“Did you need something?” Oliver asked.
“I’m sorry.” Seb’s jaw was tight.
“For anything in particular? Or should I take that as a blanket statement?”
Seb sighed and glanced over his shoulder. He flinched at the hiss of rushed words, like Martin was giving restrained stage-mom directions from just out of sight.
“I’m sorry about brunch the other day. About giving you a hard time about Cooper. You know I never liked him, but he was obviously important to you for a long time. Whatever happened, it’s your business.” Another glance over his shoulder and more deep sighs followed. “But if you ever want to talk about it, you know I can take off my jackass hat for a few minutes.”
Oliver grinned. “Just a few, though, right? Any more than that and your life force starts to fade?”
“I’m trying to apologize here.”
Having Martin hovering in the wings was probably killing Seb. That knowledge would have to do.
“Thanks. I’m okay. It’s not something I need to talk about.” Oliver had moved on. Never mind his hands had shook as he’d read the STI test results, or the wave of relief that washed over him when it had all come back negative. He hadn’t realized he was holding onto fear that Cooper left him with more than hurt feelings, but having the results on paper gave him peace of mind.
Before Oliver and Seb’s little brotherly bonding moment could become too serious, the bell over the door sounded again. Oliver skirted around Seb, putting his bright business-owner smile back on.
The newcomer was the guy from the market, the enthusiastic red-haired one. His eyes widened as he took in Oliver, Seb, and Martin.
“Am I late?” He hovered at the door, like he might need to make a run for it.
“Hi!” Oliver said as he came toward him. “Welcome. You’re the first to arrive!”
“I am?”
“Don’t mind them. Family doesn’t count.”
“Get out while you still can!” Seb’s words, soft and high, were followed by a grunt. Oliver would have to remember to thank Martin for kicking Seb later.
For now, though, his priority was this new customer. Oliver nearly went to throw an arm around him, if only to shield him from Seb’s snark, but he managed to stop himself. Instead, he went for a friendly smile and a handshake.
“I’m Oliver. I own Pulpability.”
“Avery.” The guy smiled too, and his freckles disappeared under a blush that almost matched the color of his hair.
“You were at the market, weren’t you?” Oliver led him toward one of the chairs at the front.
“Yeah! I saw your booth, and I knew I needed to find out more about what you do. I’m really into being healthier, you know, and this sounds really cool!”
Oliver glanced over Avery’s shoulder to Seb.See. It’s really cool.
“That’s great,” he said. “Have a seat. I’m going to give it a few more minutes to see who else arrives, but for showing up early, you get the best seat in the house.”
In the end, the turnout was...meager? Was that the best word? Underwhelming. Seb, Martin, and Avery were joined by three other women Oliver might have recognized from the market. The extra chairs he’d brought from home sat empty as he passed out handouts and tried to stay positive.
“Hi, everyone. My name is Oliver Stevenson. Thank you so much for coming to Pulpability.” His perma-smile stretched his cheeks until they ached.
It started out pretty well. Oliver introduced his products and demonstrated a few easy recipes people could make at home. The small crowd was engaged. Avery, in particular, asked a question almost every time Oliver paused for a breath.
“I’m not a nutritionist,” Oliver said, when Avery asked if specific kinds of apples had better nutritional benefits than others. What was with the apple obsession in this town? “But I don’t think so. If you want more information, though, the Pulpability plans were all designed by a dietician in Raleigh, and she’s available to consult as needed.”
“So you don’t have a degree in nutrition?” one of the women asked.
“No.” The question was his least favorite and seemed to come up all the time. Cooper had been the one taking the nutrition courses, while Oliver focused on the business planning. Except now he was sailing the ship alone and making the best he could on half the knowledge and half the savings. Everything was so much harder than they’d said it would be as they’d gone over their plans and projections one more time.
“Just think,” Cooper had said, the night before they planned to hand in their resignations. “Tomorrow, we’ll be in control of everything. No more bosses. No more soul crushing hours. Just you and me, doing it together.”
