Under the Mistle-Foe (Christmas Falls: Season 2)

Chapter 6

CHAPTER 6

REMY

Jett Davis was fucking afraid of the cold.

I watched him shiver in the barely cold November wind. He was hopping in place, his hands hidden in his armpits to keep warm.

This fact was so out-of-character for him, when, in my entire time knowing him, it felt like he didn’t have a single flaw—not that being sensitive to the cold was a flaw—but it just made him seem more…human to me.

I watched him shiver like a scared bunny for a few more seconds before asking him why he didn’t just go inside. It wasn’t like us standing here in silence was the party of a lifetime that he needed to stay for, so he could just go inside while I waited till the cigarette smell dissipated from my body.

I’d picked up smoking when I went off to college and was fully aware it was a nasty habit. I was working on quitting, but being in Christmas Falls hadn’t made it any easier.

“But you’re out here,” Jett replied.

His answer only confirmed my hypothesis that he was hanging around the diner because of me. But the question was, why ?

We weren’t in high school anymore. I was sure he had better ways of entertaining himself than endlessly pestering me. So, what the hell was his motive?

“What I mean is…I feel like we got off the wrong foot, and I’d really like to remedy that. I’d like for us to be friends,” he said before I could say anything.

I watched him skeptically. “You want to be friends? And that’s why you’ve been hanging around the diner?”

He nodded, his head moving up and down frantically like a bobblehead, going so fast that I barely caught his nervous expression. He was definitely hiding something. I wasn’t sure what it was yet, but I’d play his game and find out because, after years of his teasing me throughout high school, I doubted friendship was all he wanted from me.

“Friends? Okay, sure. We can be friends,” I replied lightly. I was completely unprepared for the thousand-watt smile he shot at me in return; like offering my friendship to him was somehow the greatest gift he could receive.

Damn. Now I felt bad for the half-assed reply when he was being so genuine. Maybe I’d been wrong about him after all, and friendship was all he’d really wanted from me.

Kaysen had said the same thing earlier today, but I really didn’t want to admit that I had my head so far up my ass this entire time, I couldn’t even tell when someone wanted to be friends with me.

“So does that mean you’ll actually talk to me when I’m at the diner now?” he suddenly asked.

I squinted at him. “You’re still going to come? Don’t you need to work or something?”

“I code for my parents’ company, and I can do that anywhere,” he said with a shrug. That answered my question about what the hell he was doing, clacking away on his laptop every time he was at the diner.

He was a coder, which made sense. Though, with all the wealth the Davises possessed, he probably didn’t even need to work. But his family status was something he’d never flaunted around, even when we were teens. He was always down to earth, and that was probably another reason why he was so likable.

Rich, handsome, and humble. The guy really had it all, which made me wonder if he was single. Probably not.

A guy like him should have interested parties lining out the door for him, or maybe the cute guy I saw with him at the fair was his boyfriend? I wasn’t too sure of his sexuality, but with how many same-sex couples I’d seen in town in my short time back, I wouldn’t be surprised if Jett was dating a man too.

Before I could stop myself, I blurted, “Were you on a date with your boyfriend?”

“Huh?” His confusion made my curiosity feel silly, but since I’d already asked, I might as well get my answer.

I cleared my throat, knowing that the question came completely out of left field. But now that we were friends, it was normal to ask these kinds of questions, right?

“At the fair, just now. You looked pretty chummy with that guy.”

“Oh, you mean Harvey? We’re friends…though we did go on one date,” he said with a sparkle in his eye. He kept his voice light and teasing as he said, “I can’t seem to figure out the formula for keeping a relationship.”

My mind was focused on his answer. The fact he had gone on a date with the guy shouldn’t have been a surprise, but it still left a lingering strangeness in the pit of my stomach. It was probably because I was so used to seeing Jett as a single man that the thought of him dating was just weird, though not being able to keep a relationship was just as unusual to me.

“What about you? Are you dating anyone?”

The softness in his tone almost had me thinking I’d imagined the question, if not for the eager way he watched me for an answer.

“Same as you. Relationships and I just don’t seem to vibe,” I said with a click of mytongue. I didn’t tell him I’d never really liked anyone enough to actually try . That seemed too personal a detail, even if we were now friends .

“That’s cool,” he commented, which earned him another eyebrow raise from me. “Oh, I just mean…it seems like everyone’s coupling up. Even my best friends told me they were engaged a couple of months ago, so it’s cool that I have a friend who’s single like me. A comrade-in-arms, if you will…”

“I guess when you put it like that…”

We shared a laugh, which ended with Jett shaking even harder now. I shook my head, sniffed my shirt to make sure the smoke wasn’t lingering on my clothes, and then used Jett’s elbow to guide him inside. “C’mon, I’ll treat you to some hot chocolate.”

His lopsided grin had me thinking that maybe being friends with the man wasn’t such a bad idea.

It was only a couple of days later that I came to regret my decision to make friends. If I thought Jett was in my face before, it was nothing compared to now.

He’d completely made himself at home at the diner—so much so that I sometimes wondered if I was the owner’s son or him. I’d glance out into the dining area to see him all chummed up to Dad, laughing about one thing or another.

Then I’d turn around to find him inside the kitchen, talking a thousand miles per hour while I did prep work. And sure, the company wasn’t so bad and made passing the time quicker, but there was just never a break from him.

Worst of all was when I tried to sneak a smoke break, and Jett would follow me to the back, watching me with those judgmental eyes at every single puff. It didn’t matter how much he was shivering from the cold as he bore his heavy gaze on me, he’d stay with me until I was done.

It was as if he was saying if I was going to punish my body, then he would do the same in solidarity. The dude was an enigma I couldn’t understand, but one thing I knew was that he was making my—what was supposed to be stress relief—more stressful than anything else.

I’d finally had enough when I came to the front to take a break, and Dad kept mentioning what a nice boy Jett was. The boy in question was all smiles as he made my dad laugh with one of his stories.

I couldn’t get mad at him when he was helping my dad relax after weeks of him being on edge because of the cast on his leg, but…goddam the stress was building until everything was irritating me.

Standing and hoping I could sneak out, I grabbed my jacket off the coat rack. Jett immediately caught on to my action. “Are you going for a smoke?” he asked, and his fucking dark eyes stared into my soul. Dad’s too. He hadn’t been too happy when he’d learned about my addiction either.

If I replied I was, I knew he’d insist on following me, and I just couldn’t fucking take it right now. “I’m just gonna get us some hot drinks from across the street.”

“I’ll go with?—”

“No!” I interjected before he could finish. If he came, I wouldn’t be able to sneak in a puff.

I just want to fucking smoke in peace .

A hurt expression flashed through his face and all shades of guilt washed over me.

“I mean…it’s cold outside. I’ll get us some hot drinks and be right back. Besides, didn’t you say your project needed to be finished by today? Dad, you should stop distracting him from his work too.”

“Espresso for me,” Dad said, completely ignoring my comment. Jett continued to watch me like he was trying to find the deception.

“I’ll be right back, okay?” I said, then slipped out before he found something.

The cold wind blew some calm back into me on the quick walk across the street to Jolly Java. I hadn’t been here since I’d returned. We served regular coffee at the diner, and I didn’t have a need for any of the fancy stuff.

A lot had changed here.

Instead of the two women in my memories who’d run the store—Joelle and Holly—a handsome man greeted me with a brilliant smile. He looked a few years older than me, with dark hair, dark eyes, and a face I definitely hadn’t seen before.

“Welcome! What can I get you?” He beamed at me, maybe a little too enthusiastically. Considering there wasn’t a single person in the shop, maybe he was excited to see someone.

“You new around here?” I asked as I browsed the menu, which had gone through a complete makeover, now listing drinks I’d never even heard of before.

“That obvious, huh? The name’s Rocco. I took over Jolly Java not too long ago.”

“Remy. My dad owns the diner over there,” I said, pointing diagonally across the street to where The Snowflake Shack was located. “I see you made some changes around here. ”

Rocco chuckled, though it seemed a bit forced. “Yeah, but the folks around here don’t seem too keen about my ideas.”

“Not much changes around these parts. We’re big on tradition if you can’t tell.”

“Oh, I’m fully aware. I tried to remove the pumpkin spice latte, and I thought I was going to have a mob on my hands. The people aren’t too happy with me right now,” he said with a sigh as he glanced around the empty store.

My heart went out to him. Worrying about business was stressful, especially when you put your all into something. “Give it some time. They’ll come around,” I said, trying to reassure him. He returned an appreciative smile to me.

“Can I have an espresso and five lattes? Hot.” I said, my eyes glossed over the frou-frou drinks, but they stared back at me, taunting me.

One thing I’d learned about Jett these past days was that he had a sweet tooth addiction that couldn’t be any healthier than my smoking. But then I remembered how I snapped at him earlier. A peace offering probably wasn’t a bad idea right now.

“Actually, make one of those a marzipan latte instead.”

Rocco’s smile grew wider at the drink change. “Coming right up,” he said as he took my payment.

I glanced out the window and saw Jett sitting by the large windows inside the diner. If I left through the front to round the corner, he’d definitely catch me.

“Hey, can I ask for an odd favor?” I started when Rocco handed me back my card. “Any way you’d let me slip through the back to sneak in a quick smoke?”

He hesitated, but nodded in the end. “Thanks, man,” I said and quickly disappeared into the back. It wasn’t hard to find my way since I’d played here as a kid when Joelle and Holly were running the place.

When I was outside and finally alone to indulge as I wished, I quickly pulled out my cigarette pack to light up a stick, but when I flipped the pack open, I found a lollipop hanging out with the cancer sticks.

I’d tried to cut back on smoking. I knew it wasn’t good for my health, but the stress of being back here had taken a harder toll on me than I thought it would.

My finger hovered over a cigarette, and then, with a sigh, I pulled the red lollipop out, twirling it in my fingers. It was Jett’s favorite cherry flavor. He must have sneaked it in there while I was busy with the lunch rush.

I sighed and unwrapped the candy. The back of my head rested against the wall as I stared up into the sky with the damn lollipop in my mouth. Even when I was alone, I couldn’t enjoy a smoke in peace.

When I reentered Jolly Java not too long later, Rocco eyed the candy I was sucking on and smiled. “Your drinks are almost done.” He paused, then added, “You know, if you have to hide it, that means they worry and care about you.”

The cherry flavor invaded my senses as I swirled the lollipop around with my tongue. “I know,” I replied with a genuine smile. “And thanks, I still owe you one.”

He grinned and returned to making the drinks. Seeing as I’d ordered more than I could carry, Rocco kindly offered to help me bring the drinks back to the diner.

“Thanks again, man. Let me know if you need anything. I’ll be here at the diner,” I said and waved goodbye to him as he walked back to his store.

I passed out the drinks to everyone, and when I handed Jett his, he stared at the damn candy in my mouth. He gave me a lopsided smile, like he knew exactly what I’d tried to get away with.

I couldn’t even be mad.