5. Lennon
Chapter 5
Lennon
Record Scratch
M y muscles relaxed as he stalked out of the taproom. The mood had definitely taken a turn. Griffin had been an easygoing sort when he’d first come to the orchard. A little slick, a lot attractive, and far too watchful.
Sometimes it felt as if his entire purpose was trying to puzzle me out.
I didn’t like him in my space.
The chaos of a bar meant people were bumping and touching and even getting far too familiar sometimes, while reaching around for a bottle of liquor or into the till to cash out a patron.
That kind of thing I could handle.
Griffin made my skin tighten. Not in the creep zone-style. I was more than able to handle that, thanks to ten years of bartending, but in the way that spelled trouble. If I’d been on a temporary job, I’d have banged it out with him and moved on.
Now? Not so much.
Too many entanglements with the people here in the taproom. Not to mention, people were nosy as fuck. Especially Kain.
Things were still tense between the two men, and I didn’t need to wade into that war zone, thanks. And depending on how long Griffin stuck around, I didn’t need things to be awkward.
I didn’t do relationships. Hell, I barely did situationships. It was just easier to scratch the itch when it arose. To be truthful, it didn’t happen all that often.
When off the clock, I enjoyed the quiet to reset. There was nothing quiet or calming about Griffin St. James. He was far more like his brother than Kain would own up to.
And from the end of our conversation, he was holding onto just as much baggage. I had enough of my own. I didn’t really need to unpack anyone else’s.
Kira skipped up the steps from the patio. Her cheeks were flushed, and her top knot was a little crooked. She went right for the playpen area and looked in on the twins, who slept through damn near everything.
Oh, to sleep so soundly.
I’d been a light sleeper all my life. Mostly because not every place I slept as a kid could be called safe by any metric. A quick flash of the apartment with the paper-thin walls in Flagstaff rolled through. The pervasive scent of old cigarettes, fried food, and unwashed bodies never quite faded.
Absently, I rubbed my arm where a scar trailed along my forearm. I tugged at the cuff of my long-sleeved sweater, shoving away the past.
“Looks like you’re settling right back in.” Kira hopped up on a stool in front of me. “You want to go over a supply list?”
I gave her a sly grin. “A little pep in your step now?”
The skin of her chest above the wraparound V-neck flushed as she cleared her throat. “Gotta catch a moment when it arises.”
“Uh-huh.”
Kira snickered. “So, do you have any ideas or do I need to dig through your fascinating brain a bit more?”
“Nope, I have a few ideas, especially thanks to that Honey Cider line.”
“It’s great, isn’t it?” Kira leaned on the bar, obviously a little keyed up.
“Definitely.”
What must that be like? To be so into someone that sneaking away put you in such a good mood?
Kira gave me a speculative look. “Something up?”
“No. I’m just a little out of sorts since Griffin decided he wanted to help. Messed up my system.”
“Heaven forbid.” Kira drummed her fingers on the wood. “I saw you guys talking out there.”
“Don’t take that tone of voice with me. Not everyone in this orchard needs to be hooked up with someone else.”
“I didn’t say anything.”
“Uh-huh. Don’t give me that innocent look.”
“You guys look good together.”
“So did Sid and Nancy, and you know how that worked out.”
“Pretty sure Griffin is a hell of a lot better looking than Sid Vicious.”
“I’ll agree there. However, he knows just how hot he is. Bumps him down a few points.”
“Hmm. Think you’re protesting too much.” She held up her hands in mock surrender. “But you do you, boo. Just the air crackles.”
“Your head is cracked.”
A baby’s cry split the air. “Saved by baby.” Kira grinned, then she turned and made soft murmuring sounds as she scooped up one of the twins. The other slept on blissfully.
Oh, to sleep like that. How many times could I wish for that?
Too many, clearly.
I was pretty sure I hadn’t had a full night’s restful sleep since I was ten.
I slid the last of the pint glasses into their rack, then finished up the slim glasses with the frosted geometric patterns.
I’d found them at a flea market last summer. The nice thing about rural areas were the diamonds I found. Vintage T-shirts, sweatshirts, and bar glasses were my weakness. And currently, old records had been added to the mix.
Since I’d started working at the orchard, I’d kept an apartment in town. I was so used to being on the move that I’d never settled anywhere long enough to acquire stuff. Now I had a place I kept all year-round even if I was only at Brothers Three for two of the seasons.
It was nice to have a home base—even if it was temporary.
Straightening up, washing down the bar, and tucking my supplies in their correct spaces eased out the frayed edges Griffin had caused. The sun was dipping lower in the sky, but the days were getting longer.
I grabbed my bag, as well as two shirts for the St. Patrick’s Day event. “Think I’m going to head out. I came right from my storage unit and need groceries—as well as to wash off the road trip.”
“Oh, you didn’t need to come in today.”
I waved her off. “I wanted to. Feels like it’s been more than four months since I’ve been here.” I rounded the bar and stopped near Kira. I didn’t know much about babies, but I couldn’t stop myself from dragging a gentle finger over the baby’s soft curls behind her ear.
Ella shoved a fist into her mouth and stared at me with those big fathomless baby eyes. They still had a blue tinge to them, but they were firmly heading into brown territory. Or perhaps the amber of their mother.
“She sure is pretty.”
“Yeah, I’m partial to her and her sister.”
I grinned. “I just bet. Motherhood looks good on you, Kira.”
Her amber eyes softened. “I’m scared witless most days, but it’s pretty amazing.”
“What are you guys doing when we open?” I glanced at the play area. “Not sure that will work when we’ve got chairs and booths everywhere.”
“We’re going to set-up in a corner of Ronan’s workshop for part of the day while we interview nannies. Finding someone to take care of twins is already hard enough, but ones that we trust…” She sighed. “It’s been a lot. Ronan’s mother is coming in this weekend to stay with us for a few weeks until we figure it all out.”
“Are we cool with the mother-in-law?”
“Thankfully, she’s amazing. And Brighid wants more time with them so win-win.”
“Good. I’m glad.” I gave Kira a pat. “You’ll figure it out. We always do around here.”
“That’s the truth.”
Ronan was coming up the stairs as I tossed the T-shirts over my shoulder. “I’ll see you guys tomorrow.”
“Nice to have you back at the orchard, Lennon.”
I gave him a wide smile. “Nice to be back.” I gave them a little salute and headed out the front of the taproom. The doors were still open, and the breeze felt nice after dealing with dusty boxes.
The drive into town was uneventful. A quick stop at the mom-and-pop market, Gordon’s Grocery, netted me a massive sub for dinner, plus deli meat for the rest of the week. Then I added in a few pre-made dinners that were packed up at the front of the butcher case.
I was in and out within fifteen minutes, adding a bottle of Lambrusco wine from the liquor store next door before heading back to my place.
Mitchell Drive was a sprawling road in Turnbull. Lots of old houses were tucked along the winding road, as well as a few new apartment buildings. While I appreciated vintage for my own personal style, I liked my creature comforts.
I didn’t need much, and my corner unit allowed me a nice view of the woods. I picked an upper-level apartment for the quietness, and the elevator made the trip easy.
I only had my backpack full of work clothes, another smaller black bag with my traveling bar kit, my purse, and my provisions.
“One trip,” I said, speaking to the empty hallway as I hustled down to my door.
Once inside, I dropped everything and sagged against the dark, steel-enforced door. I flicked on the light and the stress instantly flowed off me.
I’d painted the main living space a deep green, offset by cream and saddle-colored furniture. My aloe plant and succulent dish garden were the only living things. I couldn’t kill them.
I’d hired a cleaning service to come in once a month while I was gone so the place wasn’t too dusty and stale, as well as making sure the plants stayed alive.
Taking my time, I left my other bags by the door, hauling the grocery bag and bottle of wine with me.
I stopped at the record player, flicking it on and setting the needle on the album I’d been listening to the night before I left. The easy, acoustic strains of City and Colour filled my whole apartment.
I had speakers all over the place, including in my small kitchen, and in my bedroom.
After I put my groceries away, I cracked the seal on my wine and poured a big glass and padded my way around the corner and down the small hallway to my bedroom. I’d gone with a soothing gray for the walls there that matched my en suite bathroom of marbled tiles.
I took the wine in with me in the bathroom and set it on the counter. The music played in there, as well as I shucked my clothes, unwound my braids, then took a healthy swallow of the sweet wine.
My eyes were smudged as hell, and I took the time to scrub off my makeup before I took my wine into the shower.
I was pretty sure I’d picked this apartment because of the bathroom. The big, glassed-in shower was already impressive. To complete the picture, I’d added a bougie showerhead and blissfully stood under the rain hood.
As I closed my eyes and lifted my face to the spray, Griffin’s green eyes drifted into my memory.
The wounded flash I’d caught before he stuffed it under his careless smile before he tucked that stupid toothpick back into his mouth.
Why the hell was he interrupting my peace, dammit?
I leaned out from the cascading water and took another gulp of wine before pushing thoughts of him out of my head and got on with my night.
I needed peace.
Not to think about a man with demons lingering in his green eyes.