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“See you tomorrow,” he replies and hangs up the phone.
“Everything okay?” she asks, and for the second time, I lie to her, and the guilt eats at my stomach.
“Yeah, I have to get to the barn,” I say, and she nods, walks over, and grabs a travel mug.
“If you give me ten minutes, I can get dressed and drive you over there,” she offers. I nod as she walks by me but stops to kiss my chest where her bite mark is before pulling my shirt over her head and leaving her naked in front of me.
“That’s not going to get us out of here in ten minutes.” I slap her ass as she walks away from me giggling. I prepare us both to-go coffees, and when she drops me off at the house fifteen minutes later, I make out with her like it’s the last fucking time I’m going to kiss her. “See you later.” I get out of the truck and walk up the steps to my front door. Walking in, I grab my truck keys before turning and heading right back out.
Hoping like fuck he’s home, I pull up to his house, which is farther away from town. The fixer-upper he bought a couple of years ago looks brand new compared to the one that is falling down beside him. Walking up the steps, I pull open the storm door and knock.
I hear him on the other side of the door before he pulls it open, wearing what I was wearing not too long ago. “Charlie,” he says my name.
“I need a favor,” I state and he moves away from the door and I step in to see that the front isn’t the only thing that is new. The whole inside looks like it was redone. I also know he did all this shit by himself over the last eight years.
“What kind of favor?” he asks.
I explain to him everything that happened this morning, his face filling with fear and then anger. “What the fuck?” he hisses out. “Like can’t they just leave her the fuck alone?”
“I need to get out of town and I need your sister to come with me.”
“She won’t go.” He shakes his head, thinking exactly what I was thinking.
“I’m going to come in tonight, sit with you at the bar, and ask her to go with me,” I say. “I’m going to need you to take my back on this. I’ll hire a couple of people to help you at the bar. If she thinks you’re okay with it, she might go with it.”
“I’ll take your back.” He nods. “You sure about this?” I know the question isn’t about the plan to take her away for the weekend. He’s asking me if I’m sure about his sister.
“She’s it for me,” I confirm and his mouth drops. “Told her I love her yesterday. Only one other person I said that to. Not going to be another one. I’ll be at the bar tonight and you take my back.”
“Yeah,” he agrees and I nod at him, turning and walking out of the house and heading to the barn. I walk in searching for Emmett, who is sitting on his desk.
“Why is it every single time I find you, you’re sitting on this desk?” I joke with him.
“Why is it that every single time you are supposed to be here, you’re not?” he jokes back with me.
“Need a favor.” I look around to see if anyone is within earshot.
“Your card is all used up.” He smirks. “Front and back.”
“You know anyone who could serve in a bar for about a week?”
“Do I look like HR to you?” He laughs.
“Is that a yes?” I put my hands on my hips.
“I know a couple of the guys who are looking for extra money,” he says, motioning to the young kid who we just hired. “I’m sure he can take drinks to a table.”
“Good, bring him to the bar tonight,” I say and turn to head to the house.
“Are you working today?” he asks, and I flip him the bird over my head.
That night, the three of us are walking into the almost full bar. “Time to see what you can do,” I tell Bishop. I slap him on the shoulder as I walk to the bar. Autumn looks up at me as she slings her shaker over her shoulder. “You’re swamped.”
“Yeah.” She smiles. “Two tour groups came this afternoon and haven’t left yet.” I look to the side to see Brady stepping behind the bar, and we share a chin-up.
“I’ll help, and so will my guy, Bishop,” I volunteer, and Brady just looks at his sister. “He has experience,” I lie to them. The kid just turned twenty-one and has yet to be in a fucking bar.
“Good,” Brady says. “Come with me,” he tells Bishop, who follows him as I walk around the bar.
