Page 4 of Manors & Mischief

“I didn’t even ask a question.”

“You sure as hell did. You asked the last time a single female moved to town.”

“Which has nothing to do with…”

“Ember,” I supply.

He only grins in response.

“Oh, fuck off.”

“I give it a week.”

“She’s young.”

“Maybe two.” The bell above the door announces a customer entering, and Trav’s gaze flicks up. “I change my mind. I give it less than a week.”

I follow his stare, and my grip on the bottle tightens when I spot Ember a step inside the place, her gaze roaming all over the wood walls and open ceiling beams.

Turning, I nearly growl under my breath. She looks more beautiful than when I first saw her. The scarf Bea gave her covers the coffee stain and adds a little something to her outfit that I can’t put my finger on. Hourglass figure, pink cheeks. She hits my own personal checklist.

“I got a seat for you right here,” Trav calls out.

“Traitor.”

He ignores me, but only because my voice gets drowned out by Ember O’Malley’s honey-sounding pitch. “Actually, I was looking for Devon Lachey.”

Trav looks uncertainly over at me, but he flashes her a big smile. “Just in luck because you found him.”

He gestures toward me, and when she gets to the bar, eyes all bright and hopeful, it dies on her face when she sees who I am. “You’re Devon Lachey?”

“The one and only.” I go to take another swig of my beer when I remember I already drank it all and end up putting it back on the bar and moving it away.

“You’re the guy everyone thinks will help me with my car trouble?”

I laugh at that. No sense in denying we both think I’m the last person who would help her right now, and good thing I always know I’m right. “The people of Harvest Falls are funny like that.”

Her shoulders drop. “More like cruel.”

“You didn’t get your proposal approved?” I ask, genuinely hopeful.

She leans against the bar, a self-satisfied smirk peeling her lips apart all triumphant like. “No, that’s been fully approved by the mayor.”

Mom and I are going to have a talk about this. I already know what she’ll say but it doesn’t make it any less traitorous. “That’s too bad.”

“I think you mean congratulations.”

“No, I definitely don’t mean that. I mean it’s too bad.” I flick my gaze up to Trav who is peering back and forth between us. “Good luck finding a contractor to do the work on the place.”

He hides a smile because we’re both dicks, apparently.

“I’ve been given a name.”

I smirk to myself, and this time, Trav can’t hide it either, but he quickly turns into brewery owner mode. “Can I get you something?”

She shrugs, peering over at me a tad wistful. Her eyes do that thing where she drags them over me. I don’t even think she realizes she’s doing it. “I guess a menu, and I’ll look up a tow truck or something.”

The screen of her phone lights up her face as she starts typing into it, her lips turned down, troubled. I war with myself because I’m not one to leave a stranger stranded, but I can’t say I’ve been faced with one who has so blatantly fucked me over. Even Trav keeps looking at me like I’m going to change my mind and give in to this princess.