Chapter 19
nineteen
. . .
piper
One thing I am not prepared for as we make our public debut is the stares we are getting from everyone.
People get together and break up in this town all the damn time.
Why are we the center of everyone’s attention?
Everyone we pass from the car to the restaurant glances at our hands and then has a weird smile on their face.
It’s not like we’ve never held hands in public before.
Beau squeezes my hand as he opens the door to our favorite Mexican restaurant. The quiet encouragement manages to soothe my annoyance with people.
In just a few steps we’re standing at the counter. The person standing there looks at us then shuffles through some things in front of the register. His eyes are wide as he glances between me and Beau. “We don’t have a to-go order for you. Did you call one in?”
The fact they know us this well is kind of sad. We always grab food and go home. Both of us have to deal with people on a daily basis and it’s our one time to decompress.
“Um, no.” Beau blushes and it’s adorable. “We’d actually like to eat here tonight.”
The employee’s eyes widen at our unexpected request. We’ve managed to throw him off his game. “Let me see if we have any tables available.”
“Thanks,” I add softly before he rushes off. “By his reaction, you’d think we blew his mind.”
Beau laughs and pulls me closer to him. “Can you blame him? It’s been years since we’ve actually eaten inside. He might think we’re doppelg?ngers or something.”
“Please, if we were some sort of supernatural being, would we be so stressed all the time?”
His only answer is a shrug. It’s likely we’d still be maxed out to capacity, but I think the stressors would be slightly different. Like trying to stay in one place without folks noticing we don’t age.
“We have a table for you.” Whoa, he popped up out of nowhere. “Follow me.”
Whispers surround us as we wind our way through the tables to the single table without a patron.
And it’s right in the middle of the room.
Great, now we really won’t be able to hide from the masses.
Not that I’m worried what they think about me and Beau being a couple, but because it’s none of their damn business.
This also explains why we had to park in front of Whoopsie Daisy. This place is packed. So much for parents running their kids around.
Once we’re seated, we’re handed menus. I take my time looking over it while pretending not to hear the people at the table next to us.
“I told you there were a thing. I heard they were making out in front of everyone at the carnival last weekend.”
“I always knew something was going on between them. A guy and a girl can never be just friends. And the way they’ve been inseparable since we were kids is weird.”
My knuckles are turning white from the grip I have on the menu. What right do these women have to question anything between me and Beau. They were assholes in high school and it appears that hasn’t changed…at all.
I turn my head to tell them they are doing a shitty job of whispering, but a hand on mine stops me. The soft caress brings me back to my own space and calms the rage building inside of me.
He mouths, “It’s not worth it.” He’s right. I know that. But just once I wish someone would stand up to these mean girls and put them in their place.
Our waitress shows up with a beaming smile and places a basket of chips and a bowl of salsa between us.
At least someone is happy to see us. “What can I get you to drink? Soda, margaritas…wine?” She winks at me.
It’s funny because I know they carry our wine, but that’s just not strong enough for tonight.
“Margarita, please. Strong.”
The smirk Beau gives me is annoying. He knows the reason I need it is so I don’t go off on our former classmates.
“I’ll have a margarita, too. Normal, please.”
“Smart ass,” I mutter under my breath.
The waitress laughs and turns toward the bar. “I’ll be back with your drinks and to take your order.”
“Thanks.” I call out to her. “Is it wrong that I hope they leave sooner rather than later.” My voice is barely a whisper because I know how to do it correctly and not be heard by neighboring tables.
Beau leans forward and grabs a chip before dipping it into the salsa. “If they are still anything like they were in high school, I think we’re shit out of luck. They’ll stay as long as they can so they have something to gossip about tomorrow.”
Ugh, he’s probably right. They were always the last to leave parties and the first to say some horrible shit about people at school when we went back. Honestly, I don’t know why they kept getting invited. I would have flipped them the finger and moved on.
I need to change the subject before I lose my shit. “So, how was work today?”
He scrubs a hand over his face. “It was fine. The boss called me in his office to ask how the marketing we’re doing is going.”
“That’s good, isn’t it?” He’s finally being recognized for the amazing work he does.
“Yes?”
“You don’t sound too sure about that.”
Our drinks are here and we give the waitress our order before turning back to the conversation.
“No, it’s good. But…he keeps talking about me moving up the ranks and I’m not sure I want to do that. And Cole keeps trying to buddy up to me because I’m getting his uncle’s attention.”
“Oh, that’s gross.” I take a sip of my margarita, and it’s exactly what I wanted. “He’s the one that keeps trying to give his shit to you to do, right?”
“Yep. He’s kind of a douchebag, and everyone knows it. But, they’re scared to say anything because they don’t want to get fired.”
“Double gross.” My nose scrunches in disgust. “Getting a promotion wouldn’t be a bad thing.”
“Except I’d have to work with the bigger companies, and I don’t want to do that.
I love focusing on the little guy. Helping a small business find their footing and grow into something amazing is where my passion lies.
I think it’s because I spent so much time at the winery with you.
Seeing how every day, normal people succeed is what it’s all about for me. ”
“Glad I could be an inspiration.” The small bow I add in has him rolling his eyes. “So, what are you going to do? You realize you could probably branch out on your own. You would do amazing things for the small businesses here.”
“The thought has been bouncing around in here.” He taps his forehead. “But…it would be a drastic pay cut until I get a big enough customer base.”
Therein always lies the problem with trying to start a new business on your own. It’s rocky until you can find your customer base. It makes me wonder how my family did it when they opened the winery all those years ago. There wasn’t an easy way to get the word out. At least, not like there is now.
“It’s doable though, right?” The last thing I want is for him to be miserable in his job. And honestly, after my dad sees the numbers, we’ve been doing, he’d probably pay Beau for all his hard work helping me get the social media campaigns off the ground.
“Of course, but I don’t want to eat through my savings just yet.
” He eats another chip and shrugs his shoulders.
“For now, I’ll wait and see what the boss offers me after he sees the success.
Maybe I’ll have done so well, he’ll let me decide what I want to do.
Because being in management for anyone but myself does not sound appealing to me. ”
I get that. It’s even part of the pain point with the winery.
Even though there’s no true boss vs employee hierarchy since Dad wants us to run it equally, it does suck having to check in with Pierce all the time.
In his eyes, and Dad’s, he gets a bit of seniority because he’s the oldest. If Paula was still officially part of the winery, I wonder how the dynamic would work.
I’m sure it would be slightly different.
“Well, I support you no matter what you decide to do.” I slide my foot forward gently rubbing it against his as a sign of affirmation. Putting my hand on his would have probably been better, but I have a chip in one and my margarita in the other. Quite frankly, I’m not setting either of those down.
“Ar—are you playing footsies with me?” The false shock on his face is adorable. “You better stop before the jerks next to us take notice.”
“Like I care what they think.” I set down my drink and flip my hair over my shoulder. “Let them talk. It’s all they know how to do.”
A loud slam comes from the table next to us. Out of the corner of my eye I watch as they scoot their chairs out and stomp toward the door. Serves them right for listening in.
“They looked like someone just pissed in their cereal.” Beau laughs.
Shrugging, I pick up my drink just as the waitress brings us our food. “They needed to hear it. Nobody likes a gossip.”
Beau thanks the waitress for our order and digs in. “Says the girl who knows pretty much everything going on with her siblings.”
“That’s expected.” I build my fajita taco. “Siblings know each other’s dirt. It’s like a law or something.”
He laughs as he takes another bite and almost chokes.
“See what happens when you’re a smart ass. Next thing you know you’ll be slamming down the check and marching out of the restaurant in a fit.”
He takes a drink to get his coughing under control. “Don’t say funny shit when I’m eating and I won’t almost die.”
“Dramatics don’t look good on you, Beau.” I take a bite of my food and it’s even better when it’s fresh from the kitchen. Don’t get me wrong, I love eating in the comfort of my home when we get takeout, but this is so good. We also never run out of salsa.
His margarita is gone and he’s switched to water. It’s a good thing, too. When I said to make it strong, they did. There’s no way in hell I’m driving anywhere.
“So, what do you want to do when we leave here? The night is still young.” He waggles his eyebrows up and down.
“We’re in Asheville, there isn’t much to do. We can get ice cream, go to the park, or go home and watch a movie.” I take another bite and swallow before adding, “Those are the picks. Not much to do in a town this size, and I don’t really feel like going to Out of the Ashes.”
“Me either,” he agrees. “We’ll figure it out.”
This is one of the things I love about him. He asks for my input and doesn’t assume I want to do something. If I don’t know…he’s okay with that. It’s the way we’ve always operated.
He was right of course. Nothing changed in our friendship when we admitted we had feelings for each other.
If anything, it’s brought us closer. There’s a deeper level of comfort we haven’t felt before.
Like we can finally be ourselves around each other.
It’s refreshing in a way I never thought possible.
No wonder nothing ever worked out with guys I’ve dated. They aren’t him.
“Why are you staring at me like that?” Beau grabs his napkin from his lap and rubs it over his chin. “Do I have something on my face?”
“I’m only admiring the view.”
“That was cheesy as hell, even for you.” He shakes his head and keeps eating. I swear he doesn’t take the time to appreciate his food. He inhales it like he’s never eaten a day in his life.
I on the other hand like to take my time. He gives me crap for being a slow eater, but I don’t care.
“Yeah, yeah.” I wave away his comment and glance down at my plate of food. I’ve barely made a dent in half of it. “I think I’m going to need a box.”
“I’ll get one. Hang tight.” He leaves the table in search of our waitress.
I can’t help watching him walk away. The way his jeans hug his butt in just the right way. The way he’s attentive to what I want or need. What’s not to love about him? Being able to show my feelings in the open is freeing in a way I never thought it could be.