“I don’t think I’m the one pushing any buttons,” I said. “All I want is to avoid him. I don’t like anything about the guy.”
Muffy shifted to face me. “Why not?”
“What?”
“Why don’t you like him?” she asked. “You like everyone. Always. You can find something redeeming and special in everyone. You don’t do this—you don’t hate a guy simply for existing, even if he is bossy and broody and a bit of a piranha when it comes to protecting the family business.” She peered at me and I could feel heat rising in my cheeks. “What’s that all about?”
Suddenly, everyone was staring at me with a whole lot of interest. I didn’t have an answer ready to go so I watched the crew as they unloaded a dozen new lanterns.
Eventually, I said, “I don’t know. He’s my brother’s best friend. They decapitated an entire stable of My Little Pony figures and hid the heads in my bed when I was nine. Last I checked, I’m legally entitled to hate him for life.”
Muffy started to respond but stopped herself to shake her head at the sky. Meara put a hand on her shoulder, saying, “Allow me.” She crossed her arms over her torso and rocked back on her heels. “My dear. My love. My sunshine. Is it possible that you’re clinging to some very old bullshit and holding it against the broody bossman despite his obvious attempts at not being the kind of little rascal who might behead ponies mafia-style?”
“I just don’t like him,” I argued. “In this whole wide world, I think I’m allowed to dislike one guy. I mean, if things had been different before, they’d be different now. But they’re not.”
“Mmmhmm.” Meara tipped her head to the side, considering me.
“Why can’t they be different now?” Bethany asked. “What would happen if you decided to just stop fighting him?”
“I willnotdo that,” I snapped. “I’m not the one who needs to change. He’s the one who has treated me like an incompetent little girl from the minute he walked up to this patio. I’m not about to let any of that shit slide.”
And I wasn’t giving up my iceberg. Not that they needed to know about my iceberg.
“And you shouldn’t,” Bethany said. “But maybe you should stopfightinghim. Stop giving him all your emotional energy, your firepower. Your attention. See what happens then.”
Muffy clucked her tongue. “And that’s why Shawpscock is the real genius here. I’ve never met anyone who looks so pretty and fights so dirty.”
“It’s a gift,” Bethany said with a beaming grin.
“It’s your attention he wants. He thrives on it. Craves it, I’d bet.” Meara bobbed her head, sending one of her dark braids sliding over her shoulder. “We’ll be here for you when the bossman loses his mind because you haven’t yelled at him enough.”
“We’ll also be here for you when you realize you don’t hate him at all,” Muffy said.
“That won’t happen.” I watched as the crew pushed open the new umbrellas. I loved my friends but they were wrong about this one. They had to be. “Trust me.”
chaptereight
Beckett
Today’s Special:
Hand-Pressed Problems
“I’m sorry,but if you think I’m going to be able to keep Emily, Everleigh, and Evyanna straight, you don’t know me very well.” I pushed the report across the table to Mel. “Do you have to schedule them all for the same shifts?”
Mel toyed with the barbell through her eyebrow. The dining room was otherwise empty, the only sound coming from the first of the kitchen crew prepping for the day’s service. “And who would you like me to schedule in place of them? Do you have a secret supply of competent servers? Or would you prefer I load up the other servers with more tables and hope for the best?”
We stared at each other while Hale slurped up the last of his iced coffee. Determined to get every last drop, he loudly sucked on his straw and then tore off the cup’s top and went to work on the ice.
“You have a problem,” Mel said to him.
Shrugging, he said, “It’s really good coffee.”
When he set the cup down, I spotted the Naked logo. I didn’t try to hide my eye roll. “You’ve been over there every day this week.”
“Because it’s really good coffee,” he said. “You guys should try it.”
“I don’t need anything special in my coffee,” Mel argued. “Whatever they’re doing is too much frouf for me. All I need is a good, basic black cold brew.”
