Chapter 46
MAE
It had been a whirlwind twenty-four hours.
From a business meeting turned engagement, to a day (and night) I wasn’t going to stop fantasizing about for a long time, and then back home to celebrate with my parents who were, quite literally, waiting on the doorstep, I stopped short before heading into the bar.
Was this him? Again?
A sparkly silver “congratulations” banner adorned the entrance. At this point, I should probably not be surprised. To say Beck had gone all out these past two days was the understatement of the century.
My fiancé.
The only hesitation I had wasn’t related to Beck at all. Every doubt had been erased; his assertion that I was different than the other women wasn’t just words. He’d shown that to me, and I believed it. Knew he loved and would cherish me.
It was my decision-making that gave me pause.
To think I had agreed to marry Mathieu scared me a bit.
The difference between the two men—their motivations, character and actions—could not have been more stark.
When I called Jules to thank her and tell her the good news, she quoted her therapist, as usual.
“You made the best choice you could with the information and self-worth you had at the time. That doesn’t mean it was wrong. It means you’ve grown.”
Thank goodness for that.
I was about to start a night shift, one I might have groaned about a few years ago when I’d helped my dad out at the bar between CIA and France.
But now? I couldn’t wait to work alongside my fiancé, especially since it meant meeting up with Parker, who was coming up later to show me his plans for the kitchen renovations.
I pushed open the door to a round of applause.
At the bar, the entire crew. Including a hotter than hell bartender who apparently planned to live in button-down shirts now after I’d teased him about saying yes to his proposal thanks to his attire. It was Beck’s forearms, I’d said, that sealed the deal.
He grinned, probably knowing exactly what I was thinking as he more vigorously shook the ice shaker in his hand. I blinked, forcing myself to focus on the people sitting and standing in their usual corner of the bar.
Mason. Parker. Delaney. Pia. Jules. Only Cole was missing. A round of congratulations met me as I hugged each one of them and everyone talked at once.
“I wasn’t surprised at all,” Delaney said. “You two were meant for each other.”
“Tell your fiancé he still owes us three hundred bucks.” Mason nodded to the man in question, who quipped back, “Two hundred.”
“What do you think?” he asked me.
Beck poured martinis for two women at the other end of the bar. Ones I might have been threatened by, especially as they both looked at him with stars in their eyes, if it weren’t for the absolute certainty that Beck wasn’t interested in them.
“I think you need an impartial second opinion, and I’m not your girl for that.”
“Three hundred.” Parker raised his beer glass to me in greeting.
“Pretty sure you’re not considered impartial either,” Jules said.
“Hey, pretty lady.”
Every head turned as Beck addressed me.
“Nice shirt.”
“Thanks.”
That’s when I noticed Jenn. “I thought she was off tonight?”
“She was,” Beck said. “But I figured you could celebrate easier, and talk to Parker about the kitchen plans, if you didn’t have to worry about customers. So you’re off the hook.”
“Awww,” Pia swooned. “Why did you warn me away from him when I first came?” Pia asked Mason. “He’s a sweetheart.”
Parker nearly spit out his beer. “Not the word I’d use.”
Sidling up to the bar on my newly minted night off, I met Beck’s gaze.
“I don’t know what I’m in the mood for,” I said in my most overly flirty tone. “Can you help me decide?”
“Well, beautiful,” he said, as smooth as ever. “How are you feeling tonight? We’ll go from there.”
“Hmmm.” I leaned my elbow on the bar, pretending to think. “I’m feeling happy. And excited too.”
“Ah yeah? Why’s that?”
I deliberately stared overly long at his forearm before meeting his eyes, sighing dramatically.
“It’s a guy.”
“Ooof, must be one hell of a guy to catch the attention of a woman like you.”
“Oh, he is,” I assured him.
Without hardly even looking away from me, Beck noticed the same thing I did, that Lou was on empty. Without missing a beat, he said, “Let me think about it a sec,” and headed off to refill him.
“So I hear we’re working on some renovations together?” Parker asked.
I turned to the group.
“I can’t thank you enough for squeezing it in. With the business, and your own house, I know you’re slammed.”
“It’s no problem at all. Though like I told Beck, it’ll be about a month before I can get to it. I want to clear at least a week so there’s minimal disruptions to the kitchen.”
I exchanged a look with Delaney, girl code for “you’ve got a good one here.”
“I appreciate it.”
“When you get your drink, how about we go back and take a look? I have some updated plans.”
“Sounds great.”
Beck was back.
“So about that drink. Two options for you. First is a Velvet Night. Blackberry, gin, hint of spice. Just enough bite to keep you curious, like the look you gave me five minutes ago.”
Oh man, he was good.
“And the second?”
His slow smile said it all. “A Slow Burn. Whiskey, honey, and a splash of chili syrup. Starts sweet, finishes with a kick. Kind of like what I’ve got planned for later.”
Holy shit, Beck.
This working together thing was going to be tough. Gathering myself, I forced a leveled, and still flirty, voice. But this time, with a seductive spin.
“I’ll take the second one. Feels more in line with my mood.”
“Oh yeah?”
“Hmm hmm.”
Beck let out a breath, smiled as if to say “you’re killing me”, and began to make the drink. I watched every move with a different kind of anticipation than I had when walking into the bar.
Turning back to the group, I forced my mind from Beck. After all, he was closing, so the slow burn was an appropriate choice.
“Like Pia’s sign?” Delaney asked.
“Ahh, so that was you?”
“I had it hanging around the inn. I hope you don’t mind. Jules said you were telling everyone.”
“Mind? I love it. And I love you guys too. Seriously, thank you for everything. Welcoming me into the fold, putting up with Beck and me these past few weeks—”
“Mostly Beck,” Parker said to laughter.
“You made it easy to want to stay in Cedar Falls.”
Mason handed me my drink. I glanced back at Beck, who winked at me, and then turning back to the gang, I lifted my glass.
“To Cedar Falls.”
They lifted theirs too, and we drank. To the town that had brought us all together.