Page 90
“I know you aren’t.”
The sun set earlier each day, a horrible reminder that summer was coming to end. In three weeks, Wild Pines would close up for the winter, and he would have to figure out his life. Was it back in Minneapolis? Or was he meant to follow her?
He hadn’t attempted the conversation with her since they admitted to their families that they were together. There was something in the way she’d looked at him that day, something sad in her expression. He was scared to find out what it meant, especially when it felt like everything was on the line. He knew eventually they would have to talk about it.
He cleared his throat. “I’m also thinking about what comes next.”
She fidgeted. “As in what we’re having for dinner tonight?”
“As in where I’ll be going at the end of the month.”
She fell silent.
Archer covered her hand with his, then curled their arms close.
“Have you heard from Hermes Lounge at all?”
“No, not yet.”
“Have you tried reaching out?”
His heart sank. “I haven’t attempted it.”
“Do you want to go back?”
He kissed her shoulder. “I don’t know what I want anymore.”
She hummed. He waited for her to ask what he truly wanted, but she shifted and said, “Tell me about the cocktail school you want to start.”
“What do you want to know?”
A hand combed through his hair. “What made you want to do it?”
Archer brushed his hand down her arm, then placed it on her thigh. “I enjoyed taking my classes to get my certification, but I realized that not everyone wants to go through a rigorous program like that, where the focus is more on having a career. Some people just want to learn how to make a decent cocktail. I would have customers come in and ask for the specs on our drinks, but I wasn’t allowed to share them. It had me thinking…why not open up the lounge for a few classes during the day? I pitched it to my manager last year, and he didn’t hate the idea. As long as I didn’t share the secrets for our specialty cocktails and taught the classics and crowd pleasers, like margaritas and espresso martinis, then it could be a cool way to bring in more business. I figured maybe I’d start there and then if it took off, transition it into a business of my own.”
He rubbed her soft skin, his thumb pressing into her inner thigh. “Then the pandemic hit. I don’t think people are going to take classes in person right now, or who knows if we’ll ever get to do anything like that again with the way things are going down. All of these new spikes are making people nervous. I feel like my career in hospitality imploded.” He paused, then lifted his head to look at her. “I’m wondering if I need to find something new to work toward.”
She pursed her lips. “I highly doubt cocktail lounges and in-person classes will be gone forever.”
“Tea, they’re talking about kids going remote for the entire next school year. I can’t go this whole winter and not work. I’ll need to find something new.”
She poked his nose. “I think you should reach out to them.”
“Why?”
“Why not?” She shrugged. “What’s the worst that could happen? They say no and they are closed for good?”
“No, the worst could be them telling me that I should never return because of what I did, and my career going up in flames because no one will ever want to work with me again.” He pressed his lips together then blew out a breath. “Or that cocktail lounges will cease to exist after this.”
She sat up and snatched his phone off the coffee table. “Stop being dramatic. We’re going to write an email together right now.”
“Uh…now?”
“Yes, now.” She typed in his passcode. He wasn’t surprised in the slightest that she knew it—she was observant, and he had nothing to hide. She opened up a new message on his email and handed it to him.
He smirked. “You’re the businesswoman. You write the email.”
She did a satisfied little wiggle that made him laugh. He tightened his grip on her thigh and moved her leg so it was wrapped around him, then nestled in as she typed. When she was finished, she read it out loud to him to approve before sending it off to his manager.
