Tully
I hope you’re happy, Dylan. Look what you’ve done.
Dylan
Might be the only thing I’ve ever done wrong. Sorry, guys.
CHAPTER EIGHT
BRO
JULIANA
“Hey, Juliana.”
I glance up to see Bentley, a guy who moved here recently from Texas to be the bartender at Elm & Echo. People have moved here from all over the country to work for Camden. He’s come in a couple of times and is always nice. Flirty, even. He’s cute. Sandy-colored hair, brown eyes, and a great smile.
“Hi, Bentley. How’s it going?”
“It’s going better now that I’ve seen you,” he says, his smile wide.
Uncle Hal sings, “‘Amarillo by morning…’” and when I look at him, he shoots me innocent eyes. “You know that old George Strait song…”
“Can’t say that I do.”
Every time Bentley comes in, Uncle Hal sings a somewhat negative song, usually one about Texas. I don’t know what he has against Bentley, but he gets a little saucy every time he sees him.
Bentley sings the rest of the lyrics in a high, sweet voice. He looks at me, eyebrows lifted, and I clap.
“I didn’t know you could sing like that,” I say.
“There’s a lot about me you don’t know,” he says. He leans in. “I’d like to change that, if you’re willing.”
“Oh.” I stare at him and then laugh awkwardly.
“‘All my exes live in Texas,’” Uncle Hal sings.
“What do you say?” Bentley says. “You and me, dinner tonight?”
I press my lips together, my fingers fidgeting with my apron.
“Say yes,” he presses.
“Okay, sure. Why not?” I say.
Erin is right. Not that I’m planning to get laid like Erin really wants me to, but she’d be all about me going on a date. And Bentley seems great.
He taps on the counter. “Excellent. How about I pick you up at seven?”
“Okay.” I point in the direction of my house, even though he can’t really see much of it from the cafe’s windows. “I live in that house next door.”
“That’s what I’ve heard,” he says, winking again.
I’m not sure how I feel about a man who winks. It kind of grates, actually.
“I’ll see you tonight,” he says before he walks out.
For a second, I wonder what Camden would think if he knew I was going on a date with Bentley, but in the next second, I’m pushing that thought away. Camden might be the hottest man on the planet, but he’s not nice. To me anyway. Or at least, most of the time he isn’t.
