Page 89 of Kiss and Tell

I hoped.

When Jessie laid the drink and pretzels down in front of me, she nodded over to Walt.

“He’s liking what you’ve done so far,” she said.

“All I’ve done is paint the walls,” I replied.

“Hey, Walt,” Jessie turned her head and called out. “What do you think of Quinn’s work so far?”

Walt gave me a contemplative look before nodding his head.

“See?” Jessie said. “He’s seen all your designs, even the ones Connor didn’t go with. He likes them.” She leaned against the bar counter and nodded to my phone, where I had my work emails displayed. “Walt’s been thinking about doing some more expanding, buying up some more property in the area. The posh new neighbors have been complaining about the buildings on this block, how they’re a bunch of eyesores.”

“I’m planning on inviting them to the grand opening,” I said. “They’ll be able to see for themselves that we’re trying to class the place up.”

“I think Walt would like that.”

“He still hasn’t said a word to me yet,” I pointed out.

“He’s not a talkative guy,” she said. “Actions speak louder than words with him.”

“I thought maybe he didn’t like me.”

“Connor likes you, and that’s good enough for Walt.” Jessie slapped me on the back with a smile. “What’s more, you managed to keep from killing Connor. That’s a major point in your favor.”

“He’s not that bad,” I said.

“I agree,” she replied. “But most people don’t get to know him deep enough to realize that. He puts on a front, you know?”

“Yeah,” I said softly. “I know.”

“I hope you stick around even after the bar redesign is done,” she said. “Connor could use a friend like you. He doesn’t have many.”

“Can I ask…” I paused. Jessie nodded for me to continue. “Connor mentioned a few times that it’s been hard to keep in touch with his friends now.”

“Connor used to always be on the road,” she explained. “He wasn’t home often enough to make real friends. Most of the people he knew were in the industry. And now that he’s not playing music anymore…” She shrugged. “You know how hard it is to keep in touch with coworkers when you’ve moved on. It’s kind of like that. They’ve got their own lives.”

“What about that friend of his from when he was a kid?” I’d wanted to ask Connor about Mason so many times, but I knew it was a sore spot.

I saw Jessie hide a wince.

“You mean Mason?” she asked. “That’s a tough one. They used to be best friends. He became Connor’s manager, did you know that? They were inseparable.”

“But they don’t hang out anymore…” I trailed off, questioning.

“Mason might have decided to join the music industry because of Connor, but when Connor left, Mason stayed,” Jessie said, sounding sad. “He had others artists to manage. I suppose he didn’t need Connor anymore.”

“You think Mason was using Connor?” I asked in a hushed voice.

“Not at first, and maybe not intentionally,” she said. “But managers only get paid when their artists do. Connor wasn’t making money with music anymore. So Mason moved on. He stopped calling Connor. Stopped hanging out with him. I guess he just didn’t have time for his friend.”

I had to take a moment to fully comprehend what Jessie was saying.

“I suppose it might be tough, trying to stay in touch,” she said thoughtfully.

“But they were best friends,” I protested.

“That’s what makes it so hard.” Her voice was full of pity and sorrow. Sorrow for Connor. “You think you mean something to someone, you think you’re important to them, and then they drop you when they don’t need you anymore. It’s rough.”