Jayden, page 11
part #5 of Heroes at Heart Series
“And my bar doesn’t close down till after midnight,” Zander grumbled.
“Okay, okay. Normally wouldn’t call this early, but I’ve got something I need to talk to you about. My day around here is kind of crazy, so is there any way you can stop by on your way to the bar later?”
“No problem,” Zander replied easily. “How about I drop by around lunchtime?”
“That’d be great. I really appreciate it. See you then.” Disconnecting, Jayden leaned back in his chair, his thoughts a tangled mess.
Cas knocked on the doorframe to the shop’s office. Looking up, Jayden greeted him then waited to see what he needed. Cas’ gaze drifted around the office at the piles of papers before he said, “How the hell do you keep anything straight in here, boss?”
Jayden’s brows lowered, and he asked, “You come in here this early in the morning just to bust my balls about my office?”
Chuckling, Cas shook his head. “Sorry, no. I wanted to see if you had the work orders up yet for today.”
Startled, Jayden looked down at his desk and begin shuffling papers. “Jesus, I must be preoccupied. Can’t believe I didn’t already have it posted.” Finding the paper he was looking for, he handed it to Cas, who nodded as he took it and walked back out.
Knowing he needed to get his head straight before he started working on cars, he grabbed a cup of coffee and headed out to the garage.
Just as he was getting ready to take his lunch break hours later, he grinned as Zander walked up. The two men greeted with hugs and back slaps before moving into the office. Having given no thought to lunch, he was thrilled when Zander handed him a bag.
“Zeke sent one of his subs,” Zander said, causing a groan of appreciation from Jayden.
“Let’s dig in, and then I’ll get straight to the point.” A few minutes later, the sandwiches decimated, he leaned back in his squeaky chair and stared at the man he considered his oldest brother. From the moment he and Jaxon had landed at Miss Ethel’s, Zander had taken that role seriously. Quick-witted and equally quick with his fists when needed, Zander had made sure that all of Miss Ethel’s boys knew that he was in their corner…a trait he never outgrew.
“I’ve met someone.”
Zander’s eyebrows lifted, but other than a twitch of his lips, he remained perfectly still.
Rubbing his chin, Jayden floundered, suddenly uncertain of the idea he had come up with last night. “Right now, we’re just friends, but I’d like it to be more. From the moment I met her, all I wanted to do is take care of her. She’s a tiny sprite of a woman but has a huge heart. She’s worked hard since she was a teenager, making money to help pay for her mom’s medical treatments. When her mom died, she moved in to take care of her grandmother, who recently fell and had to have several months of expensive rehab. Ruby cleans houses during the day and has been working at Carter’s Truck Stop Diner during the night shift—”
Silent no longer, Zander growled, “Carter’s? That shithole?”
“Yeah, well. She said it was because the tips at night were bigger, but…uh…after last night, she doesn’t work there any longer.”
Quirking an eyebrow, Zander asked, “And does that have anything to do with you?”
“I might have gone there last night and caused a bit of a ruckus when some asshole was manhandling her.”
Nodding his head, Zander said, “Good for you.”
“Yeah, well, tell that to her. She was pretty pissed last night because now she’s worried about a job.”
“There’re better places for her to work than that diner. Safer places, too.”
“You and I know that, but right now, she’s afraid of the bills piling up. “
Zander’s lips twitched again, but he lost the battle to hide a small smile. “You wantin’ to see me have anything to do with me needing a new server at Grimm’s?”
Nodding his head, he met Zander’s smile with one of his own. “Yeah. I don’t know if you’ve already hired someone, but I can vouch for Ruby. She’s a hard worker, and I know you treat your employees right. She’ll have trouble getting a recommendation since Carter is pretty pissed right now.”
“Fuck him,” Zander said. “I wouldn’t take a recommendation from that asshole anyway. Your word means everything to me so if you vouch for her, that’s good enough for me.”
Blowing out a breath he had not realized he been holding, the tightness in his chest eased. Zander eyed him for a moment, then asked, “I just want you to be sure, though. You said right now that you two are friends, but you’d like it to be more. If this doesn’t turn out to be more, or your friendship goes sour, she’ll still be working at my place, at least until my other server comes back. Is that gonna be a problem for you?”
Shaking his head emphatically, he replied, “Absolutely not. I want her in a safe place, and if something doesn’t work out between the two of us, at least I know she’ll be taken care of.” Grinning, he said, “But don’t worry. I plan on doing everything I can to make her fall for me.”
He eyed Zander for a moment, then added, “She’s real independent, and we’ve got to make the idea of working at Grimm’s sound like it didn’t come from me.”
Zander barked out a laugh and said, “Gotcha. Now, how do you want to play this?”
Rubbing his chin for a moment, Jayden thought. Then he and Zander put their heads together and came up with a plan. As Zander walked out of his office a little later, he just hoped their plan worked.
“I can’t believe I let you talk me into going out this evening,” Ruby said, worry still gnawing at her.
“Look, I know yesterday things looked bleak, but I’ve been wanting to ask you out anyway, and this is as good a time as any. Your neighbor wanted to come over and visit with your grandmother, so you can relax knowing she’s got somebody with her.”
She huffed but leaned back in the seat of his truck, inwardly thrilled that he had asked her out. Sneaking a glance to the side, she noticed his worn-but-clean jeans. His T-shirt stretched across the muscles of his chest and biceps. Glancing down, she even thought his motorcycle boots were sexy. She wiped her sweaty palms on the thighs of her jeans, glad that he was dressed casually considering she was wearing a simple pink sweater with her jeans.
She had lain awake the previous night, fretting about her loss of employment, yet strangely relieved that she was not going to be putting on her short, tight Carter’s uniform anymore. Instead of being upset, Granny had been thrilled when she told her what Jayden had done and her subsequent firing.
“Thank God, hallelujah, praise the Lord!” Granny had shouted, much to Ruby’s surprise. She knew her grandmother was not a fan of Carter’s but did not realize how much Granny really hated her working there.
The parking lot at Grimm’s was three-quarters full when Jayden pulled in, and she was surprised, considering it was only five o’clock. Carter’s usually had not kicked into high gear until about seven or eight which is why she often had the late shift. She glanced at the automobiles in the lot, seeing pickup trucks, SUVs, sports cars, even expensive sedans.
Per his instructions, she waited until he opened her door and assisted her down. The outside of the building was unassuming, and once they entered, she realized the inside was the same. Not fancy but exuding a welcoming vibe.
The bar ran along the left side of the room, mismatched bar stools lining the old, wooden bar counter. Round wooden tables filled most of the floor space, wooden chairs circling each. Two bartenders worked the bar, laughing with the patrons that were seated on the stools. Several servers bustled among the tables, chatting with the customers while serving the food and drinks.
She immediately noticed that the servers were wearing blue jeans and simple T-shirts with Grimm’s logo on the front. Not too tight and certainly not revealing. Music was playing from a jukebox toward the back, and she saw several tables had been pushed to the side, allowing a few couples to dance if they wanted.
The clientele was as diverse as the cars in the parking lot. Singles, couples, and what appeared to be gatherings from workplaces all filled the space. Interestingly, she noted two large men, one near the bar and one near the back, standing with their legs apart and their arms crossed over their chests, eyeing the crowd. Recognizing bouncers, she was at first surprised since the crowd was orderly, but also relieved knowing that help would be quickly on its way if there was ever a problem.
She jumped as Jayden startled her out of her musings when he placed his hand on her lower back and guided her to a table filled with people. Jerking her head around and up toward him, her eyes widened with uncertainty. Leaning down, he whispered, “It’s okay. It’s just some of my brothers.”
They were at the table before she had a chance to come up with an easy excuse for why she needed to dart out of the room. The men at the table stood, and she blinked at the smorgasbord of masculinity before her.
“Everyone, I’d like you to meet Ruby Mantle. Ruby, this is Cael and his wife, Regina.” She greeted the huge man and beautiful woman, both with red hair and wide smiles. Cael was one of the tallest men she had been close to, and Regina was his perfect physical match. Tall with serious curves, she wore a cute top with little cap sleeves, dark jeans that fit her like a second skin, and stiletto heels that screamed class.
Feeling tiny, she shook their hands and forced a smile just in time for Jayden to move to the next couple.
“This is Rafe and his wife, Eleanor.”
She dragged her eyes from Regina and turned to the next couple. Offering her hand again, she noted the dark-haired man had the looks of a model she had seen in a magazine spread. His beautiful wife’s shy smile greeted her. Eleanor tucked her hair behind her ears, and Ruby noticed what appeared to be burn scars on her neck, but the diamond studs in her ears drew her eye. Eleanor was slender but was also decked out in stylish comfort. Before she had time to process more, Jayden turned her to another couple.
“And this guy here is the oldest of us, Zander, and his wife, Rosalie. He owns Grimm’s, so if there’s anything you don’t like tonight, you can complain to him.” Zander smiled, his cool, blue eyes assessing. Swallowing, Ruby felt her lips tremble as she continued to hold on to her smile. Rosalie was closer to her own height but with a curvy body and long blonde hair glistening in the bar lights.
Ruby felt the heat of blush creep over her face as she greeted them and murmured, “I’m delighted to meet you, and I’m sure I’ll have no complaints.” She shot Jayden a glare, but he just grinned in return.
“I’d like you to meet Asher, another brother, and Zeke, who runs the restaurant here.”
Zeke met her with a wide smile and said, “I can guarantee you won’t have any complaints about the food.”
She appreciated his easy-going manner before greeting Asher, a much quieter man who offered a gentle handshake.
There was one other woman at the table, and just as Jayden was getting ready to introduce her, his carbon copy jogged over. She blinked, staring in surprise between the two men.
“As you can see, this is my twin brother, Jaxon, and his fiancée, Morgan.”
As she got over her shock at seeing Jayden’s twin, she greeted his fiancée, recognizing the woman who had been in the news as a former Olympic hopeful swimmer, injured in a car accident. Morgan, with her long, dark russet hair and fabulous, athletic body, greeted her warmly. But it was Jaxon who caught her off guard when he shoved past Jayden and gave her a huge hug.
Working in a full shift in the diner had not been half as exhausting as she felt the past five minutes had been. At work, I just serve and don’t have to impress anyone. But this? She continued to force her smile as Jayden held a chair for her. Sitting down, she tried to steady her heartbeat as her anxiety ratcheted up at meeting all his friends. He had told her a little about them, so she knew they had met in a foster home, except for Jaxon who, of course, was his identical twin. She could not help but glance between the two of them, stunned to find someone whose looks were so like his while being slightly different.
As the group chatted, digging into the food, she was relieved that no one was staring at her as though they could not understand why Jayden would be with her.
“How’s the food?” Zander asked.
She realized that his question may have been for all of them, but he was looking at her. Swallowing her delicious bite, she said, “It’s really good. The wings are perfectly seasoned without being too hot.”
“All right!” Zeke exuded, his fist pumping the air. “They’re my specialty.”
She met his easy enthusiasm with a smile that felt less forced and looked back at Zander. “I’ve never been in here before. You have a really nice place.”
He grinned and leaned back in his chair, his arm resting across Rosalie’s shoulders. “Thank you, that means a lot. This place was a real dump when I first bought it, but these guys helped me bring it to life.”
Rafe nodded and said, “You wouldn’t believe what this place looked like. The bones of the building were good, but it was literally falling apart on the inside.”
Cael jumped in and agreed. “It took a lot of rebuilding, but I always liked how Zander kept the concept simple.”
“Hell, at first all I wanted was just a bar. A place where a few locals could come in and drink and no one would get in their business.”
Zander smiled at Rosalie, and Ruby noticed the sweet looks they gave each other. She felt something on her shoulder and jumped, realizing that Jayden had also put his arm on the back of her chair. With a quick glance around the table, she observed it was a position all the men had with their women. Claiming or affection, she was not sure, but she had to admit it felt nice.
Zander continued, saying, “I can’t remember which one of you convinced me to get a jukebox, but at first, I thought it was a waste of money. Then we moved a few tables around so that people could dance if they wanted to. Again, I thought it was a waste of space. But,” he shrugged, “the neighborhood began a revitalization program and lots of new businesses came in. With that, my clientele changed from just the people who lived around here to a lot of workers who stopped in before heading home. Grimm’s even became a meeting place, and we get bachelor and bachelorette parties in here, although quite frankly, I can do without those.”
“Hey,” Morgan complained, “I met Jaxon here when I came with a bachelorette party.”
Jaxon leaned over and kissed Morgan on the cheek and said, “Best thing that ever happened to me—besides Miss Ethel—was you bumping into my chair.”
“What do you do, Ruby?” Rosalie asked.
Immediately self-conscious, she hesitated, her fingers twisting in her lap. “Um…I have several houses that I…um…clean during the days, and…well…um…until last night, I was a server at Carter’s Truck Stop and Diner.”
“Ugh…Carter’s. Heard about that place. Rough crowd,” Zander said. “You’re better off not working there.”
Before she had a chance to respond that any job was better than starving, the other men nodded their heads in agreement with Zander.
“See, I knew it was right for you to leave there,” Jayden said.
Eleanor, her voice soft, asked, “Are you planning on taking on more houses?”
Shrugging, she replied, “I’m afraid I haven’t thought about it very much. I only left Carter’s last night. I’d like to get another serving job because the tips can be really good if it’s the right job.”
After a moment, everyone began chatting as they finished the food and drinks. Jayden’s arm was still resting on the back of her chair, his fingertips playing absentmindedly with her shoulder. His attention was on his brothers as they conversed, and she remained quiet, listening to some of the conversations. Within a few minutes, she had discovered that Rosalie was a high school English teacher, Eleanor was a nurse, and she, along with Rafe, ran a home for burned veterans. Morgan now taught swimming at the clinic Eleanor ran, and Regina worked on restoring old movies at the University. She was never ashamed of working hard to make ends meet, but these women all seem so self-assured.
She wondered what they thought of her, a simple young woman who cleaned houses and served beer and food to a rough group of men.
The room suddenly felt very small, and the need to escape was overwhelming. Pushing her chair back quickly, she mumbled, “Excuse me. I need to go to the ladies’ room.” She was grateful when Jayden scooted his chair over to give her a quick way to escape, and she made the correct assumption that the hall at the end of the bar led to the bathrooms. Barely able to breathe as she reached the door, she threw it open and stumbled inside.
14
Going directly to the sink, she wet a paper towel and held it to her face before soaking it again and holding it to the back of her neck. She sucked in a deep breath of air and let it out slowly, lifting her head to stare into the mirror. Small in stature, she knew what it was like to feel lost in a crowd, sometimes wondering what it must be like to be a tall, long-legged woman, turning heads as they walked through a room. Her face was heart-shaped, and she was proud of her clear complexion, but makeup was an expense that she gave up several years ago. Moisturizer, mascara, and a cheap lipstick that she could swipe over her cheeks as well as her lips to give her face a tiny bit of color was all that she used. Her hair was long but with both of her jobs, she had pulled it back tightly, rarely letting it down.
Her curves were slim, and she always felt like her elbows were too bony and her wrists too thin. Dropping her chin, she grimaced. Stop…just stop, Ruby. Stop putting yourself down. Sucking in another deep breath, she closed her eyes, the other women moving through her mind.
Jayden’s friends were all gorgeous and appeared so self-assured. She did not resent the other women’s college educations or their careers because Granny had always taught her that there was nothing wrong with an honest day’s work. But sitting there with him, she had wished she could have dazzled them with her story. Oh, I’m a surgeon…I work in a law office…I own my own business…
