I had. That had been the issue. I had fallen so hard for Katrina. After so many other failures, I’d doubled down with her. I’d been desperate to make us work. But she’d been just another in a short line of women who’d wanted me to be something else. Women who expected Tate or Teller and got me.
Unlike the other girls who’d broken things off and quietly moved on, Katrina had not been quiet. She’d let me know exactly how I had humiliated her in every way.
“Ruby’s not Katrina.” My mouth was dry. I had no intention of getting that close to Ruby. I’d treat her right like I’d learned to do, and I’d stick to our arrangement.
“She’s a sweet girl,” Summer agreed. “But it won’t stop us from worrying about you. You two could be great for each other and decide to part ways regardless and we’d still be worried.”
I appreciated her concern, but it was unnecessary. “I wasn’t that bad after the breakup with Katrina.”
They all blinked at me.
“What?” I asked, irritable.
“You turned into a hermit,” Teller pointed out, not hesitant to say so like the others. “And you still are. It’s been what, ten years?”
Autumn and Wynter nodded. They’d been the first to visit me. After Teller had told them I had imploded.
Were they keeping track? I did not isolate myself that badly. “I’m over her.”
“We know,” Tate said. “But she still did some damage.”
“Maybe I was waiting for someone I felt wasn’t like Katrina. Shouldn’t you be grateful I’m back in the dating pool?” I didn’t want to hear their answer, and I was done with this conversation. I was dating Ruby for a month and they didn’t need to know why. “So we talked about a fraternization policy to keep me and Teller from dating any employees. I have a couple of things to add to the agenda too. First, I was approached about providing wet bar services for a wedding. Wynter, is there anything you’d like us to talk to them about as far as getting marketing content for you?”
“Oh.” She thought for a moment. “I can keep it in mind.”
“Just in case we want to remind the community of all the different capacities we can work in. Retail sales are down for the third quarter in a row, so are orders for the upcoming quarter.” The conversation with Ruby had stuck in my brain, among other things when it came to her, but she’d clearly been afraid to ruffle any feathers. Marketing wasn’t my area, but maybe Ruby was onto something. Maybe we needed a small refresh instead ofrelying on the holiday season to hit our goals. “And then we need to discuss how Scott Townsend is blaming Copper Summit for almost costing him his liquor license.”
Teller’s face screwed up. “What’s Scooter saying this time?”
Relieved that I had diverted everyone from the topic of me and Ruby, I reiterated what I’d heard from the city commissioner. Scott “Scooter” Townsend owned a bar on Main Street. He was my age and the guy I might’ve turned into after the breakup with Katrina if I had kept dating and getting rejected—mean and resentful. I’d had a close family, and my dad had yanked me out of my house for chores and fishing and hunting trips until I decided that I’d just never date. Problem solved.
Scooter’s family wasn’t close and his wife was Teller’s ex. She hadn’t been an ex when she’d started dating Scooter. Because of that, Scooter thought Teller—and Copper Summit by proxy—was after him. In reality, he was a paranoid narcissist.
I opened my laptop now that we were discussing company issues. What Ruby and I were doing would not affect our work. I wouldn’t allow it. Just like I wouldn’t fall for another woman again.
Ruby
I kicked my feet on the island of Mom’s kitchen in her condo and interrogated her. “Are you being safe? Is he really a decent guy? Have you met his parents?”
Mom rolled her eyes. “You’re not my mom,” she whined.
I grinned and took a bite of a nectarine. “I’m serious. You just met Dave.”
“Daniel.”
It was hard to keep track. Last year, she’d dated a Teddy, a William, and a Kennedy. Then there’d been the twins. She’d gone out with one, then the other.
My dad and stepdad had made Mom commitment phobic. We were opposites in that way. In a lot of ways. She was taller than me with light brown hair and hazel eyes. My dad had dark hair, blue eyes, and was under six feet. She was an adrenaline junkie and I was allergic to thrill.
Any other traits I may or may not have gotten from more distant family would stay a mystery. My memory of the grandparents who’d raised him was foggy. Mom had never trusted her parents with me after they’d kicked her out, and I hadn’t been inclined to extend an olive branch as I had gotten older.
“Daniel loves the outdoors and he loves to travel. I think he’s coming to Vegas with me.” She dumped spaghetti in a pot. Simple pasta dishes were how we’d survived. “I’m leaving tomorrow. I’ll be gone for two weeks.”
I leaned over the side of the counter and tossed my pit into the garbage. “People think I’m an influencer, but they have nothing on you. You could post your travels and get sportswear sponsorships.”
“You have a stable job, which is something to be proud of.”
I wouldn’t go on trips and pick up men like her. Mom had crap taste in men. I tried not to blame her for my luck with dating, but it’d been hard to stray from her example. Self-centered men with brash personalities. Catnip for someone like Veronica Casteel.
