it’s huge. Something that had been a pure accident has pulled me out of my routine and I’m amazed with how well I’m doing.

To top it off, I’ve mastered how to use the machines in the gym. So all in all, when Friday night comes rolling around, I’m pretty pleased with myself so when I start to get ready to meet Jackson at the bar, I decide to go all out.

Spending nearly two hours getting ready isn’t something that I usually do but by the time I’ve finished and I pull the dark purple dress out of my closet and over my head, I don’t recognize the person staring back at me.

My make-up is flawless, along with the intertwined braids on my head. It isn’t often, no, make that never, that I appreciate how I look but this time I do. I spritz some perfume on my neck and wrists and push my feet into my nude colored pumps just as I hear footsteps coming closer.

“Wowza.” Jess whistles when she walks past, stopping and leaning against the door frame. She appraises me from head to toe and whistles.

“Hey.” I smile, all of a sudden feeling self-conscious. “Haven’t seen you much lately,” I blurt out before I can stop myself.

I feel like I hardly see her anymore, we’ve become so distant with each other and I hate it. She’s my best friend and the apartment hasn’t felt the same since that night with Scott and Jackson.

“I know.” She blows out a breath and walks inside my room, flopping down on the bed. “Things with Scott are going sideways.”