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She rolled her eyes. “Christ, does that work on other women? So cheesy. Get out of my face, Felix.”
I smirked and walked over to her, pretending I was doing something behind the bar. I bent down to her ear. “You want to see how good it works?”
I swore I felt her shiver, but then she shoved me away. “That ship sailed a long time ago.”
She handed the beer over to her customer, and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t watch her sweet ass as she walked away. It was a little fun to rile her up.
A familiar voice pulled me from my thoughts—one I had no desire to hear ever again. The blood drained from my face when I came face-to-face with my ex, Roger.
Roger looked freshly shaven and was wearing a tailored suit, which looked amazing on him. Why did he look that good? And who wore a suit to a freaking brewery? Beside him was a pretty blonde woman with cat-eye glasses.
“Hey, what are you drinking tonight?” I asked, pretending to play it cool.
“Hey Felix, you still working in this dump?” he asked. The blonde cringed and gave me an apologetic look.
“You mean this awesome brewery with amazing beer?” Gemma cut in.
I side-eyed her. I didn’t know why she was coming to my rescue. Why would Gemma, of all people, want to help me?
Gemma put on that bright smile again. “Felix, take a break. I’ll handle this.”
“You sure?” I asked.
“Yeah, I just took mine. Go on.”
We both knew it was a lie. What was she playing at?
I stared at her awkwardly for a second, and she nodded toward the kitchen. I didn’t wait for her to change her mind. I walked away, hoping to get some air. I also hoped Gemma didn’t ask me what that was about.
I wasn’t ‘out’ per se. I didn’t care who knew I was bi. I just couldn’t handle the bi-erasure of people asking if I was ‘sure’ or the pitying looks when they told me it was ‘okay to be gay.’ Of course, it was, but being bisexual was different. I hated explaining that shit to people.
I found my buddy Ryan in the back alley, smoking a cigarette. “Hey, man,” Ryan greeted me.
Ryan used to work behind the bar, but now he helped Nolan and Allen brew the beer. He said working under Nolan was tough because the big guy was a micromanager. That didn’t surprise me, because Nolan could be a grump. But his attention to detail made the MacGregor Brothers Brewing Company so successful.
Nolan was great for advice, too. Over the years, I’d gone to him for help. He sympathized with my situation with my sister, since his parents died when he was eighteen, and he had become a parent at a young age. I even told him about my breakup with Roger. Instead of asking me about my sexuality, he said, ‘Here, try this new beer I’m working on.’ I liked Nolan for that. He might be a grumpy asshole, but you could trust him with anything.
I sighed. “Hey.”
Ryan narrowed his eyes at me. “What’s up?”
“Fucking Roger’s here.”
His dark eyes widened, and he ran a golden-brown hand across his stubble uncomfortably. Ryan knew I was bi because we had been best friends since I was three years old. That’s the kind of friendship you had in a town like Drakesville. He knew all my secrets, and I knew his.
“Why?” he asked.
I shrugged. “No clue.”
He stubbed out his cig. “So what, you ran away?”
I leaned against the wall. “Nah. Gemma told me to go on break.”
“Man, you two need to stop fighting. Just tell her about Skye, and fuck her already,” he said with a grin. He thrust his hips out, acting like he was humping the air.
I rolled my eyes at him.“Nah, that ship has sailed, man.”
I felt my phone buzz in my pocket and saw a text from my sister.
