Chapter 2
Cooper
“Oh, my goodness. Yes.” Evy squealed in delight with a high five.
There was no better way to spend a Sunday afternoon than at the Micallef house.
There was always someone around, and it didn’t matter if it was Seb, Evy or even their mum, Judy, I was always made to feel welcome.
I had my own seat at the dinner table, I was tasked with jobs when I was here and I was never made to feel different.
Now, Evy and I were hiding, waiting for Sebastian to find us in the ultimate game of Hide and Seek.
Only, if he took too long, it gave us more time together to plot ways to piss him off later. It was a win/win and my favourite game.
“What are you doing for your birthday this weekend?” Evangeline asked, shoving her glasses back up her nose. It had become a habit since she started wearing them, another cute little thing she did which always made me smile.
“Who knows. Ma and Pa are away again so probably spend the day watching TV.” I shrugged. It wasn’t a huge birthday, twelve wasn’t special, but I hated being alone when they could have been home.
If they actually wanted to.
If I was ever their first choice.
“No one should wake up on their own on their birthday. You should stay with us,” Evy offered with a shrug, as if it were stupid I wasn’t already planning on doing just that
“I can’t stay over every weekend, Evy, your mum will be sick of me.
” The thought of that sent a pang through my chest. I always tried to remain on the periphery, cleaning up after myself, using manners and helping where I could.
I never wanted to overstay my welcome but Judy had never made me feel anything less than one of them and sometimes I forgot I wasn’t.
“You’re family, Poop,” Evy’s brows were scrunched in confusion.
I smiled, her easy admission settling around my heart like a cocoon, the silly nickname only she called me, as funny as it was comforting.
“Found you two fools,” Seb’s voice suddenly echoed through the garage where we were crouched behind the car.
Evangeline and I lost it, laughing and reminding Sebastian exactly how long we’d waited for him to find us. The relief at being found was mostly because it meant I didn’t have to respond to Evangeline’s words. The emotion too much for me to unpack right now.
I ruffled her hair as I stood and she grinned, entirely pleased we had outsmarted her brother for twenty-four minutes.
“So what’s my punishment,” Seb called, a flicker of worry in his tone as we headed back out into the street to reset for another round.
“We have better things to talk about than you, Seb,” Evy replied and I threw her a wink, completely at ease in the company of my two favourite people.
“Coop, where you at?” Seb’s voice bounced around the empty aisles of the distillery, a welcome intrusion to the never-ending admin work I was currently drowning in.
“Coming.” Stretching with a yawn, I scratched the bare skin of my stomach and leaned over to flick the screen off.
As I stared at the endless stream of invoices and calculations waiting to be sorted, it was clear I needed help.
There was no longer any internal argument where I could pretend I had it all in hand. Because I very obviously did not.
Ten years ago, when I opened the doors to Golden Spades Distillery, I was driven by inspiration.
I wanted to create.
I set out to craft a product rooted in local ingredients - something that honoured the people and land I was lucky enough to grow up on.
And that part came easily. As a brand, Golden Spades took off.
Initially starting with only six local buyers and we now had fifty domestic and ten international clients.
But the days of running every corner of the business on my own were long gone.
And if I didn’t find someone soon to help with the books - well, the thought alone was enough to piss me off.
“Boyssss,” I greeted, meeting them on the floor of the distillery to avoid anyone seeing the mass mountain of mess I was hiding back in the office. Crying about my issues wasn’t on the draw card for tonight.
“What are we drinking? I need something strong,” Andy huffed, storming ahead with Jack and Sebastian trudging after him, both wearing matching scowls. A few steps behind, Jay was grinning.
I felt the smile split my face as I slapped a large oak barrel to my left, ready to play with fire. “You three worried they’ve gone to a strip show with a happy ending?”
“Shut up dickhead and get us a drink,” Seb said, and my laugh bellowed out.
Andy’s scowl deepened as he flicked on his phone, barely glanced at the screen and then shoved it back in his pocket like it had personally offended him.
Jack let out a dramatic sigh, clearly hoping the universe would take the hint and fast forward the clocks until Winter was home again and Seb, without even realising, kept clenching and unclenching his fists.
It was almost tragic - three grown men, completely whipped.
As if scripted, Jay looked at me, letting out a whip-cracking noise and I doubled over laughing.
“For fuck’s sake,” I said, still holding my stomach from the sudden mirth. “Let them have some fun. Wouldn’t hurt you three miserable pricks to do the same.”
“Mate, you’re lucky you weren’t just in the car with them for twenty painfully long minutes. All I could hear was the sound of misery while their women are out loving life.” Jay’s smug grin only made the comment funnier.
“I hope Felicity hooks up tonight,” Andy shot back, and Jay grinned, almost as if that little jibe didn’t hit right in the solar plexus.
Jay and Flick could pretend they hated each other as much as they wanted but their chemistry smacked you in the face if you got within three feet of them.
They both just hadn’t admitted it yet and thank God for that.
I didn’t need the pressure of being the last single man standing from this lot.
Especially when my parents were suddenly finding reasons to introduce me to their friend’s single daughters.
“Good luck to them, she’d probably rip their throat out if they tried,” Jay said with a laugh.
“Urgh. Did you really have to invite Coach?” Jack piped in, ducking as Jay tried to smack him across the back of the head.
“Stop calling me that, dickwad.”
“Why can’t we call you coach, Coach?” Andy asked with a straight face.
Jay had been their Sydney Hearts teammate, retiring early due to medical issues, before being offered a position on the coaching staff only last year.
He was a massive ball sack, but there was no arguing the facts - the defensive elements of the team were already doing better under his leadership and even though Andy and Jack loved to mock him when they weren’t at the club, we all knew he was proving essential on that coaching team.
“Can I call you three tackles and no goal assists?” Jay retorted, quick as lightning and Andy gave him a stern captain’s glare making everyone else guffaw.
“Tonight is shaping up to be a sad fest with you three mopey fuckers,” I interjected, receiving a grateful nod from Jay.
“Can’t wait for the day some chick has her teeth in you,” Seb mumbled.
“Just grab a few glasses, would you? You boys need something to take the edge off.” I stated, brushing off his jibe.
The last thing I needed was a plus one who pretended they cared, only to want money or shares in my business.
I already had enough bullshit to deal with - no need for another person in my life to make me feel worse.
“Spent a little too long playing with flavour profiles today,” I grinned. “Some pretty good notes in a few of the tastings, so get your heads out of your arses, I need your opinions for something new I’m working on for your bar, Seb.”
“Happy to taste if you stop fucking talking and pour us some.” Andy was especially pissed off tonight.
“Isn’t this the happiest time of your life, brother?” I asked, knowing he was only salty because he missed his fiancée but enjoying the banter too much.
“Of course it is. Nothing I want more than to marry her. Best fucking thing that ever happened to me.” He said earnestly and Seb slapped his back while nodding knowingly.
“Good for you, Cap.” Jack said, as lovesick as both of them.
“Oh, Christ. Okay, maybe I do need a drink.” I said with a mocking grin at the three of them.
While I’d enjoyed watching them all quickly and hopelessly fall in love, that life was not for me.
Despite what my meddling parents believed they could decide for me.
I was a busy man with no time for anything other than work and regardless, I was never going to be interested in someone my parents chose.
Their marriage was miserable. I wasn’t even sure they communicated with each other above surface level bullshit and if they did it was heated in all the wrong ways.
My father cared only for how much money he made at the end of the week and my mother for what new things she could purchase.
If I ever did see them together, they agreed on nothing other than the fact that every choice I made was the wrong one.
An opinion they never missed an opportunity to remind me of, as if causing me pain was their favourite pastime.
And if that was what life had in store for me after marriage, I was better off staying single.
“Looks rich,” Andy commented, swirling the pour around his glass before bringing it to his nose.
“Agreed,” Seb said, passing Jay and Jack one each.
“Taste it before you smell it, Seb,” I replied, knowing he wasn’t a fan of a peaty whiskey, and this one was particularly smoky.
He narrowed his eyes before raising his glass to his lips.
“You’re a dick,” he spat. “It tastes like pure smoke.”
“Made that one just for you,” I grinned.
“You know what they say, if you can’t handle the heat…” Jay was grinning, ready to run if needed and by the lethal look on Seb’s face, he wasn’t far off.