3. Travis
CHAPTER 3
Travis
There wasn’t much that rattled me.
It probably had something to do with my parents being the most reliable—while somehow being incredibly impulsive—people I’d ever known. My siblings weren’t all that different which made me wonder how I didn’t end up being as carefree as them. My brother Finn liked to say I was adopted. Whenever I’m unfazed by some random thing my family did, I wondered the same thing. I was convinced that the moment I’d be taken by surprise by anything, it would be when the world was coming to an end.
Seeing Delilah North standing in my bar, looking as if this was the last place on earth she wanted to be in, made me ponder if the world was in fact ending.
I polished the clean wine glasses Desi conveniently forgot about to sit on one of the stools and talk to Delilah. As if she didn’t work here.
All the while, I tried my best not to glance at the woman standing behind me. I frowned down at the glass as I worked dutifully to rid any smudges on the crystal with the rag in my hand. The moment I hung the first glass up however, movement caught my eye in the mirror in front of me, and I was once again struck stupid by her reflection.
Delilah was as stunning as I remembered. Her long curly hair was a mess, but it had always looked that way—windblown and untamed. I used to tease her about it when we were kids.
I remembered the day we met vividly. Her grandfather used to work on my family’s ranch up until I graduated from high school. He was a quiet man, he kept to himself most of the time but he was damn good at his job.
Then one day, this tiny girl started showing up on the ranch every now and then. Used to hang out around the bunkhouse while the rest of the men worked around the property. Sometimes she’d wander around, reminding me of the lost puppy my dad once found on the side of the road. Like she didn’t quite know where she fit in the vastness of the ranch I grew up loving for its freedom—land and sky stretching far and wide.
In a small town like ours, it didn’t matter that I was three years ahead of Delilah in every school we attended. Ever since the first day we met, I’d always seen her wherever I went. Visiting her grandfather on the ranch, walking around town, her being my sister’s friend, coming over to the occasional family barbecue because Amelia and Desmond Adler never turned down anyone when it came to having them sit at their dinner table. And then, before I knew it, I recognized her solely by taking one look at her wild locks falling in dark waves down her back.
If I hadn’t been so annoyed with Desi for hiding shit from me in the office, I probably would have noticed Delilah sooner. Now I couldn’t take my eyes off her no matter how hard I tried. I wish I could say she’d changed in the last four years since we last stood this close to each other for longer than a few minutes. I wish I could look at her and say I didn’t recognize the woman in front of me.
But I did.
There wasn’t a single thing about her that had changed.
Maybe with one exception…
Delilah had always been beautiful with her big doe eyes and delicate features dusted with dozens of freckles. Now? Now the only word that comes to mind when I looked at her was devastating .
It was also a fitting word for how we ended things all those summers ago.
One look at her, and I was a total goner the moment I saw her standing in my bar.
What the hell was she doing here?
It had been weeks since I last saw Delilah in person, let alone talked to her. But I knew why we hadn’t. She was avoiding me. She’d been practically avoiding me for the last four years. Not that I could blame her for it when I hadn’t been any better. We’d been walking circles around each other ever since we broke up.
After moving back home from Colorado over a year ago, and between helping my dad on the ranch for most of the day and manning the bar at night, I had little time to think about my best friend who had once been a part of my family. But the woman lingered in the back of my mind, only to become a ghost that haunted me when I least expected her to appear. Interrupting my plans to move on.
Because I let her.
“So, Travis,” Desi chimed, making me look over my shoulder to find her smirking at me while Delilah didn’t so much as meet my gaze, keeping her eyes laser focused on her hands on the bar top. “How’s the hunt for that new bartender going?”
“I doubt a teenager applying as some sort of dare with his friends counts as an option.” It’s been hell trying to find a new bartender lately. I was lucky enough to get my brother to fill in until then, but I knew I needed to find someone soon before the carnival got to Willow Vale in June—otherwise, we’d be running around all over the place.
“That’s too bad,” Desi said a little too innocently, but I could hear the mischief in her voice from a mile away. “Well, since that was a total bust, how about I recommend someone?”
I paused, turning to face the women before me. Delilah’s warm brown eyes sank into mine as I caught her staring before she quickly looked away. It was only then that I allowed myself to look at her. I mean, really look at her.
She looked tired. Like a thread about to snap at any moment after being tugged on one too many times. Reaching its limit.
I’d seen that look on her face too many times in the past. Back when she used to spend nights searching for Irene and taking care of her until morning. She’d show up to school looking worn out as if she’d been the one partying all weekend and not her mother. Even though we practically became strangers over time, my initial reaction was to ask her if she’s all right. If she needed help with anything.
But I didn’t.
Instead, crossing my arms over my chest as I regarded Desi, I asked, “Who exactly are you recommending that I don’t already know in this town?”
“Oh, you know her.” Desi waved a hand in Delilah’s direction with a flourish. “Ta-da!”
My grin promptly dropped at the same time Delilah shot daggers at Desi with her narrowed eyes. I blinked, my brain having a hard time translating Desi’s word.
There was no mistaking it, though. Desi just insinuated that my ex-girlfriend should work here as a bartender. As my bartender. My employee.
I said the first thing that came to mind, my bluntness shining through before I could dim it into a more pleasant light. “She doesn’t even drink. How is she going to bartend?”
“She is standing right here. Why don’t you ask her?” Desi said as she walked around the bar and swept the now empty tray off the counter. “I’ll get on finding that spreadsheet for you in the meantime and let you two get to that interview now. Good luck!”
“Desi, wait—” Delilah’s words fell short when Desi pushed through the swinging door into the kitchen with a wave over her shoulder.
I, on the other hand, could only pinch the bridge of my nose.
A brief silence fell upon the bar with Desi gone and George Strait’s The Chair suddenly coming to an end over the speakers.
I blew out a breath, my tone resigned and annoyed per usual when it came to Desi and her many great ideas. “She sure had this all planned out, didn’t she?”
“It seems that way.” Delilah’s voice was soft and husky, making me hyperaware of every word she spoke and simultaneously making my teeth grind. I hated that I was already so swept up in her in the ten minutes we’ve been in the same room together.
I turned to face her, eyeing the way she tapped her fingers nervously against the bar top. I got started on wiping down the area just to keep busy before I said something stupid .
Turns out, my brain didn’t get the memo because I ended up asking anyway. “What happened to the teller job?”
I could hear the surprise in her voice, and it was an effort not to look up. “How did you know I worked at the bank?”
Well, shit.
Yeah, Travis, how did you know that?
There was no way I could play it off now.
I cleared my throat. “My mom mentioned she saw you working there the other day.”
“Oh, how is Amelia? And Desmond?” she asked about my parents with a fondness.
“They’re good. Same as always, staying close to the ranch and raising hell.”
A small smile reached her lips, a fondness filling her voice. “That sounds like them.”
After we broke up, not only did things change between us but so did her relationship with my family. Not that they didn’t still love Delilah or constantly wonder how she’s been.
“As much as I love to talk about my parents, I’ve got to ask…” She hesitantly looked at me, waiting for me to ask what we both knew was coming. “Why do you want to work here?”
Delilah ran a hand through her hair with a frown, embarrassment taking over her soft features. “I got fired after being late one too many times.”
I couldn’t hold back the amused tone that followed my words. “I can’t say I’m surprised about that. You always were late to everything.”
She sent me an incredulous look and I arched a brow, both of us knowing I’m right.
“I was running late taking River to school and the rest was history. Same thing that happened in January.” She muttered that last part to herself, but I caught it .
“What happened in January?” I asked, resting my hands on the bar top and leaning forward.
“Same thing that happened last week.”
“Ah, I’m seeing a pattern.” I grinned.
She huffed out a laugh. “Is this how talk to your customers? Because if it is, I got to tell you it makes me wonder how you’re still in business.”
I had to fight a smile at her little outburst. In this moment, she reminded me of the spirited and quick-witted girl I loved spending time with under the willow tree on my parents’ property.
Those moments when she was happy as a kid were rare. She was this shy kid who looked afraid of her own shadow at times. It used to bother me so much that I used to try really hard to get her to smile. It made me hate the person responsible who made such a small, fragile girl so afraid of saying how she truly felt.
That was back then.
“Did you try to see if the hardware store was hiring? I know Rick was looking for a cashier a few weeks back.” That came out exactly how I intended for it to sound. Like us working together would be a bad idea. Because I could handle mutually avoiding each other. I’d managed to do so for so long now. What I couldn’t handle was seeing her nearly every other night without fighting the urge to know more about her. Find out how she’s been managing all on her own since her grandfather passed away. What her life has been like raising her little brother.
She finally said after a beat of silence, “Look, I get that this is beyond awkward for you. It is for me too, believe me. But I just need a job to get by this summer. For River. I have to be able to provide for him, Travis. I have to. You don’t have to hire me but…I’d appreciate it if you did. ”
She was right. This wasn’t exactly the most ideal situation for either of us. But for River—for the little boy I saw clinging to her whenever I caught a rare sighting of the two together in town—I knew I couldn’t say no. No matter how uncomfortable we’d both be working together, the kid had to come first.
I sighed and nodded. “When can you start?”