23. Oliver
Oliver
I pushed back from the table, my belly full from the gourmet takeout Macy had served for dinner.
That was one thing Newbridge had that Towley never would—every kind of food I could hope for, all within delivery distance.
I wiped the cloth napkin over my lips as I listened to the heated exchange going on between Trinity and Macy.
“I feel like I need some kind of publicity move before the grand opening. Something that will get people excited about the shop before the big day.” Trinity took another sip of wine.
Thankfully everyone’s curiosity in my family’s fake vineyard had died down.
I still hadn’t figured out why I hadn’t told the truth about that.
Macy held up the bottle and emptied it into Trinity’s glass. “Mitch, would you be a dear and open the other bottle? I think we’re going to be at this for a while.”
Mitch got up from the table and stacked the empty plates before taking them to the kitchen.
“Should we move into the living room?” Macy asked. “I’ve got the whiteboard set up. We can deep dive into your grand opening plan.”
Trinity picked up her glass and held it out to me. “To what will surely be the most painful night of your life.”
I chuckled as I tapped my glass against hers. “I doubt that.”
“Oh, you haven’t seen Macy with her whiteboard yet.” Trinity offered what she probably intended as an apologetic smile.
“That’s not fair.” Macy led the way into the living room. “You know I’m just trying to help.”
“I know.” Trinity slung an arm around her friend.
I took a seat on the couch. “I can’t imagine it’s going to be worse than…” I’d almost said something about having to stay up all night during lambing season.
“Worse than what?” Macy tilted her head.
Think, dammit, think. “I was going to say it can’t be worse than listening to my professor drone on about growth hacking in an e-commerce market.”
Trinity sat down next to me, her thigh pressing against mine, driving any thoughts of sheep and classes out of my head. “You might change your mind after you hear her going at it for the next several hours.”
“If you focus, we might finish early, and then we’ll all have a chance to go at it later.” Macy set her wine down on a side table and uncapped a marker.
Trinity shifted next to me. I glanced over at her, noticing her cheeks heating to a particularly attractive shade of red. I wouldn’t have minded doing just that—getting the planning out of the way so we might have a chance at some alone time before I had to head into work at Tapped.
Mitch brought in a new bottle of wine and sat in the chair next to us.
When she was sure she had everyone’s attention, Macy cleared her throat.
“So here’s what we have so far for the grand opening.
” The marker squeaked as she moved it across the board.
“We’ve got the television spot. I was thinking we could have you go into the studio the day before and do a quick interview to talk about your opening the next day.
Then my friend can come down and do a live segment the next day. Sound good?”
“You’re in charge.” Trinity shrugged. “I’ve given up control to you and your magical marketing skills.”
Macy smiled. “Smart girl. We’ll arrange for a ribbon cutting ceremony with the chamber of commerce, and I’ve got a contact at that new dessert bar that just opened downtown. I’ll see if she wants to provide some individual cheesecakes or tarts or something in exchange for a little free publicity.”
I leaned against the couch cushion and stretched my arm across the back, resting it on top of Trinity’s shoulders. She was tense, apparently uncomfortable with the business side of the business.
“That sounds great, really.” Trinity leaned forward to take another sip of wine.
“But…” Macy said.
“But what?”
Cocking her hip, Macy put the cap back on the marker. “I can tell you’ve got a but in there. What’s wrong?”
Trinity leaned back, nestling under my arm. “What do we do to get the yarn community on board?”
“What do you mean?” Macy asked. “Have you tried the cheesecake at that new place? It’s to die for.”
I wanted to help. My gut rolled and rumbled as I ran through some ideas my mom had proposed to the local fiber shops when they were trying to increase their sales.
Before I could stop myself, I pulled my arm from around Trinity’s shoulders and leaned forward, resting my forearms on my thighs.
“What if you did some sort of challenge to get people talking about your store on social media before it opens?”
“Yes.” Trinity set her glass down. “That’s exactly what I need. Something that will build excitement before we even open the doors.”
“What do you have in mind?” Macy tapped her toe on the plush carpet.
“Like a knit-along or something. Trinity”—I turned to face her—“you come up with a pattern that you can distribute via your website or social media accounts. Then you challenge people to finish it before your grand opening. Anyone who comes in wearing it will get an entry into a big giveaway.”
Macy narrowed her eyes. “So you get the publicity of people posting their work in progress and then you also fill the store on opening day.”
“Exactly.” I gauged Trinity’s reaction.
She bit her bottom lip, her brow furrowed. “I like it. The pattern would have to be something simple?—”
“Yeah, a seed stitch scarf or cowl would work.” I immediately wished I hadn’t spoken.
Both women studied me.
“How do you know so much about knitting?” Macy asked. “He’s talking about knitting, Trin, isn’t he?”
“Yeah.” Trinity rested her palm on my thigh. “You do seem to know a lot about knitting.”
“Hey”—I tried to laugh off their intense curiosity—“I live in New Zealand. All the women in my family have been knitting since they could walk.” I didn’t volunteer that I’d been roped into learning the fiber arts as well.
“What else do you know about that you haven’t told me yet?” Trinity asked.
I spread my arms out. “That’s it. My only secret. I know a bit about knitting.” My cheeks went numb from smiling while I hoped they’d drop that train of thought. “So how about it? Some sort of project to get people excited?”
She slowly turned her attention from me to Macy. Thank God. I’d just about melted under the intensity of her stare. That would teach me to open up. I’d managed to keep my pride intact the majority of the time I’d spent in the States. Hopefully, I wouldn’t lose it now that my days were numbered.
Macy uncapped the marker and scribbled the idea down on the board. “I like it. Do you have a pattern you can use, or do you have to come up with something new?”
“I’ve probably got something I can tweak to make it special for the grand opening. Oh, and maybe sell it online as a kit ahead of time. I got a sample of some incredible baby alpaca yarn that would make a great shawl.”
“It’s summer though. You might want to go with cotton,” I suggested. I swallowed hard as the last word left my lips. When would I learn to shut the fuck up?
“But unless we go with a pima, I’m not sure I’d like to use cotton.” Trinity eyed me with a hint of skepticism in her eye.
Shut up. Just let her make her own decisions. I bit my lip and nodded. “You know your business best.”
“I’m not sure I do.” She gave me a gentle elbow in the ribs.
I vowed to keep my thoughts to myself for the rest of the evening and almost managed to be successful. It wasn’t until we were moving toward the front door that I found the courage to speak again.
“Thanks for your help tonight. I really appreciated it.” Trinity wrapped her arms around my neck and pulled my head closer to hers. “You were full of surprises.”
“Yeah. Funny how things you haven’t thought of in years suddenly come up in conversation, isn’t it?” I centered her between my arms and clasped my hands behind her back.
“Is that what that was?” She ticked her head to one side.
I couldn’t handle the way she looked at me, like she knew I was hiding something. “What else would it be? You think I’m a closet knitter or something? That I pull on the taps at the bar, then go home to whittle away the rest of my night knitting up beanies or stocking caps?”
“No. There’s just more to you than I expected.”
Macy and Mitch had retired to the bedroom, so I didn’t feel awkward at all about trying to shut down the conversation with a kiss.
My lips met hers, hungry to taste her after spending all night right next to her.
She ran her tongue along mine and all worries about knitting and yarn and the grand openings faded away as I focused on the way her body aligned perfectly with mine.
I’d give up my pact with Wyatt right this second if I could lay her down on the white loveseat and bury myself inside her.
She pulled away first, a little out of breath. “Don’t you have a shift tonight?”
“Yeah.” I spoke into her hair. I could get hard by just catching a whiff of her shampoo. That’s how bad she’d gotten under my skin. “I should probably get going.”
“You have to work tomorrow night?” She wedged her foot between my shoes and leaned forward, pushing her hips into mine.
I let out a low groan. “You want me to have to ride to work with a hard on?”
Grinning, a self-satisfied smile that made me want to pull her shirt over her head, she yanked me closer. “Wouldn’t bother me at all.”
“Oh yeah? Would it bother you if I left you turned on and unsatisfied?” I dipped my head down and nipped along her neck, paying special attention to the spot behind her ear that always got her going.
At the same time, I slipped my hand inside the front of her pants and trailed a finger over her panties to feel her wet heat for myself.
She moaned, grinding her hips against me. “Can you be late?”
I laughed. “You can dish it out, but you can’t take it, huh?”
Her hand cupped my balls through my jeans.
A bolt of heat shot through me. Damn, what this woman did to me.
She turned me on so fast she left my head spinning, wondering what the hell happened.
Like now, as she rubbed the front of my crotch.
My dick stiffened to the point where pleasure just about turned to pain.
I gently pulled her hand away, twining my fingers with hers while my other hand slipped her panties to the side and stroked her, making small circles that I knew from past experience could make her shriek like a banshee when she got close enough to lose herself.
“Want to come back to my place with me? You can hang out while I work my shift, and then I can catch up with you after.” Please say yes. I couldn’t imagine having to wait a full twenty-four hours before getting my hands on her again.
“You think you can make it worth my while?” she asked.
I pulled my hand from her pants, slipped my finger into my mouth and tasted her sweet heat. She gazed up at me, her eyes full of desire. “I think we can work something out.”