Chapter 4
four
. . .
beau
It’s taking everything in me not to constantly check Piper’s location. I wasn’t playing when I said I didn’t think anyone would try to abduct her. But it’s for my own peace of mind, too. You can’t trust people these days, and she has a penchant for choosing douchebags to go on dates with.
If only she saw me as a viable dating option.
She doesn’t realize how happy I could make her.
I won’t bring it up, though. I can’t. Not at the risk of losing her forever.
For now, I’ll stick to being the person she comes to when she needs me.
It’s what I’ve done for over a decade, and what I’ll continue doing.
My phone vibrates in my hand and it scares the shit out of me. I glance at the message.
Piper
You home?
Beau
Yeah. What’s up?
Piper
I’m coming over.
Okay. I wasn’t expecting her to need me quite so soon. Preparations probably need to be made. If she’s leaving her date this early it didn’t go well at all.
I grab my keys from the counter and head out the door.
My house isn’t as well stocked as hers. But I know she’ll want her favorite wine and maybe some cupcakes.
There’s no point in getting dinner for the both of us since I’m sure she’s already eaten.
Or, maybe she didn’t. I’ve got food in the fridge I can cook if she’s hungry.
My shopping trip takes me twenty minutes and I’m unloading the bags when the door opens. She almost beat me here. Was she speeding the entire way? I glance at the clock on the stove. No wonder she got here so fast. The traffic should be non-existent by now.
“You talk about me not locking my door. I literally just walked right in, and I was prepared.” She jangles her keys in her hand. Both of us have a key to each other’s house. It makes it easier for both of us. Not that she ever locks her damn door.
“To be fair, I just got home.”
“Oh.” She sets her keys on the counter and walks into the kitchen. “Did I interrupt whatever plans you had?”
“Nope.” I shake my head and lift the items I bought moments ago. “I was getting things we needed.”
She leans over and kisses me on the cheek. They grow warm and I hope like hell she can’t see me blushing. That is exactly what I don’t need to happen.
“You are the best because we’re going to need it.”
“That bad, huh?”
She grabs the bottle of wine and digs around in the drawer for the corkscrew. “Bad doesn’t even begin to describe the shit show that took place.”
Since she’s taking care of the wine. I grab a couple of glasses and the cupcakes, following her into the living room. “Well, you can rant to me about it.”
“If only it was just the date.”
“What do you mean?”
“Pierce threw some passive aggressive comments toward me at work. Basically, do what I’m told and nothing more.”
“That’s fucked up. Didn’t he say his piece in the meeting?”
“I thought so.” She sighs and pours the wine into our glasses. “Apparently, he needed to take one more jab to drive the point home.”
“I’m sorry, Piper. That really sucks.” I take a drink from my glass. “Is there anything I can do to help? I mean, changing their minds will be difficult, but it’s worth a shot.”
“Actually…I have an idea.” She pulls her phone out of her pocket and opens one of her social media pages. “What if I go live right now? It’s not like they’d even know since most of them rarely get on socials.”
“How are you going to do that without any product to showcase? Besides, aren’t there rules about showing off booze?”
“We have a bottle right here.” She lifts the wine bottle off the table. “It can be like a Q&A type of thing.”
“And what happens when Pierce finds out? Asheville is a small town. Word will get back to him sooner than later.”
I hate being the one to bring her back down to reality. We’ve spent so much time dreaming up big things for Starlit Fields. But I don’t want her to get any more backlash from her big brother than she’s already received.
“It’ll be too late.” She shrugs, but she doesn’t immediately hit the button that will take her live. “Actually, this is something we should ease into. Scoot closer to me.”
She knows I’ll always do what she says. Does it make me a pushover? Maybe. But she’s my reason for breathing, whether or not she knows it.
“What are we doing?” She implied seconds ago we weren’t going live.
It’s not a bad idea, but I don’t need her brother busting down my door for letting her do it.
They know what the inside of my house looks like should someone let him know she’s online.
Though, the only person I can see being that in tune with the Starlit Fields social media is Parker.
I doubt he’d tell on her. At least, not intentionally.
“Say cheese.” A snap fills the quiet in the room before I have a chance to do anything. She glances at her phone and frowns. “That’s horrible. Let’s take another one.”
“It wouldn’t have been if you’d given me more than two seconds notice.” I laugh and lean in. She snaps another picture. “You realize you’re supposed to countdown, right?”
“Where’s the fun in that? People love candid moments.”
She’s not wrong. We’ve gotten so much data from social media users saying they want slice of life types of posts. Now, it’s time to see what she’s going to do with it.
“That’s kind of impossible when you tell me you’re taking a picture.”
She taps at the keyboard on her phone and grins as she sets it down on the table. “There.”
“What did you do?”
“I posted a story with a questions box. We’re doing an impromptu ask me anything.”
I’ve seen the amount of followers Starlit Fields has. I’m not sure anything is going to come of this. If it was planned…maybe. But just posting this late in the evening with no warning, it may be a bit more difficult.
“That’s good.” How do I break this down to her simply? “Even if nobody asks a question, we can still hang out and finish this wine. Speaking of, you never got into the details of the date from hell.”
“You really know how to bring the mood down, don’t you?”
“I’m just curious what happened. You never leave a date as early as you did today.”
There’s a high probability he was an asshole. Most of the guys she goes on dates with are. If only I wasn’t safely tucked away in the friend category. I put myself there the day I met her. Dumb move on my part, but worth it to have her in my life at all.
“I didn’t even make it to the meal.” She groans and takes another drink of her wine. “It was so bad. He was already at the table when I got there. I don’t understand how you drive in that traffic every day. I’ll take these backroads any day of the week.”
“Stop trying to change the subject.” Deflection is her superpower after spending years trying to get her siblings to not pick on her because she’s the baby.
“Fine.” She pouts. “Anyway, I get there and he’s talking to a woman.
I think, cool, it’s probably someone coming to take the order.
She walks off right before I get to the table.
We exchange introductions as soon as I sit down.
Thank God his picture was accurate. You wouldn’t believe how many people upload ones that aren’t.
So, we’re sitting down and picking up where we left off in our chat.
Some other woman, who is in fact part of the waitstaff, comes to take our order.
I get a drink and an appetizer, but in the process, I see him slip this woman his number. ”
“Excuse me, what?” That’s bold. I could never imagine trying to talk to someone else when I’m on a date. Much less in front of them.
“I know!” She pours more wine into her glass. Honestly, I wouldn’t blame her if she drank straight from the bottle. “When I said something about it, he tried to wave it away as if I didn’t see what just happened. I told him I wouldn’t be gaslit and he could take this date and shove it.”
“At least you found out early on.” Now I know she’s drinking on an empty stomach, and that’s never a good thing. “I’m going to order us something from Out of the Ashes and have it delivered.”
“You don’t have to do that.” She reaches for my phone. “That means you’ll have gotten dinner two nights in a row.”
“It’s fine. You’ve been through enough bullshit this week. Let me do this for you.”
“Okay.” She knows there’s no use in arguing.
It’s not like I have to ask what she wants.
She finds something she likes and eats it for eternity rather than branching out.
“Why can’t any of my dates turn out decent?
It’s like I’m a jerk magnet. As much as my brothers annoy the shit out of me, they taught me not to be gaslit by anyone.
Well, except Pierce. He does a pretty good job of that. ”
“I’m just glad you didn’t take any of that dude’s shit.
” Maybe someday she’ll realize there could be something between us.
I would treat her like a queen. Even if that day never comes, I’ll be fine.
“You’ll find someone who matches your energy.
You have to be patient. And the food will be here in about twenty minutes. ”
“Seriously, thank you for everything you do for me.”
“I’ve got your back. Always have and always will.”
“That is why you’re the best.”
A few moments pass by and we enjoy the companionable silence. This is how easy it should be. It’s not like this all the time between us. We’ve fought and not talked to each other for short periods of time. But the way we can be ourselves in each other’s company is unmatched.
Her phone lights up and she squeals as she picks it up.
“What happened?” I don’t remember the last time I’ve seen her excited like this.
“There are so many responses to the story I posted.” She turns toward me with a devious grin.
“What are you about to do?”
“Something my brother will absolutely hate, but there are so many comments.” I open my mouth to argue about why it’s not a good idea, but she waves her hands in the air. “Don’t worry, I’m not going live. But I am going to do video responses.”
“Okay…” I’m not sure what that has to do with me. But this is definitely better than her going live. The last thing she needs is one of her siblings to join in the conversation and possibly ruin the experience for her.
“And you’re going to be in them with me.”
“Why do I need to be in the videos with you?”
“Because you’re my emotional support human. And everyone likes a little eye candy.”
Her cheeks flush as she says it. At least I know she finds me attractive outside of being my friend.
“Fine.” I make it sound like I don’t want to do it, but I’m glad she considers me her safe space. And…I would do anything for her.
She taps on the first question. “Are you ready?”
I nod in response, and she hits record. As soon as I see the question, I shake my head.
Who is the cutie next to you?
She laughs, but responds. “This is my best friend, Beau. I’ve known him forever, and we’ve been through thick and thin together.”
I give a small wave. Honestly, I didn’t think I would be the topic of a question, but I’ll play along. For her.
Next question. What is your favorite wine?
Piper holds up her glass and hits the record button. “Our sangria is my absolute favorite. It’s also one requested by customers at our winery. If you want to try it out, you can come down to Starlit Fields or visit Out of the Ashes. They keep bottles in stock for their patrons.”
We spend about thirty minutes answering questions. Well, not so much me. I’m merely there for support, and to get the food. It showed up mid answer and she explained what I was doing while still keeping the focus on the wine. Maybe Out of the Ashes will get more business with her shout outs.
Piper was right when she said fans of the winery want to hear from them. I think it adds a personal touch to the business. If the customers get to know you, they’re more likely to buy from you. Now we need her brother to realize it.
Piper finally gets to the last question and sets her phone down on the table. “That was epic.”
“You did amazing.” It’s not a lie. She’s a natural on camera and I wish her family could see it. She needs to be the social media face for the winery.
Without realizing what’s happening, she leans over and her lips crash into mine. Holy shit. Piper Summers is kissing me in a more than friendly way.