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Hue had wallowed his way through a second bottle of beer by the time Sully and Theo returned from scouting the area behind the winery. Sully’s brain churned with ideas, and his fingers itched for his sketch pad. Theo’s request was big—huge, actually—but so damn exciting. If they could pull this off, it would transform The Rose and Thorn.
The tasting room was dim, only the lights behind the bar offering any illumination. To Sully, the place felt empty without Jax’s smirking sarcasm. He leaned against the bar and turned to Hue.
“We’re going to be creating an outdoor patio area for The Rose and Thorn,” he announced. “I just took all the measurements I need, and I don’t think it will be too hard to level the ground so we can pour concrete.”
Sully turned to Theo who stood behind the bar, leaning his elbows on the back counter. “Give me a week to do some research. I’ll come back with a complete plan. I know you said creating an outdoor wedding venue was in the future, but it’ll be important to keep that in mind while I’m planning the footprint. I already have ideas for a ton of great things we can do. A retractable awning, overhead fans, maybe even misters.” Sully felt almost giddy with the possibilities.
Theo looked down at his shoes. “Uh, actually, Hue, I kind of need another favor.”
“Oh, you don’t say.” Hue sat back on his stool. “Santa Hue is here. Ask and ye shall receive.” He waved his arms in front of him.
Abruptly, Theo pushed himself off the back counter. He put both hands palms down on the bar and leaned forward directly across from Hue. The two men were nose to nose.
“Gameboy,” Theo said softly.
“Jesus Christ, are you EVER going to get over that?” Hue exploded, jerking back. “It was an accident, and I said I was sorry. You want me to buy you a new one? I will.”
Janet, lying next to Hue’s feet, lifted her head and released a suspicious, “Woof.”
Sully raised an eyebrow at Theo.
The winery owner smirked, the expression lifting away some of the tiredness from his face. “Hue was responsible for destroying my favorite possession in the entire world. It was one of the more devastating experiences of my life.”
“That was 20 years ago, you dick,” Hue spat and then turned to Sully. “And, because he looooooves to tell this story, I’ll give you the punchline. I dropped it in the toilet.”
Sully sputtered a laugh. “How in the—”
“I sneezed.” Hue planted his elbows on the bar and speared Theo with a furious gaze. “If you swear by every god in the known universe that you will never mention that Gameboy again, I’ll do your stupid favor.”
Theo strung out the silence for three long seconds. “Deal,” he said. “I need 15 rustic wooden bar tables and 40 matching chairs.”
“Fuuuuuuck,” Hue groaned and lifted up his ball cap to rub his forehead. “Fine. Anything to put that guilt trip in the grave.”
“Wow,” Sully whistled. “You’ve got some big plans, Theo.”
A resigned expression pulled the victorious smile off Theo’s face. He looked down at the bar and slowly traced a huge knot in the wood.
“This may be my only chance to save The Rose and Thorn,” he finally said, his voice low and thick.
“Shit, really?” Hue crammed his hat back on his head.
“We’re barely hanging on. Every year it feels like that thread gets thinner and thinner.” Theo didn’t look up. “And now with that new place opening up, Desert Bloom, we’ve lost half our customers. We won’t make it through the year at this pace… unless we do something big.”
“Shit,” Hue repeated. “Why didn’t you tell me? I’ve been spending all my time helping this asshole.” He jerked a thumb at Sully. “I would’ve helped. I could already have those new tables done for you.”
“I didn’t want to admit it to myself,” Theo said, “but I’ve recently had a wake-up call. And with Sully offering to fix this place up at cost, I’ve finally got a way forward.”
Sully’s heart filled with righteous purpose. Sure, he didn’t know Theo well, but he got serious good guy vibes from the man. Everyone in town seemed to love him. Plus, the fact that he’d put up with Hue for an entire lifetime was even more proof of Theo’s endless decency.
“I’ll get started on those outdoor patio plans right away,” Sully vowed. The Diamond in the Rough could wait. “I think we can get enough done to open something by summer when the weather gets really warm.”
Sure, it would mean working day and night on the project, but so be it. No way would Sully allow an institution like The Rose and Thorn to flounder while a pretentious pretender like Desert Bloom flourished.
“This is…” Theo shook his head. The winery owner looked both perplexed and more than a little embarrassed. “It’s just so much to ask.”
“Sully’s not getting laid anymore,” Hue explained. “He’s got lots of pent-up sexual frustration he needs to work out.”
