She reached across the table and squeezed my hand until it hurt. “Griffin West might be rich, but he’s still just a man. And he’s not half the man you deserve if he thinks love is something he can buy.”
I pressed my forehead into my palm, trying to keep from breaking all the way open.
“I’m pregnant with his baby, Mom. And he doesn’t want us.”
“Then he’s a fool.” She rubbed slow circles on my back. “You’re stronger than this, Jessa. You always have been.”
“I don’t feel strong.”
“Nobody does when they’re sitting in the wreckage. But you will.” She kissed the top of my head. “You’re home now. That’s what matters.”
Home. Where everything was the same. Except me.
The next day,I went back to work at Holly Creek Hops.
“Jessa, is that you? Thank God.” Keaton couldn’t be happier to see me when I walked in. I fought the sting in my throat.
We hugged. The familiar scent of brewing hops and polished wood hit me like home.
“At least someone is glad to see me.”
“I am. Although, I’m sorry to hear things didn’t work out for you and Griffin.”
“Me, too.”
“Sophie told me what happened. Want me to call him?” Keaton asked. “Tell him he can’t treat my Jessa that way?”
“YourJessa?”
“Hey, you’ve been a part of my operation here long enough, you’re an honorary sister to me. Especially since you’re the only one who has ever been able to fix that tap down there. Which is broken again, by the way, it’s been waiting for you to get here.”
“Perfect.” I chuckled and gazed around the brewery, so grateful to him. “What I need most is to work right now. A lot. Double shifts. Extra cleaning. I’ll take whatever you have because I must keep busy or I’ll go crazy.”
“I’ve got you. Happy to be a part of your ashes moment.”
“My what?”
“Sophie says you need to rise from the ashes, a stronger version of yourself.”
I shook my head, grabbing a towel from behind the bar and wiping things down. “All I am is a bartender back in Holly Creek. Same dead-end life I had before.”
“No.” His voice turned sharp. “You’re Jessa Cole. Smart and kind and talented. You’re going to have a beautiful baby. And one day Griffin is going to choke on the regret of letting you slip through his fingers.”
The mention of his name again killed me. “Keaton, stop now, please, or I’ll start crying again.”
“You got it. Can you take a quick inventory and place the liquor order for the week? I’ll be in my office if you need me.”
“Okay,” I whispered.
After he left, I busied myself with counting bottles. But the words stayed with me.
My ashes moment.
The way my heart ached, more like the burning moment. How long until the fire stopped and left ashes behind?
Later that night,I dragged myself up the stairs to my bedroom. I plopped my suitcase on my bed with the faded quilt, and my car keys on the desk where I’d once written my goals in life. Top of the list: leaving this town.
Turns out, I did. I had made it all the way to New York and fell in love with a billionaire and his son. Now I was right back where I started.
