11. Oliver
Oliver
“You’re late.” Wyatt stood behind the bar, arms crossed, chest puffed up in some kind of intimidation technique.
I checked my watch. “I’m right on time. Shift starts at nine.”
“Yeah, well I had two people call in sick. Sent you a text to see if you could come in at eight.”
“Sorry.” I passed the bar on my way back to the office. “Didn’t see it.”
Wyatt followed, his footsteps landing heavy on the wooden floor. “Where were you tonight?”
Wasn’t any business of his. I took my time tucking my keys into a locker. “I went out for dinner.”
“On a date?”
“Why do you ask?” Since when did my boss get so curious about my personal life?
“You’ve got some lipstick or something on your mouth.” Wyatt wiped at the edge of his own mouth.
“Oh, thanks.” I ran my hand over my lips. A trace of Trinity’s pink lip gloss came off on my finger. I smiled as I remembered the feel of her mouth on mine, the heat of her body pressed up against me.
“Who is she, Loverboy?” Wyatt’s grimace turned to a teasing smile. “One of the regulars?”
“No, it’s um…” What did it matter if Wyatt knew I was dating the new landlord? We weren’t even really dating. More like seeing each other from time to time and sharing a mind-blowing kiss. Something I hoped to do more of in the very near future.
“Someone I know?”
“Trinity. From next door.” I gestured toward the space next door.
“No shit?” Wyatt’s eyebrows rose.
“Yeah, it was a last-minute kind of thing.” I felt the urge to minimize our dinner date. I also didn’t mention the fact that I’d asked her out again. It wasn’t any of Wyatt’s business, and it’s not like it had any bearing on my job.
Wyatt rubbed a hand over the scruff on his chin. “Interesting.”
“I’m going to head out front. Anything I need to get caught up on?” I asked.
“Nah. It’s been busy with kids wanting to blow off some steam before finals. We’re down a server tonight, so just try to keep up the best you can.”
“Got it.” I nodded then left my boss behind as I made my way out to the bar.
The night passed in a blur of pulling jugs of beer from the tap and dodging advances from tipsy patrons. By the time last call rolled around, I was more than ready to turn in for the night.
“Hey, got a sec?” Wyatt asked. He’d been hiding out in his office most of the evening. Not only were we short-staffed, but the fact he didn’t come out to help had rubbed me the wrong way.
“What’s up?” Eager to clock out and get upstairs, I wasn’t exactly in the mood for a heart-to-heart.
“I’ve been thinking.” Wyatt gestured to the chair opposite his desk.
I slid into it, glad to be off my feet for a moment. “I hope you didn’t hurt yourself, boss.”
Wyatt let out a gruff laugh. “About the chick next door?—”
“Trinity.”
“Yeah, Trinity. You like her?” He leaned forward, resting his elbows on the desk.
Where was this line of questioning headed? “I suppose. Why?”
“You going to see her again?”
“I don’t know.” I shrugged. “Why the sudden interest?”
“You want to stay in the States, right?”
I nodded. Wyatt already knew that.
“And I want to expand next door.”
“Yeah. And that’s no longer an option.” I shifted in my seat, wanting to add that he’d jacked it up and missed his chance.
Wyatt’s gaze burned bright. “What if there was still a way for both of us to get exactly what we want?”
I shook my head. “And how do you plan on doing that? Last time I checked, you didn’t have a magic wand sitting around.”
“No, but I might have something better. What if the space next door ends up being too much for Trinity to handle?” Wyatt cocked a brow.
“And how might that come about?” I asked, somewhat intrigued and somewhat put off by what Wyatt might be suggesting.
He lifted a shoulder in a half shrug. “Say one of her water lines breaks or she comes across asbestos while remodeling… something like that might be too much for a young entrepreneur to handle.”
Leaning back in my chair, I crossed my arms over my chest, my stomach clenching as I processed Wyatt’s suggestion. “You want me to set her up.”
“No, not exactly. We both know she’s in over her head. I’m just thinking she might need a little help understanding how big of a project she’s taken on.”
“So you can swoop in and take her bad investment off her hands.” I narrowed my eyes.
“Like you said, there are a ton of other buildings available downtown. I need this one. She can take her pick of any of the others.”
“What if you offer to buy it from her? Give her a little more than what she paid. Wouldn’t that be a win-win for both of you?” And prevent my conscience from nagging at me for even considering what Wyatt had in mind.
Wyatt lifted his gaze to the ceiling. “I can’t. I’m maxed out on credit and can’t get a loan for more. That’s why I was trying so hard to lowball Hopkins. If I pay a dollar more for the building, we won’t have the funds we need to finance the brewing set up.”
“Sounds like you’ve got yourself in a real jam.” A jam I didn’t want any part of. I got up from the chair, ready to put an end to the conversation. Wyatt wasn’t thinking clearly. It was late. We’d probably laugh about this in the morning.
“You told me you want a reason to stay in the States.” Wyatt stood as well.
“Yeah, but not if the only way to make that happen is to sabotage someone else.”
“We get the building, and I swear I’ll hire you on as manager. Full-time. Pay for the visa and everything.” Wyatt rounded the desk and thrust his hand out for me to shake.
I studied it. Wyatt had the hands of someone who didn’t rustle sheep all day, who didn’t come in from the pasture covered in mud, who didn’t have the constant smell of animal shit clinging to him.
“What would I have to do?” I glanced down at my feet, my jaw clenched tight.
“Nothing drastic. Just a little hazing to make her reconsider her investment. Maybe sneak in overnight and set up something that makes her think twice about sticking around.”
I shuffled my weight from one foot to the other.
Could I do it? If it meant not having to go back home and take over the family business?
The scent of fresh cut hay floated past my nose.
How could I not give it a shot? I’d promised myself I’d do just about anything to keep my own dream alive.
I ought to at least sleep on it before telling Wyatt to go fuck himself. “I’ll think about it.”
“Sounds good. Just decide quick. You’ll let me know by the end of the weekend?” Wyatt thrust his hand out again.
This time I shook it. As I did, a shiver ran up my arm and across my shoulders. I was so tired I couldn’t tell if it was apprehension or excitement at the prospect of not having to head home.
I let go of Wyatt’s hand and grabbed my keys from the cubby. “Have a good night, man.”
“You too. And don’t think too hard. I know how much you want to stick around. It’s time you started looking out for yourself.”
I nodded, eager to get upstairs where I could be left alone with my thoughts. Visions of my future flashed through my head as I climbed the steps to my apartment. If I went back to New Zealand, I’d end up just like my parents. A quiet life full of family and hard work. Boring as hell.
As I opened the door, light spilled over the threshold.
I never left the light on while I was away.
My gaze bounced around the open space. Nothing out of place in the kitchen.
I stepped toward the lamp on the side table.
Dark hair spilled over the edge of the couch.
Trinity curled up in a ball, the hand-knit blanket my mom had sent with me covering her lower half.
My breath caught in my chest. She looked so vulnerable on the huge expanse of my oversized couch.
Squatting down next to her, I resisted the urge to run my palm over her arm.
Her breath came out on a sigh, and she let out a slight moan that made me wonder what kind of dream she might be having.
When I’d offered to let her use my place to crash, I hadn’t expected her to take me up on it.
My heart thudded deep in my chest as I considered Wyatt’s deal.
How could I pursue my own dream if it meant causing Trinity to lose hers?
I left her on the couch and moved to the back corner where my bed sat.
Tomorrow would be soon enough to think about my options.
My brain would work better after I’d downed a pot of coffee and had a decent night’s sleep.
Whipping my T-shirt over my head, I wondered how long Trinity had been asleep on my couch.
What would she do if she woke up to my hands on her hips, my mouth on her neck?
I adjusted myself then unbuckled my jeans and stepped out of them.
Damn. Those kinds of thoughts weren’t going to lead anywhere good.
Thinking about her curves, the heat of her mouth, the way she’d tangled her tongue with mine—hell, that just got me half hard and there was no way I was going to jerk off while the object of my frustration slept half a room away.
Fuck it. I picked up my pants and shirt and tossed them on the chair in the corner.
“Hey.”
The soft voice behind me made me whip around. For a moment I forgot I was standing half-naked in my boxer briefs.
Trinity’s gaze drifted down to my crotch. She bit back a grin as she looked away.
Make that tented boxer briefs. Dammit. I reached for the shorts I’d had on earlier in the day and held them over my crotch. “What are you doing here?”
She took a step toward me. “You said I could crash here if I wanted to.”
“Yeah, but I didn’t think?—”
“Oh my gosh, you didn’t really mean it, did you?” Her eyes went wide, her mouth forming a circle. The kind of circle that would fit nice and tight around my cock right about now. She stepped toward the couch, grabbed the blanket, and fumbled to fold it.
“No, I mean yes. I meant it. It’s fine.” I took long strides toward the couch.
She’d bent to slide on her shoes. “I’m sorry. I just wanted to apologize for dragging you into my family thing earlier. It was so nice of you to go with me, and I was such a bitch for not letting you know ahead of time.” She wiped at her eyes.
Hell, was she crying? I stepped around the couch, keeping a hand on my shorts. “It was fine. Fun even.” I reached my free hand out to catch her on the shoulder.
“Really?” She faced me, her cheek sporting an impression of the texture of my couch cushion.
“Yeah. And like you said, I got a few meals out of it.”
“I’m sorry. I don’t know what I was thinking. When you dropped me off next door, I tried to get some work done but I kept feeling like I needed to apologize. I stopped in at the bar, but you were busy, so I figured I’d just wait for you up here. I can go.”
“Now?”
She nodded, barely meeting my gaze. Where was the confident chick who’d squeezed my ass earlier? Remembering the way her hands felt on my glutes made me even harder. Damn.
“How are you going to get home? It’s almost three in the morning.”
Her fingers wrapped around the handle of her purse. “I’ll call a cab or something. It’s not a big deal.”
“Or…” Something in my gut ignited. I put my hand over hers.
“Or what?” She looked up at me, the fuzziness of sleep gone from her eyes.
“Or you could stay.”