5. Beau
Beau
B eau stared at the laptop screen while a mechanic pointed at the high-pressure oil pump and talked through the steps to change the gaskets on a Duramax engine. It was his second time watching the video, and he’d still only caught bits and pieces.
Resting his forehead in his hands, his fingers threaded into his hair. Why did he have to get involved in Anna’s business? Why didn’t he turn around and head home when it was clear the wedding wasn’t happening?
If he’d done the smart thing and walked away, he wouldn’t have heard all about how Dean had cheated on Anna. He also wouldn’t know what it felt like to have her arms wrapped around him, she wouldn’t be wearing his clothes, and he wouldn’t have had to see so much of her in that short, white dress.
How in the world was he even thinking about her legs while an old, bearded man pointed to a greasy oil leak?
Something was wrong with him. He either needed sleep or a slap in the face. He hadn’t decided which would help the current problem.
Olivia burst into his office and closed the door behind her as if she were running for her life. The desk in front of him rattled as she slapped her hands on it.
“What are you doing? Is someone chasing you?” he asked.
His sister leveled him with a serious stare. “Beau, I’m going to ask you to do something. If you really love me, you’ll say yes.”
“Who said I loved you?” Beau returned his attention to the computer.
Caring about his sister was the single most destructive thing in his life. Sometimes he wished he cared less, then he wouldn’t get roped into doing things for her all the time.
“Please, please, please,” she begged.
“I’m not committing myself to anything you want.” He clicked random buttons on the keyboard. “I’m busy.”
“I need you to go with Anna on her honeymoon,” Olivia said quickly .
Ha! That was the worst idea he’d ever heard.
“Not a chance. Now get out.”
“Beau Lawrence, I have not been doing random acts of kindness for you your entire life for no reason. I need your help right now, and you’re going to listen to me.”
“Sounds like that’s your problem, not mine. I didn’t ask you to bring me lunch every day.”
Olivia slapped her hand on his desk again. “I’m serious! Beau, Anna needs this. She’s been so excited for this trip?—”
“Her honeymoon? Yeah, I can imagine why she was excited about that.”
“Her loser fiancé just cheated on her. She needs something to cheer her up.”
“Then go on a girls’ trip. Have fun. The door is that way.” He pointed toward the exit and unpaused the video he’d been pretending to watch.
Olivia continued to stare as if she could burn a hole through him with her laser beam eyes. “I can’t go. Neither can Hadley, Lyric, or Bella. Anna needs to get away from her mom for a minute, and you need to take a break.”
“Why would I need a break?”
“Because you work all the time .”
“So? Why don’t you mind your own business?”
Olivia scoffed. “That’s no fun. Who would take care of you?”
A retort sat on the tip of Beau’s tongue, but he swallowed it back. Ever since their mom died, Olivia had treated him like a child. At first, it didn’t bother him, and he assumed it was one of the ways she was coping with Mom’s death.
As time went on, Olivia kept doing things for him.
She brought him food, stopped by the apartment where he lived in the back of the garage to make sure he wasn’t growing mold on any food he’d forgotten to throw away, made sure he visited the dentist for a cleaning twice a year, and cut his hair every few weeks.
He’d thought about asking her to stop multiple times, but he always chickened out, worrying she’d think she wasn’t needed and have a breakdown over losing their mom.
He let her walk around in his life because he thought she was lonely. Now, she was married to Dawson, and there wasn’t any reason for her to be checking up on him.
“Liv, I don’t need anyone to take care of me. I’m a grown man. I own a business. I pay my taxes. I even wash my own clothes. I’m grown. You can stop worrying about me.”
Funny, he’d been worrying about her for years, but she’d been doing the same for him. Maybe he should have taken her up on that family therapy session years ago.
“You’re all alone,” Olivia said.
“Happily. I like being alone. ”
“Well, then you can go on this trip with Anna. You two can be alone together.”
Beau replayed her words, but they still didn’t make sense. “Huh?”
“Just trust me on this one. The guys are more than capable of handling the business while you’re gone, and Anna can go on her trip.”
“She can go by herself.”
Olivia propped her hand on her hip. “Do you know how dangerous it is for women to travel alone?”
Hmm. She had him there. People tended to clear a path and look away when he walked down the street. Fear wasn’t something he understood. The realization that Anna might feel better just having him around was unsettling.
The door opened, and Hadley slipped into his office holding a cup of coffee. She greeted Olivia with a huge grin on her face. “I knew I’d find you here!”
“Tell him it’s a good idea,” Olivia said with a jerk of her head toward him.
“It’s a great idea. Anna won’t be worried about traveling on her own, and you’ll get to do all kinds of stuff she’s already booked.”
“No, thanks,” Beau said, thinking about the kind of things people did on their honeymoon. He tugged on his hair until his scalp hurt. Why couldn’t they leave him alone ?
Hadley set the mug on the desk next to the group of circles that stained the wood. “I brought you a peace offering.”
Olivia rounded the desk and dropped to her knees beside his chair.
Clasping her hands to her chest, she pleaded, “Please. Beau, this is my best friend we’re talking about.
I’m worried about her, and I don’t want her to let that jerk’s actions ruin her self-esteem.
She needs some joy in her life after spending so much time with that troll. ”
“Amen,” Hadley said.
“And you think I’m the key to happiness?” Beau asked. “Yeah, I think you need to try again.”
Olivia looked at him and sighed. “I will love you forever if you do this for me.”
Beau shook his head. Good grief, why was she laying it on so thick? He’d done plenty of things for her before. Why did she think he was even a good option?
He’d been thinking about a vacation, but his work was his life. Every time he thought about taking time off, the list of things he wanted to do was inconveniently blank. “I want a vacation, but I have no desire to take romantic walks on the beach.”
Olivia perked up with wide eyes. “Good, because I know for a fact she’s planned to go snowboarding.”
“What? Does she even know how to snowboard?” Beau asked. Snowboarding was incredibly dangerous if she didn’t know what she was doing .
“No, but that’s the point. She planned a bunch of things she’s never done before because she wants to be adventurous. I bet you could even convince her to go ice fishing.”
He could get on board with ice fishing. Snowboarding was fun, and he could think of a few more winter activities he’d enjoy.
“What kind of romantic things does she have planned? I don’t have to do those, right?”
Olivia shrugged. “Probably not, but I’m guessing it would include reservations at awesome restaurants. I know you like to eat, right?”
Pinching the bridge of his nose, Beau counted backward from ten. It was a stupid idea.
“Come on, Beau. You could save the day and have fun. Win, win,” Hadley said.
Letting his hand fall to the desk, he asked, “How much is this going to cost me?”
“What if you let her cover the activities she’s already pre-paid and you pay for the meals and extras?”
“Paying for meals makes it seem like dates,” Beau added.
“But we all know they’re not dates. You’re both just on an adventure together. Who cares what anyone else thinks?” Hadley asked.
There were dozens of reasons he kept his distance from Anna, and this was the absolute worst time to get involved. “Is her mom going to slash my tires while we’re gone?”
A wicked smile grew on Hadley’s lips. What had he just done?
“No! I promise to keep an eye on her,” Olivia said as she scrambled to her feet. “I’ll take care of all the wedding mess, keep her mom distracted, and I’ll clean your apartment for a month.”
Two knocks sounded at the door before Gage walked in with a navy tie hung around his shoulders. “What’s up?”
Hadley pointed an accusing finger at Beau. “We’re trying to convince him to go with Anna on her honeymoon.”
Gage’s wide eyes jerked to Beau. A floating light bulb might as well have turned on above his head. “That would be awesome.”
“Nobody asked you,” Beau said, leveling Gage with his signature “tread carefully” frown.
Gage went on as if Beau weren’t trying to burn a hole through him with his stare. “I bet she has reservations at the best restaurants.”
“That’s your reasoning? Food?” Beau asked.
“Filet mignon,” Gage slowly enunciated.
The argument with Gage was lost. Hadley had won his heart with food.
Beau wasn’t so easily bought. “I can afford my own steak. ”
Olivia clapped her hands, clasping them to her chest. “So it’s settled.”
“The only thing that’s settled is that I’m not going.”
There. Foot down.
Gage scooted to Hadley’s side and wrapped an arm around her. “Come on, man. I can handle things here. It’s just a week.”
Beau glared at his traitorous friend. “Whose side are you on?”
Gage tilted his head toward Hadley who sported a closed-lip grin.
“I don’t need a break or a vacation. I like my job. Everything is great.”
That was true enough. Life was a walk in the park. There was absolutely zero reason to shake things up, especially with his sister’s best friend..
Gage pulled Hadley tighter to his side. “But Anna does need someone to go with her. Even if you don’t need this, she does, and it wouldn’t kill you.”
Beau rubbed the back of his neck beneath the stiff collar of his shirt. “How far away is this place?”
“About an eight-hour drive,” Olivia said.
Eight hours. Eight hours stuck in a car with a woman who just found out she got cheated on minutes before her wedding.
“That sounds like an absolute nightmare.”
Olivia bent down beside him to whisper, “Beau, please do this. Anna is my best friend, and she needs this trip, and she needs someone with her. You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do.”
“Except go,” Beau added.
Olivia’s eyes drifted closed. “Please,” she begged again.
Why was he considering this? Anna’s problems weren’t his problems, but it was hard to ignore Olivia whenever she was worried about her friend. His sister was the kind of person who would do anything for anyone. She’d give everything she had to help others.
Olivia got that from their mom, but that selflessness hadn’t been passed down to him. Still, a tiny, nagging voice in the back of his mind said he should try to be more like his selfless sister.
Beau’s chin fell to his chest. Olivia wouldn’t let it go until he gave in. “Fine. I’ll go.”
Olivia and Hadley bounced up at the same time with matching whoops.
Gage walked over and slapped a hand on Beau’s back. “Thanks, man. I think this will be good for both of you.”
“Don’t talk to me. You’re cleaning toilets until further notice.”
Gage rolled his eyes. “Yes, boss.”
Olivia and Hadley darted for the door at the same time. “Start packing. We’ll be back in an hour with Anna’s bags. ”
Beau shook his head as the door slammed closed behind them.
Gage picked up the mug of coffee Hadley had brought Beau and took a sip. “Time for a vacation.”
Vacation. How ridiculous was it that Beau had no idea how to go about taking a break. “Maybe they’ll tell Anna the idea, and she’ll shut it down.”
Gage shrugged. “You’re right. Who wants to go on a vacation with the Grinch?”
There. Beau wouldn’t start packing until he knew for sure he was actually required to go.
Gage chuckled as he headed for the door. “You need to borrow a suitcase?”