Free The Lottery Winner by Emilie Rose Page B

to help his aunt? She had to find out.
    * * *
    T HE MUSIC WENT silent then all but the main dining room’s lights went dark. Jessie dropped the last refilled saltshaker into the holder and stretched her tired back.
    Miri came out of the kitchen carrying a bottle of wine. “Girls, we deserve a glass.”
    â€œAmen,” Sue said and ducked behind the bar to snag three glasses and a corkscrew, leaving Jessie with the impression the women had shared nightcaps before.
    â€œJessie, dump that and join us,” Miri insisted. “I sent Logan off with the night deposit ten minutes ago. We should have a few minutes’ peace. C’mon,” she added when Jessie hesitated.
    This was the perfect opportunity to find out whether he was Jekyll or Hyde. After seeing how well he’d interacted with tonight’s guests, Jessie was more confused than ever. She carried the box to the kitchen and returned.
    Miri eased into a chair as if her body ached. “I haven’t had to bus tables in ages. I forgot how hard it was.”
    Sue sank across from her even more slowly. “Tonight required more hustle than I had in me. Busy season’s starting. Better find some new blood soon. I’m not sure how many weeks like this I can handle. And we still have tomorrow to get through. I couldn’t have made it without your help, Jessie. Don’t think I didn’t notice you grabbing my orders.” She pulled a wad of bills from her pocket. “You deserve half of this.”
    Touched by the gesture, Jessie shook her head. “No, Sue. Thank you, but I don’t want your tips. My mama always taught me to pitch in when needed. That’s all I was doing.”
    Blushing, the woman hesitated, then nodded and repocketed her money. “Your mama raised a fine girl.”
    Miri filled and distributed the glasses then lifted hers and sampled the golden liquid. “Mmm. This is good. I’ll have to stock more of it.”
    â€œI’ll second that,” Sue added after tasting.
    Jessie searched for a way to settle her curiosity. “It was nice of Logan to help. He really seemed to know what he was doing.”
    Miri nodded. “Logan came to live with me and Jack six months after his mother died. He did everything from fishing and filleting with Jack’s crew to bussing tables then waiting them here. He’s a hard worker. I’ll give him that.”
    â€œWasn’t his dad around?” Jessie asked.
    â€œCarter buried himself in his grief and his work after Virginia passed and forgot all about parenting his son. By the time I figured out Carter wasn’t going to snap out of it, Logan had become a pro at fetching his own groceries, fixing his meals and getting himself to school. He covered for his father so well not even the school counselor suspected anything was wrong.”
    Sue nodded. “And Carter didn’t even notice. That hasn’t changed.”
    Jessie’d had students in similar, or even worse, situations to Logan’s, and she sympathized. She’d been blessed with involved parents, and hers had always been there to offer encouragement, guidance or a reprimand when needed. She depended on them as sounding boards—which was why living solo was so hard now.
    Sue’s reply raised more questions about Logan, but Jessie didn’t want to seem too curious. “How old was Logan when he came here?”
    Miri chuckled and shook her head. “Thirteen going on thirty. He tried to be the man of the house whenever Jack was away. Made for some interesting territorial squabbles between him and me.”
    â€œThose squabbles returned when he did. Makes both of you hard to live with,” Sue added with the kind of candor only true friends could share. “Where’d you grow up, Jessie?”
    Jessie ducked her head and bought time by sipping her wine. The cool liquid slid down her throat like ambrosia. She hadn’t had any one-on-one time