Chapter 13 #2
There’s no reason to doubt her sincerity. Her intent—and nobody likes a touchy person. Don’t let Becca mess this up for you.
“Pretty much, yeah. I grew up around the business. It’s what my dad did, too.”
Everly eases back against her chair, and it’s obvious I rattled her with my insecurity—an insecurity I didn’t have until almost exactly one year ago.
Cut it out, Ox. I flash a smile. “The backhoe looked like such fun when I was sixteen, but Dad wouldn’t let my brother and me have jobs until we finished high school, and only during summers while we were in college. ”
She asks where I went to school, the mood resetting as I talk. “What did you study?”
“Well, civil engineering would have made the most sense, but my brain isn’t very…
mathy… so I wound up with a degree in business.
Very general business. I loved history, but Dad thought that was a waste of good money and told me to study it on my own time.
I already knew what I wanted to do, so I picked the simplest degree my parents found acceptable and got done as quick as I could.
My major provided an overview of business-related fields without getting too deep into any one of them.
” I laugh dryly. “My brother is the businessman in the family.”
Her head inclines, sending rich waves of hair sliding along her shoulder. A row of track lighting directly above us casts a shimmer onto the tresses. She squints, trying to see beyond the surface—which tells me my tone, lest I wondered, went off the rails along the way. “Do you enjoy your work?”
“Very much.”
Her smile breaks wide and slow. “Good. Loving what you do makes all the difference in the world, doesn’t it?”
“It does. I’m blessed to be able to do what I always wanted.” Truly. I count my blessings every—well, almost every—day.
Everly slides her finger along the rim of her mug. “What do you like to do for fun? In your free time?”
“Free time? What’s that?”
“Ha-ha. I assume you don’t work around the clock all the time.”
“True. Well, let’s see…” I stroke my chin. “I read. Listen to a lot of podcasts.”
She laughs.
“Hey, what’s so funny?”
“Nothing, just…that sounds like an answer I would give. And that my sisters would berate me for. They think I should be painting the town every evening.”
“Nothing beats a good book, am I right?”
Ridiculously pleased, she holds up her hand and we high-five over the café table.
“I mean, I’m not beyond a camping trip here or there or a game of pick-up football with friends, but the truth is, it doesn’t take much to entertain me.”
“What, no extreme sports? No mountain climbing or cliff diving?”
“Cliff diving?” I sputter.
She nods boldly, laugh-smiling…and yet there’s a flicker of waiting interest in my answer.
“Um, no, Everly. No diving—cliff, sky, or otherwise.”
She folds her arms and rests on the table. “Have you ever worn body paint to a football game?”
“Uh, that would also be a hard no. Not my style.” Huh?
She flicks pretend sweat from her forehead. “Whew. Good. Now we can proceed.”
Rubbing my jaw, I chuckle, digesting the exchange.
She straightens. “What?”
“That was an interesting choice of interview questions.”
“Inter…” Her eyes get big. Pucker. She sighs. “Well, we already discussed one dealbreaker in the car. I figured we should get the rest of them out of the way, too.”
Like I said, interesting list of questions.
I suppose I have a few of my own, but I don’t want heaviness tonight. Besides, I’m going to think before I allow my insecurities to do the talking.
Along the lines of getting things out of the way…there is something I should add to my resumé. I just don’t want to come across as shallow or self-important.
I sit forward. “Everly, I—”
“Hey, there, Ox.” A slap on my shoulder and a familiar voice dig into me.
Turning, I clasp Cliff’s firm grip. “Howdy, pardner.”
He makes a scoffing sound. “Don’t you go getting all Texan on me, Ox. We gotta go home when this is over.”
Marlene, clinging to his side, flinches ever so slightly, but she shakes it off, makes goofy, knowing eyes at Everly, and begins chatting her up. Cliff gives me a not-so-subtle thumbs-up before inquiring about my trip home. Why do friends and family turn obnoxious when they detect a little romance?
The four of us chat for a minute, and then Cliff and Marlene move along, probably preferring to be alone as much as Everly and I do.
“You think what’s happening between those two is serious?” I ask Everly as we begin our way back to the car once we’ve finished our drinks, her hand nestled in mine.
“It’s hard to say with Marlene. She dates a lot, and not always the greatest men. But I’m getting a weird vibe off her where Cliff is concerned.”
I tuck my free hand in my coat pocket. “Not too weird, I hope. Cliff is a solid guy, so I’d hate to see her mess with him. He lost his wife a while back, and as far as I know, this is his first foray into the dating scene since.”
She looks up. “You’ve known him a long time?”
“He’s worked for LHS for ages.” Here’s my moment. “Listen, Everly, I—”
“Woohoo, well looky here. The hotshot’s gonna have him some fun tonight!”
My stomach and my fist coil. Mike sways towards us. Crawford is at his side, steady, but with eyes showing signs he’s thrown a few back himself. His mouth twitches like something is super funny, though he hangs in the offing while Mike leers, oozing his gaze up and down Everly.
“’Bout time you found you shome action.” Mike’s words slur.
Everly’s fingers in mine clench. My blood begins a rolling boil. I return the squeeze and bend to her ear. “Give me a sec, okay?”
Mike glares but doesn’t fight me too hard when I step him off the path, hauling him into a short alley between two buildings and pressing him to the bricks. “You’re drunk.”
“What of it?”
The fumes in my face make my nose bunch. “This isn’t that kind of event, dude. It’s a Christmas tree-lighting, for crying out loud.”
“It’s whatever I want it to be. What’s it to you, anyway, Saint Knox?”
He hurls the moniker as if I’m supposed to be insulted. “It’s a lot to me when you’re disrespecting my date and stumbling around like a fool. And all while wearing the company logo.”
“Hey, it’s the only coat I got.”
“If you’re gonna misbehave in public, buy a new one.” I edge closer, borderline in his face.
He gets all the way in mine. “Pay me more, and I will.”
More? He’ll be lucky to have a job once Rand and I have a talk. “You know company policy.”
He bats my words away. “Nobody follows that.”
“They do starting now. See, Mike, you’re the reason the rest of the kids can’t have nice things.”
His glare heats, raising my guard. I’ll swing if I need to, but I sure don’t want to. “Get out of here and buy yourself something to wear on your own time.” I pivot, staying one eye on the loser I’ve put up with way too long. “Crawford?”
Mike’s sidekick shuffles into the shadows with us. Everly, fist to her mouth, watches from the end of the alley.
“Yeah?”
“You hearing what I’m saying? Because it goes for you, too. Don’t let this guy bring you down. Your wife and that baby won’t thank you for losing a good job.”
“Yes, sir.” Crawford jerks one nod, grabs Mike’s arm, and leads him away.
As I watch them leave, I drag my hand across the back of my neck, releasing much of my frustration on a long exhale.
Everly’s gaze moves from tracking the recalcitrant employee to me.
I join her on the sidewalk and touch the wooly fabric of her sleeve. “I’m sorry about that, Everly. Mike’s a jerk. You shouldn’t have been subjected to his garbage.”
She waves me off. “I’m fine. And it isn’t your fault.”
Feels a bit like it is. I’ve put up with the man’s garbage for too long. Monday morning, things are going to change.