CEDAR CREEK SERIES

JAX

I loved the set up of The Cedar when you walk in you have the semicircle bar facing you, the stage up front with the dance floor surrounded by booths and bar tables and a huge outside patio. We often had live bands or local DJ’s and it was definitely where everyone ended their nights.

“Jax! Guess who’s back in town! Like as we speak Cam is picking her up.” Tommy said sitting down at the bar, I handed him his favorite beer.  It was still the afternoon but it was always 5:00 for Tommy.

“Dream girl?” Spencer asked raising an eyebrow.  

“Dylan,” he said nodding, “she’s back for the whole summer. I’m going to get her back, maybe being out of LA will show her we are right for each other.” My jaw hardened. Dylan had come back for a weekend here and there but she hadn’t been back for any length of time in four years. 

“You’re delusional. Dylan doesn’t want to be with you.” I said, rolling my eyes, I didn’t have it in me to put up with these conversations anymore. “Is she good after her meltdown?”

“How the fuck would I know?” Tommy looked between Spencer and I like we were crazy.

“You would have asked dumbass.” I growled a little more intensely than I meant. Tommy didn’t flinch because he was used to me yelling at him. 

“Haven’t you guys been done since you were like fourteen?” Spencer asked.  Spencer missed out on the Dylan saga and I didn’t risk telling even him that I used to have feelings for her too.

“On and off. But she never comes here anymore, maybe being back will change her to the girl I loved.” He looked so hopeful, but he was an absolute idiot.

“On and off? She’s been off and he’s been trying to be on. Tom, don’t count on it. Leave her alone.” I said. His childhood crush was more annoying than anything. I’d heard him talk about Dylan for years, and I’d known her most of her life, and there was no way she was going to end up with my brother. He wasn’t enough for her; Cedar Creek was never enough for her. 

“Sounds like a bitch.” Spencer said.

“She’s not a bitch.” I practically yelled and they both stared at me. “She’s a free spirit and doesn’t fit into Tommy’s box of what she should be. Besides didn’t you totally fuck up with her in California when you got into a fight with her boyfriend?” I reminded him.

“She has a boyfriend? Brooo.” Spencer shot Tommy the same judgy look I’d been wearing since Dylan moved to L.A.

“Ya the second baseman for the A’s Carter Mason.” I reminded him.

“Damn way to pick your battles Tom.” Spencer gave him a sympathetic look, he didn’t need sympathy he needed a reality check. 

“We didn’t fight, and he’s not her boyfriend. You know what? You guys suck.” He got up and started toward a table where his band was sitting. They played here most weekends and practiced here occasionally. They weren’t bad but just like the rest of us they weren’t getting out of Cedar Creek either.

“Hey Jax, you ready?” My boss Charlie stuck his head out of his office beckoning me to come in. I had been preparing for this meeting all year. 

“Thank you for meeting with me Charlie.” I sat down across from my boss and took a deep breath. My hands were sweaty and I tried to wipe them on my jeans, I knew what I wanted to say but sitting across from him my brain went blank.

“Anything for the best bar manager I’ve ever had,” he raised his glass of whiskey to me before smirking and taking a drink.

“I’m so glad you say that because Charlie I-”

“You wanna buy the bar,” he interrupted.

“Ya.” I said in disbelief. I worked really hard on my pitch and I was taken back by him just throwing it out there.

“You’ve been here 5 years, studied business, you know the place and will give me a fair price.”

“Ya. What the hell Charlie I had this whole speech prepped.” I stared falbergasted.

“I know,” he said, laughing out loud. “You shouldn’t practice in the backroom if you want it to be a surprise.”

“Shit. I just wanted it to be perfect.” I blushed at the realization that he’d listened to my speech. “Well what do you think?”

“Ya the wife has been wanting me to retire anyways. Let’s sit down at the end of the summer and work out a number but as far as I’m concerned the place is yours. Hell, it’s been yours for a while now. You’ve tripled our numbers the last couple years.” Charlie had basically been letting make whatever changes I wanted, most of them were positive and brought in money, the few that were flops he talked through with me what we could’ve done better. Charlie taught me everything he knew about business.

“Thanks Charlie, you won’t regret it. And I will give you a good royalty percentage” I stood up shaking his hand. I was sweating through my top. 

“So? Are you my new boss or what?” Spencer asked me as I started helping him put the order away.

“Yup. End of the summer and you’re my new bitch.” I said throwing a box at him.

“Shit. I’ll hand in my resignation now.” Spencer had been my best friend since we roomed together freshman year of college, we were both on the baseball team and just kind of clicked. I got him a job at The Cedar, he kept me out of trouble for the most part and now we’re graduating together.

“Good riddance.” I turned up the music and started stocking the back bar.

“Hey man congrats, now when I go to grad school I know where to come for free beer.” Spencer has been racking his brain for months waiting to hear back about Medical School, he was going to be a surgeon. 

“You got in? Atta kid! mr.goodytwoshoes is going to Med School.”  Spencer was one of the best people and he deserved the best things, he was bigger than Cedar Creek and I was so glad he was getting out. 

“That’s doctor goody two shoes to you.” He said laughing and making a face. 

“Hell ya. We should celebrate on our night off.” I was so proud of my best friend. He was one of the most selfless people I knew and I was glad his med school was local so I could still see him from time to time.

“Jaaaaaxxxxxx come home with me?” A blonde whose name I should know, but don’t, whined up at me from down the bar.

“Sorry sugar, gotta work tonight.” I winked at her and then showed my attention elsewhere. It was the usual game on a Saturday night when there wasn’t a home game. I ran the best bar in town, it was cheap, we were pretty loose with ID’s and we usually had a good band playing. It didn’t hurt that there was a steady stream of attractive girls coming through. During the school year we had sorority girls, and during the summer we had tourists. We were on the beach, but we were pretty small, resort town people could afford as my boss put it. 

“What about you Spence?” She moved on to Spencer, she’d have better luck with literally anyone else in the bar. Spencer didn’t take girls home, especially not sorority sluts. 

“Oh, I got a girl at home for me darlin. Maybe next time.” He said squeezing her hand and coming over to where I was. “Why does she try every weekend?”

“Cause you keep sayin ‘maybe next time’ asshole.” I said laughing at him. 

“Yo. Who the hell is that?” he nodded towards the door where everyone was staring. Dylan Daniels was walking into my bar wearing a skirt that barely covers her ass and boots up to her thighs. 

“That. That is Dylan.” I couldn’t help grinning at the sight of her. I wondered how she was doing after her meltdown but I didn’t reach out. I hadn’t seen her for more than 5 minutes since she moved to L.A.  I tried casually asking Tommy but he didn’t care how she was, and Cam kept anything Dylan related close to the vest.

“The girl Tommy is in love with?” He looked at her and then back at me and then back at her.

“The very one.” I couldn’t wipe the grin off of my face while I watched her make her way through the crowd and up to the bar. She owned the place but she fucking knew it.

“Ya good fucking luck buddy.” He said laughing and turned to help some girls. 

I watched Dylan greet familiar faces and thought about calling her over to hang out. Fuck. I would close right now and take her to my apartment if she just looked in my direction the right way. There was something about having her in my bar that was different; she was older, and I couldn’t stop watching her the entire night. She was gorgeous, and funny and there was just a free spirit about her that was intoxicating. Sure, I’d seen her in magazines and online, but it was a breath of fresh air when she came in. Like every guy in here, I was drooling.I wanted to taste her and make her scream on my tongue. I always thought Tommy was an idiot for being hung up on her but as I watched her out of the corner of my eye, I knew I was the bigger idiot. 

When Zoie had left I saw her for one afternoon as Cam moved and I wanted to just keep her all to myself right then.

“You’re sure you’re fine?” Dylan asked setting a box into Cam’s apartment. 

“Yes. You’ve been here for two weeks, Zoie isn’t coming back. Thank you for moving me out of the house,” he answered and began unpacking a different box.

“And you’re sure you don’t want me to stay?” He rolled his eyes and walked over to his sister giving her a hug. “Jax, will you please carry my sister to your truck and drive her to the airport.”

“Yes sir.” I said and before she could protest she was over my shoulder. Cam had already called me for back up on getting Dylan out of town and back to L.A.

“Bye Dylan love you!” he called over her screams. 

The more she fought the more I laughed as I carried her down the stairs and over to my truck. I wanted nothing more than to spank her but everyone was watching us. 

“You’re a jerk.” she said laughing climbing into my truck.

“You have no idea.” I closed the door and walked to the driver’s side. Dylan was sitting in the middle and I cursed myself. I didn’t want to be thigh to thigh with her for an entire hour but I was glad her smell was filling up my truck. She had come home to help Cam with his break up and we were all doing whatever we could for him right now. He had asked me to take her to the airport because if he had to do it he knew she wouldn’t get on the plane.

“You can wipe that pissy look off your face. You know it’s time to for you to leave.” I said starting our drive. “Cam will be fine.”

“I know. But I’m so worried about him” she flung her hair over her shoulder putting it into a ponytail a wave of her shampoo hitting me. “Promise me you’ll look out for him. I know he’s closer to Tommy but he needs you too.”

“I promise.” I agreed before grabbing her hand. “How’s the boyfriend?” 

“What?” She looked so confused and then embarrassed. “Oh Carter? He’s a good friend.”

“Just a friend?” I almost swerved when she started drawing circles on the back of the hand she held.

“He keeps me safe.” She said, and that was enough for me. Boyfriend or not she needed to be safe. 

“He’d better Red, I’d hate to have to kick his ass.” I laughed. “Tell me about your life.”

She talked most of the way and she loved her life so much. She was worried about Cam. I walked her bags into the airport and she gave me the longest hug goodbye. She looked up at me with her deep brown eyes begging me to say something, to do something. I should’ve kissed her but then I wouldn’t have let her get on the plane. Or I would’ve gotten on the plane with her. Now she was strutting into my bar, the hottest thing I’d ever seen.