Page 92 of Crash and Burn

"One rum and Coke, and one beer," Jessie announced as she returned with our drinks. "On the house," she said with a wink.

"You don't have to—" I began to protest.

"Any friend of Mason's is a friend of ours," Jessie said. "Besides, you look like you could use a stiff drink."

"Do I really look that terrible?" I asked, chagrined.

"You've got bags under your eyes," she said with a sympathetic smile. "You haven't been sleeping. And underneath all your horror at the look of this place..." She gave me a wink and I flushed. Her expression turned serious. "I can tell there's something really bothering you."

"You're good," I told her, looking down into my drink.

"Comes with the territory," she said simply. "Everyone likes to spill their guts to their bartender. We're basically free therapists. Besides..." She pulled out a chair and sat down next to me. "Mason wouldn't have brought you here to get drunk if there wasn't a reason for it." She leaned forward, a knowing look in her eyes. "Want to talk about it?"

"And that's my cue to leave," Mason announced. He stood up and nodded to a table in the far corner. "I see Gael's here with some of the guys. You two have fun."

And with that, Mason left me alone with this oddly perceptive, not to mention super foxy, woman.

I scowled at Mason's retreating back, then my mouth dropped. I recognized the guy sitting at the table Mason was heading toward.

"Is that—?" I hissed. "He's that guy from that rock band!"

Jessie nodded. "Gael, the bassist of Cherry Lips. He's my boyfriend."

I'd known Walt's had some famous customers, but this guys' band was one of the hottest in the world right now, and I didn't even listen to much rock music.

"I know Mason didn't bring you here to ogle at famous people,” Jessie said with a smile. "You don't have to talk about your troubles if you don't want to, but I'm a good listener."

She sat quietly, patiently, as I took a small sip from my drink.

"Mason did say I shouldn't drink alone," I told her. "I guess this was his plan."

"Sometimes it's easier to open up to a stranger," she said.

It was true, I didn't really have any girl friends I could open up to. Grant was the one person I always went to when I had to vent about something. That clearly wasn't an option anymore.

I had to admit it might be nice to talk to someone about Grant, and Carling, and my mother and...

I sighed inwardly.

And basically everything going on in my life.

I scanned the area to make sure there was nobody else listening in.

"It all started when I fell in love with my best friend."

And then I sat there, telling her the whole, sad, pathetic story.

"Wow,” Jessie said when I was finally done, sitting back heavily in her chair. "Sounds like you've been on an emotional rollercoaster."

I nodded miserably. After telling her all about my last few weeks, Jessie seemed frazzled on my behalf.

"Thanks for listening," I told her. "I know you don't really know who any of these people are, but I appreciate you taking the time to humor me."

"It's not humoring at all," Jessie said. "I'm more than happy to listen, and I genuinely like hearing people's stories."

"My story sounds like a daytime TV drama," I said. "You're probably thinking it's so cliché. Oh no, my boyfriend broke my heart. Oh no, a man I looked up to screwed me over. Oh no, my mom is never going to let me live my own life."

"Those are all legitimate problems," Jessie reassured me. "And having to deal with all of them at the same time really sucks."