“That’s probably the”—I drummed my fingers on the steering wheel as I counted—“sixth major incident since I opened the club. Though tonight, at least no one but me and that asshole ended up bloodied.”
Delia folded a leg under her butt, and that fucking dress rode up, barely covering the apex of her thighs. My gaze darted down to that darkened alcove between her legs, but I quickly tore it away, focusing on the road.
“I’ve gotta hearthatstory,” she said.
So I told her, how this guy—who I’d actually had a few issues with back in Detroit; the man really took the whole hero worship thing to a level I had never experienced before and I hoped I wouldn’t again—came into the bar, somehow made it past security, and showed up in my office. A shiver passed through me at the memory of that crazed look in his eyes, how I’d narrowly talked him out of my office and back downstairs. How I’d slid behind the bar to serve him a drink and, when I made another one for a customer standing next to him who, by the way,did notmake me fear for my life, he turned to that girl, hauled her back against his chest, and held a fucking knife to her neck.
“Andthen,” I continued when Delia sucked in a shocked breath, “when Hugo tried to intervene, in his haste to scramble away, the guy cut the girl he’d been holding hostage—nothing major—and fell backward, winding up with the knife lodged in his own leg. His fall caused a chain reaction. You know one of those comical things you see in movies? He bumped into another guy, who accidentally dumped his drink on a girl nearby, whose boyfriend took offense and punched him in the face, and then awhole brawl ensued. The cops were called, multiple ambulances arrived to deal with all the wounded, and the fire department showed up for crowd control. It was…not a highlight of my entrepreneurial career.”
“So what you’re telling me is there’s never a dull moment when you’re around,” Delia said, and I glanced over in time to see her eyes shining with glee, a small smirk tipping up the corners of her full mouth. “Maybe we’re more alike than you thought, QB.”
I held that stare longer than was probably safe while behind the wheel, but I couldn’t look away. I hadn’t consumed a drop of alcohol that night, but I was drunk all the same.
Delia had that effect.
I swear something shifted between us then. I was transported right back to that moment in my office when I’d nearly thrown caution to the wind and kissed her.
But the moment broke when I was forced to return my attention to the road, and like a balloon being deflated, that shimmering in the air dissipated.
When I pulled up in front of her house, Delia slowly unbuckled and stared at me expectantly, as though waiting for me to make a move.
But I wasn’t going to. Wasn’t going there with her.
I couldn’t.
“Good night, Whiskey,” I said softly, avoiding her gaze like a fucking coward.
After a beat, Delia said with a resigned sigh, “Good night, QB,” and got out of the truck.
I waited until she stepped inside, offering me a small wave thenflipping off the porch light, before I drove away. As I wound my way through the sleepy streets of Apple Blossom Bay, I breathed the first lungful of air I’d managed in hours. Hugo interrupting us in my office before anything could happen had been a blessing, and only my barely-there self-control had stopped me from rectifying that wrong before she got out of my truck.
Working and sleeping together, while ultimately working out in their favor in the end, had made things so messy and complicated for Amara and Calvin. I was going to learn from their mistakes. I didn’t needmessyorcomplicated. I’d had enough of that bullshit with my ex, and the other women I’d screwed around with during my playing days. What I needed was to get the distillery open and keep my dick out of Delia Delatou.
My favorite part ofthose first two weeks of October was seeing everyone enjoy the fruits of my labors. And that’s not me saying the whole festival wouldn’t have been possible without my help, because each member of this community equally contributed. But…I did a lot, and the corn maze in particular was my pride and joy. That year, I’d instructed the planters to create a maze shaped like a giant Jack-O-Lantern, complete with a crooked-toothed smile. I’d stopped by one day on my way up to the distillery site to check in on things, and was greeted by the happy sounds of children’s laughter and screams carrying on the wind. The barn was full of people milling in and out, each and every one of them munching on one of Brie’s creations and singing its praises.
TJ was there too, driving the tractor, grinning and waving wildly at me from behind the wheel. My responding greeting was, admittedly, lackluster in the face of all that enthusiasm.
“You going to be around for a bit?” heshouted at me as he puttered past.
I shook my head, thankful I had plans. “No! I have to run to the winery and then up to the distillery job site.”
“Okay,” he said, unperturbed by my brush off. “I’ll call you later!”
Please don’t, I thought as I offered a final wave and headed toward my car.
We’d only seen each other twice since our date at Granny’s. Thankfully, he hadn’t tried to kiss me or press our relationship into physical territory beyond hand holding. I wasn’t sure what I’d do when that day inevitably came.
Honestly, it was a wonder I hadn’t cut him loose. I felt bad stringing him along, but I also wasn’t ready to snip that cord quite yet, wasn’t ready to give up on something that could morph beyond the superficial friendship I felt for him.
God, I was the worst.
But I didn’t have time to worry about it.
Preparations for Ezra’s Wine & Dine event were in full swing, and he’d sent me a text the night before, stressing about getting the food and wine pairings just right. Not one to turn down a free Ezra Wendt meal, I told him I’d come by the winery today and we’d figure it out together.
But I hadn’t been prepared to find Owen bellied up to the island in the center of the kitchen when I walked in.
I couldn’t help the grin that spread across my face. “What are you doing here?” I asked as I slid onto the stool next to him.
