The Truest Thing - Hart's Boardwalk

C’mon, man, you know Ian likes to inflict as much damage as possible on any given day. “I gave up trying to work out how my father’s mind works a long time ago.”

“And yet you work for the bastard?”

There it was. The thing that Jack had destroyed a friendship to avoid discussing. “He’s upping his offer on the bar.”

Anger and frustration flickered across his old friend’s expression, and Jack wanted to punch Ian for doing this. Cooper took a step closer to Jack; it was meant to be aggressive and intimidating.

There was a part of Jack that wanted Cooper to hit him.

He’d hit him when he’d caught him with Dana.

But it had been one punch.

Not enough.

Not what he deserved.

“You tell your father what I’ve told him every year since the bar became mine … I. Am. Not. Selling. And while I’ve got breath in my body I never will. You tell him if he ever comes back here with another offer, he and I will have a serious problem.”

It wasn’t anything less than what Jack had expected.

Ian would escalate things against Cooper now. He’d try something shitty and underhanded. Already attempting to figure out how he could put a stop to anything Ian might initiate, Jack gave his old buddy a tight nod and walked away.

* * *

Several months later

Every few weeks, Jack found himself at Germaine’s. It was a trendy bar on Main Street where locals and tourists hung out on the weekend. On the nights Jack didn’t feel like sleeping alone, this was where he came.

Tonight, he needed a warm body to take his mind off Ian’s latest machinations.

Losing the Beckwith property on the boardwalk to that fancy chef had pushed his father over the edge. He’d been easing up on his plans to fuck with Cooper, but now they were back in motion.

And Jack had just learned that Ian had greased the palms of someone on the board of licenses. Cooper would not get his liquor license renewed this year. Or the next.

He would be out of business.

It took everything within Jack not to swing for Ian when he’d told him.

No, when he’d taken extreme delight in telling him.

Jack sipped his beer as his eyes wandered the bar. He had to find a way to warn Cooper. However, he had to do it in a way that wouldn’t get back to Ian, or his sadistic bastard of a father would take it out on him through Rebecca. Or his mom.

Movement near the bar entrance drew his attention, and Jack tensed.

Jessica Huntington.

Cooper’s new woman.

The blond doctor walked through the bar with George Beckwith, of all people. Jack drew his gaze down her body and back up again. When they’d bumped into each other weeks ago at the music festival, it was deliberate. He wanted to look into her eyes, get a feel for who she was and if she was good enough for Cooper. Everyone in town had welcomed her into the fold so quickly, Jack thought that said excellent things about her. He was glad Cooper had found Jessica. From all accounts, she was exactly the kind of woman his friend deserved: smart, kind, warm. Jack was inclined to like her because since her arrival, she’d made friends with Emery. Everyone was talking about it. The shy bookstore owner was finally opening up to someone.

Jack was grateful to the doc for giving that to Em.

But now, word on the street was that she and Coop had broken up.

And Jack knew why.

Because his father was a dirty fucker, Jack knew things about Jessica that no one had a right to know. Horrible, shitty things. Her past was not an easy one, and although he didn’t know her, he couldn’t help but admire her from a distance. His father had blackmailed Jessica to get her to push Cooper to sell the bar.

Instead, she’d broken up with Coop, which meant she would sacrifice herself to save his ex-best friend.

Jack could trust her.

His gut told him that.

But Jessica needed to trust Cooper. There was no way in hell Cooper would turn his back on her if he knew the truth.

Maybe I can kill two birds with one stone here, Jack realized.

Waiting impatiently, Jack found his opportunity when Beckwith left Jessica alone. He moved through the bar and slid onto George’s vacant stool.

The doc blinked in surprise at his appearance.

Jack studied her face, stared into her eyes, and tried to get another feel for her. There was intelligence there, but she was closed off. In fact, she was giving him massive fuck-off vibes that pleased him. Definitely still loyal to Cooper.

“What do you want?” Her tone was cold.

Jack was used to that from anyone who cared about Coop.

“Just saying hello.”

“Hello. Now you can leave.”

Jack almost smiled. “Last I heard, you and Cooper were broken up.”