I delighted in the blush that graced her cheeks.
“Did he show you his plans for the back wall?It’s amazing.”
Something about hearing her praise always surprised me.Not because I didn’t believe her capable of it, but having it directed at me was unexpected.
“He did, although I’m used to him impressing me.”
“I’m sure.It’s no surprise he was named the one to watch by Timeout last year.”
She knew about that?Pride flooded me.Harry shot me a look that I promptly ignored.
“Yes, it’ll be good to see him freshen this place up and not have to share the accolades this time around.”
Damn it, Harry.
Tiffany threw me a confused look.“I think I’m missing something.”
“Nothing important.”I cut in before Harry could open his big mouth again.
However, my effort was in vain.“Ask him about Piper sometime.”I loved my brother, and I didn’t throw this word around lightly, but fucking hell, Harry.
Tiffany looked shrewdly between us, weighing up her options.Then, after a beat, she said, “I think I’m going to leave that one alone.If Sam wanted to tell me, he would have.”
And I knew my brother enough to see that he was impressed by that.As was I.
He pocketed his phone, standing.“I better get back home, but it’s good to see you both again.”
The air was thick after he’d left, and I could tell that Tiffany wanted to ask, but she didn’t, and it was appreciated.Piper was a mistake that I had difficulty discussing even with my brother, and though I trusted her not to judge me—and when the hell had that happened?—now was neither the time nor the place.
“You know I was thinking,” Tiffany started, interrupting the silence that had gone on a little too long, “about your sours idea.With some interesting pre-made infusions, you could turn something simple into something more exciting.”
It wasn’t that it was a bad idea.If I’d thought about it, I would have realized that there was something there.
But Harry’s comment had left me on edge.Piper was still haunting my mind, memories of her helping me plan my first bar a ghost over the conversations I’d had with Tiffany.Was I doomed to keep making the same mistakes with different women?
His insinuation that I could be walking the same path now nagged at the back of my mind.It might be one thing to indulge in a physical relationship, but I couldn’t let Tiffany get too close.It would never lead to anything good.
“I’m not planning any further changes to the menu.”
I ignored it when I felt her eyes on me and heard the softness in her tone like she was treating me with kid gloves.“Sure, I mean, it’s your bar.”
“Exactly,” I said, feeling like an ass.
Her words imprinted on my mind.Your bar.It was a sentiment I’d pushed many times before, and yet it was starting to sound less like a good thing and more like a dictatorship.
Just because I wanted to protect myself didn’t mean I needed to be an ass about it.
When Tiffany turned to leave, I reached out, my fingers grazing her forearm.“Wait.I’m sorry.”
“No, I am.”There was genuine concern there, and I recognized the same regret she’d shown when she spoke to Harry.“You can just let me know when I’m overstepping, you know.I know I have a loud opinion, but I don’t expect that you’ll always like it or agree with me.You can just tell me.”
Immediately, the guilt clawing at me grew, making me feel even worse.She wasn’t even wrong about the damn sours, and now I found myself stuck having to choose between my pride and what I knew to be the better choice.
If I weren’t plagued by the same errors in judgment that had brought me back here, I would have explained myself, but Piper was a sore subject.Tiffany didn’t need to know the extent of my stupidity.Let her keep the small sliver of respect I’d manage to earn from her in recent weeks.
Not trusting my words, I smiled, but it felt false.
“Guess I’ll get to work on prep unless there was something else you wanted to do?”Tiffany asked, a glimmer in her eyes.
I considered it, but my past felt too close to the surface.It wouldn’t take much to uncover it, and Tiffany was all too talented at getting under my skin.Allowing her to see me like that was a step too far.A boundary I wasn’t ready to cross.
“Maybe later.”
I closed the office door behind me as I entered, wondering why it felt cold and all too quiet.
