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The worst part? It absolutely crushed me. We had gotten close over the weeks leading up to our date, and my heart did that little pitter-patter every time he was near. Felix intrigued me, and I had wanted to get to know him better. I had hoped going out together, I’d find out more about him. I had already liked what I saw, so when he pretended I meant nothing, it broke my heart. Maybe it was typical ‘Gemma Dramatics,’ but the hurt of his betrayal rubbed me raw and turned into unbridled hatred.
Declan gave me a warning look. “Just call him.”
“Can’t you do it?”
While Nolan handled the beer, Declan managed the business side of the brewery. That included managing the front-of-house staff. It wasn’t my job to call Felix to cover my shift. Same way, it shouldn’t have been my job to handle the social media or work with Felix on the artwork, but Declan was an asshole like that.
“Just do it,” he said.
Before I could argue, he rushed out of the office to get Nolan.
I sighed, pulled out my phone, and found Felix in my contact list. I clicked on the name ‘Douche-Nugget.’
Felix standing me up wasn’t the first time that happened to me. That’s probably another reason it crushed my heart into a million tiny pieces when he did it. I’d used dating apps for a while, but if my matches didn’t ghost me before scheduling a date, then they stood me up. Just like Felix. A part of me seriously wondered if Felix had cursed me because I hadn’t been on a successful date since that night.
I pressed my phone to my ear and hoped the douche in question didn’t pick up. I’d rather bother Wyatt or Claudia to come in instead of Felix.
But before I could hang up and call one of them instead, a gruff voice purred in my ear, “Well, hey sweet thing, what can I do for you?”
I rolled my eyes so hard I heard my sister in my head scolding me about my face staying that way. “Yeah. Never mind.”
Felix chuckled on the other line. “Hold up now. What’s up?”
“Avery’s having the baby.”
“Okay.”
“Can you cover my shift tonight? I need to be with my sister.”
I was met with silence for a couple of moments.
“Felix?”
“Yeah. I can do it. But you owe me.”
I could only imagine what that meant. But he was doing me a favor, so I couldn’t complain.
“K, bye!”
I hung up without another word. I didn’t care if I was rude; he was an asshole and deserved it. I noticed Declan leaning against the doorway of the office, staring at me with an annoyed look on his face.
Declan seemed mild-mannered, but he was the most gossipy person at the brewery. He meddled. Wyatt and Lizzie wouldn’t have ever gotten married if Declan hadn’t pressed Wyatt about it. Nolan never would have told my sister he loved her if Declan hadn’t pushed him to talk about his feelings. Okay, that last one was on me too, but Nolan was a special case. The big man would rather chew off his own hand than talk about feelings. Declan forced me to call Felix because he was urging me to bury the hatchet with the other bartender.
“Will you two get it over with already?” Declan asked.
“What?”
He shook his head and walked over to his desk. “Just fucking bang him already so the rest of us can have some peace. We’re sick of your banter.”
“When he stops being an asshole, maybe I will. I gotta go!”
I rushed out of the brewery and began walking to my apartment on the other side of town. Since Drakesville was so walkable, I never drove to work, but I needed my car to take my sister to the hospital. After Nolan knocked up my sister and moved her into his house, I offered to take over her place. It was a small second-floor apartment, but the rent was astronomically cheaper than what I paid in South Philly. I used to hate that the brewery was in the suburbs, but I’d come to love the small town of Drakesville.
I made the ten-minute walk to my apartment and hopped into my car for the thirty-second drive across the street to the high school. After parking, I jogged inside to find my sister sitting in her classroom, holding her back and groaning.
I never ever wanted to get pregnant. Ever. I couldn’t wait to be the cool aunt to little Norah, but I didn’t want to be anyone’s mom. Ever.
Avery’s eyes welled up with tears, and she clenched her teeth. “Nolan?”
