Chapter 10
Chapter Ten
CHRISTIAN
F uck. We’ve been caught.
And by a family member, no less.
I pull away from Starling, but I don’t turn to face my sister. I can’t, not yet, not until I get the hard-on straining the teeth of my zipper under control.
I settle for glancing over my shoulder at Melissa with a smile, “Would you believe Starling had something in her eye and I was just helping her get it out?”
Melissa snorts. “Not a chance in hell. But what you do in your free time is your business. I’ll simply remind you both that your siblings are married and that banging people you’re related to, even by marriage, is rarely a good idea and leave it at that.” She claps her hands sharply together. “Now get moving, Chris. I need that bar up and ready to start serving in ten. We’re seating now and the drink orders will be the first things rolling in.”
She drags a critical gaze up and down my body. “And find time to put on a costume please. We have extras in the bins behind the bar. Once the dancing starts, people will actually be stopping by the bar in person, and I don’t want your jeans and t-shirt ruining the fantasy.” She shifts her gaze Starling’s way with a smile, “Come with me, sugar. I’ll get you seated with the rest of your group. You look fabulous, by the way. I can see why Christian was having trouble keeping his hands to himself. That dress is fire.”
“Thanks,” Starling says, still looking a little flustered as she moves around me, an unspoken question in her eyes.
“I’ll text you when I’m done here,” I tell her. “We can finish our conversation at the bike shop? Nine p.m.?”
Relief softens her features as she nods. “Okay, cool. See you then.” Turning to Mel, she adds, “And don’t worry about showing me to my seat. I can find it. You should stay here and pick out the most obnoxious costume possible.” She flashes a wicked grin my way. “I think Christian deserves a little punishment for arriving late and out of costume.”
Melissa laughs. “I like the way you think.”
“I liked what you were thinking five minutes ago more,” I say, ignoring the now hushed voice in my head warning that this is a bad idea.
We’ve gone too far down the sex mentor road to turn back now. We’ve already made our first rule—no banging in the house—and have a date to meet up later. And if I back out now, Starling might go home with Theo, and then I’d have to kill my cousin.
Or castrate him.
Or lock him in a windowless room for a few weeks until Starling forgets about him and directs her amorous attentions elsewhere.
Any of the above could result in prison time and irrevocable damage to my relationship with my cousin, and I don’t want that. I like Theo. A lot. I just also happen to like him far, far away from Starling with zero chance of seeing her naked.
“I’ll keep that in mind,” Starling says, fluttering her fingers as she backs away. “See you later. Excited to try your food, Melissa.”
“You won’t be disappointed,” Mel calls after her as Starling starts across the empty dance floor toward the brightly lit side of the tent. “Not in my food anyway,” she adds beneath her breath as she turns back to me with a sober expression. “What are you doing, Chris? She’s practically a kid.”
“She’s not a kid. She’s a force to be reckoned with,” I say, moving behind the bar. “And we have a plan to make sure no one gets hurt.”
“Oh, well, then everything should be fine,” Melissa says, sarcasm dripping from every word. “Plans like that always go off without a hitch. Ben and I had a plan like that, but then he decided he didn’t like making out with girls, filed for divorce, moved in with a guy named Radcliffe, and joined the gay biker’s club.”
I wince. “I’m sorry, Mel. I know shit has been hard lately.”
“The hardest part is that Radcliffe looks better in a crop top than I do,” she quips. “No pastry chef should have rock-hard abs. It’s a sin against the foodie code.” She crosses her arms over her chest with a sniff. “Missing my best friend hasn’t been much fun, either.”
I find the bin of costumes and drag it out from beneath the bar. “I thought you and Ben were getting along okay. That you still have family time with Chase together every week and that kind of thing.” Chase, my two-year-old nephew, is the sweetest kid. We were all glad to hear Ben was committed to keeping the family as whole-feeling as possible considering he no longer lives in the same house.
Mel nods. “Yeah, he comes over for dinner every Tuesday and Thursday and we talk on the phone almost every day, but it’s not the same. I miss the Ben I used to know. The one who laughed at my dumb jokes and told me I was beautiful and liked to cuddle me on the couch before bed.” She sighs. “I don’t blame him for coming out. I know how stressful it was for him and that he’s trying so hard to make the transition as smooth as possible for Chase and me, I just…” She swallows before adding in tighter voice. “I wish it were still okay for me to be in love with him. But it’s not, so…”
My chest aching for her, I say, “I’m here for you, sis. Anytime. If you need to talk or just want to go for a ride and blow off some steam. My Harley collection is your Harley collection. I’ll even let you ride the Flathead if you want.”
“I don’t ride anymore,” Mel says. “It reminds me too much of the old Ben and the old me and how much fun we had before everything fell apart.”
“But you love to ride,” I say, hating that she’s lost so much in such a short amount of time.
“Yeah, well, now I love working on Chase’s clubhouse in the backyard. We’re having a great time with a much lower chance of a catastrophic collision.” Drawing her shoulders back with a sniff, she motions toward the lace-heavy shirt I’ve just pulled from the bin. “Yes, wear that one, the lacy shirt with the vest that looks like a red and gold carpet. Put those on and you’ll be good to go. As long as you don’t come out from behind the bar, no one will see your jeans.” Snapping her fingers, she heads for the grills set up outside the tent. “Oh, and check the glasses for lipstick marks before you pour. Our dishwasher hasn’t been getting them all off lately. Reach out to Margot if you get in the weeds. She might be able to spare a server in a pinch.”
“Will do,” I assure her, making a mental note to talk to Barrett about Mel when he gets back. He’s been seeing a therapist, and it seems to have done him good.
Maybe he can reach out to Mel about finding someone to help her deal with her divorce and all the rest of it. Mel has always been the goofy, practical joker of the family, the one with the loudest laugh and a knack for finding the fun in life. Seeing her so down just feels…wrong. I get that she has to work through her grief, but it might not hurt to have a professional helping the process along.
“Beer!” A man in a Ren Faire-friendly server’s uniform hurries over, sliding an empty tray on top of the bar. “Give me all the beer, as much as you can fit on there. The full calorie stuff. So far, no one’s going for the light draft.”
“Got it,” I say, grateful there are only two taps tonight—pale ale and light pale ale—and only a handful of wines to choose from. The simplicity of the drink menu should keep things moving smoothly.
The drink orders come fast and furious for the first twenty minutes, but things slow down considerably once the first course is served and stall completely during the dessert course. I have another flurry of activity when the band starts to play and the diners take to the dance floor, but I don’t have any trouble keeping up. I manage to pour drinks and scan the dancers for a sign of Starling without missing beat.
Starling seems to have left—along with Nora—but Theo is still here, a fact that gives me such great pleasure, I feel obliged to buy my cousin a drink.
“I don’t mind paying,” he says, accepting the beer I slide across the bar. “If you give free drinks to every McGuire in town, Mel will go broke in a week.”
“It’s on me,” I say. “My way of saying thanks for keeping me out of trouble when we were kids. And backing out of the Furry Friend’s gig when I decided to apply.”
His eyes narrow. “My pleasure. The real estate firm is a better fit for me anyway. You sobered up awfully quickly.”
I shrug. “What can I say? Bread and water. They work miracles.”
He grunts. “Guess so. Thanks for the beer.” With one last pointed look my way, he wanders back toward the stage.
He clearly suspects I was faking my intoxication but is too nice to say so, and I appreciate that. I don’t want to get in a fight with my cousin. I like Theo and I don’t have time to waste on family conflict tonight. By the time the band plays their final encore, I only have half an hour to get home, get Bella fed, and get to the bike shop to meet Starling.
I’m unbuttoning my borrowed vest and wondering if I have time for a quick shower when a text comes through from the woman herself— Excited to see you soon. Oh, and don’t change out of your costume. I have an idea…
I shoot back— What kind of idea?
A sexy one , she replies. What if we stay in character? The princess having a dalliance with her serving boy? What do you think?
I grunt, surprised, but more into the idea than I expect. I think that sounds inspired. Hot and keeping-things-casual friendly at the same time.
Agreed, she replies. Glad we’re on the same page. Consider yourself summoned by your princess. Don’t be late, serving boy. I don’t like to be kept waiting.
My lips curving in a wicked grin, I assure her, I won’t, princess. All the king’s horses and all the king’s men couldn’t keep me away.
Bubbles fill the screen and then an emoji with a flirty smile and one word— Perfect .
“Not yet, but it will be,” I murmur to myself as I tuck my cell into my jeans pocket.
A little role-playing sounds like a great way to keep things fun and casual between us, and knowing I’ll get to make my fantasies involving Starling and that princess dress a reality has my blood pumping faster.
I head for the exit without saying goodbye to Mel. She’s busy directing clean-up and I figure it’s better to ask for forgiveness for taking her costume than permission. She’d want to know why I need Ren Faire gear after the fair is over and I’m not into explaining sex stuff to my sister, especially when I know she’s not getting any at the moment.
As soon as I’m outside the tent, I break into a jog, hurrying toward the parking lot, doing my best not to think about the last time I was this excited to meet up with a woman. I’m pretty sure I’ve never been this excited and that doesn’t bode well for keeping my heart in one piece.
But with Starling in that princess dress waiting for me just a few miles away…
Well, right now I can’t bring myself to care.