Chapter 7
CHAPTER SEVEN
RACHEL
After inhaling the most delicious steak I’ve ever tasted, we end up at the Snowline Saloon, a local bar that hasn’t been open long.
“Well, they reopened the bar back up in March, after it had been closed for years,” Paige tells me as we walk across the parking lot toward the building.
The bar is located on the other side of the lake, and the lot is packed with cars.
“Looks like a popular spot,” I point out as we weave our way through the parked cars. There are a couple of guys in actual cowboy hats hanging out by the front doors, looking like they’re taking a smoke break.
There’s a smile on Paige’s face, and she seems to buzz with expectation. “It’s a lot of fun. I think you’ll like it!”
We enter the building before I can answer, and I swallow my words down when we get inside because it’s so loud, Paige won’t hear me anyway.
The moment people spot her, they start greeting her like a long-lost friend.
Men and women alike call out her name and wave, pulling her into warm hugs and short conversations, making sure she’s doing all right and asking about her dad.
They send curious glances my way, and Paige introduces me to everyone until we finally end up at a table that’s constructed out of a giant wooden barrel, the server shuffling over to us to ask what we want to drink.
I’m about to ask if they have any rosé when Paige says she wants a Miller Lite.
“I’ll have the same,” I tell the server, who nods, smiles, and takes off.
“You don’t look like a beer drinker.” Paige leans her shoulder into mine.
“I’m not, but when in Rome, you know?” She nods her agreement, and we smile at each other, the lull in between songs being played over the speakers just enough time for us to have this short conversation before another country song begins to play.
Paige sways to the beat, her long dark hair swinging as she mouths along with the song.
I watch her for a moment, how comfortable she is in her environment, how loved she is in this bar.
She lives in a true community where people support her, and I envy that.
I’ve never once considered small-town life.
I am forever a city girl, born and bred, but I have to admit . . .
It’s nice out here. Minus when I’m setting the house on fire and getting chastised by a giant fire captain who reminds me of a grumpy bear. A handsome bear, but still.
I remind myself that I have no use for men in my life.
They bring me nothing but heartbreak. I checked social media earlier, and gossip sites are still talking about Edmund and his “new love.” Now people are speculating they’re going to get engaged.
Any mention of me? Not a single word. I’ve been forgotten completely, which should thrill me, but deep down, it doesn’t.
No, more like it reminds me that I’m easy to ignore. And how shitty is that?
The moment the server brings us our beers, I’m chugging mine straight out of the bottle, which is something I never do, surprised by how crisp and refreshing it is.
I’m already gesturing at the server to bring another round, and she’s barely left our table, which has Paige grinning.
Ugh, she’s absolutely stunning. Why aren’t we surrounded by men right now?
Do they all have their heads up their asses?
“We shouldn’t get drunk,” she tells me as she tips the beer bottle to her lips and takes a long pull.
“Fuck it.” My phrase of the day—maybe it should be my phrase of the summer. I polish my beer off at an alarming speed, making an exaggerated ahhh sound when I set my bottle on the table. “We worked hard today, cleaning out your room.”
“And I had a full day at work too,” she adds.
“Don’t forget I set my house on fire,” I remind her, which has us dissolving into giggles.
“It was Wyatt’s engine who responded first, huh.” Paige sends me a knowing look that has me confused for a moment.
“Wait. Are you talking about Captain Grumpy Pants?”
She starts giggling again, pausing only to offer an appreciative smile to our server, who brings over another round and collects our empties.
I’d guess the woman is around my mom’s age, and the concerned look she flashes at both of us has me grabbing my fresh beer and chugging from it. Feeling rebellious as usual.
“What did you call him?” Paige asks once the server has left us alone. “Captain Grumpy Pants?”
“It fits.” I keep the bottle close to my lips. “He was so rude.”
A sigh leaves her. “Wyatt can be—closed off sometimes. Unlike his brother.” Another sigh escapes, this one a little more . . . dreamy? And that has me full of all sorts of questions.
“Who’s his brother? Are you friends? Are you hot for him? Is he handsome? Because Grumpy Pants, while terribly grumpy, hence his nickname, is also extremely good-looking, but a total asshole.” Now I’m the one sighing. “Typical.”
“Men.” Paige lifts her bottle, and I do the same, clinking them together. “Can’t live with them, can’t kill them.”
“I’ll drink to that.” I take another swallow, keeping my gaze on Paige, who isn’t offering up any information. I barely know her, but that’s not like her. She loves to talk. “Tell me about the brother.”
“Oh. Him. Nathaniel. He’s the reason I tried to impress a guy by buying a bunch of outfits that went to waste on another guy because I was trying to make Nate jealous.
It didn’t work.” She shakes her head, her hoop earrings swaying.
“But you don’t want to hear about that. It’s a long, convoluted story that will bore you. ”
“Hell no, it won’t bore me. I need all the dirty details.” I want to live vicariously through Paige so I don’t have to think about my own sad love life. “Spill, gorgeous.”
She sends me a look, her plush mouth curving downward. “Gorgeous, Rachel? Seriously?”
“Yes, Paige. Seriously. I don’t understand the men in this town.
Why aren’t they all surrounding you, trying to get closer to you?
Why don’t you have a boyfriend? Twenty boyfriends?
” I just let it all hang out. “You are stunning. And from what I can tell, you’re also generous to a fault, and everyone in this town loves you.
I probably sound like a weirdo, going on and on about your looks, but I’m serious.
I’ve never seen a woman as beautiful as you, and I’ve been surrounded by beautiful women most of my life.
Rich New York society ladies. Pretty girls I went to school with. ”
“You’re pretty,” she tells me, her ocean eyes glowing with sincerity.
“Thank you.” I rest a hand on her forearm, then glance around the room.
No one is paying attention to us. Not a single man is even looking in our direction, and my mind is blown.
“Every man in this town is blind, seriously. Now tell me about Nate. He must be an absolute imbecile to not realize just how gorgeous and sweet you are.”
Her eyes get glassy with unshed tears, and I give her arm a squeeze before I remove my hand. “You are too kind, Rachel. I know we’ve only just met, but I swear . . . you could be one of my best friends.”
“I feel the same exact way!” I pull her into my arms and give her a crushing hug, my own eyes stinging with potential tears, and I breathe deep, fighting them off. Am I weepy after having such an overcharged day, or is it the beer?
Probably a combination of both.
“Please tell me about Nate. I need to hear the story.”
Paige sits up straight and launches right into it. “I’ve known him forever. His family is from here, just like mine. We grew up on the same street. Our parents are friends. You know how it is.”
I nod my encouragement, though I don’t quite know what it’s like growing up here.
“I’ve had a crush on him since forever, but he never noticed me—”
“I find that hard to believe,” I mutter, interrupting her.
She sends me a look. “He doesn’t see me for who I am now. I think when he looks at me, he remembers young, awkward Paige.”
“Ugh.” I flop across the old oak barrel table, resting my cheek on my stretched-out arm. “The worst.”
“Right? Anyway. I had this bright idea last summer after Nate caught me talking to this guy when we were at Mitchell’s for a summer party.
” Paige grimaces. “His name was Lee, and he seemed interested in me. We met the previous night at another local bar, and he was the one who approached me, so I took it as a good sign. I was talking to him, flirting with him all night. Well, Nate was there too. Glaring at us the whole time. Even asked me at one point if I knew that guy and said I better be careful.”
“He was jealous,” I breathe as Paige nods.
“Totally. So I took it upon myself to go out with Lee multiple times while he was here working for the summer. I would wear a new outfit on every one of our dates. Always making sure we went to local restaurants and bars in the hopes we’d run into Nate and I could make him jealous again,” Paige explains.
“So? Did it work?” I lift my head, bracing myself for the answer because I think I already know what she’s going to say.
“Not at all. We ran into him once during the month straight that I went out with Lee, and that night, Nate left the bar with another woman. I broke up with Lee over text the next day.” Paige’s face crumples a little bit, her devastation showing. “What a waste of my time and money.”
“I would totally do something like that,” I admit. “Date a guy I don’t really like just to make the man I actually want to be with jealous. Why do we set ourselves up like that?”
“I don’t know,” Paige whines. “We self-sabotage on a constant basis.”
“For real! It’s the worst.”
The server comes by to check on us, and of course, we order more beers. When she walks away, I ask Paige, “How are we getting home?”
“We can take an Uber.” She waves a hand as she leans back, nearly toppling off the chair. She’s a lightweight for sure when it comes to drinking. “Your rental car will be safe in the parking lot. We can come pick it up in the morning.”
“Don’t you have work in the morning?”
“No. I don’t work at the resort tomorrow.
Well, I do work at Mitchell’s, but I don’t start until one.
I have a closing shift.” She wrinkles her nose.
“I’m too old for this shit, working two jobs, but I like the extra money in the summer.
I’ve been working there every summer since my junior year in high school.
Besides, I need to pay off my credit card debt, and this is the fastest way for me to do it. ”
“Since your junior year in high school? That’s a long time,” I murmur, sitting up straight when the server returns with fresh beers.
“Paige, honey, you be careful drinking tonight,” the server says, just like the mama that she is. “You know how you can get after a couple of beers.”
“Rachel will take care of me,” Paige chirps, flashing a big smile. “Have you met Becky?”
“Hi, Becky.” I wave at the server, who scowls at me in return.
“How do you know our Paige?” Becky asks me, her tone and expression intense. Like I imagine a hardened detective would act when interviewing a murder suspect.
“Oh, she’s staying with me for the next couple of weeks,” Paige explains, and I don’t bother correcting her.
I’m probably out of here within the next forty-eight hours, if that.
I’m sure my father will demand I come home, and I’ll do it because I’m a weak sucker who can’t stand up for herself to anyone.
Reaching for the cold beer, I take a big swallow, trying to drown out my insecurities with alcohol.
“Her house burned down today,” Paige tacks on, and that was the exact right thing to say because the sympathy that crosses Becky’s face at hearing my plight is beyond obvious.
“Oh, you poor dear! That’s one of the nicest houses on the lake.” Becky rests her hand on her chest. “The whole thing didn’t burn, though, right?”
“Just the second floor.” I put on a sad face. Even stick my lip out a little. “I came here to have a nostalgic getaway because my family and I used to stay at our house all the time when I was younger.”
“A man dumped her publicly,” Paige whisper-speaks, loud enough for anyone to hear her thanks to the music shutting off. “She needed some alone time to lick her wounds.”
I send Paige a questioning look, and she offers a little shrug. I mean, she’s not wrong. But hearing her say it out loud, I feel a tad . . . pathetic.
“That’s just terrible.” Becky keeps her hand on her chest, glancing over at Paige with a fond gleam in her eye. “Our Paige is the sweetest girl. She will help anyone.”
“She’s helping me for sure.”
Becky’s gaze shifts to just beyond us, her brows shooting up in question. “Well, would you look at who just showed up. I haven’t seen those boys out together in a while.”
Both Paige and I swivel around on our barstools to check, my heart sinking when I see who’s entered the bar. My gaze lands on Captain Grumpy Pants himself, out of uniform and looking like a tasty snack. A man with similar features stands next to him, and he’s pretty freaking tasty too.
My thoughts make it obvious I’ve had too much to drink already, but no way am I stopping. It feels good not to have to worry about anything tonight.
“Oh God.” Paige groans, and I send her a panicked look when I hear the distress in her voice. “It’s freaking Nate.”