If Only In My Dreams

Chapter 9

Jenna hesitantly walked into the front door of Big Jake's bar. It was a country theme bar with cowboy memorabilia of horse shoes, stirrups, boots, and tack shop littered all over the walls. Rustic wagon wheels made into table tops and mechanical ridding bull with a disco ball that hung above it. She scanned around the room looking for Carolyn, she stood beside John with a beer in her hand. Jenna walked up to Carolyn as she turned around to from someone that Jenna had no clue who he was and gave her a big hug.  

"Did you get lost I was worried about that you flaked out on me." Carolyn smiled  

"Nope I'm here." Jenna stated with a fake smile and sigh, while leaning around she genuinely smiled at John.  

"Hey there birthday boy." John reached over Carolyn and gave Jenna a big bear hug. A waitress walked up and handed Jenna a beer. Jenna glanced at the bottle and then to the waitress confused but shrugged it off assuming Carolyn had already ordered her the beer, Carolyn and Jenna clinked bottles and they both took several chugs of the delicious icy cold beer.  

"I want you to meet a few of John's co-workers. This is Eric, Jacob, and Misty, this is my best friend a.k.a. sister from another mister Jenna." Carolyn stated with a smile as she wrapped her arm around Jenna's neck, Jenna laughed at the statement.   "

Hi" Jenna shyly answered  

"And you know Patrick." Carolyn waved her hand and Jenna just nodded and took a few more chugs of her beer in hopes that she could avoid talking to him.   "

Hey there Jenna you look amazing tonight." Patrick's voice was slightly thick with desire as he looked Jenna up and down, thus making Jenna highly uncomfortable.  

"Thanks" Jenna stated with a short monotone Jenna turned to Carolyn giving her the evil eye and slightly threw her head to the side motioning that they needed to have a private conversation while Carolyn just shrugged her shoulders.  

"Really, Carolyn, why is Patrick here? It's bad enough that I see him at work on a almost daily occurrence, but the one time I decide to venture out he's here with that damn smug look on his face?" Jenna angrily threw her arms up in the air and her brows started to crease in the center like they did whenever she was upset with something.  

"Look I'm sorry but what was I suppose to do? He's become one of John's closest friends over the years. I couldn't just tell John he couldn't invite him because of ya'lls past, that wouldn't be fair." Carolyn concerned voice brought Jenna's mind back to logical reasoning.  

 "I understand but you so owe me big time for this just F.Y.I." Jenna ground out from her teeth. Jenna went and sat down and nursed the rest of her now luke warm beer, then deciding that she couldn't hack the warm taste placed it on the table with all the other empty beer bottles. Patrick strolled over with two frosted beer bottles one in each hand. Jenna did have to admit that she was still attracted to Patrick even if he had broken her heart into a million pieces. He was wearing a hunter green plaid button dress shirt with a white wife beater underneath tucked into his faded blue jeans and sporting his worn brown cowboy boots. As Jenna looked up she saw that he was wearing her favorite cowboy hat that she had picked out for him on one of their shopping adventures, it hung low over his eyes so that Jenna couldn't see his expression. Jenna had to silently remind herself not to drool over him and give him the satisfaction of her still being attracted to him.  

"Here you go, I thought you might need a fresh one I told the waitress earlier to bring you what I thought was still your favorite, was I right?" Patrick questioned as he handed Jenna the beer with a genuine smile.  

"Yeah you were right and thank you." Jenna said and she stared at that the beer bottle deciding she wasn't strong enough to look at him. The music in the background played loudly and the rhythm made Jenna start to tap her foot to the beat.