I’m a dick.
I know it, Noah knows it, and now Summer knows it too.
I’ve gone out of my way to avoid her the last two days because I was an ass to her in the break room for no fucking reason.
Okay, fine. So maybe it wasn’t fornoreason.
It was Warner.
I grind my molars together just thinking of that pretty little fuckboy. He’s a shameless flirt, and if he weren’t so damn good at his job, I’d fire his ass.
Hell, I just might do it anyway because I can.
I hated watching him use his charms on Summer. I was standing there for several minutes before they even bothered looking my way, and it ... well, it fucking pissed me off.
Not that I have any right, but still. It’s her first day. She should be focusing on making a good impression, not getting laid.
I grip the pencil in my hand tighter, then go back to transferring the data on the screen to my ledger. It’s silly and certainly creates double work for me, but I like having something physical for our records, just in case.
When I’m finished, I move on to my emails. I’ve been chatting with a few people about pinball machines and other games, trying to sort out the best ones to buy for the cidery.
I respond to the two new ones I have, then pull out my plans for the arcade and get to work on those.
Or I try to.
It’s hard when I know Summer is out in the taproom with fucking Warner right now. With Noah at the iceplex to start the week, I haven’t exactly had the chance to tell him about our newest hire, which means he can’t be here to train Summer like he usually would.
Fuck, I hope he’s not pissed about this. One thing we always said was we’d make hiring decisions together. These people are representing us and our business. It was too important to put on the shoulders of just one person.
“Oh my gosh! Summer!”
I lift my head at the sound of Odette’s voice echoing through the taproom.
Shit. Speaking of Noah . . .
I set aside my work and rise from my chair. I barely suppress my groan as my hip screams at me for sitting in the same spot for so long.
Typically I set a timer to ensure I get up a few times throughout the day to prevent my hip from locking up, but that hasn’t been the case with me hiding from Summer.
I make my way toward the bar, fully expecting to find Noah glowering at me from behind the counter.
But I don’t.
No, he’slaughing. Head tilted back and everything. Summer stands next to him, a smile on her face too.
Odette is hugging her like they’re old friends, and something tugs at my chest. This place has come to feel like home so much over thelast few years that I almost forget I haven’t always lived here. That these people have a whole history I was never part of.
“I haven’t seen you since ... Gosh, when was it? Two Christmases ago now?” Odette laughs as she pulls away. “I still remember how potent that eggnog you made was.” She pinches the ends of Summer’s hair. “I love this cut for you.”
Summer blushes, and it’s so strange to see. She’s been nothing but confident around me. Has had no problem calling me out. This is a different side to her.
“Thank you,” she says. “You look amazing too. Being engaged suits you.”
“It does, doesn’t it?” Odette cups Noah’s cheek, staring up at him. “Still can’t believe this guy convinced me to say yes.”
“And I can’t believe you’re marrying Izzy’s brother! Everyone used to have the biggest crushes on you, Noah.EspeciallyOdette.” Noah grins, clearly proud of that. “Speaking of Izzy, where is she?”
Odette juts her bottom lip out. “France. She’s abandoned me to go find herself after everything that happened.”
