Page 14 of I Wanna Be Your Lager

All my favorite things about Kat jump to the front of my mind. “She has the sweetest laugh. It’s infectious. And the softest blonde hair and prettiest hazel eyes that are easy to get lost in.”

She smiles brightly. “See, that wasn’t so hard, now, was it? And you’re in love with this Sunflower?” Her brows raise in question.

I swipe the coaster off the bar and shove it in my back pocket. “See, this is why I didn’t want to tell you,” I say over my shoulder as I stalk to the other end of the bar.

“Okay. I’m sorry.” Her footfalls chase me from behind. “I didn’t realize it was such a sensitive topic. Clearly, she made an impression on you. What’s her name?”

Silently, a customer gets my attention for a refill. I grab a pint glass and fill it with beer from the tap before sliding it across the bar. “Kat. But that’s not her real name. At least I don’t think so. She gave us fake names. I’m Patrick. She’s Kat.”

Nora presses her fingers to her lips for a second before she spits out, “Ten things I hate about you.”

My eyebrows raise. I guess the truth finally comes out. I thought we were good friends. Clearly, I was wrong. “What the hell? I can imagine maybe one thing you hate about me, but ten, really?”

She rolls her eyes and sighs. “No, the movie.10 Things I Hate About You. The main male character is Patrick. The main female character is Kat. There’s a fake dating thing.”

My heart jump-starts back to life. “But that doesn’t make any sense. We’re not fake dating. We didn’t even know each other.”

“Maybe it’s your bad-boy vibe with a heart of gold. It’s very Patrick Verona of you. And perhaps the mystery woman is feisty like Kat.” Nora playfully swats my arm. “It makes perfect sense.”

I shake my head, still confused. Kat was pretty feisty. It was one thing that held my attention. Not many girls would kiss a stranger at a bar, go back to their hotel room, ditch them, only to reunite with them at the airport and share a hotel room together. She left an impression, but it’s over, and I need Kat out of my head.

Customers remain steady for the rest of the night, so I don’t have time to stew about Kat. After Nora and I close the bar, she sets the alarm and locks the door. Streetlamps light our way as we stroll across the empty parking lot. Once she’s in her car, I round the back of my truck and pull out my phone. With my thumb, I scroll through my contact list until I find the number I’m looking for. The call rings several times.

“Hey, Lach.”

“Hey, Emiliee. I know it’s late, but I wanted to see what you’re doing.”

I fish the keys out of my pocket and unlock my truck.

“I’m at home. Lying in bed. It would be more fun if you were here next to me.” Her voice purrs through the speaker.

“I was thinking—” I pull open the door and lift my leg to get in. My brows knit together as something stiff in my back pocket stops me. Reaching behind me, I pull out the cardboard coaster I was drawing on earlier. The black ink sketch of a sunflower stares back at me. Fuck. Emiliee’s not Kat. “Sorry, Emiliee. Something came up. I’ll talk to you later.”

“But Lach?—”

I end the call.

How in the hell can a girl I’ve known for two days throw my entire world off its axis? Better question: How the hell am I going to get her off my mind?

NINE

SO MUCH BEIGE

Eve

After Jake picked me up from the Minneapolis airport, the two-hour car ride back to Harbor Highlands is fairly quiet. Luckily, Jake’s not a big talker, and I certainly wasn’t going to offer up any more information than I had to. How do I tell my brother, who I’ve always looked up to, that I quit my job with no backup plan? A job I was so excited to tell him about when I started seven months ago.

He sacrificed a lot of his own childhood to take care of me since our parents were terrible at it. He’s always been my lifeline—minus the couple of years he went to a dark place, but he bounced back. I hope I can too. I don’t want to tell him that my entire life is now a flaming pile of shit, all because of one disastrous decision. Like sleeping with my married boss and then quitting my job when I found out he was married. Keeping it vague is the best option until I figure out my life. I don’t want to disappoint my brother.

Not only did I air out my dirty laundry to Patrick, I gave him the whole damn closet. It felt nice to have someone to vent to. He didn’t know me or what was happening in my life.He made me feel seen, which oddly hasn’t happened in a long time. A part of me regrets using fake names and not exchanging numbers. I could really use someone to talk to right now with zero judgment. It’s not that Jake would judge me, but he would give me the “I’m just disappointed” look, which is worse. I’d love to have Patrick here with me right now, even if it’s to make me laugh because laughing with him was everything.

“So you came home for a visit?” Jake’s voice yanks me from my thoughts.

I rack my brain for an excuse I could tell him that makes sense without making it obvious that I’m running away. “It’s been years since I’ve seen you, so I thought a visit was in order. Is there something wrong with wanting to see my big brother?” I spit out.

Slowly, he turns to face me. “No. It’s good to see you, Eve.”

I swear the corner of his lip twitches as if he were on the edge of cracking a smile, but as fast as it appears, it vanishes.

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