Jesse's Brother (17 page)

“Do you need help, Samantha?” Tonya asked, jumping up from her spot at the table.

“I think she needs to go into the bathroom,” her dance partner suggested.

“Drank too much.” Samantha’s slurred words were much louder than intended.

“Me too,” Tonya whispered back to her and they both giggled as they bumped their way into the women’s restroom. Samantha flung herself into the stall. She kicked the door shut and instantly was relieved of the bubbling, hot sensation in her stomach. Another good reason to avoid alcohol.

When she returned to the table, Tonya was back flirting with Andrew. The other cowboy was nowhere to be seen. What a relief. Almost puking on a man was not on her list of favorite things to do, and she actually preferred never seeing the man again. In a town like Alban, it was likely she would run into him the next time she went shopping. The joys of small-town life.

“How are you feeling?” Andrew asked as she took her place at the table.

She gave a half-smile and asked the waitress for club soda.

“I could be better,” she said softly. She watched as the cowboy danced with another woman. The room still continued to spin so she let her head drop into her hands to stop it.

The song came to an end, bringing the cowboy back to the table. He paused by her chair, reaching for her shoulder, but hit Tonya’s glass of beer instead. The glass crashed against the floor next to her feet. Shattered glass scattered all over the floor, leaving Samantha soaked in beer.

“Shit!” she yelled, jumping up from her chair and stumbling back to the bathroom. Her feeble attempt at removing the stench from her bare legs wasn’t working very well. The bathroom door opened and Tonya came in to help.

“I’m really sorry, Samantha.” Tonya yanked more paper towels from the dispenser and helped.

“I have to go home, Tonya.”

“Me too.”

“I don’t think I should drive…” Tears welled in her eyes as they tried to get the beer smell off her.

“Do you want me to call your family? Do you have a boyfriend I should call?”

“No! Don’t call anyone, please.” More tears slid down Samantha’s cheeks. She hastily pushed them away.

“Listen, I’m in no condition to drive either, so let’s walk over to my apartment. It’s down the street. You can stay the night.” She wrapped her arms around Samantha.

The hug felt good. “Thank you,” she whispered. Why had she missed out on such a good friend? Somehow life would have been different if she had given the teenaged version of Tonya an actual chance way back then.

* * * *

Samantha woke to the smell of eggs and fried bacon. She slid out of the double bed, wearing a nightshirt and shorts that must have belonged to Tonya. She had no idea how they had reached the apartment or changed clothes. She glanced over at the dresser, where her clothes had been neatly folded. Tonya sat at the small table in the corner. Her head rested on her hand as she sipped coffee.

“How are you feeling? I have one hell of a hangover.”

“I don’t remember coming here last night,” replied Samantha

“I remember giving you some clothes to wear. Want some breakfast? There’s a plate of eggs, bacon, and toast in the microwave for you. Coffee’s in the pot.”

“Thanks,” Samantha said and flinched at the pain behind her eyes. Would this be the hangover Tonya was talking about? She walked into the small kitchen and pushed the buttons on the microwave to reheat her breakfast. Once the microwave beeped, she joined Tonya at the table.

“Something’s bothering you,” replied Tonya. “Besides the hangover.”

“How do you know?”

“It was obvious you don’t drink often…”

“Not at all actually,” Samantha corrected before taking a bite of peppered bacon.

“Want to tell me what’s bothering you?”

She took another bite of toast before answering. Should she tell her sad story? Samantha opened her mouth and the entire tale from beginning to end came out.

Tonya sat silent without interruption. Her wide-eyed stare told Samantha she’d understood every horrid detail.

“So now,” Samantha continued, “I must choose between them.”

“Which one do you like better?”

“I don’t know. They’re so different. Noah is so rugged and handsome while Jesse is the opposite. He’s distinguished, has a career and everything going for him. Both treat me very well, and I enjoy their company. Noah fits into my life here while Jesse would be great for when I leave Alban.”

“What had you planned for your life?”

Samantha sighed. “I planned on using my degree for a corporate job but I don’t even know about that now. All I can picture is getting married and having children.”

“Can you picture yourself married to one of them? Think about the future and make your choice then. Your heart will tell you what you need to do,” Tonya said as she got up from the table and walked over to the kitchen.

The kitchen was divided from the living room by a half wall. Tonya rinsed out the coffee cup and set it in the sink. She wiped down the counters and smiled as Samantha brought her plate into the kitchen. Samantha set the empty plate into the sink, then rinsed her own cup out.

“Thanks for the advice. I’ll keep all of that in mind when I make the decision.”

“Do you need a ride to your car?”

Samantha nodded. She quickly went into the bedroom and replaced the pajamas with the outfit she’d worn the night before. She didn’t want to put the smelly clothes back on but was too shy to ask for a loaner outfit. Besides, Tonya was a few sizes smaller than her.

“We need to do this again,” she said as they left the apartment. “I mean, get together again. But no more alcohol for me.”

“No kidding. Is that your car?” asked Tonya as they pulled into The Grill’s parking lot.

“I feel like I’ve been run over by a bulldozer,” Samantha said, nodding her head.

“Today’s going to be a long day,” replied Tonya.

“Call me,” she said as she got out of the truck. She couldn’t wait to take a shower and relax.

She wished she hadn’t gone overboard with the drinking but was glad she’d gone out and had a chance to spend time with Tonya.

Tonya had turned out to be lots of fun and a new potential best friend. Besides, getting away from her problems was a god-send. She inhaled deeply before smiling to herself, ready to deal with her problem. The answer seemed clear and she would do it today.

CHAPTER 21

The intercom on the desk buzzed. Jesse didn’t want to answer it. He felt out-of-sorts and walked over to the bar to get another drink. “Screw the one drink rule,” he muttered under his breath.

“Mr. Lincoln?” boomed the speaker on the intercom. With drink in hand, he stomped back to his desk and jammed the intercom off.

He didn’t care who had an appointment. “I should make a commercial advertising, ‘I don’t care if you are the President himself. If I don’t want to see you, then I won’t,’” he said aloud, words slurring a bit from the alcohol he’d consumed. He let out a harsh laugh as he flopped down into his chair and watched the vodka swirl around in the glass.

“Samantha,” he said her name slow, sounding out each letter as if he were reading for the first time. He had called her four times over the last two days. She hadn’t taken his calls and it was driving him crazy.

Was this love he felt for her? He had never been in love with a woman so the feeling was foreign to him. That had to be it. Love.

“I hate you, Samantha,” he whispered before drinking the last swallow, “for making me love you.”

He looked at the empty glass. Had he drank all of that? He walked over to the bar and reached for the vodka bottle. Fuck the glass. He twisted the lid off. The rim of the bottle met his lips when the office door flew open. He froze with the bottle still poised.

“I’ve been waiting fer you fer fifteen minutes!”

Jesse brought the bottle away from his mouth. “Want a drink, Joe?” he asked. Damn. Joe looked worse than the last time he’d seen him.

Before Joe could answer, Cindy ran into the office, her face a mixture of fear and shock. “Mr. Lincoln, I told him to wait. I went to…” Her explanation came out in huge gulps of hyper air, but Jesse cut them off.

“Get your ass out of my office now, Cindy.” He was drunk and didn’t care, not that he’d have treated her any better had he been sober. Cindy ran out of the office and shut the door behind her. With her gone, Jesse picked his glass up to fill it again. He handed Joe a glass before finding his own chair.

Sitting across from him, Joe undid the flap on the manila envelope and emptied the contents on the desk. Photographs scattered across the desk.

“You look like shit, Joe, but it’s good to see you.” He watched Joe organize the photos.

“Thanks. I can say the same ’bout you. Looks like you’ve had too much to drink but hell, who am I to judge?” Joe took a sip of the alcohol and handed him the first few pictures.

 
His heart quickened as he viewed the photograph of Samantha. In each of the photos she’d been alone, dressed in a variety of different outfits, and was busy with various activities. One pose was of her on her cellphone in town. She looked happy as she talked. Was it him on the other line, making her smile? He’d never know, so he quickly pushed the thought aside to look at the next picture.

In the second one, her hair was in a ponytail with curls flying everywhere. She was playing with her horse. The last picture was of her sitting on the front porch swing dressed in red and white, her hair free.

“She looks beautiful,” he whispered.

“Hold that thought, Jess.” Joe handed over a packet of papers and some more photos.

“What are these?” He asked.

“There’s a man that lives on the farm. Look through those.” Joe pointed at the pictures in Jesse’s hand. “And see for yourself.”