Chapter 5
CHAPTER FIVE
Nick
Not much had changed in Whynot.
It was still hot as fuck in the summer, the town’s population had roughly stayed the same, and Austin Whynot was as much of an asshole now as he had been in high school.
I knew I’d have to deal with him eventually by moving back here, but I didn’t expect him to be the first person I ran into. Especially not when trying to stop by Evie’s bakery.
The thing was, I didn’t even care about him. He could hate me all he wanted. The dislike was mutual. Whatever.
I cared about her.
For two months, I hadn’t been able to stop thinking about that night. Running into her had been the last thing I’d ever expected to happen to me. I never planned to take her back to my hotel. Never planned to have sex with her or spend the night cuddling until we fell asleep.
I never even got her phone number.
I could have messaged her on Instagram or something. I’d certainly been stalking the fuck out of her online. But, instead of doing that, I’d completely changed all my building plans and decided it was time to go back to Whynot.
The spa and resort was exactly what this town needed. It would be popular with tourists when they visited. For locals, I’d run discounted prices so everyone could enjoy the amenities. I’d invest in local artists by having their work on our walls. It would bring more jobs to the area.
My initial plan was for this spa to be built right outside Odessa, but Evie changed that.
I was here because of her.
Basically, one night with her made me change my entire life plan. So Mr. Bigshot Whynot was going to have to get over it. I wasn’t going anywhere.
“Could you fucking move?” he grumbled under his breath.
I looked him directly in his puppy brown eyes. “No. What do you need?”
“Some space. For you to leave. For you to take your cat and get the hell out of town.”
I glanced at the carrier. Lucky was staring daggers at me, but only because he didn’t like being in that thing. He was a leash cat, not a cage cat. “Once again, I’m not going anywhere.”
Austin may have been tan from being out in the sun, but his cheeks were cherry red as he reached past me with tongs and grabbed three croissants, putting them in a box for the customer in front of us.
I tried not to focus too hard wondering if Austin was red from being angry or if he was blushing.
I beamed at the customers as I rang them up, and we sent them on their way.
The case was getting sparse again already. I’d upsold to four people so far. Even Lucky had sold two items simply by being cute. Austin had tried with three customers and failed. Possibly because he had the aura of a wet napkin.
I stole another glance at him. He had some silver glinting in his dark brown hair, which was sort of a surprise. We weren’t that fucking old. He even had bags under his eyes.
“Are you okay?” I blurted out.
Austin reeled back like I’d stung him. “What?”
“You look exhausted.”
His throat worked and he looked away from me, his cheeks turning even redder. “Fuck off, Nick.”
I frowned. Usually he was a better sparring partner than this. A “fuck off” didn’t really count as us arguing. Not that I wanted to argue. I just expected more after so long, and especially since he clearly wanted Evie for himself too.
“Have all these years turned you soft?” I asked him.
“Fuck off.”
I wasn’t above dueling him for her. I wasn’t above sharing either—I just knew Austin would probably never be okay with that.
Would be a lot more fun if he was, though. Dick.
The door burst open and two women stepped inside. One had dark brown hair with blue streaks, and the other had bright pink hair like a rose. And very cool tattoos.
The one with pink hair came to the counter and slammed her hands down.
“Where is she? Where is Evie?” she demanded. Her eyes flickered to the carrier on top of the counter. “Oh my god, is that a cat?”
“That’s Lucky,” I said proudly.
“June,” Austin sighed, his demeanor instantly softening. “Matthew took her to the hospital.”
“What the fuck even happened?” the other woman growled. “Is this your fault?”
“What? No. Why in the hell would this be my fault?”
She narrowed her eyes on him. “I don’t know. You tell me.”
“Jesus fucking christ,” Austin sighed. “No, Avery, this isn’t my fault.”
Avery. I remembered her now. Austin’s younger sister. She didn’t have blue hair back then. And I vaguely remembered June too, who definitely had bright hair back in the day, just not this shade of pink.
“The rack in the oven got stuck,” I piped in. “Evie tried to pull it out and caught it with her arm. She was burned, but the sexy and kind doctor took care of her, unlike this guy, who has consistently stressed all of us out by being a dick.”
“Fuck off,” Austin snarled at me. “I haven’t been a dick.”
“You pissed off like three customers.”
“I did not,” he protested. “I did not. The cat did. You’re a liar, per usual.”
“Lucky has sold more than you have simply by being a cat.”
Avery and June glanced at each other, then back at me. “How do you know Evie?” Avery asked. “Or did you just jump in to help?”
“I know her,” I said. “We went on a date a while back.”
June’s head immediately tilted, her eyes darting to Avery. Uh oh. Those two had a secret language, that much was clear. And suddenly, I was very much not sure I’d said the right thing.
“He’s the asshole who bought Old Tom’s property,” Austin said.
“Oh.” Avery made a noise, looking at June again. “Hmm. Interesting.”
June narrowed her eyes with a slow nod. “Okay. Yeah. Well, uh, you guys can go. Avery and I will get everything cleaned up and shut down. I know you have stuff to do, Austin.”
He nodded. “Yeah, I need to run a few errands. I’m fixing the roof on the hotel today.”
“Be careful,” Avery warned. “Have Levi or Mateo help you.”
“I don’t need help.”
Avery’s expression pinched, but she didn’t argue.
Austin shot me one more glare then left the counter, pausing to ruffle Avery’s hair before heading out the door. “See you. Let me know if you need something. Nick, you should leave.”
“We’ll chase him away,” Avery said, waving her hand at her older brother.
The moment the three of us were alone, they both looked at me.
“You don’t need to stay,” June said again. “We’ve got this.”
“Can I help instead?” I asked. “I don’t have any meetings today and I was just showing Lucky our town.”
“Our town?” Avery asked, her expression warming up. “So you really are here to stay.”
“I am,” I said.
“Can I see Lucky?” June asked. “Can I pet him?”
“Me too. I love cats. We recently got two dogs and they’re the best in the whole world, but completely different energy than a cat.”
“Oh, for sure,” I agreed. “And yes. I’ll hold him, though, that way if he claws anyone, it’s me.”
I unlatched the carrier and Lucky poked his head out, looking at Avery and June warily. But, he was a friendly cat despite hissing at Austin, and once I scooped him up—his eyes narrowed to slits and he started to purr.
I cradled him like a newborn and carried him around the bakery case, letting Avery and June croon over him. And he soaked it all up.
“I love him,” June professed.
“Me too,” Avery sighed. “Ugh, he’s so cute. Do you take him on walks too?”
“I do,” I said. “He’s my little guy. Also, I’d like to help get the rack out of the oven. It’s been off for a bit so it shouldn't be hot, but still. Once Lucky goes back in his carrier, I can help out.”
They exchanged glances, and June shrugged silently. Avery pressed her lips together, but then nodded, still scratching the top of Lucky’s head. “Okay. Sure. Also, I’m so sorry, I don’t think I caught it from Austin. What’s your name? You look so familiar, but I don’t remember why.”
“Oh, so sorry. I’m Nick.” I grinned. “I went to high school here. With Austin.”
“Oh. Oh. Oh my god, okay,” Avery laughed, shaking my hand too. “I’m starting to put puzzle pieces together. I remember you now. Sorry, it’s been a long time. And we were like thirteen when you graduated.”
“No worries,” I said. “I look a lot different now too.”
“I like your tattoos,” June said, eyeing them.
“Thanks.” I turned over one of my arms, showing them off. Lucky pressed his paws against my chest, claws pricking my shirt. “I like yours too. Is the artist local?”
“No. She’s about two hours away.” June held out her arms, turning them over. “Yours?”
“Up in New York,” I chuckled. “A tiny place next to my favorite bodega. She’s a great artist.”
“How the hell did you end up in New York?” June asked.
Before I could answer, Avery held up a hand. “Okay wait. Let’s catch up later. We can get the whole group together. Maybe without Austin, since I think he’d object. Or Dallas.”
June feigned a gasp. “My boyfriend is well behaved.”
Avery snorted. “Sure. Have Madi there too and he will be. Let’s get everything tidied up so Evie doesn’t have to worry.
I’ll pack up all the pastries. June can start cleaning up.
I have a feeling Evie is going to have to be off the next couple days if Dr. Jacobs took her.
” Avery was talking so fast, I wondered if she was an auctioneer.
“Then we’ll head to the hospital. Okay?”
I nodded. “Sounds good, captain.” I put Lucky back in his carrier, feeling a flicker of guilt when he glowered at me. “I know, my guy. We’ll be done soon. I’ll try to fix the oven and then join the two of you.”
Calling her captain made Avery grin. June raised a brow and they exchanged one of those knowing glances again before splitting up.
June and Avery were a unit. I felt a little envious of how they just seemed to know what to do and how to split up the work. I had friends, of course, but no one that I could communicate with wordlessly. It was impressive.