Chapter Five Ezra
Chapter Five
Ezra
I’m a dick.
I know it, Noah knows it, and now Summer knows it too.
I’ve gone out of my way to avoid her the last two days because I was an ass to her in the break room for no fucking reason.
Okay, fine. So maybe it wasn’t for no reason.
It was Warner.
I grind my molars together just thinking of that pretty little fuckboy. He’s a shameless flirt, and if he weren’t so damn good at his job, I’d fire his ass.
Hell, I just might do it anyway because I can.
I hated watching him use his charms on Summer. I was standing there for several minutes before they even bothered looking my way, and it . . . well, it fucking pissed me off.
Not that I have any right, but still. It’s her first day. She should be focusing on making a good impression, not getting laid.
I grip the pencil in my hand tighter, then go back to transferring the data on the screen to my ledger. It’s silly and certainly creates double work for me, but I like having something physical for our records, just in case.
When I’m finished, I move on to my emails. I’ve been chatting with a few people about pinball machines and other games, trying to sort out the best ones to buy for the cidery.
I respond to the two new ones I have, then pull out my plans for the arcade and get to work on those.
Or I try to.
It’s hard when I know Summer is out in the taproom with fucking Warner right now. With Noah at the iceplex to start the week, I haven’t exactly had the chance to tell him about our newest hire, which means he can’t be here to train Summer like he usually would.
Fuck, I hope he’s not pissed about this. One thing we always said was we’d make hiring decisions together. These people are representing us and our business. It was too important to put on the shoulders of just one person.
“Oh my gosh! Summer!”
I lift my head at the sound of Odette’s voice echoing through the taproom.
Shit. Speaking of Noah . . .
I set aside my work and rise from my chair. I barely suppress my groan as my hip screams at me for sitting in the same spot for so long.
Typically I set a timer to ensure I get up a few times throughout the day to prevent my hip from locking up, but that hasn’t been the case with me hiding from Summer.
I make my way toward the bar, fully expecting to find Noah glowering at me from behind the counter.
But I don’t.
No, he’s laughing. Head tilted back and everything. Summer stands next to him, a smile on her face too.
Odette is hugging her like they’re old friends, and something tugs at my chest. This place has come to feel like home so much over the last few years that I almost forget I haven’t always lived here. That these people have a whole history I was never part of.
“I haven’t seen you since . . . Gosh, when was it? Two Christmases ago now?” Odette laughs as she pulls away. “I still remember how potent that eggnog you made was.” She pinches the ends of Summer’s hair. “I love this cut for you.”
Summer blushes, and it’s so strange to see. She’s been nothing but confident around me. Has had no problem calling me out. This is a different side to her.
“Thank you,” she says. “You look amazing too. Being engaged suits you.”
“It does, doesn’t it?” Odette cups Noah’s cheek, staring up at him. “Still can’t believe this guy convinced me to say yes.”
“And I can’t believe you’re marrying Izzy’s brother! Everyone used to have the biggest crushes on you, Noah. Especially Odette.” Noah grins, clearly proud of that. “Speaking of Izzy, where is she?”
Odette juts her bottom lip out. “France. She’s abandoned me to go find herself after everything that happened.”
I don’t blame Izzy one bit for taking off. Anyone who finds their almost spouse cheating on them just before the wedding deserves time away.
“She didn’t abandon you,” Noah says, rubbing her back comfortingly. “She’ll be back before the wedding.”
“I know, I know. But it’s not the same as having her here now, you know?” Odette shrugs. “Anyway, what are you doing here?”
“I, uh, I work here,” Summer says.
Noah’s brows inch closer together. “Since when?”
“My first day was Monday.”
“Ezra!” Noah calls.
I sigh, then step out of the shadows and fully into the bar. “I’m right here. I heard Odette screeching from the back office.”
The woman in question flips me off, and I almost chuckle.
I turn to Noah. “What’s up?”
“When did you hire Summer?”
I flick my gaze to her briefly, and I’m surprised to find she’s already looking back.
But I’m not surprised to see her glaring at me.
“It happened Saturday.”
“What? When? You didn’t even work on Saturday.”
I shrug, shoving my hands into my pockets. “It was a . . . sudden decision.”
“Blackmail. It was blackmail.”
Noah snaps his head to Summer. “What?”
She jerks her thumb my way. “Ezra here was caught speeding by my dad, and I got into a little trouble myself, so my father cooked up this punishment for us both.”
Noah glares over at me. “Speeding, man? Again?”
“It’s my hip. My leg gets stiff, and the gas pedal gets stuck.”
It’s a crock of shit. He knows it as well as I do, but he’s not about to chew me out in front of Odette and Summer.
Odette gasps. “Oh my gosh! You’re the one who got arrested at the Mid-Summer Fling, aren’t you?” She laughs loudly. “Oh, man. This is gold. You always were a troublemaker. Gave your dad the runaround, that’s for sure.”
Summer looks a little proud of that, and I bet she is. She loves being bratty far too much not to be.
“So, are you living here now? What happened to Chicago?” Odette asks.
I stand up a little straighter, entirely too interested in hearing her answer.
“It, uh, it just didn’t work out. So I’m back in Port Harbor for a while.”
To my surprise, she begins to fidget. She tucks her hair behind her ear, then pinches her earlobe before dropping her hand to her necklace and swinging it back and forth.
There’s more to the story she’s not sharing, and I’m dying to know what it is, but I let her have her secret.
“Anyway,” she says, “if you want to fire me, you can. It won’t even be Ezra’s fault, so he can get out of whatever trouble he’s in with my dad.”
“I’m sorry, you think I’m going to get in the way of Sheriff Turner’s punishment?
Not a fucking chance. That man is scary!
I still remember the time he busted me and a few guys for drinking down at the harbor when we were sixteen.
He wasn’t even on duty that night, but he was pissed.
Your mother had to talk him off the ledge while he waited for backup.
They were supposed to be going on a date night, but he followed us to the station and laid into us again while we were there. ”
“That sounds like my father.” Summer smiles fondly. “And my mother.”
“Mrs. Turner was the best. Still my favorite teacher.”
Was. I don’t miss Odette’s use of the past tense, nor how Summer shifts uncomfortably.
She clears her throat. “Anyway, my dad isn’t scary. You just have to know how to handle him.”
“Apparently Ezra does if he’s not under mountains of tickets and still has his license after all the shit he’s pulled.” I can feel Noah’s scowl. “That’s the third time you’ve been pulled over in, what, four months?”
“Three in three,” I correct, and I know instantly it was the wrong thing to say.
“What the fuck, man?!” Noah explodes. So much for thinking he’d keep his lips zipped in front of the girls. “We’re supposed to be role models. The kids are relying on you.”
Shit. I hadn’t even thought of the kids from the iceplex.
I glance at Summer, fully expecting her to be watching me with smug satisfaction that I’m getting yelled at, but no. She almost looks a little . . . sad for me.
I don’t like it.
I return Noah’s dirty look and tell him, “Later.”
He opens his mouth to argue but thinks better of it when Odette squeezes his arm.
“Sure. Later.”
His words are clipped, and fuck if they don’t cut me because he’s right. I should have thought more about the kids. I should have thought about the example I’m setting for them, especially since I’ve been in their position before.
Unlike Noah, I didn’t just want to build the iceplex because I missed the game. This was more personal to me. I didn’t have the same picture-perfect family dynamic he grew up with. Far fucking from it, actually. My local rink was the only thing I had. It’s what gave me the game I love so damn much.
I’m supposed to be there for these kids like my earliest coach was there for me.
“Summer, we must have dinner together sometime soon,” Odette says in an attempt to change the subject.
“I would love that.”
“And, Ezra, you can come too! We can play cards or something after. It’ll be fun.”
You never come out with us when we invite you.
Odette’s words from before echo through my mind. While the urge to still tell her no sits at the tip of my tongue, I find myself nodding.
“Sure.”
She’s as shocked by my answer as I am, her mouth dropping open. “Seriously?”
“Do you want me to change my mind?”
She pretends to zip her lips closed and does a little shoulder shake before turning to Summer. “Let’s coordinate something. You still have my number, right?”
“I should,” Summer says as she drags her phone out of her back pocket to check.
“No phones on the floor.”
She narrows her eyes at me. “Sorry, boss. Won’t happen again.”
Boss.
Every damn time she says that to me, my jaw tics. I want to reprimand her for her smart mouth, but I keep quiet.
“Oh, I like you,” Odette says with a grin. “You aren’t afraid to get sassy with this guy, who is, like, a total ass seventy percent of the time.”
“Seventy?” Summer laughs. “I think your calculations are off.”
I’d defend myself, but she’s right.
I know I’m a jerk, which reminds me that I need to apologize for being one the other day.
But not now. Not in front of Odette and Noah. Later.
“Speaking of numbers, I should get back to work. You too, Summer.”
Her eyes fall to slits once more, but this time, instead of arguing, she nods.
“Probably. Warner was just about to show me how to load a new keg.” She turns to Odette and Noah. “It was so good seeing you guys again.”