Chapter Twenty-two
A nthony blinked a couple times against the harsh sunlight pouring in through the window and realized that he wasn’t in his own bed. His mouth tasted rancid and he grimaced at the nausea twisting his gut into knots.
He lifted his head and a flash of pain ripped through his skull, reminding him of the three mixed drinks Pike ordered for him that had been sweet and tasty on the way down. He normally stuck to beer or whiskey, but he’d let his guilt guide him, swallowing everything Pike put in front of him.
They were more than even for everything. He might not survive this.
He rolled over and opened his eyes again, staring at a watercolor painting of a corgi dog running through a field.
Delilah.
He was in Delilah’s house. They’d walked there from Brews and Chews, freezing their asses off. He’d sung to her and then …
“Oh, no,” he groaned.
Anthony rolled off the bed, shirtless and barefoot, and slunk away. He heard her voice down the hall and followed it, watching her from the doorway. She sat on the couch with her phone in front of her, hair tucked behind her ear to reveal a white ear bud. Leia hopped off the couch to greet him, hopping around his legs. He bent over to pet the dog, but the motion made his head ache.
“Yes, I understand. So, you don’t like the character or the way they speak?”
Anthony backed out of the room to find a bathroom, Leia trotting along next to him, until he crossed into the small room and shut the door. He relieved himself and after he washed his hands, he opened the top drawer searching for toothpaste. Even if he put some on his finger and scrubbed it over his teeth, it would be better than the funk he had going on in there now.
When he exited the bathroom, Leia was sitting outside waiting for him.
“You’re a stalker, you know that?”
She wiggled and bounced and took off down the hallway.
Anthony went back into the room he’d woken up in, searching for his phone. It was sitting on the side table plugged in and he disconnected it. When he opened it up, the first thing he noticed was the time. He still had a couple hours before he had to open the store, so at least he could go home and get cleaned up.
Then he saw was the dozens of texts on his phone.
There was a group text with the guys and as he scrolled through them, he realized his fuzzy memory wasn’t just a nightmare.
Congratulations go out to Anthony! I think that was the first time any man in history puked on his girl while executing a romantic gesture.
There was a slow clap GIF below it from Sam, and Declan had texted Leonardo DiCaprio raising a glass of champagne.
I hate you all. Anthony texted.
His phone chimed several times and he read the replies with only mild irritation.
Hey, he’s alive!
At least she let you stay after that. Noel would have kicked my ass off that porch.
The sound of panting got his attention and Anthony saw Leia in the doorway, a rubber pacifier in her mouth.
Anthony tossed his phone onto the bed and climbed to his feet. “You wanna play, huh?” He ignored the pain in his head as he took the toy and tossed it down the hall. She tore after it, her short legs pumping rapidly. She grabbed the toy, squeaking it between her teeth as she disappeared into the living room to find Delilah. When Anthony padded back out to the living room, Delilah was sitting in the same spot but her ear bud was gone and Leia was settled across her lap.
“Good morning.”
Delilah turned away from the window and smiled. “Well, hello, sunshine. How are we feeling this morning?”
“Shhh, not so loud,” he said, lifting her feet to sit on the couch next to her and placing them on his lap. “Please tell me that I did not puke last night?”
“Oh, you did. Several times.”
“On you?”
“Just the once and most of it ended up on your shirt. After that, you were pretty good about making it to the toilet.”
“I am so sorry,” he said, scrubbing his face with his hands. “Not exactly a perfect rom-com moment.”
“I don’t know. It was pretty good up until that point. I think I just have that effect on drunk men. Best to avoid them and places they frequent.”
“I normally stick to beer, but Pike kept bringing me drinks and I didn’t want to tell him no more.”
“Ah, well, I guess he got his revenge, huh?”
“And then some.” Anthony leaned his head back against the couch, staring at her. “You look upset.”
“I had a call with an editor this morning. She read my manuscript and wasn’t a fan of the story but allegedly liked my writing.”
“It didn’t go well?”
“I guess I got mixed signals. She told my agent she loved my voice but then proceeded to tell me everything wrong with it. She gave me a couple of authors and books to read to improve my writing and I don’t know … ” Delilah looked away. “Maybe this isn’t going to happen for me.”
“Hey,” he said, lifting her feet so he could scoot closer, and Leia jumped down out of the way as he wrapped her in his arms. “It was one person.”
“But she was the only one who spoke to me. The others rejected me outright,” Delilah told him, sounding like she was about to cry.
“So?” he said, rubbing a hand along her back. “That’s a handful of people. It’s not the entire publishing industry.”
“Holly told me I should just self-pub it.”
“Why don’t you?” he asked.
“I’ve looked into it, but it’s expensive. Thousands of dollars in editing, plus paying an artist for cover art. There’s formatting, unless I buy the software myself. And there’s no guarantee I’ll make my money back.”
“What if you do, though?”
She looked up at him, blue eyes shimmering with unshed tears. “You don’t think that a bunch of editors from major publishers have their thumb on what’s good?”
“I think what’s mainstream isn’t always what stands out. Look at how many indie films hit it big because they found their audience.” He ran a thumb over her cheek, wiping away her tears. “If this is your dream, Delilah, go for it. It’s better than never trying.”
“I just don’t know how much longer I can survive on my income here. That job in Colorado is a lot of money.”
Anthony nodded. “I get that. My road crew job was good money, too. I wouldn’t have been able to achieve my goals without it. So, if you have to take it, I get it. I just don’t want you to settle and accept this job because you think there isn’t anything better out there for you. You’re better than that.” He kissed the top of her head. “You’re extraordinary, Delilah Gill.”
“You’re just saying that so I’ll go out with you,” she teased.
“On that note, you left me hanging last night,” he said, cupping her chin and tilting her face up. “Are you going to put me out of my misery and say yes?”
“Depends on where you’re taking me.”
“I was thinking we could go get Lord of the Fries before I have to open up the store to start. Are you hungry?”
“Starved.” Her hand covered his, peeling it away from her face. “I do think we should take things slow, though. We kind of rushed into this before. At least until things settle down and get sorted.”
Anthony knew she was talking about whether or not she took that job and nodded. “I can do slow.”
Delilah smirked, her brow cocking skeptically. “Really?”
Anthony chuckled. “Yeah,” He got up from the couch, holding his hands out to her. “I think I better take a shower first. I smell like a bar.”
“Your shirt is in the dryer. I’ll grab it,” she told him, as she got up from the couch. She headed toward the laundry room. “Towels are in the hallway closet. Everything you need should be in there,” she yelled out.
It was on the tip of his tongue to ask her to join him, but he didn’t want to make the same mistakes he had before. Dating meant taking the girl out, planning activities. As much as he enjoyed being intimate with Delilah and missed it, he could wait.
“Thanks, I’ll see you in a bit.”
Anthony felt a bit skeevy putting on the same underwear he’d worn yesterday, but there was nothing he could do until he ran home. He shot Pike a text, asking him if he could open the store and hold down the fort so he could go home and change. Pike sent him a thumbs-up and a GIF of Shaq puckering up and kissing the air.
He would have stayed under the burning stream forever if he wasn’t keenly aware of Delilah waiting on him. He came out of the bathroom drying his wet hair with a towel to find her standing in the hallway, holding his shirt at the end of her finger.
“Thanks,” he said, kissing her cheek.
“You’re welcome. While I don’t mind washing your clothes, I’d prefer it happens under different circumstances.”
“Me, too,” he chuckled. He pulled his shirt over his head. “Now, socks, boots, and phone and we’ll be off.”
“I’ll go out and warm up the car. I’m assuming your truck is at Brews?”
“Yeah. I wasn’t planning on drinking.”
“We can grab it after breakfast.” She looked at the screen of her phone. “Do we need to hurry?”
“Pike is covering the store. One of the perks of owning a business. You’re the boss, so you can’t get fired.”
“Still, we probably shouldn’t make a habit of being late. I don’t want to cause any more problems between you and Pike.”
Anthony snaked an arm around her waist and brought her against him. “You know it was me, not you, right? Everything is good now.”
“Okay, I believe you. Let me go get the car warmed up.”
Anthony let her go reluctantly and tracked down his shoes and socks in the spare bedroom. He had a missed call from Bradley and checked for a voicemail. He pressed the button and hit speakerphone.
“Hey, little bro, call me back when you get this. I’ve got big news.”
Anthony’s mind raced and he itched to return the call but Delilah was waiting on him. He left the spare room and spotted her putting Leia in her crate. “Why do you lock her up if she has a doggie door?”
“She likes to dig if I leave her out. Can’t have her escaping when I’m in school with my phone off.”
“Ah, that makes sense.”
“Were you on the phone?” she asked.
“Yeah, my brother Bradley called and left a message to call him back. He said he has big news.”
“So call him!”
“I can do it later.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. I’m driving anyway, passenger princess. Call your brother.”
“Thanks.” He followed her out the door, then took her hand in his, and followed her around to the driver’s side to open her door.
“You don’t have to do all that.”
“This is still a date, even if I make a phone call.”
“Whatever you say.”
They climbed inside and Anthony pressed the call button, listening to it ring. It was almost eight thirty, but he wasn’t sure if his brother was already at work.
“Hello?”
“Hey, it’s Anthony.”
“Hey, bro! Guess who’s coming back to town?”
“You mean to visit?”
“Nope. We’re putting our house on the market and going to head down there for Christmas to start looking at houses.”
“Are you serious? That’s amazing, man!”
“We’re going to rent an Airbnb while we’re there, so you can come spend Christmas with us. I know you’re still living in that tin can in the woods.”
“Hey, that tin can has been my saving grace. Show her respect.”
“I’ll try, but hey, I’m at work and I gotta get loose ends tied up before I leave, so we’ll talk later. Audrey and the kids are excited.”
“Give ’em a hug for me and tell them I can’t wait.”
“Bye.”
Anthony ended the call and let out a whoop.
“Whoa, I guess it was a good call?” she laughed, coming to a stop at the four-way.
Anthony leaned across the seat and cupped the back of her head, bringing her in for a smacking kiss. “My brother Bradley and his family are moving back to Mistletoe.”
“I’m so happy for you.”
“Me, too. We talked about it a bit when we ducked out of Thanksgiving, but I never thought he’d pull the trigger.”
“Looks like you were wrong.” Delilah made a left onto the main road and followed the fork in the road to the right, claiming a parking spot in front of Lord of the Fries. “Look at that.”
“Things are really looking up for both of us, I think.” He grabbed her hand and squeezed it. “Let’s eat.”
They got out of the car and went into Lord of the Fries, a popular café in town. Pages of the classic book were placed under glass to form tables, along with other forms of book-related art and memorabilia on the walls. The owner, Harold Flanagan, said it was one of his favorite books growing up and he identified with the way the children had turned on one another during the course of the novel’s events.
The waitress brought over menus, and Delilah opened hers while Anthony left his at the end of the table. He turned his attention away for a minute to speak to the waitress and caught Delilah’s pained expression. He followed her gaze to a woman across the room who was watching them with a smile. The blonde got up and left her group of friends behind.
“Hi there, I am Aimee,” the blonde said, holding out her hand to Delilah. Then she transferred her attention to Anthony and gave him a dazzling smile. “It’s a pleasure.”
“I am Anthony and this is Delilah,” he said.
Delilah made a face. “Yeah, we went to middle school together,” Delilah mumbled and Anthony realized that the two of them had history.
“Ah, Delilah. I remember you,” she said looking her up and down briefly before turning to Anthony, “You are someone I’m unfamiliar with her.”
“Well, I’ve lived here my whole life,” he said, already annoyed with her.
“I just got back. I left in high school and went away to college on the East Coast.” Aimee pointed between Anthony and Delilah, “I’m just here visiting my parents during the holidays. “If you ever want to give me a private tour of the changes around here, I could give you my number.”
“I hope that you enjoy your stay,” Anthony said, reaching across for Delilah’s hand. “But we’re a little busy right now.”
Aimee’s eyes widened. “Are you two together?”
“You didn’t catch that from the hand holding?” Anthony’s sarcasm came through like molasses, thick and unmistakable.
Aimee’s lips tightened and she nodded at Delilah. “You are a very lucky girl.”
“I know.” Delilah gave the woman a pleasant smile.
“See ya,” Anthony said, giving her a little wave with his free hand.
Aimee walked away and Delilah pulled her hand away and went back to her menu, making a clicking noise with her tongue. “Well, I think it’s safe to say that she likes you.”
Anthony snorted, aware that her mild tone was anything but. If a man had come in and flirted like that with her, Anthony would have been livid.
“She’s just a flirt,” he said, leaning forward on the table so she would look up at him from the menu. When she finally did, he added, “And not anyone I would be interested in even if I wasn’t with you.”
“Really?” she drawled, closing her menu and setting it aside. “Tall, leggy blondes aren’t your thing?”
Anthony shook his head. “I’m not interested in any woman who’s going to take five hours to get ready and pick matching outfits for us just to go on a hike.”
“Why do you assume she’s like that?” Delilah asked.
“Did you see her nails?” Anthony said, making a clawing motion. “Those things look expensive and deadly. I don’t want her anywhere near me.”
“I wonder why she approached us like that?” Delilah asked.
“Who knows?” Anthony picked up both menus and stacked them on the end of the table, shooting her a saucy smirk. “I don’t really care, and I’m not interested in talking about her.”
Delilah picked up her napkin and started fraying the edges. “I guess I should be flattered that you are ignoring a girl like that for me.”
“Hey,” Anthony said, getting up and sitting next to her in the booth. “She doesn’t even compare to you.” Anthony cupped her face and gave her a soft, sweet peck. “She’s Chardonnay. You’re a bottle of ninety proof.”
“I make you sick and give you a headache?” she joked softly.
“No,” he said, kissing her a little harder this time, “you taste better than anything else on the shelf.”
“I feel like that’s a weird compliment,” Delilah said breathlessly, a smile teasing over her lips, “but I’m going to accept it because it’s you.”
The waitress appeared at the table, giving them a brief, knowing look before tapping her pen onto her pad. “Are you ready to order?”
“Yeah, I want a breakfast sandwich, hash browns, and black coffee,” Anthony said, sliding his arm around the back of the booth.
The waitress scribbled it down and asked, “How about you, Delilah?”
“I would like a short stack, fresh fruit, and a coffee with room for cream.” Delilah picked up the menus and handed them to her. “Thanks, Pam.”
“You got it!”
Once the waitress disappeared, Anthony leaned into her, running his finger over her cheek “Are you going to cancel your snowboarding lesson with Brodie?” Anthony asked.
“I had forgotten about it, actually, but I probably should.” Delilah scooted closer with a flirtatious smile. “I wouldn’t want him to get the wrong impression. Does your offer for snowboarding lessons still stand?”
Anthony stroked his chin, eyes narrowed playfully. “That depends on if you’re going to use the skills I teach you for good or evil.”
“How would I use them for evil?” she laughed.
“By using them to write another article and move to Colorado far away from me.”
“First of all, not everything is about you,” she said, nudging him. “And second of all, you were right and so is Holly. I don’t really want to take a job that has nothing to do with what I like to write, but I do want to at least try snowboarding and maybe submit another freelance article, because it does pay well.”
Anthony dipped his head to kiss her. “Then I’m happy to teach you the power of snowboarding.”
“You’re such a dork,” she said, accepting his kiss with a sweet little sigh that he could listen to for the rest of his life.
Oh damn, where did that come from?