Chapter 9
Liz
Iarrived at Split Pine embarrassingly early. My excuse? I needed to scope out the place and use the bathroom before Lucan showed up. The truth was, I’d wasted an hour trying on different outfits in the RV, hating each one more than the last, all while telling myself this wasn’t a date.
The parking lot buzzed with a surprising amount of activity for a Tuesday night, and when I pulled open the heavy door, I walked straight into a wall of noise.
Bodies packed every inch of the place. The combination of clinking glasses, shouting, laughter, and the rhythmic sound of axes hitting targets created an energetic atmosphere.
Eight throwing lanes lined one wall, separated by chain-link dividers.
The bar opposite overflowed with people clutching beers and colorful cocktails.
A man stood at the hostess stand near the entrance, staring down at a seating chart with the expression of someone trying to solve a Rubik’s Cube while blindfolded. He had tattoos climbing up both forearms and running along his neck.
He looked up as I approached. “Table for one?” His voice carried the ragged edge of someone who’d been talking all day.
“Table for two. He might have made a reservation… for Lucan?”
He didn’t bother to look at his list and grabbed two menus. “Follow me.”
I followed him and noticed the server-to-customer ratio was a little more than off. “You guys look slammed. Are you hiring by any chance?” It never hurt to ask, especially because I was desperate.
He stopped so abruptly that I almost ran into him. He turned to me, his eyes wide with hope. “Can you start right now?”
The desperation in his voice would have been funny if it hadn’t been so familiar. I’d heard that same edge in my own voice plenty of times when the crew called out and a deadline was breathing down our necks.
My face heated. “I have this meeting first, and then I can.”
He continued walking to a table near the back wall that was slightly removed from the worst of the noise and extended his hand. “Beck. I own this place, and yes, we’re hiring. One of my servers quit via text this morning, and another called out sick an hour ago.”
I shook his hand. “Liz.”
“Do you have serving experience? Although at this point, any help is welcome.”
I slid into a seat as he placed menus on the table. “I helped with some catering gigs in college, but since then, I’ve been in construction management and operations.”
“You just saved me countless gray hairs.” He ran a hand over his head, and I noticed the silver threading through the dark. “Come find me when you’re done, and we’ll talk details.”
“You should welcome the grays, Beck. You’re bordering on silver fox territory.”
The voice came from behind me, low and warm and entirely too effective at making my pulse jump. I turned to see Lucan, and my brain promptly went offline.
He wore dark blue jeans that fit him in ways that should probably be illegal and a light purple button-up with the sleeves rolled to his elbows. The fabric pulled slightly across his shoulders when he moved, and I had to physically stop myself from staring at his forearms.
Apparently, I had a thing for forearms now.
Beck’s face brightened, the exhaustion lifting for a moment. “Lucan. Should’ve known you’d show up on the one night I’m drowning.”
“I live to make your life harder.” Lucan slid into the seat across from me, and I caught the scent of something clean and woodsy.
My brain cataloged that information against my will.
“Clearly.” Beck crossed his arms, studying Lucan with the familiarity that came from years of friendship. “Though if you’re here to steal my new employee before she even fills out an application, I’m banning you for life.”
“Your new employee?” Lucan’s gaze shifted to me, something unreadable flickering across his face.
“She offered to help after your… meeting.” Beck gestured between us. “So don’t have too good a date. I need her functional and ready to work.”
The word “date” hung between us like smoke. Neither of us moved to correct him. Lucan just smiled, easy and unbothered, while my face betrayed me with what I was certain was a noticeable flush.
“I’ll try to restrain myself, but it will be difficult.” Lucan’s tone was teasing, and I had the uncomfortable sensation that he knew exactly what his presence was doing to my nervous system.
“Right,” Beck snorted back a laugh as he tapped the table twice. “Someone will be by to take your order eventually. Probably. If you’re lucky.”
He disappeared into the chaos, leaving us alone at the table.
Lucan was completely at ease, watching me with blue eyes that seemed almost purple with the way they caught the light. “You’re staying?”
I reached for the menu just to give my hands something to do. “For now. It’s temporary.”
The word felt important to say out loud. Temporary. Not permanent. Not a commitment beyond a roof and a paycheck while I figured out what came next.
“Makes sense.” He nodded, his gaze steady on mine, no expectation or pressure. “Wings End is a good landing spot while you sort things out.”
I’d expected questions. Where are you from? What happened? Why were you camping alone in the woods? But he didn’t ask any of that. He just accepted what I’d said and moved on, and the absence of pressure left me off balance.
“You live there too?” I flipped open the menu and pulled out my glasses. “At Wings End?”
“Yeah, in a cabin past the main park area.” He picked up his own menu, thumbing through it without actually reading it. “It’s quiet and close enough to town.”
“And you work for the forestry service?”
“Yup. I’m a forest management specialist.” He set his menu down, apparently already knowing what he wanted. “Mostly patrol work, trail maintenance, wildlife monitoring, and fire mitigation. Lots of telling people not to burn things. Smokey Bear would be proud.”
I glanced up and found him watching me. “Sounds thrilling.”
“Oh, it is. Nothing quite like spending six hours marking hazard trees in the rain. It’s all very glamorous with mud and the constant threat of being taken out by a branch with attitude.”
A laugh escaped me before I could stop it, breaking through the careful guard I’d been maintaining since sitting down. When was the last time I hadn't had to force a laugh?
I pressed my lips together, trying to stay composed, but the damage was done. The single moment of amusement had shifted something between us.
I looked back down at the menu, suddenly aware that getting caught up in a man was not a path I wanted to go down again. “Do you hike a lot? Outside of work, I mean.”
“Yeah. The terrain around here gets pretty remote once you’re off the main trails, and it’s peaceful.” He paused, and when I glanced up again, his gaze was steady on mine. “Did you do much hiking before last week?”
“Some,” I said carefully. “Nothing too serious. I did a lot of camping in my teens and early twenties.”
Again, he didn’t push. Didn’t ask for clarification or details. The lack of interrogation left me feeling strangely exposed, like he didn’t need the rest to understand.
After the server took our orders, Lucan leaned back in his chair, one arm draped over the empty chair next to him in an annoyingly attractive way.
“What kind of construction were you managing?”
The question caught me off guard. I’d mentioned it to Beck, but I hadn’t expected that Lucan had heard me or would care enough to ask.
“Property restoration mostly,” I said after a beat. “Older homes, some commercial buildings. We’d handle everything from structural repairs to finish work.”
“We?”
“Ex-business partner.”
Something shifted in his expression, a flicker of understanding, but again, he didn’t pry. “Bet that kept you busy.”
I took a sip of water from the glass the server had dropped off earlier. “It was non-stop. Permits, schedules, materials, payroll. Someone always needed something.”
The conversation drifted after that, settling into something easier.
He asked about the RV, whether I’d figured out the quirks of the awning yet.
I asked about Ashford, what there was to do besides throw axes and eat breakfast at Stacks.
He mentioned a farmers’ market on Saturdays and the lake, which always had something going on.
It should have felt like a surface-level getting-to-know-you conversation, but there was an undercurrent of tension beneath it that I couldn’t explain.
He was watching me too closely, but not in a creepy way.
He had his full attention on me, and every time I shifted or hesitated, he stilled.
It was like he was zeroing in, preparing for action if needed.
I was unsettled by the realization that Lucan’s complete focus on me felt alien. Even Scott had never given me this level of attention. Not when we had first dated, not when we were engaged, not when we’d planned our next business moves.
I’d convinced myself it was normal to be half-heard and half-seen. What did it say about my life that genuine interest felt like an anomaly?
“Are you okay?” His voice cut through my thoughts.
I blinked. “I’m fine.” The words came out too fast, edged with defensiveness.
Something in his eyes told me he didn’t believe me.