Chapter 3: Raise Your Glass to Blowback

It was a beautiful October Saturday in Knights Ridge. Janet was up early walking t the part for the Annual Pumpkin Fest Flea market. She was almost finished re-doing the house, she wanted to make it her on and not a shrine to her parents so over the last few years she started changing things around. Some stuff she would do herself painting, refinishing the floors, some things Ray would do electric and plumbing and sometimes he would send over a few of his guys for the large things like sheetrock and structure.. She was grateful to have the help and he was happy to offer it to her. All she really needed now was some finishing touches on the decorating. Maybe a new dresser she could refinish, a few frames for photos, something cool that she really didn't need to put up on her mantle. Eddie had gone to the flea market that morning too, he was always looking for tools and equipment for Latekka Landscaping. He saw Janet in the distance, the sun behind her. Luckily nothing had really changed between them since the anniversary of her mothers death they nothing acted like nothing really happened. Her hair was down for a change and she was wearing a skirt, he puffed his chest about that maybe she was listening after all. It was a khaki skirt, came just to her knee, and a white t-shirt and denim jacket, she was also wearing grey rubber wellies. She looked cute and bright and happy as she haggled with Sneaky Pete over the price of a dresser. He could tell that she got what she Wanted when Pete got a huge hug and her money.

"What goes on Meadows?

She saw him before he made his way towards her in his jeans a flannel uniform. It had been weeks and they had seen each other tens of times but she still cringed when she thought back to that night. What he had said to her shook her right down to her core. She spent an hour in the mirror that night trying to see what Eddie told her was her body. She couldn't, no matter how hard she tried all she saw were her many flaws.

" Hey, you! I am the proud owner of this very dresser." She saw his expression as he looked it over.

" I know its in rough shape now but just wait, I am going to sand and re-stain it and maybe silver leaf the handles. It going to look amazing when I am done with it." He could hear the excitement in her voice.

"You know how to do all that?"

"Hell yeah I do, I am a very handy girl Latekka, I did a lot of the work at my house you know.'

"Really like what?" he taunted.

"Well, after a lesson from Ray I re-did the floors, I painted, I put in a new sink in the kitchen. And what was beyond my ken Ray and his guys would come a do.' Eddie cringed at the sound of Ray's name.

'What's the deal with you and Ray." Eddie could not understand how she could be friends with someone like him, she always saw the best in everyone and he worried that one day or would come back to bite her.

" There is no deal Eddie, I have known Big Cat longer then I have known you. He is dating my best friend, granted he is no angel but he's not a bad guy. If you both weren't fighting to be Alpha then you would be friends."

"You know what Janet, He is a bad guy. I could tell you stories."

'Yeah Eddie and people could tell me stories about you. In fact I have heard most of them already and I am still your friend"

He knew she had him there and decided to drop the conversation entirely.

" How are you planning on getting this thing home? Its not going to fit in your Charger."

Victory she thought to herself, she finally got the last word with Eddie on something. She couldn't understand why he was so touchy about Ray lately.

She giggled " You are right about that."

'Let me guess you were going to Call Ray and his boys."

'Well yeah I was just about to call him"

" I take it in my truck, come on Pete help me load it up."

When the dresser made it safely into Janet's garage she invited Eddie in for a beer. She was nervous around Eddie lately, she felt a shift in there friendship and she was sure it was only on her side. She had crushed on him in High School like every girl with a pulse but over the years that feeling died away and she just saW him as a friend. She still took note of his amazing body but she knew he was more then they body and the legend. But the last few weeks that feeling of crush was seeping back in and she knew she had it had to stop. Maybe if then could just hang out and rink a few beers like they used to she could make these feelings go away.

"I am glad I ran into you today actually."

"Yeah and why is that." he asked taking a long swig from his beer.

"Um, well. I'm just going to say it." She was nervous she was not sure what his reaction was going to be and she could see his hand tighten around his beer bottle. "Don't shoot the messenger ok." she said sheepishly.

'Just spit it out Meadows."

"Nicky is coming back to the Ridge." Anger flashed across his face.

"Well Nicky back in the Ridge, the stones on that guy. Ten years, what for?"

"He is teaching this three day thing at the Duf. Eddie I get why you are creased at him…" he cut her off his voice dripping with anger.

"Creased, I am creased and Ikey for breaking my favorite shovel. I am creased at Phil for eating the last donut this morning. I am creased at the sox for sucking another season. Creased is not even close to the word I feel for Nicky. He runs out of town ten years ago with out a single word to anyone but you, writes a book bashing us all, makes a movie where I look like a complete tool, not to mention all the Hannah drama." Janet sat there for a moment taking in all that he said " Eddie" She finally spoke only to be cut off again,

" And you Janet going to NY to see him, being his friend. How could you do that I never understood."

" Of course you don't Eddie. How could you?" She had lost all patience with Eddie. " you've always been you, strong confident popular you. Hail Eddie Latekka King of the Ridge. You are so lucky that you found where you fit so early in life. For the rest of us its not so easy. In the ridge I'm just Janet the Planet Meadows chubby bartender and all Nicky would have been was Eddie friend who married his high school sweetheart. He would have died here. In the Ridge all we are is what our past makes us. But in the big wide worlds there's no telling what we could have been and Nicky is proof of that. Hannah knew even then. She knew when he left that he was never coming back. Which is why she ended up with Gavin and God knows who else that summer." Eddie was one of those "who elses" and wondered if Janet knew too. " But Hannah loved Nicky enough to let him go. And as far as my friendship with him goes. He called me when he found out about my mom, he had just gone thru the same thing. And over the years we formed a really tight bond." She thought for a moment before she spoke again and Eddie knew she wasn't finished. " It's like I envied him for getting to leave and he envied me for having to stay. Two sides of the same coin."

She made her point and made it well and Eddie couldn't say a damn thing. She was on a roll with him today and she was proud of herself.

"When is he going to be here?" Eddie finally surrendered.

" Thursday or Friday. We are all going to meet up at Sully's and before you ask yes Hannah knows and no she is not coming."

" Does Nick know about Sam or Ray?"

" NO, we made a deal in the very beginning if he wanted to know what goes on in the Ridge he was not going to find out from me. I was not going to be in the middle of all his drama and damage" Eddie smiled at Janet, she was a smart cookie. " And in the same token, no one would hear about Nick from me, it worked pretty well."

"Well he is going to be in for it, come Friday. Me, Hannah, Sam Ray not to mention the Commander and Ronnie." Eddie chuckled taking the last sip of his beer.

"Yeah but he only has himself to blame for the blowback." Janet rose from the sofa an got two more beers from the fridge, handed one to Eddie. It took the cap off hers then his. The clinked their bottles together.

"To blowback" Eddie said with a smile.

" To blowback" Janet repeated.