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“You first,” he said, without glancing up.
Jax sighed. “I hate it when you’re right. But at least I have an excuse. Haley’s my best friend. She’syouremployee.”
Theo gave the drawer a yank and almost fell on his ass as the handle snapped off.
“Nice, man.” Hue slapped the bar next to his bottle of beer. “Trying to lighten the mood. Good idea.”
Theo scowled at his friend. “I don’t have to stock that craft brew shit for you,” he retorted, then stared at the handle in his hand and sighed. “This place is falling apart.”
“I’ve told you a million times that you need to remodel,” Hue said.
“Yeah, sure,” Theo grumbled. “Let me just find a hundred grand and I’ll get back to you on that.”
“I like this place,” Tess spoke in her soft, throaty voice. “It’s got a lot of rustic charm.” She ran her hand across the scarred wood of the bar. “A lot of character.”
A small smile lifted Theo’s lips. “Thanks,” he said to Tess. “At least someone’s got my back.” The petite woman returned his smile. They stood, frozen, for a long moment, until Theo blinked, then looked down at the drawer handle in his hand. Exhaustion shrouded his face once again. “I gotta find something to fix this,” he muttered and disappeared through a back door.
“Good luck,” Hue called after him.
Jax expertly kicked the drawer Theo had been working on and pulled it open to retrieve another bottle opener.
Layla looked at her watch and her eyebrows shot up her forehead. “Shoot! My shift at the food pantry starts in half an hour. And I should probably check on Alanna. Willow, do you want a ride home?”
The dark-haired girl nodded and took small, careful steps toward Layla. Cam’s gaze lingered on the shy, quiet woman.
“That’s my cue, too,” Everly said, throwing back her last gulp of wine. “Well, gents… and Hue, it’s been something.”
“I know you’ve got a hoard of cats in your place.” Hue jabbed a finger at Everly, malevolence glinting in his eyes.
“Who me?” Everly gave him a saccharine smile. She wore a long dress patterned with hundreds of squares, each framing the face of a different cat. “Have any proof of that?”
“I’ll get some,” Hue vowed, “and then I’ll have you in eviction court so fast your head’ll spin.”
Everly’s smile dropped. “Bring it on, Lumber Jackass,” she said, then stomped out the door after Layla and Willow.
“That’s no way to talk to a woman,” Cam chided Hue after the door of the winery swung shut.
Beneath the brim of his beaten ball cap, Hue grimaced. “That creature isn’t a woman. She’s a harpy who's been filling my condo with cats. Who knows how much damage they’ve done!” Next to Hue’s feet, Janet lifted her head, ears perking. After a moment, she dropped her head back into her paws.
Cam shook his head, his face a visage of sorrow.
“Everly is a wonderful person,” Tess said sternly to Hue, then turned to Sully. “And so is Alanna.”
In his misery, Sully had forgotten all about his petite tenant. “I know,” he admitted. “I blew it.”
“This might be salvageable,” Cam said, a note of hope ringing in his voice. “Maybe if you beg. Like really groveled. I’m talking on your knees. Maybe tears…”
Tess shook her head. “That wouldn’t work for Alanna.” She sipped her wine thoughtfully. “I don’t know her that well, just through The Crazy Cat Lady Club, but she really is a caring person deep down.” Tess hesitated, “Deeeep deep down.”
She looked at Sully. “Your comment hurt her. I could tell.”
“What about what she said,” Hue pointed out. “She practically called him a pauper.”
Tess grimaced. “Neither of you was on your best behavior.”
“I can’t believe she thought I was poor the entire time we’ve known each other,” Sully mused. He let out a miserable laugh. “Id’ve thought a woman like her wouldn’t give me the time of day if she thought my bank account was empty, but she never held it against me… except she did try and insist on paying for everything.”
Even when she thought he had nothing, Alanna had wanted to spend time with him, be with him. And wasn’t that just a curb stomp to the heart? Sully groaned and wondered if Hue and Cam might be willing to dig a hole out in the back of the winery for him to crawl into. Maybe they’d even do him the extra favor of sealing it up with cement.
