Page 78 of When the Walls Come Down
Shane appeared utterly confused, but as I stood up, he stood with me.“I guess we’ll be right back,” I said as Maggie yanked me out of my chair. But I was an older brother too, and my family was close—so I got it. Plus, as far as first impressions went, I hadn’t made a good one on her henchman of a brother the night before by not making it back to Two Ships on time.
Then again, I supposed I’d already paid my penance for that thinking he was some guy she’d brought home. But she’d apologized for the way she’d almost misled me, and I wasn’t in the mood to hold a grudge regardless of how bad it’d hurt. I was finally getting everything I wanted—or at least I was going after it.
I was all in.
Before I was tugged away by a very persistent woman who wasn’t about to back down, either, I added, “Heath, just so you know—man to man—I care about your sister. A lot. I only want her to be happy. You don’t have to like me yet, but I hope you at least believe that.”
Heath was an intimidating guy—who actually reminded me of Reggie—and I hoped in the future he’d give me a chance, but at the moment, I had a petite blonde marching me out of a busy restaurant like she wanted my head on a pike.
For the record, she was much scarier than he was. She was also beautiful and wound up in the most entertaining way. She might have been about to throttle me outside, but I’d take my lashings. Especially if it meant I’d finally get a chance to tell her, at least in part, more about what I’d been up to the past few days and what it meant for the future.
We rounded the alley beside the building, and she shoved a finger into my chest.
“Ow,” I said and rubbed the tender spot where she’d pecked me a good one.
“That didn’t hurt.” Hands on her hips, she cocked her head to the side and her tethered hair flopped over from the motion. “Warren Consulting? So you’re just quitting?”
“Oh please, we both know I was already fired. So it’s perfect timing. Now we can each have the jobs we really want. Pretty great, huh?”
“How should I know? This is the first I’m hearing of it.”
In my defense, had she FaceTimed me while I’d been gone, I probably would have caved and told her about it over the phone, but she’d been giving me the cold shoulder since I hadn’t told her I was leaving town. I’d really wanted to do it in person anyway.
I had a much more detailed and less defensive story to tell, but at the moment, she didn’t seem thrilled, and so I’d give her the abridged version.
“For a long time, it was just some pie-in-the-sky idea that I’d talked to my brother about a few times, but as I found my footing at Bay and realized I was good at what I did, it seemed more attainable. Then, over the past few weeks, with the changes Casey and Blake were forcing and after talking to Reggie last weekend, it finally felt like the right time to seriously consider it.”
She crossed her arms over her chest. “Sounds like you did a whole lot more than consider it to me.”
“I didn’t know it would work out like it did. That’s why I flew to Chicago to see if it was even possible, but after really diving into the business model with Reg and talking to some investors who he’d already hinted the concept to, things just sort of clicked into place and I went for it. I made a move.”
She knotted her hands. “So that’s it? You’re just moving to Chicago? Starting this big business?”
I twisted my lips to the side because she’d been worried about me leaving. “What? I’m not moving, crazy. The job is here. Reggie just had connections in Chicago.”
“Oh,” she breathed.
Reaching out, I took her hand. “I’m not going anywhere, Peach.”
“I guess I just don’t understand what changed. Not two weeks ago, you were hell-bent on keeping the job at Bay Brewing. Now, you just disappear for a few days and start a company out of the blue?”
“We changed, Maggie. The last few weeks have been hell. The can-we, can’t-we. The claiming to be friends when we both know damn well it’s bullshit. Then, last weekend, I saw you with my family. I swear a few of them would kick me to the curb if they got to keep you.” I smiled and swiped my thumb over the back of her hand. “That’s when it clicked. I want you. A whole fucking life with you. More than any damn job.”
She closed her eyes and shook her head. When she opened them, the most confusing pain showed on her face. This was a good thing. Why did she look like I’d kicked her in the shin?
