Chapter Thirteen
F elix
It was a good thing that Autumn had gone to dinner with her parents after their time in her studio earlier that day because Felix wasn’t sure he could spend another minute with his best friend and not have his hands on her again, or his lips.
The kiss they’d shared before her accident had been a chaste one, a brief test of their chemistry and confirmation that they had made the right decision to try and be more than what they had been.
The kiss that took place only hours ago was vastly different.
It started out much the same, a quick touch of skin to skin before it quickly evolved into a fierce need to taste one another.
They’d smashed their mouths together, moved their tongues against one another vigorously as they gave into feelings that had been building, over a lifetime for him, but merely weeks for her.
Their relationship might never be as balanced as it once was, but Felix no longer cared.
He could exist for the rest of his life as the man who was far more in love with Autumn than she was with him and consider it time well spent.
Watching Autumn rediscover her love of pottery earlier had been magical and only caused his feelings to grow. The almost childlike wonder in her eyes when she turned to him, so happy to have accomplished a task others might consider small, was something that would live in his mind forever.
Felix had loved getting to experience it with her, to help her through the difficulties she’d faced and witness her coming back to herself, even if she might not have been able to recognize it.
Of course, it might take Autumn some time to get back to the comfort level she had before, and she may not ever be as skillful as she was, but the fact that she had faced the daunting task head on spoke to her strength.
The courage she possessed was just one of the many reasons Felix loved her, and he hoped that was something he would be able to share with her soon.
Whether Autumn regretted the kiss or was simply a little frightened of the possible shift in their relationship, Felix wasn’t sure.
What was certain was that he needed to give her plenty of time to consider her feelings.
If a romance with him was something she opted not to pursue at this time, he would be crushed, but maybe when her memories came back he would have a shot.
Was that something he was willing to wait for?
And what if it never happened? At least he would still have her in his life as a friend.
It would be difficult to be near her and not express all the ways in which he loved and cared for her, but Felix knew he could deal with the heartbreak of it because her friendship meant more to him than his hurt feelings.
Autumn had gone through too much for him to abandon her now.
What if she abandons you? The sinister voice that popped up every so often made itself known again, but Felix did his best to tell it to go to hell and push it aside.
Slipping into her old life hadn’t been the smooth transition he had initially thought, and with each passing day there seemed to be additional changes to her personality that they discovered, but they were small in the grand scheme of things.
Autumn preferred her eggs fried instead of scrambled now, her herbal shampoo had been swapped out in favor of one that smelled of grapefruit, and she flossed before she brushed her teeth instead of after like she used to.
All of those were simple alterations in routine and preference, ones that only someone very close to her would notice, which Felix had.
Instead of being worried about them as he had before, he now saw them as new discoveries about his someone he cared deeply for.
While she was getting to know him, he was getting to know the new her.
It was exciting in a way, and he looked forward to each day to see what else he would find out about his friend.
Felix’s eyes flicked to his watch as he walked toward Branch and Brew.
If he hurried, he would have plenty of time to check in on things and make it home before Autumn returned from dinner.
It had only been a little over an hour since she’d left, but he already missed her.
Eventually, he would have to return to work and he would miss her even more, but until then Felix wanted to soak up as much time with her as he could.
His feet slowed as he approached the bar, his brain turning over the thought that had just occurred to him.
What would Autumn’s schedule look like? Would she still spend most of her day in the studio until she got up to speed on her trade again?
Both questions were ones they should discuss, but Felix found he wanted to stay blissfully ignorant of reality for at least a little while longer.
He hoped the rest would be sorted with time.
Pushing open the door to his business, Felix’s jaw nearly dropped when he spotted how busy it was.
His eyes widened at the full tables and the crowded bar.
Lottie had gotten his approval to hire an additional bartender in his absence, and while he’d initially thought it unnecessary, Felix could definitely see the need for it now.
Making his way through the throng of people, he went back behind the bar and sidled up to Lottie.
No other bartender was in sight and while her appearance was impeccable as always, her eyes looked slightly frenzied as she attempted to fulfill drink orders all on her own.
“Need a hand?” he spoke loudly to be heard over the din, something that he’d only ever had to do on trivia nights.
Lottie looked over him and smiled gratefully.
“I’d tell you to get lost since you’re technically on vacation or whatever, but actually yeah, I would love the help.
” She tossed him a clean tea towel and signaled to a group of gentlemen in front of her.
“You take the bachelor party and I’ll get the book club at the end of the bar.
” Divide and conquer, the golden rule of any bartending gig.
As he pulled beers and poured cider for the rowdy group of men celebrating their friend’s last day of freedom, Felix looked around the bar and noticed a lot more new faces.
Nate had wanted Applewood to grow and prosper, and he had plans in place to make that happen, but Felix hadn’t thought they’d been implemented yet.
Of course, he had been a little preoccupied with Autumn.
They had basically been existing in a little bubble, but it seemed that the real world was slowly encroaching on that territory, threatening to pop it and end their near perfect existence.
It was something Felix knew would happen eventually, but that didn’t mean he welcomed it.
When there appeared to be a lull in service, Felix joined Lottie as she settled a tab for a couple of college age guys. “Where’s Bruce and the new girl?”
Felix couldn’t remember her name for the life of him. He would definitely need to remedy that before he returned to work. Being a good employer was something he prided himself on, and knowing the names of the people who worked for you was straight out of Bossing 101.
Lottie rolled her eyes. “The new girl was a no show three days in a row, and sadly no one else is looking for work at the moment.” She wiped a pool of grenadine off the bar top, looking slightly annoyed at the spill. “Luckily Bruce will be here soon enough. He’s just finishing up his dinner break.”
“At least there’s that.” Felix helped Lottie for another half hour until Bruce took over, finding that he missed working and socializing with the customers, but he wouldn’t trade his time with Autumn for anything, not when they were so close to rebuilding what they’d had.
Heading back into the office, he went over the financial records.
Unsurprisingly, Lottie had kept them meticulously, and it seemed that his business had not only survived his absence, but was thriving.
Revenue had increased, but so had his profit.
Some of that had gone to the now absent third bartender, but even after her few paychecks Felix had enough money in his coffers to last a long while.
Maybe he could divert some of that money to Autumn until her shop was up and running again.
“Hey,” Lottie said, appearing in the doorway. “Got a minute?” Felix nodded and gestured to the chair across from him. Lottie ignored it in favor of leaning against the door. “Nuh-uh. If I sit down I don’t plan on ever getting back up again.”
A chuckle broke loose. “Am I working you that hard?” It was partially a joke, but from the tired slump to her shoulders and faint purple shadows under Lottie’s eyes, it might actually have been true.
Her shoulder bobbed as she shrugged off his question.
“It probably has more to do with my choice in footwear than anything.” Lottie showed off a pair of black and white vintage heels that were probably uncomfortable the year they were made, so Felix could only imagine they’d gotten more so with time.
“But I did actually want to talk to you about when you were coming back to work.”
Felix ran his fingers through his hair, still not quite used to the shorter length. “Not sure honestly.” He waved at the computer and notebooks in front of him. “You’ve been doing such a good job that I almost wonder how necessary I really am to this whole operation.”
Lottie groaned as her back pressed into the wood doorframe.
“Ugh, I was worried you might say that.” She moved over to the desk and sat on the corner.
“Felix, this was your baby, not mine or anyone else’s.
Now, I am happy to look after it while you help Autumn, but it’s been two months.
Do you really think more time is going to make much of a difference? ”