Chapter 5
CHAPTER FIVE
brANTLEY
Istomp down the alleyway and turn onto the sidewalk, flexing my hands into fists in an effort to calm the anger stinging my veins. I hate being angry. My dad was always angry, and I was always the reason. I don’t want to be like him—though my social habits have been suspiciously similar lately.
“B, wait!”
My pace falters. I stop and look back, feeling the tension leave my body as I watch Fiona approach.
I’ve been stalking Fiona Flowers on Instagram for the past three years.
I know about her jobs, her friends (who used to be my friends), and her beautiful girlfriend, Anna.
I followed it all like a creep, but I never reached out.
I didn’t, however, know she was in my city working at Brothers’ Beer I’m just not so good at playing adult while I mourn the loss of my career.
I expect Fi’s judgment or pity—those are the two looks people give me these days—but her eyes soften with empathy, and she grips my sleeve and leads me back the way we came.
“C’mon,” she says with a tug.
“Where are we going?” I must sound shocked because she laughs.
“We’re going to get your bills sorted.”
“What?” I follow like a lost puppy, my eyes tearing up. I want to say it’s a response to the cold February wind, but really her kindness is making my heart hurt. “You really don’t have to do that. I’m a grown man.”
“Really?” Fi snarks. “Could’ve fooled me.”
Ouch. I walked into that one.
I realize her intent when we reach the pub again, and I stop short. “No. Nope. Bastian will literally kill me if I go back in there. He punched me in the mouth a couple weeks ago,” I say, fingering my lip where it split.
“You probably deserved it, B.”
I cross my arms. “I am not going back in there.” .
“Oh? Well, we’re fixing this little billing snafu either way, so we can either do it here or at my place I share with Sebastian. Your choice.”
“You guys are living together?” I blurt, my stomach clenching with something akin to jealousy. “Are you an item or something?” I definitely don’t remember that tidbit on her social media.
“Don’t be ridiculous. He was nice enough to offer me Marcus’s room temporarily. Plus, I’d never. He’s Charlie’s brother.” She starts walking again, pulling me along.
I smirk as I follow her inside. “He wants to fuck you.”
“We’re just friends, B,” she says tolerantly, pointing at a table by the fireplace.
“Whatever you say.”
Before I can sit, Fiona steps forward and cups my cheeks. My breath catches as my eyes drink in the three small brown dots that overlap each other like Mickey Mouse just below her right eye. I used to tease her about it in college.
“You need help, B,” she says softly, drawing my gaze back to hers.
I take a deep breath. “I know.”
“Let me help a little.”
I give her a small nod and move back before I do something stupid, then sit down, glancing around anxiously. I’m not really sure how the rest of the staff feels about me right now, but Brett walks by and nods, so I relax a little.
“Just give me a minute,” Fi says before she walks over to one of the waitresses.
I think her name is Jen or Jenny or something.
They have a brief exchange and then Fiona runs into Seb’s office and reappears a minute later with a laptop.
She sets it down on the table and opens it, and I peek around her at the door.
“Relax, B. Seb is doing inventory in the back. He should be distracted for a couple hours.”
I give her a doubtful look.
“So, what’re we working with here?” she asks seriously. “Are you broke? Do we need to get some extensions on your bills, or are you just disorganized? Please tell me you haven’t pissed away your entire NHL bonus on booze.”
“I’m not that bad,” I mutter. “Just forgetful.”
“That’s easy then. Do you know your passwords?”
“Erm, maybe?”
She gives me an exasperated look.
Just then, Gabriella walks up with a plate of fries and two Cokes. I give her a shy smile, and she grins back.
“What happened to Jenna?” Fi asks, her tone amused.
Gabriella nods at me with a mischievous smile. “She didn’t want to get caught by the boss serving him.”
“Probably smart,” I say, popping one of the fries into my mouth. “I’m a menace.”
“You’re more than that.” Gabriella winks and leaves us.
“They like you.” It’s a statement rather than a question.
I nod. “I’ve been here a lot.”
“Why here?” Fi asks quietly, sipping on her Coke.
“I remembered the place from when you visited with Charlie all those years ago, and I honestly just wanted to see a familiar face.”
Because everyone else left me.
We stare at each other in silence until Fi finally clears her throat. “So bills.”
For the next hour, we reset my passwords for the water, electric, and cable companies, pay each one, and call my landlord and give him my credit card to autodraft starting next month.
I watch Fi while she works, her slender fingers flying over the keyboard, and it reminds me of college when we used to do our homework together. A little stabby feeling twinges my chest, and I rub it absently as I watch her, guilt a lead weight in my gut.
“So what brings you here, Fi?” I ask.
She stops typing and glances up at me. “A lot of things.”
“Can you be more specific?”
Fi sighs and cocks her head to the side, pursing her lips like she’s considering what she wants to say.
“Not that it’s really any of your business,” she starts, and I have to admit that her attitude stings, “but my mom died the same day I got laid off and then my girlfriend dumped me. Or I dumped her. I dunno. Whatever. We broke up.” Her cheeks flush as she says it, and she looks away.
It’s not like her to get flustered. Something is different now.
“I’m sorry, Fi. Are you okay?”
“Yeah, you know me. I’ll bounce back like I always do,” she says with a tight smile. “And I think we’re done here.” She closes the laptop with a snick.
“What the fuck is this?” Sebastian’s voice crawls over my skin, and I wince before glancing behind me to see Bastian stalking toward the table with a murderous glare.
I swallow, fingering the scar across my neck nervously.
“Don’t worry, Seb,” Fi says smoothly. “Brantley was just leaving.”
Sebastian grits his teeth. “Why is he here at all? Eating my food from my pub?”
Gabriella walks out of the backroom carrying a tray of drinks. When she sees us, she redirects her path until she’s standing next to Sebastian. “Boss, behave.” She nods at the half-eaten plate of fries. “He’s a paying customer right now.”
I look over at her in confusion. “But I didn’t—”
Fi kicks me under the table, and I grunt, giving her a look.
“A paying customer?” Seb sputters. Brett, who’s leaning next to the soda fountain, snickers. Seb glares at him. “Oh for fuck’s sake.” He glares at me. “Just get the fuck out.”
I stand quickly, nearly toppling the chair behind me, but Gabriella nimbly catches it while still balancing her tray with her other hand.
Fi stands. “Brantley doesn’t have a working shower right now, so we’re going back to our place, Seb.”
“What?!” Sebastian and I say at the same time.
I gawk at her. “Fi, I really don’t think—”
“Shut up, Brantley,” she snaps, picking up the laptop. “I’m going to put this back and grab my coat and purse.”
She shrugs out of my jacket and hands it back to me. Sebastian stiffens.
“This is ridiculous, Fi.”
She ignores him and walks away.
I finally glance over, giving him a smirk full of confidence that I don’t really feel. “I’m just going to wait outside.”
Then I leave quickly.
The hot water scalds my skin and soothes my aching muscles as I press my forehead against the shower wall and try to relax.
My apartment doesn’t have great water pressure, so I’m in heaven right now.
Not that I can’t afford a place like this, but I opted for location over luxury, and it turns out that even mediocre places in Vancouver are astronomically expensive.
I probably should have changed apartments after the accident, but moving just felt too hard.
That’s the thing about depression—it’s this suffocating weight that robs you of motivation for even the simplest tasks.
Some days, showering and feeding myself are a challenge.