33. Gotta Get Back on Track – Everett
Chapter thirty-three
Gotta Get Back on Track – Everett
I wasn’t stupid. I knew something was wrong, and it wasn’t hard to figure out. Cameron’s feelings were hurt. And I was the stupid one who hadn’t trusted him. I hadn’t actually let go of that little doubt until I caught Mitchel red-handed.
It was hard to trust though, with people like Mitchel Harlen walking around.
The problem was that I never saw them coming since I was too busy with my work.
I’d always been an overachiever, the old nose to the grindstone and all that bullshit.
Making my parents proud was a huge motivator for me as an only child to highly successful educators who made me feel like I could never do enough.
I didn’t go into education. I chose agriculture instead, which didn’t go over well with them at all.
They thought I should teach science, but that was never my thing.
I wanted to get my hands dirty. Maybe if my brewery was successful enough, they’d try a little harder to understand.
I felt ungrateful even thinking that. My childhood wasn’t bad.
In fact, I’d say I was kind of spoiled in a lot of ways.
I was allowed to do whatever I wanted most of the time, which included a lot of gardening and reading, and not enough getting into mischief with other kids my age.
I was nerdy and didn’t have many friends, which was precisely why when I got into college, I ran into all that trouble I’d missed out on in my younger years.
Meeting new people was great, but it also gave them an opportunity to take advantage of my naivete, particularly with lovers.
But Cameron wasn’t like that. In fact, he seemed the opposite, wanting nothing more than to make me happy, to help me out, and be sure I was safe.
He put himself at risk for me, and I did what?
Shit on him? Thanked him with a blow job?
Well, that was fun, but it left me feeling cheap, so I could only imagine what he thought.
I needed to show him that I wanted more for us.
I was all in for whatever this relationship was.
It could work out. We could be good together.
I had to believe that, or else everything he’d done so far meant nothing, and that wasn’t the case at all.
He was a good friend to me, and even if he wasn’t interested in me romantically, he still would have helped and cared.
That’s who he was. But for me, it meant more than friendship, and I thought it did with him as well.
Hell, when we were together, the chemistry was undeniable. The rocky start could be overcome. But what could I do to make that happen?
The first thing was a quick stop at Pints ‘n Pool on the way home to double-check the last delivery and that the tap was still working. I had to get the brewery going again, regardless of whatever else was going on.
“Hey, Everett! Good to see you.” Nate smiled and waved as I walked up to the bar. His old boxer huffed from behind the bar and resettled.
“I’m good. How’s that tap?” I pointed at the equipment in question.
“It’s been fine since you fixed it up the other day. Let me pour you one.”
“Sure.” Nate poured me a cold glass of my own brew, and I took a deep swig of it. It was perfect. “Nice.”
“It’s been very popular here, but I know you’ve had trouble at your brewery. How long before we can get another order in? We’re on the last keg.”
“I’m actually not sure. We’ve barely started with cleanup, and the insurance company doesn't want to pay for any of it.”
“Oh? That doesn’t seem right.”
“It was arson.”
“Damn. Can you sue the guy who did it?”
“Yes, but it takes time. I mean, something like that could potentially be settled pre-trial, but it’s not likely with this joker.
And he probably doesn’t have much.” He’d have to sell his brewery, and that made me feel a little vengeful.
“Still… If I have to pay lawyer fees upfront, I couldn’t.
” The second choice was to wait for the trial and hope he would have to pay restitution as part of his sentence.
“That sucks. Who the hell would do that, anyway?”
“I can’t talk about it, but it’s not anyone from here. I’ve never been to a nicer place. Hell, the whole town has been inviting and welcoming.” Nate pulled me another beer and slid it in front of me, so I finished the last of my first one and slid the empty glass out of the way.
“Especially Cameron, huh?”
“Yep, you were right about him. I admit it.” All the crap I’d been thinking about on the way over here had me wanting something stronger than beer. “How about a shot of whiskey?”
“You got it. How’s this?” Nate held up a bottle, and after my nod, he pulled out a shot glass and poured the good stuff in it.
I slammed the drink back. “Ah…” Then chased it with the rest of my beer.
After that, I was lightheaded enough to not want to drive, so I called a ride-share to go home. Maybe my folks were right. I wasn’t good enough to make my business work, and I wasn’t good enough for Cameron.
The next day, I had to pick my car up from Pints ‘n Pool, then headed to the brewery. I had to figure out what it would take to rebuild. The number I shot out to that stupid Mitchel was only a smart-ass comment. I had no idea what it would actually take to rebuild.
Lukas was already there, assessing the damage when I walked in. “This is going to be a monster to fix, but it could have been worse. The only equipment damaged was the back vat.”
“What’s wrong with it?” I’d already suspected that was where Mitchel fucked with things.
“Wiring. I think that’s where it started.
That ass-wipe tried to make it look like it was the vat that started the fire, but he did a shit job of it.
Obviously, it’s been tampered with.” I was thankful for Lukas every day.
He did so much more than brew the beer. We were basically a two-and-a-half-man operation here, and we both had to stretch ourselves.
“Did the police finish up with getting prints and photos and everything?”
“Yep. Including pictures of the vat. They released the shop to us this morning.”
I exhaled loudly. This was so much to take in. “Any ideas on cost?”
“Well, for the vat, yes. For the drywall damage? And that.” He looked up at the black, charred rafters. “I don’t know.”
“And the floors.” The linoleum was a curled and peeling, melted-down mess. “The crew will be back today to scrape them out, but they need to take all of it up, even undamaged parts. I want one continuous floor. That’s going to be a beast.”
“Thank goodness you have that GoFundMe money. That’s going to help a lot.”
“What money? What are you talking about?”
“Well, shit.”
“It was Cameron. Wasn’t it?”
Lukas nodded. “Guess so. He told Conroy about it.” He waved his hand in the air to insinuate the word spreading around town.
“I’m sure it got around like wildfire.” There was only one thing I could do, and I had no idea where Cameron was working today. I pulled out my phone and walked toward my office as I called Books Beans and Buns.
“Books Beans and Buns. How can I help you?”
“Jackie? This is Everett Lundy.” He was always working at the front desk, and it was my understanding that Brock paid him with coffee since he didn’t need a job. He ran a local blog that was doing quite well.
“Yeah. Hi, Everett. What can I do for you? Ooph, I forgot about that marketing book. I can get it out to you today.”
“Thanks. But I really called to see if you know where Cameron is working today?”
“Hmm…Not really, but sometimes he doesn’t even know where he’ll be before the day starts. Why don’t you call him?”
“I want to surprise him. So don’t call him.”
“Right. I can call around to some other folks and find out. Is everything okay?”
“It is. I just need to find him. Like I said, I want to surprise him. Don’t worry, it’s not anything bad, but kind of important.” To me it was more—it was critical. And urgent. But I didn’t want to share that.
“Okay. I’ll ring you back when I find out.”
“Thanks.” While I waited, I ordered lunch to go from the diner, then drove over to pick it up before heading to the bookstore.
Jackie was on the phone, thanking someone. “Yeah, see ya.” He hung up and wrote something down on a sticky note, then handed it to me. “Perfect timing! Here you go.”
“Thanks. That was fast.”
“Are you going out there?”
I nodded. “I’m taking him lunch.” And hopefully more.
“Good man.” He gave me a salute, and I left to find Cameron’s job site.
When Cameron’s work crew saw me, they called out to him, and he came to the front to meet me.
He was in what I started thinking of as his sexy construction guy mode.
Hair, which was getting longer, now pulled back in a low pony underneath his hard hat.
Sleeveless shirt, with all his arm muscles slick and sweaty.
I didn’t even mind the wet stain on the front of his T-shirt.
It meant he’d been working hard. Who knew that kind of thing would do it for me?
“Brought you lunch.” I held up the bag from the diner.
“Uh, thanks. You didn’t have to do that. I have another hour until break. Come on.” He walked me over to his truck and put the bag up on the dashboard.
“Um…want to go out tonight? We could go to the bowling alley in Miller’s Point.”
“I don’t think so. It’s hard to go that far on a work night.”
I tried. What else could I do? Maybe Cameron needed space. I’d never seen him so despondent. I’d killed that sparkle in his eye. Me. Is there anything that I don’t screw up? I cleared my throat. “I understand. I gotta go.”
I left without even telling him what I wanted to say. How could I?
I was such an idiot.