Chapter 4 #2
The table went silent. Hayes and Kel jumped apart like they’d been scalded, both turning bright red.
“What the… what the hell, Brew?” Hayes’s cheerful smile disappeared, and his eyes went stormy with anger. “Kel and I are just friends. You know that. Not cool.”
Shit . I rubbed my face. “No. It really wasn’t. I’m sorry. I’m being an asshole tonight.”
Kel and Hayes exchanged a look that seemed to communicate a thousand things without words, and then Kel nodded and cleared his throat.
“I’m gonna let you guys talk while I, uh… bathroom.” He jerked his thumb toward the far side of the bar, then slid out of his chair and disappeared into the crowd.
Hayes fixed me with a glare, all traces of his usual eager-puppy enthusiasm wiped away. “What the heck is wrong with you?”
I took another swig of beer and sighed. “I’m really sorry, Hayes. I’m in a mood, and I’m taking it out on the wrong person. People . I’ll apologize to Kel again when he gets back. Maybe I shouldn’t have come out at all.”
Hayes’s face softened. “No. Fuck. I’m sorry, bruh. You’ve had a shit week. The shittiest. Losing the camper, replacing all your stuff? Fucking sucks. No wonder you don’t want to hear me and Kel goofing around.” His mouth twisted to one side. “Have you had any luck with the insurance company?”
“They’re getting me a quote by the end of next week, I think.” I shrugged. “Which is fine since I haven’t had time to look for a new camper yet anyway.”
“But you still have the money you inherited from Grandpa, right? You could always buy a place. Or build your own?—”
I shook my head. “I didn’t inherit money , Hayes, I inherited a home . Grandpa’s home. Or I was supposed to.” My voice came out even more bitter than I’d expected. “Until the trustee fucking sold it.”
Hayes bit his lip. “Uncle Tony sold it because they offered him a killer price. Double the market value! And I’m not saying that makes it okay, Brewer,” he added quickly. “He should have known how much the house meant to you and that you wouldn’t’ve sold it for a billion dollars. He fucked up huge. But he was trying to be a good trustee. To make solid financial decisions for you, you know? And it’s not like he stole the money or anything. And it’s too late to get the house back now, so don’t you think?—”
“Hayes.” I sliced a hand through the air. “As I’ve told you the last ten times you’ve tried to bring this up, I don’t want to hear about my father’s claims that he was swindled or manipulated or whatever the fuck. I don’t want to talk about him, period. Ever. End of story.” I took a long pull of my beer and swallowed. “Especially when I’m already dealing with the world’s bossiest, pickiest client.”
Hayes frowned. “Wait, what’s going on with Hot Delaney?”
I choked on my beer. “ Hot ?”
I mean, yes, the man was attractive. Very. But I didn’t expect to hear my cousin say so.
“Uh, yeah. Anyone with eyes knows Delaney’s hot. Obvi. But he also dated Jasper for a minute last fall, and Jasper used to be a model, which by definition means Jasper’s hot. And everyone knows if you bang a hot person, that makes you hot, too. Therefore… Hot Delaney.” He chewed his chicken. “It’s science.”
I shook my head. “This is the brain that graduated at the top of his class in college?” I demanded. Then I added, because I couldn’t help myself, “Delaney banged Jasper?”
Hayes shrugged. “Man, IDK. I think they only dated once or twice ’cause Jasper was pretty hung up on Watt even then.” He gave me a sappy smile that was coated in buffalo sauce. “Aren’t Jasper and Watt, like, the cutest? Second-chance romance, am I right?”
“You’ve been spending too much time in Janice Plum’s book club,” I grumbled. “In fact, this entire town has.”
“Hey.” Hayes pointed his wing at me. “Don’t knock romance, Brewer, or romance will knock you . But speaking of Hot Delaney…” Hayes glanced around the crowded bar. “Is he here tonight?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“I don’t know, Hayes,” I snapped. “Because no one invited him? Because he’s always telling people what to do and doesn’t think their ten years of expertise might be worth listening to?”
“Whoa.” Hayes leaned back, his chicken forgotten. “I’m sensing feelings here, Brewski.”
“Anger. Anger is the feeling.” I finished the rest of my second beer and signaled the server for a fresh one. “And stop calling Delaney hot ,” I muttered. “His hotness is irrelevant.”
“But you do agree he’s hot?” Hayes prompted.
Kel returned at this moment, sliding carefully into his seat. He and Hayes exchanged another of those speaking glances, and then Hayes stood.
“I’m gonna grab more napkins,” he announced, leaving me alone with Kel.
Like the two of them were fucking tag-teaming me. I didn’t appreciate that.
An awkward silence fell.
“So.” Kel summoned a smile. “You guys were talking about Hot Delaney, huh? Is it true he, ah, had something to do with your camper?—”
“No,” I said shortly.
“Oh, thank fuck.” Kel sounded relieved. “I was afraid I’d have to dislike him on principle. Enemy of my best friend’s cousin is my enemy,” he said solemnly. “It’s science.”
I shook my head. He and Hayes clearly spent too much time together.
“The camper was an accident,” I explained. “Delaney’s a pain in the ass, but I don’t blame him for that.”
“A pain in the ass? Delaney?” Kel’s face scrunched. “But Delaney seems so cool and thoughtful.”
I deliberately didn’t let myself think about the croissants and the coffee and the containers of leftovers with sticky notes.
I eyed Kel across the table. “How would you know?”
“Well, I don’t know -know. But I’m a Kitchen Courier.” He gave me a sage nod. “You can tell a lot about a guy by the way he orders food.”
I snorted. “That so? Tell me about Delaney, then.” Fuck knew I needed some insights.
Kel sipped his beer thoughtfully. “He’s a big tipper, for one thing. Especially when the weather’s bad.”
“Good,” I muttered. “He can probably afford to be.”
“Dude.” Kel shot me a look of rebuke. “Not everyone values the time and effort of the people doing stuff for them, even if they can afford to, believe me. Delaney does. Give credit where it’s due, my man.”
I frowned. He had a point. A small one.
“ Annnnd I know when Delaney ordered from the Burger Barn the other night, he Co-Couriered some fancy dog biscuits from the bakery, too.” Kel watched me steadily. “Which was interesting since I didn’t know he had a dog.”
I blinked, remembering the container of dog treats that had been left on the stairs to the attic… along with another of Delaney’s stickies. “He said they were delivered by mistake and I shouldn’t let them go to waste.”
Kel chuckled. “I was Courier of the Year last year, bro. I don’t make mistakes.”
A startled bark of laughter burst out of me, but I quickly controlled it. “Well… that was surprisingly nice of him,” I admitted. I took another sip of beer and added pointedly, “Considering he hates my dog.”
“Hates her? Sweet Teeny girl?” Kel shook his head. “Not possible.”
I rolled my eyes. “He looks at her like she’s a monster, and he won’t listen when I try to explain she’s harmless.”
“Huh.” Kel’s brow lowered in a frown. “Wonder why?”
“Why?” I scoffed. “ Why ? Because—” I blinked. “Because… I don’t know why, exactly. Delaney didn’t volunteer.”
Kel’s eyebrows winged up. “And you didn’t ask?”
“I…” My body flushed hot. How could I explain the weird thing that happened whenever I tried talking to Delaney? The way my blood sizzled just from being in the same room with him and I felt the leash on my emotions slipping? The way I was trying to keep my distance so I could stay professional, and it wasn’t fucking working? “No. He’s my client. We don’t have deep, meaningful discussions, nor should we.”
“Hmm. Maybe Delaney’s ex had a big dog, and he has negative associations. Oooh, or maybe something happened when he was a kid that scared him.” Kel’s fingers traced patterns in the condensation ring left by his beer. “Where’d he grow up, again? Outside the city, somewhere?”
“I…” I blinked. “I think so. Maybe.” Though, I had to admit, I knew this mostly from hearing Coppertians talk about the Monroes, not because Delaney himself ever had.
“Wonder why he came to Copper County,” Kel mused. “I mean, Tam and Lucas and their baby, yeah. But still. Moving here is, like, extreme -extreme, huh? ’Cause I remember Tam saying Delaney travels all over for work. That’s gonna be way harder with him living all the way out here.”
Kel didn’t pose this as a question, but it came out as one anyway.
Once again, I shook my head. “He’s my client. We’re not friends.” And because I felt attacked for some reason, I added, “He’s bossy as fuck, and he wants everything his own way.”
Kel opened his mouth, but I figured I already knew what he was going to ask. I held up a hand. “No, I don’t know why he’s like that, Kel. And I don’t care.”
He pursed his lips. ”Dude. I was gonna point out that Delaney seems like a guy who gets defensive when he feels like he’s on the back foot. I mean, samesies.” He pressed a finger against his own chest. “So, like, it’s gotta be overwhelming, being in a new town, doing his big career stuff, plus living through a renovation.” He sat back in his chair and regarded me steadily. “I was thinking that if you knew why Delaney acts the way he does, it might make it easier for you to see him as a human and not just a client and, like, deal with him more effectively. But what do I know?”
Sometimes I forgot that my cousin’s frat-bro roommate had graduated college near the top of his class, too. He was an easygoing guy, but he was also a good listener… and he had a good point.
Was Delaney in over his head? I’d assumed his stubbornness was because he thought he was so much smarter than I was, even when it came to home restoration. But what if it wasn’t? What if, by trying not to get to know him, to keep distance between us, I’d made the whole situation worse?
Hayes returned with napkins and a plate of mozzarella sticks. “What’d I miss?”
Kel reached for the platter and inhaled half a pound of fried cheese and marinara sauce in a single bite. “Oooh, fuck! Hot, hot, hot!” He took a giant swallow of beer and fanned his mouth. “We were talking about Delaney,” he said, sounding like he was speaking around a burnt tongue. “And I was saying maybe the reason he’s been a tough client is because he’s overwhelmed. People who feel powerless lash out. That’s Psych 101.”
Hayes gave Kel a proud smile I wasn’t sure the other man even noticed. “You say the best shit, Kel!”
“Aw. ’Fanks, bruh,” Kel said, stuffing more burning mozzarella in his mouth.
“Do you think that could be part of his deal?” Hayes asked me. “It’s not easy moving to a new town, especially a small one?—”
“Look, can we drop this, please?” I begged. “I came out tonight specifically so I wouldn’t have to think about him—I mean, this situation. Because I’ve been trying to avoid him— it —and it’s not working.”
“Disengagement.” Hayes pulled a face. “Classic Brewer move.”
I frowned. “Huh?”
“Someone or something hurts you or even just gets under your skin, and instead of talking it through, you push them away to protect yourself. Like with your dad.” Hayes’s blue eyes met mine.
The words stung like a slap. “These two situations aren’t the same at all. One is my client, who I’m trying to maintain a professional relationship with, to the point where I came out tonight just so he wouldn’t say something to set me off and I wouldn’t say something I’d regret. The other is my father, who I had to cut off for my own sanity because he repeatedly refused to listen and made choices that affected me without giving a shit what I wanted…”
I trailed off. That actually sounded a whole lot like my issues with Delaney.
Fuck.
“Uh-huh.” Hayes nodded seriously. “You know I love you and I’m on your side, always. But this thing with your dad?—”
“Hayes,” I ground out.
“Yeah, it’s ’cause he’s been blowing up my phone. Look, I know he hurt you. He destroyed Grandpa’s legacy. I get it . But you literally changed your name, changed your phone number. You won’t listen to his explanations?—”
“I won’t listen to his excuses,” I shot back. “You don’t know him the way I do, Hayes. It wasn’t only about the house. That was just the final straw.”
Hayes blew out a breath. “You’re right. I don’t. Because you don’t talk about it with me either. You’ve set up a protective wall around this whole subject, and you try to pretend like it never happened.”
Kel’s jaw tightened, but he kept his mouth closed as he stared down at his beer. I ground my own teeth together, trying to keep from snapping at my cousin. Hadn’t we already discussed this two too many times tonight? “I don’t want to talk about it,” I gritted out.
Hayes barked out a humorless laugh. “That’s just it, though. You never want to talk about it. I’m not fucking fourteen anymore, Brewer. This is my family, and I’m caught in the middle. You avoid, avoid, avoid, and it’s not cool. How would you feel if I refused to talk to you about important stuff?”
I blew out a breath. He was right. He wasn’t a kid anymore. But still. It had been a damned day, and talking about my father wasn’t going to make it any better.
I met Hayes’s eyes. “Yeah, okay. I see your point. But can we not talk about it here and now?”
Hayes’s shoulders dropped, and the edges of his lip quirked up. “Yeah, fair. But this time, I’m holding you to it. Disconnecting isn’t a healthy way of dealing with issues. And the reasons why people do things matter. Everyone deserves to have their story told.”
I froze. That was exactly what Delaney had said the other day.
And while Hayes was totally misguided when it came to my father, he was right that I hadn’t listened to Delaney’s story either. In fact, I hadn’t really stopped to consider that he had one.
Delaney was so capable and put together I’d never stopped to consider why he was so stubborn or mistrustful, why he needed to be in control, why he needed to prove he knew better than I did when he clearly didn’t.
I took a long sip of my beer, letting the realization wash over me. I’d been treating Delaney the same way I thought he was treating me—dismissing him without giving him the benefit of the doubt. And I really fucking hated what that said about me.
“Fuck,” I muttered.
A group of people pushed open the door of the bar, laughing and stomping snow off their boots. “You guys, it’s really coming down out there!” one of them shouted.
Hayes laughed. “Score one for Hen’s leg. Snow day tomorrow?” he asked Kel. “You, me, Dragon’s Blood?”
Kel gave him a stern look. “Bro. We’re members of THWAC now. We got responsibilities.”
Hayes groaned, but I barely paid attention.
A strange urgency gripped me. Delaney was home alone. What if the power went out? The house had come with a generator, but did he have any idea how to start it?
“I should go,” I said, standing suddenly.
“But you only sat down an hour ago,” Hayes protested.
“I know, but…” I gestured toward the door. “I should get home before it gets worse.”
Hayes’s expression shifted from confusion to understanding. “You’re worried about Delaney.”
“I’m not—” I started, then sighed. “Slightly, maybe. Yes. He’s got a long, slippery driveway. And Teeny’s there. And…”
Kel and Hayes exchanged another of those looks, and then Hayes rose and clapped me on the shoulder. “Go,” he said. “We’ll catch up tomorrow.”
I said my goodbyes, but as I headed for the door, I overheard Kel muttering, “Dude, your cousin and Hot Delaney are totally gonna bone.”
“One thousand percent fuck vibes,” Hayes agreed. “And isn’t it crazy how he doesn’t even seem to see it?”
I shook my head. I needed to call Hayes tomorrow and set him right before he and the gossips could start rumors, but at the moment, I was too busy calculating how long it would take me to get home.
The cold air outside the bar made me briefly light-headed, and I sucked in a deep breath. But it wasn’t until I took an unsteady step toward the crowded parking lot that I realized it wasn’t just the cold. Those three beers on an empty stomach had hit harder than I’d realized.
“Hey!” Reed appeared beside me wearing just his sweater, despite the falling snow. “Ready to head out?”
I ran a hand through my hair, which was already damp. “Shit. I don’t want you to have to leave?—”
Reed smiled. “We’re ready to go. At least I am. Chris is tipsy and making new friends?—”
Chris appeared behind Reed and wound his arms around his husband’s waist. He was pink-cheeked and looked a little silly wrapped up in a huge coat that couldn’t possibly be his own.
“I had three beers, Brewer!” he announced proudly. Then he turned to his husband. “Oh, those ladies I was talking to were so nice. Do you think I should go back and invite them over for charcuterie?—?”
“Not tonight.” Reed grinned at his pouting husband. “Baby, I have seen what happens when you have multiple beers and talk to ladies at a bar. It’s only a matter of time before tables get flipped.” He pulled Chris under his arm. “Besides, we’re driving Brewer home.”
“Oooh.” Chris’s eyes lit up. “Is Delaney there? Do you think he might want to watch?—”
“Nope,” Reed interrupted. “I think you and I are going to have a private John Ruffian party. Just the two of us. I’m thinking Season 3, Episode 4.”
The flush on Chris’s cheeks deepened. “Oh, heck yeah ,” he breathed.
The drive back to Delaney’s place was mostly quiet, except for Chris occasionally giggling in the front seat and once whispering something to Reed that I’d swear sounded like, “Remember the time you kidnapped me?” which made me wonder if I was drunk instead of just buzzing.
“Thanks for the ride,” I said when they let me out at the end of Delaney’s driveway.
“Anytime!” Chris chirped. “You can count on us.”
As I trudged up the path to the front porch, snow was coming down heavier, and a cold wind was blowing off the lake. The house was dark except for a soft, firelight glow coming from the living room windows. I stamped my boots quietly and let myself in.
I wanted to check that the house was alright, I told myself, but didn’t want to disturb Delaney if he’d gone to bed early or locked himself in his office.
But the moment I closed the door behind me, I heard Delaney’s voice, slightly slurred and softer than usual, coming from the living room.
“You’re not supposed to be here,” he was saying. “But I won’t tell Brewer if you don’t.”
I froze, my hand still on the doorknob.
Delaney wasn’t alone? Was it… was it fucking Jasper ? This was unlikely since he’d been back at the bar, cuddled up to his boyfriend, but the beer in my system made it hard to think clearly.
“Hey. I don’t recall giving you permission to touch that.” Delaney’s tone was lower and more intimate—more unguarded—than I’d ever heard it. “But, God, you’ve got pretty eyes, don’t you?”
Heat flooded my body, creeping up my neck, tightening in my gut. Who the hell was in there with him?
“You’re actually kind of beautiful. Terrifyingly beautiful,” Delaney continued, his voice dropping even lower.
My heart hammered against my ribs. Delaney had someone in there.
In the house where I was staying. While I was out.
Which was none of my business. None….
Except it sure as fuck felt like it was.
I took a step toward the doorway before stopping myself. Did I really want to see whatever the fuck was happening in there?
“I wish you and I could be… friends,” Delaney whispered.
Friends ? Was that what they called it?
Something hot and possessive clawed its way up my throat. I had no claim on Delaney—no right to care who he brought home. But the thought of him in there with someone else, in the soft firelight, while I’d been out thinking about him, worrying about him in the storm…
Before I could talk myself out of it, I strode the rest of the way toward the living room, rounding the corner with enough force that I nearly stumbled.
“Delaney—” I began, but whatever I’d been about to say died in my throat.
Because Delaney was sprawled on his stomach in front of the fire, a mostly empty wine bottle on the hearth beside him.
He wore a pair of those damn silky pajama shorts—blue this time, I thought. Fucking blue—which were twenty times hotter when they were stretched across his ass and baring his toned, beautiful legs.
And he definitely wasn’t alone.