“Sounds like your dad was a smart man.”
A tiny smile tugged at Toby’s face. “He was. He said it was risky to give a woman flowers, ’cause she might be allergic or something. But every woman in the world loves a cupcake.”
I smiled, reaching over to ruffle his hair. “You know what? I think he might’ve been onto something.”
“My momlovedcupcakes. So she always forgave him. If your lady likes them too, no way she’d be able to stay mad at you if you brought her one and said you were sorry for bein’ a jerk.”
Christ, this kid could really undo me.
“You’re right that I need to apologize. But Lennix isn’t my lady. She’s just... a friend.” That word felt like a lie. After how things had been between us the past few months, I wasn’t sure we were still friends.
The worst part about it was that it was my own damn fault. After the night of Zach and Rae’s reception, Lennix had done her best to put on a brave face and get things back to normal. It was tense, sure. But we were slowly making our way back to what we’d been before. Then she started dating. I knew how fucked up it was that seeing her with those other guys pissed me off. I had no right being mad. She put it all out there, and I’d turned her down. It was only logical she would eventually move on. But I couldn’t fucking stand it.
None of those losers who touched her or smiled at her or made her laugh deserved a second of her attention. She wasn’t mine to have. But the thought of another man claiming her made my blood boil, and I couldn’t act rationally.
Toby let out a cackle that filled the crisp morning air all around us. “Man, you really are dumb.”
My brows shot up toward my hairline. “Excuse me?”
“I know you said it’s disrespectful, but that woman was a totalbabe. If you don’t make her your girlfriend you’re an idiot.”
I could feel my expression fall into a scowl that bordered on a full-blow pout. “Things are... they’re more complicated than that. It’s not something you’d understand at twelve. It’s adult stuff.”
He let out a snort and rolled his eyes. “Yeah, well, if you aren’t gonna make a move, I’m callin’ dibs.”
“You can’t call dibs on a woman!” I croaked. “That’salsodisrespectful.”
“Whatever. You’re just mad ’cause I thought of it first. And ’cause you know there’s no way she’ll be able to resist me when I show her my moves.”
I barked out a laugh and shook my head in disbelief. “Whatever you say, kid. But I don’t think your moves are gonna do you much good when you stink like horse crap next time yousee her. Because I’m makin’ you muck out all the stalls for the rest of the week.”
One corner of his mouth came up in a wonky grin. “Pfft. My moves are so good, she won’t even notice the smell.”
Chapter Four
Lennix
Ipulled the lever on the tap, holding the glass steady beneath the nozzle as the pale amber liquid poured into it. As soon as it was full, I slid it across the scarred wood of the bar with a smile and took the cash from the man standing across from me.
“Anything else I can get you?”
“Well, since you’re askin’, how about your number, sweet cheeks?” I wasn’t a stranger to the appreciative glance or harmless flirting, but the way this man was eyeing me lacked subtlety and charm. He was looking at me like I was a late-night snack after a night of bar-hopping. It left a slimy, icky feeling across my skin.
I clicked my tongue and shook my head in disapproval. “Damn, that’s disappointing.”
“What is?”
“That a face as pretty as yours is attached to a jackass who’s dumb enough to think calling a womansweet cheeksis a compliment.”
The man’s smile slowly drooped into a frown as his face went from a normal shade of pink to beet red. The people standing around started to snicker. I knew instantly that he was the kind of guy who couldn’t handle a blow to his ego, big or small, and I wasn’t the least bit surprised when venom flashed in his eyes. His lips parted with something I didn’t have to be a genius to know was going to be nasty, but this wasn’t my first rodeo. Or my thousandth.
I held up my hand to stop him before he could spit his pathetic comeback. “You have two choices, buddy. You can either enjoy that beer—and trust me, it’s a damn good beer. Be a shame for it to go to waste—and take this as a lesson to do better with the next woman who crosses your path, or I can have Zeke remove you.” I lifted my arm high, catching the attention of the bouncer by the door. His eyes locked with mine and he jerked his chin in acknowledgment. One glance at the former MMA fighter, and anyone with two functioning brain cells to rub together knew that Zeke wasnotthe kind of dude you wanted to mess with.
And apparentlysweet cheekswas smarter than I gave him credit for, because one glower from my secret teddy bear of a bouncer had him swallowing and backing away into the crowd.
A deep, rumbling chuckle sounded from behind me. “Brutal, Boss Lady.”
I turned and smiled at Davis, one of the bartenders on staff. He shook his head, a grin firmly in place across his handsome face as he dried the pint glass in his hand. “Just calling it like I see it.”
