Wrecked (Clayton Falls #3)(8)
Author: Alyssa Rose Ivy

“So, how have you been?” Mel asked. “Are you still bartending at Gill’s?”

“Yeah, I’m still there.”

Mel nudged me. “That’s a local bar in Clayton Falls.”

I nodded.

“It’s been okay, but this week was rough.”

“Yeah? Any particular reason?” Mel pressed.

“I served a friend, and he got in a pretty nasty wreck.”

“Jake?” Mel asked. I glared at her. I already violated patient confidentiality by telling her.

“Yeah. You heard?”

“Uh huh. Crazy.”

“I know. But did you hear about Daniela too?”

Mel’s eyes widened. “Daniela? No.”

“Yeah. I guess they had some big fight or something, and she blames herself.”

“Is that his girlfriend?” I regretted the words as soon as they left my mouth. So dumb.

“No…” Katie looked toward me. “You know Jake?”

“Yeah, she knows him.” Mel rescued me.

“Oh. She’s not his girlfriend. But they hooked up in high school and stuff. I think the fight had something to do with Ben, but I have no clue.”

Mel quickly changed the subject before Katie could ask me more about how I knew Jake. “I feel like I haven’t been back to town in forever.”

“Your parents moved, right?”

“Yeah. They’re in Raleigh with my sister.”

“I remember hearing that. Well, if you’re ever in town, give me a call. It was great seeing you. Nice meeting you, Emily.”

“Yeah same to you.” I waved as she caught up with her boyfriend and kissed him on the lips.

“Okay, now I’ve got to see this town. I thought my town was small, but we definitely didn’t know everybody.”

Mel laughed. “Maybe Jake will take you home sometime soon.”

I pushed her arm. “Don’t start.”

“Hey, I saved you. What the hell was that? Jealous much?”

“I was just curious.” I denied it, but I definitely didn’t like thinking there was someone else.

“Seriously? Is my entire town here tonight?” Mel paled. I’d never seen her pale.

“What’s wrong?”

“See that guy over there?” She nodded toward a couple of guys standing at the bar.

“Which one?”

“Light brown hair. Kind of shaggy.” My first thought was that he must use the same hair stylist as Jake. Who knew the shaggy surfer look was so popular.

“I see him.”

“That’s my ‘what if’ boy.”

“‘What if’ boy?”

“You know, the one you always wonder what could have been?”

“I guess. So what’s the story?”

“We hooked up after homecoming when I was a junior. He probably doesn’t even remember.”

“I doubt that. Any guy would remember spending a night with you.”

She ignored my comment. “He was on the football team with Jake, he was the tight end. The two were pretty close. I haven’t seen him in years.”

“What’s his name?”

“Cole.” She looked back over at him.

“Want to go over and talk?”

“No. Definitely not.”

“Seriously? This guy really got under your skin, huh?” I’d expected Mel to want to rub how gorgeous she was in his face.

“Yeah. You know what? Let’s get out of here.”

“Okay…”

She grabbed my hand, and we left. I didn’t mind—going out in the first place was a big step. It was plenty enough for me.

Chapter Six

Jake

“Do I really have to wear a suit?” I probably shouldn’t have complained. My dad was mad enough, but I could count on one hand the number of times I’d worn a suit in my life.

“Yes. You need to wear a suit.” We were meeting with our attorney, Jim Morgan. I didn’t know him well, but he’d been my dad’s attorney forever. He always seemed all right, although his son could be a piece of work. “If you want the judge to take you seriously, you have to dress seriously.”

“All right. I’ll wear a suit.”

“It’s your first offense, and there’s no reason to doubt we’ll get you a good deal, but it’s going to be more than a slap on the wrist.”

“I understand.” I still couldn’t believe I was actually in this situation.

“All right. I’ll see you at the court house at nine a.m. tomorrow. Don’t be late.” Jim scowled. I had a feeling I wasn’t his favorite client.

I nodded. “I’ll be there.”

Normally I would have disappeared as soon as possible, but my license had already been revoked. I waited for my dad by his car, just anxious to get home and crash. I was feeling better, but I still got tired all the time.

You’d think after the whole “I’m an alcoholic” admission Dad would have been sympathetic, but he was still spitting mad. We rode in silence till we reached my place.

“I’ll pick you up at eight thirty tomorrow.”

“Great.” I got out of the car, resisting the urge to slam the door.

***

“Do you agree to the terms?” The judge repeated his question.

My mouth was still hanging open. “I thought community service meant picking up trash.”

“In this situation, you have a special skill that can help your community.” The judge leaned back in his leather chair and laced his hands together behind his head. He looked all too relaxed, but then again, he wasn’t the one whose future was on the line.

“So you’re serious? You want me to coach the football team?”

“Yes.”

“And why is that again?”

I expected we’d be having this conversation in a courtroom, but we were all sitting around the judge’s desk in his chambers. The deal I’d been offered had seemed straightforward until the last part. No jail, nothing on my permanent record, the mandatory one year license revocation and community service. Evidently, community service meant coaching the high school football team. Were they insane?

“Don’t play with us, Jake. You’re one of the best players this town’s had. You’ll get the team excited again. Maybe we’ll have a chance. It’s the best team we’ve had since you graduated. Coach Wilkinson didn’t give any warning with his retirement, but who can blame him with that cancer diagnosis. We don’t have time to go through the usual channels to find a replacement. The team just needs the right coach, and those boys could use a role model.”