Being Jolene Read Online Free Page A

screwed everything up. I stood, clenching the empty plastic bottle in my hand. “Thanks for the water, Jolene.” She nodded her head, tapping faster. “I should go but I just wanted to say . . . yeah know . . . sorry and everything. I hope to see you around.”
    After that stuttering statement, I walked off the porch and didn’t look back, trying to save face. It pained me to leave her, but the situation seemed to be dismal, I would only do more damage if I kept talking.
    “Hey.” I heard behind me, her voice attacking my senses. I turned around. She sat there, the pencil still in her hand, but it had stopped moving.
    “Yeah,” I answered back.
    She opened her mouth and paused, but then she was biting bottom lip, her eyes flittering.
    “Glad to know you got home safe.” She said. I felt like she wanted to say more, but was holding back. I knew I was doing the same thing. There was something there, something we weren’t addressing. I only nodded and turned back around, leaving her to sit on the porch, by herself. But I had a feeling that wouldn’t always be the case.
    I was usually pretty confident around woman, though not like there were many, but I had some game. At least I thought I did but once I invited Jolene over for a drink last night, I lost all game. It was bad enough I felt like I was scoring for the other team. I walked the short trail between the cabin and the station. Most all the land in this area was federally owned and it didn’t take me long to find myself back at the station.
    I saw Paul walking towards the truck we used for work and he waved his hand in greeting. “How was the run?” he asked as I came up to him.
    I told him the truth. “Awful.”
    “Come across a bear or something?”
    No, only a beautiful woman. I sighed, putting my hands on my hips. “Not a bear, a woman.”
    Paul stopped with his hand on the open truck door, glancing over at me. “Find a damsel in distress on your run? How would that be a bad thing?”
    Nothing about Jolene said damsel in distress. Actually, it seemed the opposite. Even from the few times I had talked to her, she seemed to be independent, a girl who never asked for help.
    “You know that girl from the bar last night?”
    Paul nodded his head and said, “Yeah the brunette from the city? I saw you two sneak out.”
    “I had sex with her. Against the wall of the bar.”
    Paul barked in laughter. “Holy shit, Ty. I was not expecting that from you. Way to go.” He put his hand in the air for a high five but I stood there, not reciprocating.
    “No? Not a high five? Alright, man. So you found her on the trail? That’s strange.”
    “She’s living in the lodge’s A-frame I think.”
    “Oh, yeah. Jolene, right? She’s the lodge’s new front of house manager.”
    “How did you know that?”
    “I’m sleeping with Elizabeth. She told me about Jolene.”
    “And how is dear Lizzy,” I asked, sarcasm blatant in my tone.
    “ Elizabeth is fine. Thank you very much.”
    I held my tongue, but when it came down to it, Elizabeth was not the most pleasant person. She came here every summer trying to find a new guy at the station to sleep with. I had already shut her down the summer before. Paul would figure out soon enough how vile she was.
    “Good luck with that.”
    “I’m enjoying myself so far. Now tell me about this Jolene and why she ruined your run.”
    I gave him a brief run down of the talk we had and Paul only cringed when I got done.
    “She actually called you out on the bad sex. Wow. She has some balls. Were you drunk?”
    “Yeah, I was pretty toasted. I ended up sleeping in my truck. I don’t even know what happened afterwards or where she went.”
    “Dude.”
    “I know.” Fuck. I knew. I knew this was not typical of me. I couldn’t even believe it.
    I hit the top of the truck with my fist, pissed at myself.
    “Hey, don’t take it out on my baby. She didn’t do anything to you. Sounds like you didn’t really do anything for