I’d been staying at a hotel for the past week. Sean had told me I could stay with him and Derrick for a while, but I didn’t know Derrick very well. Besides, I’d leaned on Sean enough. He was even helping me move my things out of the house today andinto the new apartment I’d rented. Jack was supposed to meet us at the house to help as well.
I hadn’t seen Jack since we’d woken up together in his apartment above the bar. Sean had asked if he could tell him a bit of what was going on so he could ask him to lend some muscle for the move. Letting Sean tell him had seemed easiest. I was surprised he hadn’t told Jack about the breakup immediately, to be honest. Despite all his open friendliness, Sean was a tighter vault than he let on.
I hadn’t gone to the bar last night. I’d been at the new apartment accepting a furniture delivery and had felt too tired afterward. Since I’d started going to The Muse, I had only missed one Friday before that. I imagined Jack’s jacket saving my barstool until closing time. Was I pathetic to like that possibility?
Sean turned the moving truck onto the street with Neil’s house. Jack’s red truck sat at the curb, and I sent him a small wave out the passenger window as Sean angled the truck and backed it into the empty driveway.
Jack caught the passenger door as it swung open, holding up his arms to help me down. Warmth filled me as he eased me to the ground, his hands lingering on my waist as he searched my eyes.
“You okay?” he asked quietly.
I hesitated, glancing toward the garage. Was Neil at the house? I really hoped not. “I will be,” I said, glancing back at Jack.
He frowned before nodding, letting me go, and stepping back. “I brought boxes. Sean said you still had to pack?”
“Yeah. I didn’t have time to grab much last week.” I rubbed at the wrist wrap. I was already sick of wearing it, but Sean had been stubborn about it when he came to pick me up and hadn’t seen it on.
“What’s this?” Jack reached for my wrapped wrist. “Did you get hurt?”
“Yeah, she did,” Sean said, coming around the truck. “So no letting her lift anything heavy. Only clothes and pillows for her.”
I rolled my eyes at him, pulling my wrist away from Jack. “It’s not that bad.”
Sean slung an arm around my shoulders, pulling me into a quick side hug. “You’d say that even if you’d broken it.”
Jack’s eyes moved between the two of us. “I’ll start grabbing the boxes from the truck.”
Sean waited for him to get near his truck before he spoke. “I was light on the details when I told him. Figured you could decide what you wanted to share.”
I nodded, looking at the garage again. Pulling away from Sean, I approached the keypad. My hand trembled when I lifted it to punch in the code. Neil’s car wasn’t inside, letting me pull in a steadier breath. I owed him another conversation, one where he wasn’t screaming in denial, but I wasn’t ready for that yet.
Sean cupped my shoulders, rubbing my tensed-up neck with his thumbs. “Worried he was here?”
“He’s been trying to talk.” I’d been screening calls from both him and his parents.
“He showed up at the bar last night,” Sean admitted. “I let him see you weren’t there, but I wouldn’t let him in. Pretty sure he was drunk again.”
Was Neil spiraling that badly? My stomach twisted at the thought.
“Hey, that’s not on you to fix,” Sean said. “I just thought you should know in case he shows up again next Friday. You’re coming back, right?”
I liked it there. I wanted to say yes. “I don’t want to cause problems at the bar.”
“It’s not you causing problems,” Jack said, setting the first stack of boxes down. “We missed you last night. Didn’t feel the same without you.”
My scalp tingled at his words.
Sean nudged Jack’s arm. “Should I tell her how you kept her seat open for her all night despite her letting you know she wasn’t coming?”
“Like you didn’t stare at that barstool all night,” Jack shot back, but his ears were red as I watched him head back toward his truck.
Giddiness flowed through me, chasing the rest of my tension away. I blinked down at the boxes. “Wait, he’s getting more? I don’t have that much stuff to pack.”
“What are you talking about? You’ve lived here for years, right?” Sean moved to the back of the moving truck to roll up the door.
“It’s not all mine, though. We bought a lot together. Neil has as much right to it as I do.”
Sean made a scoffing sound as he worked on the ramp. “Please. You were the one making more money, right? I bet you paid for most of it.” He jostled the ramp to make sure it was sturdy, walking back up to grab the dolly from the truck. “Anything you want, you take. No regrets, all right?”
