AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“And I need someone who will support me when I’m having a tough time,” Colt said. “Did you consider that?”
“I did, and I tried,” Andi said. “But it was just so much. Every night, you stomped in furious about something. I thought leaving would give us both some perspective, but I’m not sure it’s working.”
“Okay, let’s take a breath,” Wes said. “We have dinner coming, and there’s no need to fire both barrels just yet.”
“Sorry,” Andi said softly. “I just…don’t know what to do.”
“Neither do I,” Colt muttered.
“Maybe we should discuss what’s going on at work,” I said. “Colt, why didn’t you talk to me or Wes if you were unhappy with the situation?”
“Do you think I didn’t try?” Colt shrugged. “You view me as a nuisance. You bring up the fact I only got my job because of Andi, and I know you don’t think I deserve to be there. There’s no way you were gonna hear anything I had to say.”
I winced because while I didn’t think that was entirely true, I had been annoyed that Colt had been handed his job and didn’t show any sign of truly wanting to earn it.
“You haven’t really put in the time yet,” Wes said diplomatically. “You’re still learning the ropes, and that means you need to show up with a good attitude and listen to the men who’ve been on the crew longer than you—not just me or Beck, but Ryder and Luke too. When you’ve got more experience, you’ll get the respect you want, Colt. No one here is your enemy.”
While Colt mulled that over, a server—a woman named Kara who’d been a few years behind me and Wes in high school—stopped by our table to take our order.
We spent a couple minutes making polite small talk about Kara’s daughter, now a pre-schooler, which damn, that made me feel freaking ancient, before placing our orders.
As expected, Colt asked for the special. So did Wes. Andi got a chipotle-chicken pasta I didn’t even know they served, and I stuck with a basic turkey melt, my stomach a little too unsettled to eat something more adventurous.
Colt’s words were hitting uncomfortably close to home, and it was a difficult look into the mirror. I never wanted to believe I’d treated someone unfairly, but maybe I’d let my personal history with Potter Landscaping and how hard I’d had to work to prove myself influence my view of Colt.
“I’m sorry I made you feel that way,” I said.
Colt shifted in his chair, barely meeting my eye. “I mean, I know I bitch and moan a lot.”
“You do,” I said, “but…I think the real issue is I didn’t think you appreciated the opportunity Andi got you with the crew. I worked my ass off to be where I am.”
He gave me a skeptical look. “But you and Wes are in the family. I’m just treated like the guy not good enough to be in the family.”
“And now we’re getting somewhere,” Wes pronounced.
“I had no idea you felt that way,” Andi said, her stance softening at Colt’s admission. “Is this about your dad?”
He flushed. “Not really. I mean, I should just suck it up. It’s not Wes or Beck’s fault that they get a business from their dad, and I get nothing but debt from mine.” He grimaced, meeting Wes’s eyes, then with more difficulty, meeting mine. “I need this job, and I want to make it work with Andi. I’ll turn it around, if you’re willing to give me a chance.”
“Colt, I’m happy to give you a chance, but I need one thing.”
“What’s what?” he asked, looking wary.
“Give me a chance to start over too. I’m sorry I was so hard on you. I guess I was projecting a bit because of how I felt when I joined the crew. I know you think because I’m in the family, this job is a given. But I worked really hard to prove I could be Wes’s equal.” I flashed him an apologetic glance. “Still not sure I’ve succeeded, but every day I try.”
“Please,” Wes said. “You’re more than my equal. I strive to be a better boss because of the example you set.”
“Okay, you guys love each other to a weird and codependent degree,” Andi said with a chuckle. “We all know that.”
Wes flipped her off while I laughed awkwardly, hoping like hell I wouldn’t blush and give away that her words were truer than she knew.
“As I was saying, it’s possible I wanted to see you earn it the way I felt like I had. But our situations are different, and I shouldn’t have held you to a different standard than the rest of the crew.”
“Thanks, I appreciate that.” He hesitated. “But I know I’ve had a crappy attitude, and you were usually justified in riding my ass. I promise I’m going to work on that.”
When dinner came, we shifted to more comfortable topics, like how many irate neighbors we might see in the next few days once word got around we’d helped out Mel, how Andi’s job was going at the Friendly Bean, where the coffee didn’t taste like battery acid. My loyalty to Jake and Miles at Glazed Holes prevented me from enjoying their delicious confections, sadly, but I got to eat my feelings in the shape of glazed and cream-filled holes, which…sounded naughty enough to come out of Wes’s mouth while we had sex. Just the way Jake and Miles would want. They knewexactlywhat they were doing with that business name.
By the time Wes paid the check, it felt like we’d cleared the air and there might be brighter days on the horizon. Not just for us, but for Andi and Colt too.
