Garvey's Revenge

Chapter 24

It was 9 p.m., and Jackie and Trina were working the bar. They got overwhelmed with the drink orders, so Tommy pitched in to wash dirty glasses and beer mugs. Jodi was supposed to be downstairs by eight to help Daniel in the kitchen. Jackie asked Barbara to do what she had to do to find out where Jodi was and to get her butt to the bar.

The phone rang. Jackie grabbed the receiver, "Garvey's, Jackie."

"Jackie, it's Barb," she said.

Jackie looked down at the base and saw she was calling from the front desk. "Barb, where the hell is Jodi?"

"I think you better go check on her. Something is wrong."

"What do you mean?" Jackie asked.

"I knocked on her room door. All I heard was music. She didn't hear me. I came back downstairs and rang her room. Jodi answered. I told her y'all needed help. She said, sorry, she was taking a personal day and hung up."

Jodi always handled life by the seat of her pants, but when it came to Garvey's she was the first one on deck – next to Jackie. "What the hell? That's all she said?"

"Yep. It's none of my business, but I think it has something to do with the sheriff."

"Ugh, great," Jackie groaned as she balanced the receiver between her head and her shoulder. She reached for a clean beer mug and placed it under the tap.

"When Jodi came in from the funeral, she went straight to her room. The sheriff came in twenty minutes after her. He was up there for about an hour and a half. When he came back down, he had that same look on his face he had that night when he broke Jesse's nose. The sheriff was fit to be tied."

"All right, I'll go up. Have a key to her room ready for me," Jackie said.

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Jackie briskly walked down the hall. This was the second time Matt Kirby had disrupted her business. Surely, it couldn't be that bad.

She reached Jodi's door and knocked. "Jodi," she called out with annoyance. Jackie didn't have the patience to wait for her to open the door.

She unlocked the door and cracked it open. Toni Braxton's, Another Sad Love Song, played on the radio. It was pitch dark inside. Fear gripped her. "Jodi?"

A deep sigh came from the room. "Go away, Jackie. I just want to be alone," Jodi mumbled from across the room.

Jackie opened the door wider to let the light shine in. She could see Jodi's head on the far side of the bed. She was sitting on the floor.

"If you insist on coming in, then please don't turn the light on. I don't want anyone to see me like this," Jodi said solemnly.

Jackie stepped inside and closed the door. The moonlight peeking between the curtains was the only light she had to guide her. Jackie walked to the other side of the bed and stopped.

Jodi sat with her legs stretched out in front of her with a box of Kleenex to her left. Dirty tissues were strolled across the carpet. She wore her pink satin robe.

Jackie sat down next to her. Jodi's eyes were swollen from crying. "Jodi, what happened?"

Jodi shook her head, refusing to answer.

"I want to help. What's wrong?"

"No one can help me, now. Not even you. I'm ruined."

"What?"

"Matt came here, made love to me. Not fuck me. Made love to me. He was so gentle. I can't remember a time he was so careful and gentle with me," she whispered. "Oh, he knew I was upset. He knew I was in pain."

"Is it David and Danielle? Joe? We've lost three great friends in a short amount of time. I'm glad he was here to . . . comfort you, but he had to get back to work, honey," Jackie reasoned.

"No, you don't understand. We made love. Afterward, I . . . I broke it off with him. Told him I never wanted to see him again," Jodi whined.

Jackie was taken aback. "What? Why?"

"Because we didn't have a future together. Because of the reasons I've told you for the past fifteen months. Because . . . I love him. I love him so much that I want to run to him and tell him I love him. I want to tell him that I didn't mean the things I said, that I made a mistake, but I can't. I let him go because I love him too much to hold him back from his true potential. I let him go because he needs to focus on catching the person who killed Joe, David, and Danielle." Jodi started to sob.

Jackie put her arm around her sister's shoulders. "Oh, Jodi, I know it was difficult, but I know you. Even though this was your first time being in love, you'll bounce back. The loss of a first love is the hardest love for anyone to get over – even you. But, people have done it and moved on with their lives – and you will, too."

"No, I'm ruined. I'll never love another man. I will always love him."

Jackie gave her a little smile. "Jodi, I said the same thing when Devin Samuelson broke my heart in high school. I got over that in a couple of months and started dating Marty Schaffer. Granted it wasn't an upgrade, but the point is I moved on. Now, I'm with George. You'll meet someone else that will rock your boat."

"I . . . would give fifty grand to make it that simple. It's not that simple for me, I'm afraid."

"Oh, why?" Jackie asked and started rubbing her sister's upper back.

"Oooh, I may as well tell you. I won't be able to hide it much longer."

"Tell me what, honey," Jackie soothed as she kept rubbing her sister's back.

Jodi turned to look at her in the moonlight. "I . . . I'm . . . pregnant."

Jackie's mouth dropped open. Her hand stilled on Jodi's back. It wasn't possible.

"Now, do you see, Jackie? I will always love him and nothing in this . . . world will change that," Jodi sobbed.

Jackie felt a lump in her throat, but she had to ask the question that was in her mind. She swallowed. "How far along are you?"

"I'm going into my third month, now. I found out after Joe's wake. I had my second doctor's appointment yesterday."

Jackie couldn't believe that Jodi was pregnant and didn't notice. "Who else knows? Does Matt know?"

"No, and you can't tell him. He'll insist on marrying me or something ridiculous like that. I can't allow that. It will ruin his -"

"Career," Jackie finished for her. "I know. First of all, I'm not going to tell Matt. Second, no more going to the doctor without me. Third, who else knows?"

"Just you and . . . Dad."

"You told Dad?" Jackie asked. "And he understood you?"

"I went to Phoenix to buy the home pregnancy tests. I didn't want to be seen getting one here. After I bought them, I went to the retirement facility and used the bathroom in Dad's room. I was in shock. I told him. He was having one of his good days."

"Wow," Jackie said.

Jodi placed her head on Jackie's shoulder. Have You Ever by Brandy started to play on the radio. It seemed to make Jodi cry harder.

Damn, that radio station. Can't they play something happy? Jackie thought as she stroked the back of Jodi's head.