Authors: Laura Drewry

Off the Hook (32 page)

Get in the water
.

The words echoed in Jessie’s ears, followed immediately by the same rejection her brain threw up every time she’d even remotely considered the idea—and she’d considered it hundreds of times over the years. Hell, just this past spring she’d started to consider it again and then—

A sharp knock on the door made them both jump.

“Jessie?”

Kate slid the door open to Olivia Shaw, who held a martini glass in one hand and a jar of olives in the other.

“I’ve got a guest wanting a martini and the only thing I can think to put in it is vermouth and olives. Is that it?”

Jessie was out of her chair like a shot. As brilliant as Olivia was in the kitchen, she’d proven time and again that tending bar wasn’t anywhere in the realm of her expertise. And if the guest in question was Joe Finder, any hint of an olive in his glass would send him into anaphylactic shock.

“I’ll get it, thanks.” Jessie was halfway out the door when Kate stopped her.

“Do it for
you,
Jessie, not for anyone else or for any other reason. Just you.”

Jessie didn’t answer, just forced a weak smile and hurried to the pub before Liv killed off one of their guests.

For the rest of the night, Jessie tried to focus on the guests as she always did, making sure they had everything they needed, that Olivia received the meal orders quickly and accurately, and that Finn and his brothers got a little bit of time by themselves so they could all go over the
Hooked
contract before Ronan left in the morning.

And yet no matter how hard Jessie tried to quiet it, Kate’s voice seemed to be on repeat in the back of her mind.

Do it for you, Jessie, not for anyone else.

Jessie knew Kate was right; it was way past time she learned to deal with her fear of water. But last spring, when she’d watched Finn take a header off the dock, every one of her nightmares had come roaring back in brilliant blasts of Technicolor—only this time they were joined by a silent scream in the back of her head.

Not Finn!

Instead of running to help him, every muscle in her body locked up, making it impossible to take a single step. Even after he’d pulled himself back up onto the dock and proved that he was fine, it had taken her days to shake off the terror.

And every day since, whenever she looked at him, she cursed herself more. What if he had needed help? What if he had hit his head and drowned because she couldn’t get her stupid self in the water?

It wasn’t the first time she’d worried about it and it probably wouldn’t be the last—not unless she could finally buck up and do something about it. But could she? After being held hostage by fear for so many years, could she finally put the nightmares and images of her sister’s blue-tinged skin out of her mind?

No, not completely anyway, but the mere fact she’d let herself be held hostage so long should be reason enough to fight her way past it.

Right. Okay. You can do this
.

She’d do it for herself, like Kate said, but part of doing it for herself meant she would be getting a chance to be more involved with operations at the Buoys, which would be helpful to everyone. And, yeah, it also meant she might actually be that someone Sam was looking for.

Jessie squeezed her eyes shut against the memory of sitting across the table from him, watching him grind that piece of steak between his molars until he finally swallowed. Did stuff like that matter? It shouldn’t, should it? Besides, if they ever did eat another meal together, she’d simply look at something else.

Easy peasy.

Besides, Kate was right; Jessie did deserve a good guy, and aside from the eating and phone issues, Sam seemed like he was all that and a bag of chips.

Yeah, well, even if that bag of chips was sour cream and onion,
she mused as she poured pints of Guinness,
you’re not doing it for him
.

Taking care so she didn’t spoil the head on the drinks, she set them on a tray with a plate of peppered chicken wings and delivered them with a smile to table three, all the while repeating the same thing over and over in her head.

She could do this. She
would
do this. And even if things didn’t work out with Sam in the end, at least she’d be able to put her feet in the water without hyperventilating.

It had taken her most of the night to process it all, to make the decision to just do it, so now all she needed to do was figure out who she could ask to help her, because as determined as she was there was no way in heaven or hell she could get in the water by herself the first time.

Probably not the second or third time, either.

She really liked Kate, but she’d only known her for a few months and, more to the point, Kate had never actually witnessed Jessie in a full-on wig-out and it was probably best if they kept it that way. At one point or another over the years, all three of the O’Donnell boys had been witness to Jessie completely losing it, so they’d all know what to expect if they agreed to help her do this.

And honestly, she knew any one of them would be happy to help if she asked. So as the three of them sat around the table in the back corner, heads bent low over the contract, Jessie considered her options.

Ronan’s vacation days were up, so he would be heading back to his job in Calgary tomorrow, and Liam was still recovering from shoulder surgery, so he wouldn’t be able to do anything if—
when
—she started to lose it in the water.

That left Finn.

As if she’d said his name out loud, Finn lifted his head, his frown of concentration morphing into a slow, relaxed grin as he shot her a quick wink.

And just like that, a tiny wave of calm flowed through her. She’d trust any of those three with her life, but there’d always been something about Finn and that quick wink of his that set her at ease no matter what.

Yup, he was the one.

Of course he was.