Total pages in book: 77
Estimated words: 73817 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 369(@200wpm)___ 295(@250wpm)___ 246(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 73817 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 369(@200wpm)___ 295(@250wpm)___ 246(@300wpm)
I’m ashamed to say how appealing that sounds—the comfort of my boring life I had before I met Sean.
“Boss?”
I keep losing myself to my thoughts. “Yeah, I’m here.”
“Why? It’s dead as hell over here, nothing going on.”
The phone call from the bar was a stupid fib. It was an excuse to give Sean his freedom. Now I feel as stupid and flimsy as the fib.
“Just wanted to check on some things,” I mutter tiredly before letting myself in.
“Oh, okay. I’ve got everything handled, though.”
“No biggie.” There are only a handful of customers—a guy and a girl taking turns playing darts, a couple of guys chatting and sipping on beer at a table, and a lone man at the bar, who looks like he’s about to fall asleep over his glass of whiskey. “Did you send Mars off?”
“Never came in. Her mom needed her for something. Actually …” Chase catches up to me as I round the counter to take a look at the register. “I have a question for you.”
My mind is completely consumed with Sean. I barely have room for a thought of my own, let alone a question. Still: “Yeah, what is it?”
“I was wondering if you’re considering raises again.”
I quirk an eyebrow. “Raises? Really?”
“It’s usually around this time of year that you give Ty and Dunc and August their evals, but things have been kind of crazy lately, and if you’re planning on hiring the Seany kid, I know you’ll need to rework some of the numbers …”
“Wait, wait, wait.”
“I just want to be prepared, alright? And I’d like you to not forget me in the storm of everything going on.” Chase takes a breath. Clearly this has been weighing on his mind. “Anyway, I’ll leave you be. Also, I do like the Seany boy. He’s dedicated and keeps the place tidy way better than Ty or Duncan do. Can you watch the front for a sec? I need to take the biggest dump right now.”
Hearing those words from that pretty face. “Alright.”
Chase disappears faster than I can blink, and I take my position behind the counter. After washing glasses, sorting some bottles, and checking the register, I’ve run out of shit to do.
I shouldn’t have left Sean.
No, I did the right thing, I argue with myself.
Why does it feel like shoving my kid off to college? Is this the tragic result of having let my heart collect dust for so long? The moment someone touches it, he owns it, and I am completely consumed by him.
For all I know, Sean is kicking it with Toby and Vann, laughing and getting to know each other, loving life and all its plethora of possibilities. He’s realizing I was right. He’s making friends with good people his age. When I see him, he will thank me for pushing him into the throng.
Even if it makes my eyebrow twitch involuntarily.
Even if prickles of jealousy and confusion run up and down my arms.
Even if I go fucking nuts worrying about him.
The man at the bar has fallen asleep, glass of whiskey forgotten. I reach for his bowl of nuts to refill it, then find myself lost in thought suddenly.
Nuts.
That’s how this whole thing started.
Chasing a can of fucking nuts out of those doors and coming back with a whole lot more.
The doors open so quietly, I barely notice, peering up from the half-empty bowl still in my hand. In comes a man wearing a shirt buttoned almost to the neck, vertical stripes in alternating colors of burnt orange and cream, with bright white shorts. His skin is like peaches and cream, smooth and barely touched by the sun. Sunglasses sit atop his head of short brown hair, styled meticulously.
When his eyes meet mine, my world comes to a halt.
At first, I go into complete denial. It’s not him. How can it possibly be him? It’s been ten years, maybe more, and he is long gone. But upon seeing me, he has frozen to the spot, too. A mixture of excitement and worry fills his eyes, as if he regrets coming through the doors.
His name falls off my tongue. “Drake …?”
He takes a deep breath, then walks about halfway up to the counter before stopping again. “Cooper. It’s … It’s so great to see you after all this time.”
I did see him the other day. I saw him outside the bar. I didn’t imagine it. “What are you doing here?”
Drake bites his lip, glances at the couple playing darts to collect his thoughts, then faces me again. “I won some tickets to the Hopewell Fair Pride Festival. I …” He almost laughs, then chokes it down. “I was going to give mine to someone else, but my friends really wanted to come, so …” He thrusts his hands into his pockets. “I probably shouldn’t have come, huh?”