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Pulling out my wallet, I hand him the cash. A deal’s a deal. He grabs it, making a big production of sniffing it.
He turns to leave. “Next time you wanna bet against me, just let me know.”
“Fuck off,” I grumble again, but I can’t stop my smile at the sound of his laughter echoing back to me.
Sighing, I sit back in my chair, running a hand through my hair. Shit, it’s gotten too long. I’ll need to have it cut before I introduce myself. I consider calling Andrew again, but the sound of voices stops me, so I get up instead. When I get to the front, he’s leaning against the counter, chatting with a woman. Her attention focuses on me, and her eyes sweep down my body before coming to rest on my face. The spark of interest shining in her eyes is undeniable. Objectively, she’s pretty, in the PTA mom kind of way, not a strand of her blond hair out of place, and her face made up perfectly. But her eyes aren’t green, and her voice is too high to sound like an aged whiskey. I can’t be rude to customers, so I smile politely before dismissing her and turning to Andrew.
“What’s the name of that barbershop on 10th?”
“Above…something or the other,” he says
“It’s A Cut Above,” PTA lady supplies, sticking out her hand. “I’m Adelaide, but everyone calls me Addie.”
Grudgingly, I take it, giving a quick shake before letting go. The silence stretches while she stares at me.
Andrew clears his throat, and my eyes shoot to him. He’s got that look on his face, and I know that whatever comes out his mouth next is going to suck. For me.
He leans forward, and his voice drops, his face painted in mock sympathy. “His name is Kallan. You have to forgive him. He doesn’t talk much, and on top of that, he’s extremely socially awkward. That’s why I run the store. He doesn’t do well with strangers.”
I narrow my eyes at him, a million ways to make him pay running through my mind.
“Oh, never mind that,” she says, reaching her hand out and resting it on my arm in sympathy. “Nobody stays a stranger here for long. I own The Bakery Box on 11th and wanted to personally welcome you into the fold. I head up the Westhill Business Owner Committee,and we hold monthly meetings. Our next one is in two weeks. I can introduce you to everyone.”
I frown because that’s the first I heard of it. “A committee?”
“Well, it’s not an official committee. It’s more like a monthly get-together for small business owners aimed at fostering a tight-knit community. We discuss issues we might be experiencing.”
“What kind of issues?”
“You know, littering, shopfront appeal. That kind of thing. But you don’t have to worry about that,” she says, looking around. Your place is lovely.”
Ah, so basically, it’s a monthly bitching session. It sounds perfect.
“That sounds perfect.”
“It does?” Andrew asks, startled. He knows that’s the kind of shit I would go to great lengths to avoid.
“It does. Remember you telling me the other day how much you want to get involved in the community? This would be perfect for you.”
He narrows his eyes at my smirk. We both know he would rather stick a pencil in his eye than attend, but he’s a little fucker, and revenge is sweet. Socially awkward, my ass. I’m just very selective about who I let into my social circle.
“Oh. It’s just for shop owners,” she says hesitantly, looking between me and Andrew.
I pull my eyes from him and give her my most charming smile. I can be damn charming when I want to.
“Andrew is like a younger brother to me. Without him, this place wouldn’t be possible.” I’m laying it on thick because there’s no way in hell I’m planning on attending those events.
“I guess,” she says, trying to hide her disappointment. “You’re both welcome to attend. If you give me your email, I’ll forward you the minutes and the details of the next meeting.”
“No problem.” I reach under the counter and hand her one of Andrew’s business cards— ones he insisted on having. He looks positively green when I hand it to her, clenching my teeth to prevent my laugh from escaping.
As soon as she’s outside, he levels a glare at me. “What the fuck, man?” he grumbles. “Why would you do that?”
“As you said, I don’t do well with strangers, and meetings like that would be hell for my social awkwardness. You owe it to my mental health. Besides, you were giving her your bedroom eyes, so I thought I’d do you a solid.”
“I had to say something! She was waiting for you to introduce yourself, and you were staring at her like you were about to beat her up for her lunch money. And that wasn’t freaking bedroom eyes. That was my sales face.”
I shrug my shoulders as I head to the back to collect my wallet and phone. I’m feeling a lot lighter than I did earlier, and it’s a sunny day, so I think I’ll take a walk to the barber, and if I’m lucky, they’ll be able to slot me in without an appointment. Back in the front, Andrew’s slumped over, his head resting on the counter.
