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~ Chapter 1 ~
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2024-10-29 19:42:56Jackie looked around her busy bar and let out a sigh as she kept the cell phone against her ear, her daughter’s anger coming through loudly, even without her voice being raised, yet.
“Look, Sam, please…”
“Mom!” Jackie frowned as her daughter screamed at her.
“Samantha! I know you did not just raise your voice to me.” Jackie let out a breath. “I know you think you are old enough to take care of you and your brother, but you aren’t. You are only 13 and Dylan is 10, I’m sorry, but, please stop giving Mrs. Smith a hard time.”
“This is not fair!”
“I know, and maybe if it wasn’t over night, I wouldn’t worry, but I do. And all she is doing is what I asked.” Jackie looked up as a petite blonde smiled at her from the doorway of her small office. “I’m sorry Sam, but tonight is super busy, can we discuss this later?”
“Fine, whatever mom.” And with that Jackie heard the click and turned off her own phone, shoving it back in her pocket, trying to avoid rolling her eyes at her teenager.
“Hey Amiee,” Jackie greeted the woman.
“Hey Jackie, got a minute?”
“Not really, but I will make due. What’s up?”
“You know that I married Jake a couple months ago…”
“Yeah, I was there.” Jackie watched as the young woman fidgeted and she knew that no good news was coming.
“He got a really good job promotion, except,” she paused again and Jackie already knew.
“It’s in a different city.”
“I’m so sorry.”
“Amiee, he’s your husband, no need to be sorry. I don’t know what I’m going to tell your clients though. When do you leave?”
“In two weeks.” Jackie gave the young lady a smile but internally, Jackie was crying. They were approaching their busiest time and Jackie was already pulling more hours than she should as the bar’s owner, not to mention the two kids she leaves at home. She had no way to put more in, as did the rest of her staff. And hell if she could afford to lose someone now, which would explain why the woman was so nervous.
“Amiee, you will be missed, but don’t worry about me or this place. You know I will make do as I can.”
“Thank you Jackie.” The woman ran in and gave the older woman a hug.
“No need. Now go out there, I hear that crowd.” Amiee beamed and made her way back behind one of the two bars Jackie’s bar had. She sat down behind her desk again and rubbed her hands over her face; yeah, that was something she just didn’t need. But, she had two weeks to figure it out and right now, she had a bar that needed her attention.
-----
“Knock, knock.” Jackie lifted her head and stared at the man, a smile on his face. “You okay?”
“Sure, peachy.”
“Yeah, what the fuck ever.” The guy walked in and sat down.
“Why do you say that Buzz?”
“Because you busted ass out there?” She lifted a brow, telling him to go on. “You never mix drinks like that and not smile.” Ah, yes, all of that.
“A lot on my mind.”
“Like?”
“Sam called me earlier, bitching like she always does. And as I was in the middle of dealing with her, Amiee came in, said she has to leave because her husband got a promotion.”
“How soon?”
“They have to be gone in two weeks.” Buzz let out a whistle. “My thoughts exactly.”
“What are you going to do?”
“I have no clue. You know my pay isn’t the best, that’s why I can’t seem to find anyone long enough who wants to stay.”
“How about a new higher?” She gave her long time friend and bar manager a very bad and pointed look. Students straight out of any bar schools are always looking for jobs and she wouldn’t mind having some, but they can never keep up with the pace that’s her bar. And Buzz, who had been working with her when she opened the bar nine years ago, knew all of that; so it was a really dumb suggestion.
“I’m sure something will happen. Maybe we can put some feelers out to some friends to see if they have anyone who needed a job.” Buzz nodded as he looked at the woman before him and let out a low breath.
Jackie was a gorgeous woman at 38, with her deep red hair and light brown eyes; in fact, looking at her, you never would have thought she was 38 and divorced, but she was. And though they both loved this bar, Buzz could see it sucking the life out of her. Not that her ex husband didn’t do a damn good job of it himself, fucker.
“Look, go give your babies a good night kiss and get up early to make them breakfast, huh?”
“I got….”
“Half this shit can wait till later on. I’ll lock everything up. You need a break Jackie, and you know that.” Jackie stood up and gave the man a side hug. She did know that. She just didn’t know when she was going to get that.
-----
Jackie peeked her head into her son’s room and smiled as she saw him with his flashlight on and a book in his hand; sneaky little bastard. She tucked him in and took both, setting them on his night stand. She brushed his hair back and gave him a kiss on the forehead before walking out.
Next, she went to Sam’s room and checked on her. She had to shake her head, seeing the phone still in her daughter’s hand. She was going to have to talk to Mrs. Smith. She carefully took the phone and put it on the charger before walking back over, tucking Sam in.
“Mom?” she asked groggily and Jackie smiled.
“Yeah baby?”
“I’m sorry.” Jackie placed a kiss on the top of her daughter’s head with a smile.
“I know. Go back to sleep.” Sam rolled over and Jackie pulled the covers up around her and walked back out of the room.
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When Hearts Collide ~ Chapter 47 ~
He watched her, watched as she cleaned up her area, watched as she leaned over to talk to Justin and placed her hand on his arm, and he watched as she walked over to a table and sat down with the guy, full of smiles. He hated it and he was fighting hard not to scream or punch someone. And he knew, fucking hell did he know, this was on his head. She wasn’t dumb; she could probably have sensed he was pulling away, even if it wasn’t bad or a lot, and even if he didn’t mean to. Because he really wasn’t, he just needed a moment to clear his head, to work things through, not end what they had. He tapped his fingers on the bar as he watched them. He knew he wasn’t being rational, but then he had watched her all night, and with all the flirting, the smiles she gave out, and all the men checking her out, he was past rational. Just because he called her girlfriend didn’t mean he had the right to own her, he knew that. But hell, he was struggling watching her be th
When Hearts Collide ~ Chapter 46 ~
Jackie walked out of the office and opened the front door for Justin, smiling at him as he walked in. She returned it, but he was checking something on his phone and she shook her head at him. Knowing him, he was probably checking his grade on some assignment or test. He walked to the bar and put his stuff away before turning to look at her, and he stopped in his tracks. “Damn Jackie, you really have some amazing legs, do you know that?” She glanced down at them and then shrugged. “She does, I rather enjoy looking at them.” She glanced over her shoulder at Bobby as he walked up behind her and smiled. She gave him a small one in return. She wasn’t sure what was going on, but over the last two days, she had called him; once when she was at the beach with the kids and the second time was at night when she couldn’t sleep and she knew he was getting off. Both times were good calls, but she felt he wasn’t himself and that had her worried. “Well, they go
When Hearts Collide ~ Chapter 45 ~
“Are you sure you don’t want to stay?” Jackie asked as she watched him grab his bag once they got back to her place. He didn’t want to leave, but he was more than unsettled and he needed to think. The time with the kids had been great, he did enjoy them, he really did, but Dylan’s comment really left him a little flustered. “Yeah, I don’t want to intrude on your time with them, you know that.” He paused as he looked at her; that was the truth too. He didn’t want to take away from those kids, and they just had a shit blow handed to them earlier in the day. Right now, they needed the comfort of their mom and not a stranger, even if they were comfortable with him. “That’s rather admirable of you,” she teased him and he smiled. “I’ll call you later,” she said and he nodded. “I’m looking forward to it.” He gave her a kiss along with a wink before he walked out, the kids fast asleep. He climbed on his bike and waved at her as she stood
When Hearts Collide ~ Chapter 44 ~
Jackie glanced at Bobby, her hand rubbing his back. They both knew exactly what the call was over, a rather sad fact and one she couldn’t ignore. She turned around and answered the phone while his arm wrapped around her waist, pulling her back to his chest. She couldn’t fight the smile, even as she hit the green icon and brought the phone to her ear. “Yes, Greg?” she mumbled, rubbing her eyes with her free hand. “Are you awake?” “I wasn’t since it was a late night at the bar but your call woke me up. What can I do for you?” “We have a problem.” Those words, how she hated them; she had heard them countless times before. Her smile vanished and she sat up, not meaning to shove the arm away but she couldn’t think when he was holding her. “What do you mean, WE have a problem? We don’t have a problem, however, you do it sounds like?” “Do you have to be that way?” he grumbled and she grinned.
