Page 139 of Best Kind of Trouble
“My lord.” Ann clucks her tongue. “You young people and your phones.” She gestures to Otis, who has his phone out too. “This boy’s hardly ever off his. Always swiping left, right, up, and down.”
Otis’s ears go red. “I offered to teach you,” he mutters.
“Ain’t no real men on there,” Ann says, shaking her head. “All the old men on there are looking for twenty-year-old women to fool into their beds. You saw it as well as I did, son.”
“There are other apps,” Otis says, glancing down the length of the bar to make sure no one’s waiting on the drink. It’s a thin crowd today. “I found one called Golden Companions that I thought you might like. We can take a look now, while things are slow.”
I smile at Liam, overcome by the sweetness of this community we’ve created.
Smiling back, he says, “Say, boss, can you help me with something in the back? I need a hand.”
“No problem.”
He leads the way into the back. I follow him through the door, then down the steps and behind the vat that held the pale ale, which is now being prepped to brew a new beer.
As soon as we’re hidden, he takes my hand. “I have some good news. Hannah knows about us, and she didn’t cut my balls off. She did, however, ambush me in my apartment with all the lights off and scare the shit out of me.”
I laugh, but it feels like a hand is squeezing my heart. “And she’s really okay with us? She thinks I’m good enough for you?”
“Oh, Princess,” he says with a crooked smile. “That was never her worry.”
I give him a gentle push. “You promoted me to queen. You can’t un-promote me.”
He grins and kisses me, right there in our brewery, and I like it. I like it so much.
“I have to go get some more supplies,” he says, running his fingers across my cheek. “I’ll be back soon. I’m looking forward to tonight.”
“Me too.”
He leaves through the back door, and I duck into my office to make a few phone calls. After the last one, I head into the tasting room to check on everything—and nearly bump directly into Hannah, who’s trying to squeeze past Otis.
“I wouldn’t let her through,” Otis tells me.
Hannah rolls her eyes. “You’re lucky I like your cousin. I told you. Briar is expecting me.” She gives me a significant look. “Or she should have been.”
“Do you…uh…want to go for a walk?” I ask, fidgeting with my hair. I’ve never felt uncomfortable around Hannah before, but I do now. She might be mostly okay with me dating Liam, but I still broke my word to her. I lied. I was a shitty friend.
“Sure.”
I grab my coat, and we step out into the chill day. We walk a block without either of us saying anything, and then I pull her toward the building beside us so we’re not blocking the sidewalk.
“I…Liam told me you know about us.”
She nods dramatically. “Of course I do. Do you honestly think you could hide this from me? I mean…I had my suspicions weeks ago, when he practically vaulted into the bathroom so he could hold your hair while you vomited. I mean, who the fuck does that?”
Surprised laughter bursts from me. “I don’t think he did that because he liked me.”
“Uh. Huh. Sure. And he up and cancelled his plans to visit our dad and brother in Boston for Christmas.”
I gasp.Oh Liam.Of course he did it without saying anything.
“I didn’t know he did that.”
“Of course you didn’t. He tried to play it off like it was nothing, but he can’t fool me.” She runs a finger across the concrete siding, hesitating, then says, “Look…I was still a bit upset when I got home last night, but Travis reminded me that Liam would never have broken his promise to me if he wasn’t really serious about it. So…what I have to know is whether you’re really serious too.”
I don’t have to do any self-searching to answer her. Not anymore.
“Yes.We really tried to stay away from each other.”
