Chapter 16

Those dreams where he got all riled up? I was totally helpless. No clue why I kept having them, but they really messed with my head.

Then one day, this flashy red BMW rolled into the garage, and my mood just tanked. The chick in the car? Uncle Bear called her "the boss lady," and she was there for Jason. She holed up in the room all morning.

"Why are you here again?" Jason grumbled, popping the car hood with one hand and diving in to check things out.

"If I don't come find you, you'd just rot away in the sticks forever?" She had on these big sunglasses and was all arms-crossed, looking super smug.

"None of your business," Jason shot back, barely glancing up.

"I'm your girlfriend, so yeah, it is my business," she snapped, blocking him from getting any work done.

Uncle Bear tugged me aside, giving me the "stay out of it" look. "They're at it again. Boss is in a tough spot."

"They were together?" I asked, feeling this weird pang of... something.

"Yeah, Boss is a big shot in the city. And Boss lady's loaded too. They've been a thing for years. But there was this mess with project funds, and Boss wanted to use his own cash to pay us. His sister-in-law wasn't having it, so they clashed."

"All this drama's held Boss back. Otherwise, he'd probably be married by now, maybe even have kids in school," Uncle Bear sighed.

So, it was all about the project funds? Still came back to my dad, huh? But why did I not want them to patch things up?

"Does Jason still like her?" I asked Uncle Bear.

"Yeah, he does. Big time. It's been a year, and I haven't seen Boss with any other woman. Plenty of hot chicks with fancy cars come by the shop, but he doesn't give them the time of day. Even at his place, besides his sister-in-law and you, no other women," Uncle Bear rambled on.
But man, seeing Jason chat it up with that woman? It made my blood boil. I didn't know what came over me, but I grabbed my toolbox and marched over. Uncle Bear tried to stop me, but no dice.

As I walked past them...

"Jason, can you honestly swear you haven't missed me this past year? Have you forgotten all the times we had together?" She clung to his hand, all dramatic.

I froze. Jason noticed me, and his eyes flickered.

"I haven't. It's been a year since we broke up. I forgot a long time ago," he said, ice-cold.

"You're lying. I haven't forgotten the way you called my name with that raspy voice, I'll never forget it."

I stood there, my mind blanking out. They used to be so close, and just thinking about it made me want to explode.

"Lily Cooper, don't act desperate," Jason shrugged off her hand and looked at me. "Why are you coming over?"

"Uncle Bear asked me to bring your tools," I lied through my teeth.

He sighed, softened his tone, and said, "Go back over there. I don't need them."

Lily shot me a nasty look. "Who is she?" she demanded.

"Just a little sister," Jason replied, clearly annoyed.

"So, you haven't looked for me in a year because you've been keeping a young lover on the side?" Lily's eyes went wide.

"It's not because of her," Jason said, trying to get me to leave, but I wasn't budging.

"If you're protecting her so much, then it must for her. Jason, if our relationship was serious, I won't let anyone steal my man that easily."

"Then you can try," Jason's voice dropped to a menacing low. He tossed the wrench aside and came over to pull me away, completely ignoring her.