Theo looks at me.
My brain does a quick sort ofwhat’s the least painful thing to tell her, and she frowns.
“Don’t sugarcoat it,” she says. “Please don’t sugarcoat it. I’m sad, not weak.”
“He’s a very nice person who wants to convert the building into a kombucha bar.”
“No. Sabrina. Oh, no. Are you okay?”
“I’m working on finding an alternate solution for him so that we can all get what we want. No luck so far, but I did a thing that arrives tomorrow that might change his mind. I hope. Or he’ll fire me on the spot. Time will tell.”
“Has he ever been here before? To town?”
I shake my head and grab a bite of cheese.
“Tiara Falls would probably go crazy for a kombucha bar. Why not use that Bean & Nugget location?”
I squeeze my eyes shut. “Do I have to answer that?”
“Chandler fucked him over,” Theo says. “This is revenge.”
“He’s commissioning a giant fiberglass bee to hang on the side of the building,” Laney adds quietly.
I peek one eye open to watch Emma’s reaction.
And it’s not good.
Quick blinks. Looking down at her ginger ale. A heavy sigh. “I’ll talk to him.”
“You arenottalking to Chandler,” Theo growls.
She sets her jaw, which isn’t like Emma at all, but it’s notwrong. “I’ll do whatever I damn well need to get over what he did and move on.” She slides a look at me. “I meant I’ll talk to your new boss. He might listen to someoneelsewho’s been screwed by the same guy.” She winces, and her slender shoulders droop. “Or he might think I’m just as much a part of the problem.”
“You don’t have to—” I start, only to get cut off by my dog woofing and leaping to his feet.
Yes, while he’s still in Theo’s lap.
Theo’s eyes go wide, and he curls into himself, covering the family jewels.
Laney gasps in horror.
Emma does too.
I squeak, unable to make any other noise.
“Missed,” Theo chokes out.
“Are you sure?” Laney’s voice is high-pitched.
So is Theo’s. “Panicked. That was close. But sure.”
“Jitter,” I finally force out. “Down. No barking. You know better.”
He whines and looks at the door, peering over the couch. Not hard for a dog of his size even if he were on the floor, but he has his back paws on the cushion and his front paws on the back of the couch. He’s taller than I am that way.
But my dog’s size is not a problem.
Not like what he’s staring at.
