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Ben flushed. “I’m not knocking the kitchen, I promise. I just lost my appetite.”
“Nah. This is frozen shit in a bulk bag. I actually have an amazing recipe, but it’s too time-consuming to sell here,” Nova told him. He brushed his fingers over the top of Ben’s shoulder, then pulled his hand back like he was startled. “Uh. Anyway. New drink?”
“No, thanks,” Ben said, feeling slightly breathless. “Hoping I have to drive very soon.”
Nova glanced toward the bathrooms. “Want me to go tell him his car’s on fire or something?” His eyes glinted. “Want me tolighthis car on fire?”
“Oh my God, no,” Ben said, hiding a laugh against his fingers. “But I mean…you could tell him you saw some kids messing with his tires. He’s obsessed with himself, so I have a feeling that extends to his things.”
Nova gave him a quick salute, and Ben did his best not to watch the bartender walk away. Instead, he turned toward the dredges of his drink, which was just melted ice and a little bit of lime now, then reached into his pocket and pulled out enough cash to cover the tab.
Tapping his foot, he started to count the seconds, but when he neared two minutes, he felt a small wave of panic. Had something happened? Ben dug his heels into the floor and started to push his chair back when a firm hand landed on his shoulder.
“What the—”
“Come with me,” Nova said, his voice low.
Ben frowned. “Why?”
“Please, just…my office is right around the corner. I need to get you out of this dining room right now.”
There was something in Nova’s voice that told Ben he should obey, so he did. He grabbed his coat and followed Nova down the dim hall and through a door that led into a very small office. There was barely enough room for the desk, two chairs, and two grown men, but Nova shoved Ben into the cushy rolling chair, then looked over his shoulder.
“If I promise to explain in, like, ten minutes, will you stay here?”
Ben blinked. “Am I in danger?”
“Nope. But it’s about to get ugly, and I think you’ve had enough drama for a lifetime after last night.”
Ben’s heart started to pound. “What did he do?”
Nova sighed. “Ten minutes. Please?”
Ben had no real choice but to agree. Well, he supposed he could just get up and storm out and see what the hell was going on, but he was exhausted and confused, and frankly, Nova was right. He’d had enough drama to at least get him through the holidays.
“Fine.”
Nova’s shoulders slumped. “There’s a minifridge under my desk with Dr. Pepper and Snickers. Help yourself, okay? I know you barely touched the food out there.”
Then he was gone, and Ben sat back, staring around the room. He hadn’t realized bartenders had offices, but Nova really did act a little bit more in a management position than just an hourly employee, so he supposed it made sense.
The place was a haphazard mess of papers and random sheets with lists and scribbles in all the margins, and there were staff photos pinned to a corkboard along with what Ben recognized as a printed schedule from his own server days. It looked homey and well-worn—much like the way Nova felt when Ben was around him.
They were technically strangers, but Ben felt like he was sitting in the space of a friend, and he liked it.
A lot. He liked it more than a lot, but he had no business exploring that feeling right then.
He checked his phone for something to do, but there were no messages, so he pulled up his brother’s contact.
Ben: Date two was a bust. Not as bad as date one but you’re 0 for 2, pal. I hope you read this soon because we need to have a serious talk about your matchmaking skills.
He didn’t get a response, and at this point, he didn’t expect one. He knew now his brother was probably going to avoid him for the rest of the week and probably into next—until Ben had calmed down from the unmitigated disaster Aaron had started.
In all honesty, he couldn’t be truly angry with him. It was kind of their thing. They’d gone from best friends to something more antagonistic once Aaron started parroting their parents’ displeasure over Ben’s choices, and it was something he’d come to accept. Nothing was going to change, and as long as they didn’t meddle too often, he could live with it.
Ben rocked back in the chair, his eyes slipping closed, and he felt exhaustion taking over. The last thing he wanted to do was sleep, but holding on was hard. He wanted his bed.
“Knock, knock.”
