Hey Jude (Lennox Valley Chronicles #1)

I’m sorry. I can’t. I need time.

Squeezing my eyes shut, I crumple into the fetal position on my bed. When my eyes open a minute later, a frozen numbness has descended over me and I stare at the wall.

27

JUDE

Reading Olena’s text is like getting slugged in the chest. Sitting in my parked truck on Riverside Avenue, I stare at my phone, reeling, unable to understand how we went from falling asleep in each other’s arms Friday night to… this.

She needs time? Why? What’s going on with her? Everything was so easy between us last week, then I opened up to her and she spent the night with me and… What the fuck happened?

“So, you good to buy the sandwiches this time, bro?” Miles looks at me from the passenger seat with a hopeful expression. “I’ll pay you back when I get a new job. I’m good for it.”

I narrow my eyes at him. Oh, right. Miles happened.

“Yeah, Miles, I’ll buy your fucking lunch,” I say in a resigned tone, turning and climbing out of the truck.

Wisely, he doesn’t follow me in.

I was too on edge at home, unable to stop thinking about Olena’s tearful departure Saturday morning. My pacing was irritating Miles, so he suggested we pick up lunch. I haven’t been to Riverside Deli before, but I remember Teddy raving about their sandwiches.

The deli is busy and I get in line. The smell of freshly baked bread and savory meats mingles in the air and my stomach rumbles in response. Two teenagers stand at the helm of the sandwich station. A kid with braces who can’t be over fifteen stands at the cash register taking payments, looking “all knees and elbows,” as my mom used to say about me that summer when I grew three inches. A lanky blond who looks closer to my age weaves between them behind the counter, restocking supplies and giving them instructions here and there. He meets my eyes for a moment, then looks away, continuing with his work.

I don’t think much of it until my turn comes up and he cuts in front of the girl who’s about to take my order.

“I’ll take this one, Mia,” he says to her over his shoulder.

She looks caught off guard but backs away, busying herself by wiping the coffee machine with a wet cloth.

“What can I get you?” He tilts his chin at me.

I give him the order: a club sandwich for Miles and a Reuben for me. I check my phone again, hoping Olena might have texted me something more. Nothing. I put my phone in my back pocket with a frown.

I wait while he makes the sandwiches, stuffing my hands in my front pockets and feeling restless. I notice him look up at me, then back at what he’s doing.

Pulling bread slices out of a bag, he places them in the toaster behind him and turns back to me. Glancing outside at my truck, he gives me a look. “You’re Jude, right?”

My brow furrows. “Uh, yeah. Sorry, do I know you?”

“Wyatt. Olena’s roommate.” He raises an eyebrow.

I straighten at the mention of her name. He’s got my attention.

“Hi,” I say carefully. I remember Olena telling me about Wyatt over burgers on Friday night.

“So, you wanna tell me why she came home yesterday morning in tears?” He holds my gaze confidently, like he’s got no patience for bullshit.

“Uh…” I glance around me. “Is this where you wanna talk about this?”

He shrugs. “It’s as good a place as any,” he says, then glances over his shoulder at the timer on the toaster. “You’ve got ninety seconds.”

I pause for a moment. “Look, I don’t know exactly what happened—for her, I mean. We had a great night.” I shrug, then run a hand through my hair. “But I left to get us breakfast and my brother showed up while I was gone.”

He leans on the sandwich counter, waiting for me to continue with his eyebrows raised.

I lower my voice and lean in slightly. “He was drunk and didn’t have a key.” I look around, uncomfortable talking about this in a public place with a line of customers waiting behind me. “He pounded on the door, and I guess he scared her pretty badly. She left after that.”

He puts his hands on his hips and squeezes his eyes shut for a moment, not saying anything.