Chapter 25
BECK
“Yes, sir. No, sir.”
Speak of the devil. Mr. O’Malley had just asked about his daughter when the door opened. An unexpected surprise since she wasn’t due to work lunch.
“Actually,” I said, shifting my phone to the other ear as I put two sodas on a tray for Jenn, “she just walked in.”
“We have to run, meeting with the realtor at noon, but tell her we’ll text later. Glad everything is going well,” he said.
“Will do, sir. Good luck at the realtor.”
I put my phone back into my jeans pocket.
“What are you doing here?”
Mae came around the bar, her hair back in a ponytail. An unusual style for her, but I liked it. We weren’t very busy, not unusual for a Tuesday at this time.
“What kind of greeting is that?” she teased.
So far, it hadn’t been the least bit awkward since our drive home, but this was the first time we were seeing each other. We’d texted a bit back and forth yesterday like normal, but even now, it was just… us.
Except, of course, everything had changed.
I took a step toward her as Mae leaned against the back bar. Leaning in, to make sure I wasn’t overheard, I whispered, “Love the pony. Thing is, Mae, I know all of your secrets. So I know for a fact if we found ourselves alone in the back room, you wouldn’t mind if I used it as leverage.”
Her lips twitched, fighting a smile, but she didn’t answer. I left her and turned to Lou, who’d just walked in.
“You’re early today.”
He grunted. “Hired a college kid to help me out.”
Pouring him a beer, only one at lunchtime, I slid it across the bar.
“About time. I’ve been telling you for years to hire some help. The usual?”
“Yeah,” he said. “No fries, though.”
That was a surprise.
“I’m cutting back.”
I could have commented, but got the sense Lou didn’t want to talk about it. He was divorced, had been for years. But I had noticed him looking a little leaner. Was there a woman involved? I punched in his order and stood beside Mae.
“Your dad called. Said they were heading to the realtor but would text you later.”
She smelled like lilies. It was a new scent, since France. A pretty one, perfect for her.
“So you’re just going to pretend you didn’t say… that?”
I looked her in the eyes. “I’m not wrong.”
“Not the point.”
“Come down to the inn tonight. Mason and Pia have leftovers from a wedding Sunday.”
“Um, I’m working.”
“I know, you weren’t supposed to be in until four. Miss me?”
Mae shoved me away from her, but laughed. “Hardly. You mentioned the supplier shorted us on mixers again. Figured I’d sort that out and take inventory on the wine fridge while I was at it. Thought I’d knock it out before the rush.”
“Hmm, likely excuse.”
I scanned the bar while pulling my phone back out. Clicking it, I wasn’t surprised Tessa answered right away. “Hey, Tess. Any chance you can cover tonight around seven? Shouldn’t be a late night. You could close down anytime.”
Wondering if Mae could hide her emotions in a high-stakes poker match, I decided she couldn’t. “Thanks. I owe you one.”
“You’re something else, you know that?”
“I do. What other excuse do you have?”
“Give me a few hours, and I’ll think of one.”
I smiled. She was coming.
“Hang on a sec before you go in the back.”
I grabbed a coaster and made my way to the window seat.
“Sorry, folks, this has been giving us some trouble lately. Mind if I fix it?” I asked the couple before proceeding to use the coaster to steady it.
Mae was right where I’d left her, looking perfectly at home behind the bar as she took Lou’s order from Jenn and served him.
“Table three’s off again. Grabbed a coaster to fix it. Don’t need spilled IPAs during happy hour. Really need to get that leg replaced.”
“Did you want me to stay so we can talk about table three?” The corners of Mae’s mouth tugged upward. I tried not to notice her lip gloss, but the memory of our kiss made it impossible.
“Smart ass. I wanted to talk about your parents. They apparently fell in love with a place. He called to ask about my interest in the bar and where I stood.”
Mae crossed her arms. “I was actually going to talk to you about that this weekend. I don’t think he means to pressure you. They were just going to look at the area and got talking to another couple who own a condo there, and the next thing you know—”
“You don’t have to explain it to me. I know your dad better than that. Funnily enough, he said the exact same thing. That another place would open up but they figured they’d meet with a realtor while they were down there to get the details.”
“Exactly. I think they’re getting caught up in it, being there.”
“Can’t blame them. I know they’ve wanted to do this for years. I just wondered what they told you about this place? Do you really think they’ll be able to find another they like as much? Your dad seemed pretty excited.”
“You know how he gets. Thankfully Mom is there to temper him. There must be a million condos down there, although they do love its proximity to the town, especially some breakfast place Dad found that he swears will be his new home. It does seem like a great price for ocean view, but yes. I think they’ll find another. Why?”
I had some initial thoughts, but not ones I wanted to share just yet.
“Beck, I have a customer asking for the manager,” Jenn said.
Mae tossed her hands in the air. “Don’t look at me. Not officially on duty yet.”
With that, she headed to the back room.
“Coward,” I called.
“What’s the problem?”
“No problem. Apparently table eleven was at the festival and came to check us out. Said he wanted to talk to the manager to discuss a possible partnership.”
From my vantage point at the bar, I couldn’t see table eleven.
“Intriguing,” I said, tossing a towel on the bar.
Even more intriguing? The thought of ramping up my “Mae campaign” as Parker called it when I told him and Mason yesterday about our talk. They both had a lot to say about the whole situation but thankfully, both fully supported it and were going to help me win her over.
On the bad news side, they also agreed Cole wasn’t likely to be very happy about the whole thing. If by some miracle I could convince Mae the womanizing commitment-phobe she knew could sing a different tune if the woman in question was her, he would be the last man standing.
But I had bigger problems than Cole. I put the thought of visiting my parents, and worse, asking them for a favor, out of my mind for now. That was tomorrow’s problem.
Tonight, at the gathering I convinced Mason and Pia was a good idea, it was game on.