The Miller Brothers
Chapter One / Coffee Shop Soundtrack
February 13 / Chicago, Illinois.
It was snowing outside. It had been snowing outside for a while. In fact, it had been snowing when she had left the airport and it hadn't stopped since then. She should have known. Chicago had actual Winters. Serious, legitimate Winters. It had I'm-wearing-three-sweaters-and-two-pairs-of-socks-and-I'm-still-cold kind of Winters. Chicago was no Los Angeles, that was for sure. She should really buy a scarf. A cute one. With pom-poms.
Jess stirred her herbal tea and breathed in the pepperminty steam that snaked up from the cup. She took a bite of her Danish pastry. Chocolate oozed into her mouth. It was delicious. Jess looked out of the fogged-up window. Outside the snow was still falling. Jess was all alone in Chicago. Four days ago she had boarded a plane in L.A., and in another four days she would start her new job as a Vice Principal at a local school. It also happened to be her birthday. Jess had never spent a birthday alone. Thinking about it made her feel blue. Lonely. She frowned.
Luckily, some sort of strange magic was at work. At that moment, Blackbird by the Beatles started playing. It was her favourite song in the whole world. As the song played, she smiled to herself and took a sip of her tea. It was just as delicious as the pastry. Jess sighed happily. Herbal tea, chocolate pastry, Blackbird, snow falling. It was almost a perfect birthday moment. She just wished she had someone to share the moment with.
Jess pulled her laptop out from her satchel and flipped it open. She opened up Skype, entered her password and called Cece. After a few seconds, Schmidt's face filled her screen.
"Schmidt, hey!" She waved, greeting her best friend's fiancée. She had been living with Cece and Schmidt in L.A. - and while living with a couple who were planning their wedding was difficult at times - she missed them more than she could handle. She especially missed them when she had entered her tiny one-bedroom Chicago apartment for the first time. She nearly cried. In fact, she did cry. For about an hour.
"Jessica. Happy Birthday. How is life in the Windy City?" Schmidt asked. He looked tired. Jess felt bad – she was Cece's maid of honour so she was supposed to help with the wedding planning. She felt guilty leaving them to it. Schmidt didn't really have many guy friends and Cece's model friends were useless at organisation. They just didn't know how to go about hosting a group crafting session the same was Jess did. The bachelorette party was sure going to suffer because of that.
"It's okay. You know, The Beatles just started playing and it's snowing outside and it's really cosy and I felt like I was having a perfect birthday moment and I decided to share it with you and Cece. Is she there?" Jess asked.
"The Beatles? How quaint. No, Cece is not here. She is out looking at wedding dresses for the fiftieth time this week." Schmidt said, rolling his eyes.
"Okay, well, how are you doing?" Jess asked. She had been sceptical when Cece had started dating Schmidt – even more so when they announced their engagement – but she had to admit he was a pretty good guy. Weirdly, he had pretended to be a male model in order to get Cece to date him in the first place. It was an elaborate plan that neither Jess nor Cece fell for, but it worked in the end. Cece had been Schmidt's from the moment they had shared their first drunken kiss. Jess had never seen her best friend so in love. It was equal parts lovely and sickening.
"Terribly. Jess, we are falling apart without you here. Why did you have to move away?" Schmidt asked, the hint of a whine in his voice.
"Because I was offered a very cosy position at one of the best schools in Chicago, remember? It was you who convinced me to go, Schmidt. Remember your rap? Money money money?" Jess reminded him pointedly.
"I don't really recall," Schmidt shook his head.
"It was all, 'Yo. Money is all that matters. Money, money, money' and then it was all, 'Monet is my favourite painter. Monet, Monet, Monet'? You don't remember that? That was some of your finest work, pal." Jess teased.
"Well I take it all back. Staying in L.A. with your friends who desperately need you is all that matters. And Monet is certainly not my favourite painter." Schmidt snapped.
"I can't believe I'm in Chicago," Jess said, "I can't believe I have to spend my birthday by myself. What do you think I should do, Schmidt?"
"Go out and get drunk?" Schmidt suggested flippantly, "Hook up with a stranger? Why not? You're single. Single in one of the unsexiest cities in America, but single."
"I do feel like sharing this with someone. Being alone on my birthday is just too depressing." Jess muttered, sipping her tea.
"Well, where are you? A coffee shop?" Schmidt asked, narrowing his eyes.
"Yeah?" Jess replied.
"Then go talk to someone. I bet there's a gentleman in a ski jacket sitting at a table somewhere who would be just delighted to buy a girl like you some birthday treats." Schmidt suggested.
"Like some birthday wine?" Jess said, nodding. She had to admit – Schmidt talked a lot of sense sometimes.
"You bet," Schmidt said, "Go find him. Pass the parcel, untie the ribbon. Blow out his candles and make a damn wish."
"I'm not sure what we're talking about anymore-" Jess replied, confused.
"Just go have sex, Jessica Day. Go have sex. It's not every day you get to be the hot new girl in a new city. That persona works for you. Exploit it." Schmidt explained.
"Right. Yeah. I can do that. I can get mine. I'm new to the city and I'm lost. Can you show me where we are on this...public map?" Jess said in her sexiest voice.
"No. Not like that," Schmidt scolded, frowning. "Workshop it a little and try again."
"Will do, boss," Jess said, giving Schmidt a little salute, "Now I should probably go because I am saying crazy stuff. I don't want people to start thinking I'm the hot new weirdo in the city. Thanks for the pep talk, though. And tell Cece to call me."
"Okay, Jess. Now, remember," Schmidt dropped his voice to a whisper, "Blow out his candles."
"Bye," Jess said firmly, hitting the button to disconnect the call. She closed her laptop and scanned the coffee shop.
To her surprise, someone was already looking at her.
In the corner, a guy caught her gaze with his own. He looked about her age. He was smartly dressed, with tousled brown hair and the cutest nose Jess had ever seen. I wanna grab that nose off his face and wear it as a brooch, she thought. He smirked and redirected his focus on his book. Jess didn't even think about it. She stood up and made her way over to his table.
"Hey, I'm Jess," She greeted him, giving a small bow and immediately regretting it.
"I'm Nate. Nathan. Nathan Miller." The guy introduced himself. Jess stole a glance at his book.
"Henry Miller. Very fancy." Jess commented.
"Well, I only read writers who have the same name as me, so." Nate shrugged, teasing.
"It's my birthday," Jess said, smoothing down the front of her dress. It was covered in flaky pastry crumbs. She cringed., and continued "The big thirty-one. That's me. I've lived in Chicago for three days. I'm starting a new job here. It's super weird. It snows here so much. I'm gonna have to buy myself a snow plough. Everyone here should drive snow ploughs, am I right?"
Nate regarded her with an amused expression.
"Sorry for babbling. I'm not very good at talking to strangers. I'm, um, I'm Jessica Day. Nice to meet you, Nate. Sorry if I freaked you out." Jess went on, moving backwards.
"Not me. Henry is a bit scared though," Nate smiled. He sipped his cappuccino, dusting his upper lip with chocolate powder. Jess couldn't help notice his eyes were the same, rich, dark, brown colour. She smiled. He is smoking hot, she thought. She took the opportunity to sit down.
"So what's the new job, birthday girl?" He asked, putting his book down and leaning forwards towards her.
"I'm going to be a Vice Principal, actually. I- I used to teach English in Los Angeles, so, yeah. This whole thing is going to be a bit different. In many, many ways." Jess said. His gaze was so intense. She felt her cheeks flush as she tucked her hair behind her ears. She had a red flower clip in her hair. She always dressed up for her birthday. She wondered if he thought it was too much.
"Chicago is great," Nate continued, "I've lived here my whole life."
"Really?" Jess asked, "What do you do? Tell me more about you."
"I'm actually a Chemistry lecturer at the University," Nate said, nodding, "I'm also a twin. He's a weirdo, so don't worry – I'm used to it. I like the Bulls. I like books. I like the snow. I like girls with blue eyes."
"I- I have blue eyes." Jess said, exhaling slowly. Damn Schmidt, she thought, now I'm falling in love and acting stupid.
"So it's your birthday?" Nate asked, drinking the last of his cappuccino, "You got plans?"
"Well, I just moved here, so unless I want to have a hot night unpacking dresses and scrapbooks, I am plan-free." Jess smiled.
"Let's go," Nate said, standing.
"Where are we going?" Jess asked, also rising from the table.
"My brother's bar. I'll get you a birthday drink." Nate said, running a hand through his hair.
"That sounds great - let me get my stuff." Jess said, walking over to her table to retrieve her bag.
Jess watched Nate wait for her by the door. Her heart beat fast in her chest. Maybe she had gotten more than she'd bargained for – a hot guy who dressed smartly and read books and was a University lecturer? It was a birthday treat, all right. She grinned to herself as she walked towards Nate Miller.
As they walked together through the snow, he reached for her hand and she didn't pull away.
…
The snowy tavern certainly had character. Jess looked up at its name: The Wee Dram. Multi-coloured fairy lights encircled the huge letters. Nate opened the huge wooden door for her to step inside. In the corner, an open fire was crackling and lighting the relatively dark interior with a warm, orange glow. Deer antlers adorned the walls and tartan bunting hung from the wooden beams that crossed the ceiling.
"A Scottish pub?" Jess asked Nate.
Nate nodded and walked up to the bar. Sure enough – there was his twin. The twin watched Nate and Jess approach the bar. He was wearing a red, plaid shirt and was lazily polishing a glass. Jess eyed him shyly. She didn't really know any twins, although she used to wish she had one (maybe that way, they could have taken Abby down together).
"Jess, this is my brother Nicky." Nate said, as he shook his brother's hand in a friendly, familiar way.
"It's just Nick," Nick said, shrugging.
Nick looked at Jess, his eyes lingering on hers for a second. Jess took a moment to notice the differences between the two brothers. Nick's hair was a little bit shorter than Nate's, and where Nate was clean-shaven, Nick was sporting some stubble. Apart from that, though, they were identical. Although Nick seemed to carry himself differently, almost. He didn't stand up straight. He stood a little uncertainly. He wasn't as animated or as confident as Nate. His brown eyes looked a little weary.
"This is Jess – she's new to the city, just moved here from Los Angeles. I thought we should take care of her, seeing as it's her birthday and all." Nate told Nick.
"Happy Birthday," Nick said politely, "What can I get you?"
"Well," Jess said, looking at the mass of bottles behind Nick's head, "Since we're in a Scottish pub, I might as well try a Scotch."
"Nick's got a lot of Scotch behind there," Nate said, grinning. He motioned for Jess to join him on the bar stools. She sat.
"Scotch isn't your drink," Nick said, watching Jess carefully, "I'll tell you what -I'll make you something special, just this once."
Nick popped the cap off a bottled beer and handed it to Nate and then went about making a cocktail for Jess.
"So which one of you is the older twin?" Jess asked.
"Me, naturally. That's probably why I'm the handsome one," Nate teased.
"It was like two minutes, dude." Nick said, shaking his head and laughing.
"Two minutes is all that matters, little brother," Nate said, "At least you got the creativity genes."
"Creativity?" Jess repeated, her eyes widening.
"Nicky's a writer." Nate told her.
"You are?" Jess asked, shocked, "I studied Literature! If you want me to read your stuff, I'd be happy to."
"I don't really show anybody my stuff," Nick said, shaking his head, "But thanks for the offer."
"Maybe we should take a Creative Writing class!" Jess exclaimed, "That's just what you need – you can get your work peer reviewed. It'd be fun. I have no friends here so my diary is free for the next like, however many years. Why don't we do that?"
"I'll think about it," Nick said, taken aback by her enthusiasm.
"Yes, please, think about it." Jess insisted, confident it was a great idea. Nate started smiling and slid his foot against her own beneath the bar. She straightened in her seat before returning the nudge, feeling mischievous.
Nick slid a tall glass full of pink liquid toward her.
"What is it?" Jess asked curiously.
"It's a Jess. Specially created for your birthday." Nick replied.
"Cheers," Nate said, lifting his bottle to meet her glass.
"To new beginnings," Jess said, clinking her glass against his.
"To you, Jessica Day," Nate said, smiling at her.
Jess took a tentative sip of the drink. It was wonderful - it tasted like raspberries and cranberries and grapefruit. And is that rum? Jess wondered, as the sharp hit of alcohol reached the back of her tongue.
"That's so good," Jess said, "I could drink a dozen of these. I could drink a barrel of this stuff. If this drink were a dude, I would marry it."
Nick laughed and looked down toward the bar shyly.
"I'm going to head to the bathroom," Nate said, standing up, "Look after my girl, Nicky."
Jess felt herself blush. His girl? She smiled, the first flush of butterflies fluttering in her stomach.
Nate wandered toward the bathroom, leaving Nick and Jess alone. Jess eyed the jukebox and wondered whether to go look through the songs while Nate was away.
"Your brother is super nice," Jess said finally.
"Yeah, he's everyone's favourite." Nick replied, wiping the bar with a cloth.
"How long have you been a bartender?" Jess asked.
"A while," Nick responded, "How long did you live in L.A.? I've always wanted to live there – get away from all this damn snow."
"This damn snow? You sound like an old man," Jess said, laughing lightly, "What are you talking about? The snow is magical."
"Magical?" Nick repeated, amused, "You're easily impressed."
"Well, I like it," Jess said shrugging, "I lived in L.A. For years. My best friend and I moved there together. She's a model. She's engaged right now. She's like, gorgeous. Our whole life, she got all the attention and now she's getting married. Meanwhile, old Jessica Day over here is like, probably going to die alone."
Nice going, Jess, she thought, that's enough babbling for one day.
"I'm sure that's not true. I'm sure you're a catch. I mean, you must be if Nate's interested in you. He never brings girls over here to meet me." Nick said, leaning on the bar. Jess warmed at his words. Never?
"I think he's just being nice to me because it's my birthday." Jess said, adjusting the flower clip in her hair.
"I like your flower." Nick said, nodding at the accessory.
"It's not too much?" Jess asked.
Nick shook his head. Jess blinked. He really did look so much like his brother.
"Want to wear it?" Jess blurted out. Nick snorted.
"Are you serious?" Nick asked.
"Yeah? It's my birthday." Jess said with a grin, "Do it, Nick Miller."
"This is just because my brother thinks you're cute, okay?" Nick said, gently removing the red flower from Jess's hair. His fingers grazed her bangs and she smiled lightly. Nick attached the clip to his head. He looked ridiculous. Jess told him so.
Nick shrugged and handed it back to her.
Nate returned from the bathroom and reclaimed his seat.
"What'd I miss?" Nate asked, picking up his beer.
"Not much," Jess said, "Thanks for adopting me in my hour of need, guys. I think I would have cried if I had to spend my birthday alone."
"No problem," Nate said, motioning to Nick to grab them each another drink.
As Nick busied himself behind the bar, Jess excused herself to go to the bathroom.
She looked at herself in the mirror and then washed her hands. Unable to control her excitement any further, she pulled out her cell-phone and dialled Cece's number.
"Jess!" Cece answered, "I was just about to call you! Happy Birthday!"
"Cece!" Jess responded, "I am having the best day already. Tell Schmidt he's a genius!"
"What are you up to, you weirdo?" Cece asked curiously.
"It all started when Blackbird started playing." Jess began.
"Oh boy," Cece muttered.
"I walked up to a guy in a coffee shop. He was wearing a blazer and drinking a cappuccino and reading Henry Miller and it turns out he's a Chemistry lecturer at the University," Jess said excitedly, "And now, I am in a Scottish pub in beautiful, snowy Chicago. I am drinking a cocktail that was named after me and I am sitting with the guy and his twin."
"Twin?" Cece repeated.
"Yes," Jess breathed, "Yes. Twin. And Cece?"
"What?"
"It might be the alcohol talking, but I think I am totally in love with both of them."
"Uh-oh."
"Big, big uh-oh."