Page 80 of Pick Me This Time

37

STERLING

By the time I shut down the pumpkin patch and closed the farm to visitors, it was late and I really needed a drink. After grabbing a quick shower and changing into warmer clothes, I met up with Eric at Maverick’s, laughing when I saw he had a beer waiting for me—served in one of the very pumpkins I’d been slinging all day.

“I’m not sure whether I should punch you or thank you,” I joked as I slid into a chair across from his. “I would’ve been okay with a glass. Just for future reference.”

He chuckled, looking relaxed and happy as he motioned around the packed bar. “Everyone in here tonight is drinking from one of these. You would’ve looked like a freak drinking out of a normal glass.”

“I’ve been called worse,” I said. “Freak might’ve even been a welcome change.”

“I have no doubt.” He winked at me, leaning forward and taking a sip of his own beer. “How did it go today?”

“Good,” I said, but from the corner of my eye, I was trying to see if I could catch Daphne in my periphery.

I knew she wasn’t a big drinker, but I’d expected to see her out and about this evening. She hadn’t returned my texts all day, and if memory served, she loved the festival. I knew the bakery had been jampacked as well, so I wasn’t too worried or surprised by the lack of response, but I did miss her.

A lot. Maybe too much.

“We had a great first day, actually,” I said as I finally turned my full focus back on my friend. She wasn’t here, which stung more than I’d been expecting. I’d really been looking forward to seeing her, even if it would’ve just been a casual run-in while she was with friends.

Eric grinned at me. “That’s awesome, man. How’s your dad feeling about it?”

His genuine happiness over hearing we’d had a good day made me feel like shit all over again. For the umpteenth time in the last few hours, I bounced back and forth between what I was supposed to do and what I wanted to do. But what it came down to was simple.

I had feelings for his little sister. I’d slept with her, but I had a job in New York and I was leaving soon. I couldn’t give her what she deserved, but I couldn’t bring myself to give her up just yet either.

“I wouldn’t know.” I grimaced. “We’re working really well together, but he’s still not exactly a forthcoming kind of guy. As soon as I told him I’d close up tonight, he went home and he was nowhere to be seen by the time I got there.”

Eric flinched. “Sorry, bro. I thought that was going better. Maybe he was just tired?”

I shrugged. “Probably. This time of year takes an emotional toll on him as well as a physical one.”

“True,” he said. “What he’s going through sounds like hell on earth to me, man. It even makes me happy I don’t feel that way about someone.”

“Same,” I said, but it was only a half-truth because these days, I was starting to feel that way about someone. I just couldn’t tell him about it.

God, this is so much harder than I thought it would be.

Uproarious, grating laughter from the door caught our attention and a group of men around our age stumbled in. A vaguely familiar guy walked in with them and Eric suddenly went rigid, those blue eyes turning into glaciers as they drilled into him from across the room.

I frowned, narrowing my own eyes to take a closer look, but I didn’t know who he was.

“That’s Peter,” Eric hissed. “Daphne’s ex. You remember him, right?”

“Well, I do now.” I tore my gaze away from the guy. He was a prick, and one who’d gotten closer to marrying my girl than I ever would. I couldn’t even stand to look at him, but that made even more guilt eat its way through my gut.

She wasn’t my girl, but I was really damn relieved she wasn’t Peter’s anymore either. After taking another generous sip of my beer, I shook my head, finding Eric still glaring daggers at him. “I wonder what she ever saw in him. He’s always been such an asshole. I couldn’t believe it when you told me she was with him for so long.”

“Yeah,” Eric agreed. “I don’t know what she was thinking either. Don’t get me wrong, I hate all the guys my sister has ever dated, and I don’t think anyone is ever going to be good enough for her, but he was the worst. I nearly vomited every time I saw them together.”

My stomach dropped as those words struck an ugly chord deep within me. I don’t think anyone is ever going to be good enough for her.

“I can’t even imagine,” I mused out loud for lack of anything better to say right then. Since we were talking about Peter, I could completely get behind his hatred of seeing them together, though. I’d never even laid eyes on them as a couple, but I kind of wanted to vomit just thinking about it. “You must’ve been relieved when they ended it.”

“More than,” he agreed before taking a large gulp of his beer. “She got too close for comfort with him, though, bro. Those last couple months, every time we saw them, he was talking about marriage or babies. It was terrifying.”

My heart started pounding, my blood turning to poison in my veins. “At least she came to her senses before that happened.”