9. Oz
Oz
“We can do this, Gingie,” I croon to my sweet girl as she stares up from the shelf where she likes to rest beneath the bar.
She flaps her lips at me, begging for one of the maraschino cherries in the small bowl at my prep station.
“You already had five,” I chide as I shake my head at her.
Whiskey Business isn’t open yet, but I’m on duty after spending a few hours at BrewHaHa working on reformatting my business plan. I’ve decided that even with the cash from Wilder, I’ll still need a line of credit at the bank for cash flow purposes.
And it’s a good idea to have a plan.
Ginger lets out a soft whine, and I glance over at her. Her tail thumps against the counter, and she repeats the request, flapping her chops again.
“Saucy bitch,” I say with a laugh, grabbing a cherry out of the storage container on top of the bar.
When I toss it to her, she catches it and gobbles it down, then stares at me for another.
I feed her four more before she’s willing to snuggle up and stop huff-whining at me in that way only pit bulls really do. The door swings open just as I duck behind the bar to grab another tray of glasses. A small group of pit hells dashes through the door and around the side of the counter.
Smiling, I watch as the young ones dive beneath it to crawl all over Ginger, chewing on her ears and face and tail. Just puppies, but she’s sweet with them.
I end up feeding them a bunch of snacks before they give us space. No sooner have they left than the door opens yet again.
“We’re still closed!” I shout as I shake my head at the constant intrusions and look toward the door.
Wilder stands on the other side of the bar with a box from Skylight Bakery in one hand and a dozen roses in the other. Shock courses through me, and I lash my tail from side to side.
“I hurt your feelings,” he says without preamble. “And I’m sorry for that.” He steps to the bar and sets the box down. “I know snacks are a gargoyle’s love language, so I started there.” He lays the flowers down next. “These just felt right.”
I struggle to find words when he reaches into his pocket and withdraws a dog treat. He hands it to me with a soft smile. “For your, I mean our, dog.” He offers me a half smile. “I can’t be party to matching pajamas, but I’m good for snacks.”
Fingers trembling, I take the treat and turn to my sweet girl. When I offer it to her, she takes it with a grateful lick, crunching it loudly under the counter.
When I stand back up to face Wilder, he smiles at me.
“Sounds like she accepts my apology…will you? I’m…
gruff and sarcastic, I know that.” He runs a hand through his pale hair, dislodging the long bangs closest to his brow.
“It don’t always work in my favor, Oz, but I looked at what you put together.
Promise I did. I’m appreciative even though I didn’t seem it in the moment. ”
I roll my shoulders, sighing as I consider the apology.
After a minute, I look back at him. “I didn’t mean to unload my relationship drama on you, I just…
I didn’t like what I became when I dated Saint.
I don’t want to be like that again, even with you, even if it’s not real.
” Waving around at the restaurant, who waves back at me, I smile.
“Who I am now is the real me, a happy me. I like that.”
Wilder sits on the closest barstool and opens up the box from Skylight.
Turning it toward me, he smiles. I think it’s the first smile I’ve seen from him, and it transforms his face.
Dimples pop on either side of his lush mouth.
Wrinkles edge his eyes, and he looks so good like that, staring at me without being… guarded.
“We all deserve happiness and to be who we are, Oz,” he says softly. “Despite our circumstances, I don’t ever want to take that from you. So if you think I am, always tell me, alright?”
I snatch a chocolate chip cookie from the box and layer a marshmallow cutie on top of it. After smashing them together, I shove it in my mouth, moaning when the flavors burst off my tongue. Wilder watches in silence.
When I manage to swallow, I shoot him a cutesy smile. “We making progress, boy toy? Because chocolate chips plus marshmallow cuties are my favorite combo. It’s like you’re seeing into my soul already.”
He smiles, but it’s wry. And then he says…nothing.
Okay. So maybe just the tiniest smidgen of progress.
“Nope, that’s my job!”
We both spin toward the door where Willa enters, sauntering in wearing black leather pants and a leather bustier that pushes her substantial tits up and out. She’s hella muscular and almost as tall as Wilder. In this getup, she wouldn’t look out of place going to a sex club.
“Where’s your whip, Domme Mommy?” I tease as she slides onto the stool next to Wilder’s.
She flashes me a pleased grin. “I’ve been up all night at the Auction House, which is apparently where you all keep your records, I guess?
” She lifts both hands and shakes her head.
“Make it make sense. But anyway, a lot of the property data doesn’t add up, and we need to dig into it.
” She looks over at Wilder. “You were right to want to check into that a little further. I have a lot of questions for Saint Ashbourne.”
I look between the siblings. Wilder nods, his lips pursed into that same uncomfortable frown he’s worn nearly every moment since we met.
Willa chuckles and flicks her forefinger between us. “Wait, is Wild already apologizing for something? Do tell! He’s not usually great at this part of relationships.”
“Wills,” he says with a warning growl.
She slaps his broad chest. “What? I love you, but you’re not.” Her green eyes flash in the mid-morning light. “You wanna come with us, Oz? I’m curious to see what effect your presence has on Saint, given…things.”
I bark out a nervous laugh, glancing at Wilder to find his expression more neutral.
When he notices my gaze, he smirks. “I’ll hold your hand and buy you more marshmallow treats.”
Looking between them, I laugh. “Are you two serious right now? And is there a joking side of Wilder that only you bring out, Willa?”
She throws a dramatic hand over her heart. “He even makes jokes in my presence, if you can believe it!”
Wilder emits one of his usual noncommittal noises.
“I don’t have to come,” I offer. “But I’m happy to attend if it’s helpful. You’re paying me, after all.”
“Good,” Willa chirps, standing and grabbing a bag by her feet. “Because I got you matching sweaters.” She yanks the sweaters out of the bag and lifts one high.
It’s black, but up close, there are tiny pink hearts in the pattern.
“Oh my gods, that’s perfect!” I all but shout, until I look at Wilder.
He’s staring at the sweaters in apparent horror. Any moment, he’s going to refuse to—
Reaching down, he grabs the hem of his long-sleeved tee and pulls it over his head. Willa smirks at me as I stare at her brother’s stacked core, noting the faint near-white hair coating his chest. Waggling both dark brows, she tosses the second sweater to me.
“Thank fuck you remembered I have wings,” I muse as I stare at the line of buttons down both shoulders all the way to the sleeve.
Willa claps her brother on the arm. “Meeting’s at three at some restaurant out at the wraith property.”
Wilder nods. “He insisted I meet him there the first time too. Seems he can’t be bothered to eat downtown for some reason.”
“He’ll only do highbrow dining,” I offer with a frown.
“Hates a dive bar. Wouldn’t be caught dead in a place with a mechanical bull.
” I wave around at Whiskey Business, who groans unhappily.
“Love you, sweetie,” I croon, rubbing the bar top with my fingertips.
“What’s the meeting today about, ostensibly? ”
“Finalizing contract details.” Willa waggles her brows. “But I’m gonna blow that right up because a ton of the details aren’t right. And I don’t want Wilder to get fucked.”
He lightly slaps the bar between us, grabbing my attention. “We’ll get outta your hair so you can finish opening, but I’ll pick you up at two thirty?”
“Sounds good.” I point at our matching sweaters. “This is cute as hells, by the way. Saint’s gonna shit a brick.”
“We don’t want to piss him off, though, right?” Wilder looks at his sister.
She shrugs, twirling auburn hair around her finger. “I mean…we’re not pushovers though. And as your lawyer, I’m just doing my job. I don’t see how he can have an issue with that.”
I snort. She doesn’t know Saint Ashbourne the way I do.
“Well, he revels in getting one over on the other party in deals. It’s how he makes his best money, by getting his clients the very best price.
Maybe it’ll be good for me to be there. That way I can warn Wilder if I think Saint is up to any tricks. ”
Willa smirks and waggles her brows at me. “Most excellent, I love that idea.”
We high-five, and Wild just rolls his eyes.
Hours later, Whiskey Business is slammed as my replacement rushes in, snowflakes fluttering in behind her. The pretty pixie is wrapped to the nines in a ton of layers, stomping snow off her boots as she joins me behind the bar.
“Absolute madhouse outside, Oz,” she barks as she tosses her coat underneath the bar next to Ginger. “Betty’s Burger Bar is doing another burger challenge, and the street’s full. How did I forget that was going on today?”
I shrug. Betty’s on a tear lately with her events. Of course, Pine Gulch is famous for its parties anyhow.
Fall Ball. Mead Cute Festival. Yule Love It. New Year Bash. Sweetheart Ball. And that’s just half the year!
Grabbing my coat, I toss it over my matching sweater and kiss at Ginger, who slinks out from under the counter to follow me.
At the door, I pull her jammies back on and button them over her shoulder.
She licks my face with a soft little whine when I open the door and snow blows in.
It’s gorgeous outside, but fuck me, it’s cold.
I’m pretty sure Ginger and I are both lizards at heart.
Throw us on a hot beach, and we’d be happy clams.
Outside, Wilder and Willa sit in a big pickup truck, talking. When I knock on the window, Willa hops out and gets in the back, giving up her spot.
I round the truck and slide in, smiling at them as I note Wilder’s still wearing the heart sweater. Ginger hops in and over the console, taking a seat next to Willa who eyes her jammies with a huge smile.
“Saint’s gonna lose his mind,” I mutter to nobody in particular.
“I’d love to see that,” Willa chirps from the back seat. “I already don’t like him just based on what I read from Wilder.”
Wilder gruffs and puts the truck in gear, pulling into the snowy street. The fairy lights that crisscross the street shine down on us in the fading afternoon light.
Turning in my seat, I look at her. “What do you mean about reading Wilder?”
He laughs. “Don’t get her started.”
“I’m really good at reading monsters,” Willa says.
“Like, scary good. When I meet this guy, I’ll be able to tell you everything about him.
It weirds people out, so I don’t usually bring it up at first, but I love to use it on Wild so I can figure out what’s going on in his life.
You know, if I waited for him to tell me, it’d take forever. ”
He grumbles again.
Ginger leans over and licks Willa’s cheek, and Willa jumps but then holds still. Ginger gives her another tentative look while I watch.
“She’s never quite this friendly up front.” I reach back and scratch Ginger’s jawline. “But perhaps if you can easily read monsters, you knew that already.”
Willa smiles at me, this one a little softer.
I cock my head to the side. “What do you read about me?”
No sooner have I asked the question than Wilder starts shaking his head, looking at his sister in the rearview mirror. “No, Wills. Don’t go there. It’s too much too soon.” He shoots me a warning look. “You don’t want to know, Oz, you really don’t.”
Willa reaches forward and slaps Wilder’s beefy shoulder. “Aww, come on, Wild; I can go easy this first time. I don’t have to tell Oz all his deepest, darkest secrets.” She smiles at me. “What do you want me to tell you about yourself?”
I shrug. “What kinds of things can you glean from looking at me?”
She snickers. “When I said anything, I mean almost anything. Family history, feelings, desires, secrets.”
I lift both brows. “Seems like at least some of those things are find-outable on the internet, Willa.”
She grins. “So ask me about something that’s not, then.”
“No.” I shake my head. “Might as well tell me all about my family first.”
She cracks her knuckles and cants her head side to side like she’s prepping for a fight. “Think about them, and while you ponder them, I’ll just be looking at you, okay? Takes about a minute.”
Letting my mind wander, I think about my family while Willa stares at me, not blinking. It starts to get a little creepy around the minute mark, and I find myself glancing away.
“Okay,” she says with a chuckle. “Let’s see.
You’re an only son. Your folks aren’t around for whatever reason, so you grew up with your grandparents.
You haven’t been in Pine Gulch long, maybe six months, but you love it here.
It brings out a wild streak in you that you’ve found you enjoy.
” She waggles her brows. “How’m I doin’? ”
My mouth is open. I’m blinking rapidly, staring at Willa. “That was one hundred percent factual. How do you do that?”
She rests back against the seat and scratches long nails down Ginger’s back. “No idea. It’s not a human thing, so I didn’t get it from our mother. It’s not a troll thing, so I didn’t get it from our sperm donor. I’ve just…always been able to do it.”
I glance from her to Wilder and back again. “I suppose it comes in handy if you’re a lawyer, huh?”
“Very handy,” she says with a devilish grin. “Very, very handy.”