by: TNRiverRat

Chapter 10

Bo had spent the last hour trying to sober up and explain his drunken state to an irate Jesse and a worried Daisy. His uncle and cousin were obviously disappointed in him and he apologized profusely. He could also tell that they were very concerned about him…which only made him feel worse! Daisy had forced a couple of cups of coffee down him and then ushered him off to the shower; complaining that he smelled like one of the dumpsters at the Boar’s Nest. Bo sniffed at his blue T-shirt and agreed with her. He took a long, hot shower and began to get ready for the night’s company.

The shower had helped some, but Bo still felt awful. He had a raging headache! The young man had barely managed to pull on a clean pair of blue-jeans and was gingerly toweling his wet hair when a knock sounded on the bedroom door.

“Come in,” Bo said as he grabbed a red T-shirt from the dresser and pulled it over his head.

Jesse came into the room. He looked around, realizing he had not really been in the boys’ room many times since they had grown-up. He walked up to his nephew, who was tucking his T-shirt into his jeans.

“Bo, son…you want to talk about what’s been botherin’ you?” he said as he laid a hand on the young man’s damp, wavy hair.

Bo didn’t look at his uncle. “No…I …I’ll be fine, Uncle Jesse. I’ve just been acting like a danged fool…as usual.” Bo sat down on the end of his bed and looked up at his uncle with a small, sad, lop-sided smile. His big dark-blue eyes were full of remorse and shame from his earlier behavior… and something else Jesse couldn’t quite identify.

Jesse smiled at Bo. “Be strong, boy,” he said as he sat down next to his nephew. He grabbed Bo’s knee and gave it a squeeze, right in a spot where he knew Bo was ticklish. Bo jumped and grinned a little.

“I know you think you love this girl…but you really don’t even know her.” Jesse said, quietly.

Bo started to protest, but Jesse held up a hand to stop him.
“Listen to me, son. Your cousin really seems to be struck on this girl and she must care for him or she wouldn’t be comin’ out here tonight to see all of us. You need to decide what’s more important to you…pining over this girl and possibly wrecking your friendship with Luke or getting’ over her and movin’ on and keeping your best friend. Luke misses you, Bo. He knows you’re keeping something from him and it hurts him that you don’t trust him enough to tell him.” Jesse allowed Bo some time to soak in his words.

Bo hung his head and looked at the floor. He started to speak in a voice so soft Jesse could barely hear him at first.
“I know, Uncle Jesse. I don’t want to mess things up any more than I already have. I don’t want to hurt Luke…and if he really loves Meghan and she loves him, then I’m happy for them. I want to tell him, but you know Luke…he wouldn’t exactly be happy to hear that I’m in love with his girlfriend! He’d probably kick my teeth in…especially after today.”
Bo sighed and looked at his uncle. “I’ll try my best. I’ll move on…but I can’t promise that I’ll forget her.”

Jesse patted Bo’s back. “Your best is all you can do, Bo. I can’t expect you to do anything more. If you truly love Meghan, you’ll never forget her…but I hope for your sake and for Luke’s that you can find someone else that you are free to love and will love you.”

Bo snorted and gave his uncle a disbelieving look.

“She’s out there, Bo…you just be patient…and if by some chance Meghan is the ‘one’ for you…it’ll happen in it’s own time…most likely when you least expect it. We just have to trust that a higher power is in charge and things will work out better for all of us if we remember that.”

“Uncle Jesse, you sure know how to put things into perspective,” Bo said as he reached over to hug his uncle.

Jesse grinned. “Well…I do have the benefit of age and experience.” He laid a weathered hand on his nephew’s shoulder. “I just pray that you and Luke won’t let this come between you. You kids are so close…when I’m gone all you’ll have is each other and I don’t want to see anything damage that closeness.” Jesse’s voice grew thick with emotion and he cleared his throat. The old man put his hands on the knees of his faded overalls and pushed himself to his feet. “Well, enough of this mush. I need to make sure dinner is ready and you need to finish getting dressed. Luke and Meghan should be here soon.” He took in Bo’s indifferent expression. “Things will work out, Bo…you’ll see,” he said.

Bo looked at his uncle and smiled.
“Thanks, Uncle Jesse. Now…I just hope I can make it through dinner without A) throwing up again, B) making a fool of myself, C) Luke finding some reason to kill me, or D) all of the above.” Bo ticked each of his options off on his fingers as he spoke. He stood up slowly, holding his head as he did so. “I know one thing…I hate that whiskey Boss sells. It gives me a headache.” Bo rubbed the back of his neck and looked sideways at Jesse.

Jesse laughed. “Any of it will give you a headache if you drink too much of it! Your best bet is to stay away from it,” he said as he left the bedroom.

Bo grabbed his belt from the bed and began to thread it through the loops of his jeans. He was surprised by his uncle’s sudden reappearance. Jesse stuck his head around the doorframe. “Boy…I don’t care how old you are now…if I ever…ever hear of you gettin’ drunk and tryin’ to drive again…I’ll whip the hide off you.” Jesse raised an eyebrow and pointed a finger at his nephew, “I mean it young’un.”

“Yessir.” Bo replied and nodded solemnly. He grinned as his uncle winked and shut the door.

The blond-haired Duke finished getting ready as quickly as his protesting head would let him and he joined his uncle and Daisy in the living room just as Luke and Meghan pulled into the drive, soon followed by Cooter’s truck. Bo saw how happy his cousin and Meghan looked together as they walked onto the porch. His heart sank, but he was also glad that they had found each other; he couldn’t think of anyone better for either one of them. Bo could see that Luke truly loved Meghan; his older cousin had a soft, gentle look on his face he had never seen before. Bo then looked at the object of his affection. He felt a powerful surge of emotions…his adorable little angel looked so beautiful! The dress she wore suited her perfectly. Her golden skin looked so soft. Her rich brown hair hung loose around her shoulders. She wore just enough make-up to accent her features, not cover them up as some women did. Her soft, green eyes were as beautiful as he remembered. Her full-lipped mouth, that dimpled smile, that voice…all as captivating as the first time he saw her. Even her feet in the delicate sandals she wore looked lovely! He was fascinated by the red nail-polish on her toenails…that simple thing just drove him wild! Bo realized this night was going to be harder on him than he had at first thought. At least maybe with Cooter and Daisy being there, he could keep his mind from wandering where it didn’t belong. He had to believe Jesse’s words: There would be someone for him and him alone. He just had to be patient. He vowed he would get through this night and he would get over Meghan Riley. He had to.