Chapter 25 - Callum
TWENTY-FIVE
Callum
As we stepped out of Silver Linings, coffees in hand, I paused on the sidewalk to inhale the crisp morning air. “I love First Fridays,” I announced.
Zandra eyed me over her pistachio latte. “Why?”
We started walking toward Hearthstone. “First Friday of the month means new specials at places all over town. Live music in the park. Sidewalk sales. We didn’t do much at Hearthstone last First Friday with Manny out, and you and me just starting our trial period.
But don’t you remember from growing up here? ”
“Yes, I remember. But it never seemed like that big a deal.”
I scoffed. “Blasphemy. I bet you’re one of those grinches who never went to pep rallies or town festivals either.”
She strode along casually beside me, sipping her drink. “Sometimes I went with Jessa, but no, really not my scene.”
Lengthening my strides, I got ahead of her and spun around to walk backward while facing her. “At the summer festival right after you got back to town, you would’ve seen me in my full turnout gear. I looked smokin’, pun intended.”
“Wow, I missed out,” she deadpanned.
“Us firefighters will be at the fall festival next month. FYI.”
“I’d better hurry up and get it on my calendar.” She took another slow sip.
Grinning, I fell back into stride alongside her.
As we went down the block, Zandra gasped. “Why is there a huge line in front of Hearthstone?”
“First Friday, baby. How did you miss that at the last staff meeting? Some general manager candidate you are.” Nobody was looking our direction, so I snuck in a pinch of her butt cheek. She glared. Worth it.
I slung my arm around her shoulder, because friends and coworkers did things like that. “Russ is debuting his new beer today.”
“The new golden ale? I thought that was tonight.”
“We officially add it to the board tonight. But people always show up early to taste the first pours of the new beer on First Fridays.”
“Russ mentioned we’d have a crowd for the tasting. I just didn’t realize it would be…this.”
“Impressive, huh?”
Her smile glowed with pride. “Yeah. It is.”
Hearthstone was loved by so many people in Hart County. It was an honor to be a part of this place.
And somehow, running the brewpub with Zandra over the last six or so weeks had only made that sense of pride stronger. Working with Z was a blast, I’d learned a ton, and Hearthstone was thriving more than ever.
Even more importantly, since we’d installed a couple additional cameras at Hearthstone and Zandra had moved in with me, there hadn’t been any further harassment or vandalism incidents. Tommy Pickering hadn’t dared to show his face around either of us, which might’ve had something to do with that.
We were sailing toward the end of the summer. I was having the best sex of my life with the same gorgeous woman in my bed every night. And it felt like only good things were ahead.
Once we got to Hearthstone, there was a sense of anticipation and excitement in the air. I greeted a bunch of regulars waiting in the line as Zandra and I headed inside.
As soon as Russ tapped the new keg to a chorus of cheers and shouts, I grabbed one of the first tastes. It was a golden-colored brew called Alpine Dawn.
“This is great. Nice job, man.”
Russ glanced around. Our servers were busy pouring tasters while the crowd buzzed happily. “Zandra didn’t want to taste it?” The poor guy seemed a little hurt.
“She can’t.”
He cursed. “I forgot about the gluten thing. Damn. Not very fun to work at a brewpub when you can’t drink the beer.” Then he got a thoughtful look, which was something of a stretch where Russ was concerned. “Hey, there’s that new gluten-free brewery over in Pine Creek. Have you heard about it?”
I perked all the way up. “No. Tell me more.”
A few minutes later, I’d joined in to help behind the bar as we were mobbed for samples of Alpine Dawn. And I had an idea for how Zandra and I were going to spend our next night off. It was going to be an epic date.
Then I froze, right in the middle of pouring a taster for the next customer in line.
Z and I weren’t dating. She’d made that clear, and of course, I wanted things that way too. Coworkers with benefits. I wasn’t a dating kind of guy.
Right?
“You okay, Callum?” Winnie asked, blond ponytail swinging as she angled her head.
“Uh, yeah.” I handed the taster to the waiting customer with an apologetic grin. “Just some things on my mind.”
“I bet. Only two more weeks until Manny makes his decision. You must be sweating!”
Oh, shit. Two weeks.
Of course, I’d known that in theory. But I hadn’t been focused on the reality. Only two more weeks of Zandra in my bed. Once one of us was the boss, we weren’t supposed to be getting busy anymore.
I mean, was that a hard and fast rule? In the employee handbook anywhere?
“You know,” Winnie said when the crowd had died down, “you and Zandra seem to be getting along real well. Nobody saw that coming.”
I shrugged, collecting dirty taster glasses. “I knew I’d win her over eventually.”
“Yeah, but you really won her over,” Winnie replied, speaking low with a mischievous glint in her blue eyes. “And under, I’m guessing?”
I grinned. “Winnie, I’m shocked at what you’re suggesting.” Sounded like Z and I hadn’t kept our sex life under wraps as much as we’d thought. “I can neither confirm nor deny.”
“Don’t worry, I’m not telling Manny. But in a couple weeks, one of you will get the job, and the other will be pissed. Aren’t you worried about that?”
“I won’t be mad if she gets the job.” Those words came out before I’d really thought about them. Yet I didn’t have a single doubt. A month and a half ago, I’d wanted general manager more than anything, but now…I could imagine other scenarios working out too.
“But what about if it’s you who makes general manager? How do you think Zandra will feel about it?”
And there was another hefty dose of reality, courtesy of Winnie Peyton.
I didn’t want to think it was possible. But Zandra had already proven she was a woman who could hold a grudge.
What if I won this competition, and Z went back to hating me?
Late in the afternoon, I found Zandra putting cash into the safe in Manny’s office.
Well, it wasn’t going to be Manny’s office anymore in a couple of weeks. It would be one of ours.
Fuck, I didn’t want to think about that.
“Hey.” I shut the door behind me. Zandra stood up and smiled, meeting me by the door. Her arms went around my neck, and her lips landed on mine.
After a kiss that was just this side of filthy, she pulled back.
“That was quite a hello,” I said.
“Didn’t see you for a couple hours. I kind of missed you.”
“Missed you too.” My chest was all weird and tight, and I wasn’t sure I liked it.
“How’s the tasting going?” She sat on the edge of the desk. “I meant to go check on Russ, but I got caught up in a few things.”
I leaned back against the door and crossed my arms. “The fans have spoken, and they love it.”
“So Russ is having a great First Friday. What are you up to?”
Making my head hurt with all these questions spinning around, I answered silently. “Wondered what you’re doing for dinner.”
She frowned, like she suspected this was a trick question. “Same thing as usual. Hope that you or one of the guys will make food, and I’ll take care of the dishes. Why?”
“Would you wanna do something different? Just with me?” My hands dug into my pockets.
“Callum, what are you asking me?”
I’d invited her to my place for a cooking lesson, and that had practically been a date. Hell, I’d asked her to move in with me. Sort of. She slept in my bed nearly every night. Why was this so hard?
“Would you want to—”
My phone buzzed, and I pulled it out of my pocket instead of finishing my sentence. Because for the first time in over three decades, I’d decided to get shy around a girl.
“Anything important?” Zandra asked.
Actually, it was. “Text from Teller Landry.”
Her eyebrows drew together. “Yeah? He found something?”
Last week, I’d asked my buddy Teller to look into Tommy Pickering, since he was still our main suspect for the note left on Z’s windshield.
But I’d cleared it with Zandra first. I knew she didn’t like the idea of a stranger getting into her business, especially anything related to Jessa, but since it also could involve vandalism at Hearthstone—the broken window—she’d relented.
I read her the text Teller had sent.
Teller
Finished background on Pickering. One arrest for drunk and disorderly last year, nothing else. Also confirmed he occasionally stays at the Pine Cone Motor Lodge when his wife kicks him out. Couldn’t find any other link yet to harassment of Ms. Alvarez.
“So he stays at that motel sometimes,” I said. “He could’ve seen you there.” The thought of Pickering watching her made me ill, but we still had no evidence he’d done more than that.
Zandra nodded with a blank expression. She’d gone inside herself, as she sometimes did when she was feeling vulnerable. “Anything else?”
“I also asked Teller to check on Jessa’s brother. Find out what Leo’s been up to.” My eyebrows lifted as I read the next message.
Teller
On Leo Mackenzie, we’ve got an arrest earlier this year for felony assault in Fort Collins. Bar fight. But he jumped bail. Known associates haven’t seen him since, no credit card use, nothing. Either he’s hiding out, or he’s dead.
“Maybe that’s why Paula said she hadn’t heard from Leo,” Zandra mused. “He’s got warrants out for his arrest. She’s trying to protect him.”
And what better place for a man to go when he was desperate than to his mother?
Yet there hadn’t been any sign at Paula’s house that more than one person lived there. Also, wouldn’t his mom’s house be the first place the police looked?
I sent a text thanking Teller for his help, then tucked my phone in my pocket. When I opened my arms, Zandra came right to me, fitting herself against me. “What were you saying about dinner?” she asked.
Before I could answer, there was another phone notification.