Page 26 of I Wanna Be Your Lager

She laughs. “You know this is going to blow up in your face, right? Big ol’ explosion?”

“Probably.” I scrub my hands down my face. “But I don’t know what to do.”

She rests a hand on her hip. “It’s simple. You either stop fantasizing about sleeping with his sister, or you tell Jake you’ve slept with his sister and want to do it again.”

I exhale a deep breath. “Honestly, both of those sound like terrible ideas.”

“Continuing to sneak around behind his back is probably the worst idea yet.” She quirks an eyebrow at me.

I hate that she’s right. Fucking Dessa and her rational behavior. “We’ve only shared a kiss since she’s been here.”

“Doesn’t mean you don’t want more,” she sing-songs.

I tilt my head and stare at the ceiling. This shouldn’t be so hard. Quantum physics is hard. Telling your best friend you slept with his sister, and you want to continue sleeping with her isn’t quantum physics. Why would I rather learn how to split an atom than tell Jake?

“I just need time to figure out my plan. So far, it’s not working out so well. It’s like the universe just keeps shoving us together, and my willpower?—”

“Is non-existent,” Dessa finishes for me.

“Pretty much.”

Dessa grabs two bottles and pours the liquor into a shaker. “Alright, well, I’m not taking the heat for any of this, so if Jake says something to me, I’m blaming you.”

“Fair.”

Using the gun, she squirts cranberry juice into the shaker. “Also, your secret is safe with me.” She shoves the cap on the shaker and tosses it back and forth. “For what it’s worth, if you like her, which it seems like you do, go for it. She could be your one, and you don’t want to miss your opportunity.” She grabs three glasses and pours equal parts into each one.

Nora returns, a grin on her face. “He told me ‘hell no,’ which is better than ‘fuck no,’ so I think he’s easing into the idea.”

Both Dessa and I laugh.

“Here, try this.” She slides one glass toward me and one to Nora.

I take a sip and frown. “Too sweet.”

“Yeah, I agree with Lach,” Nora adds. “Jake, try this.” She holds out her glass to Jake as he passes behind us.

“I don’t drink,” Jake deadpans.

Nora whirls around. “Wait! You own a bar, and you don’t drink?”

“That’s what I said.” He stops at the register and presses some buttons until it pops open.

“That’s veryCheersof you. But also, how did I not know this?” Her gaze slides from me to Dessa, and we both shrug.

“I don’t air my dirty laundry for everyone to see, unlike all of my bartenders.” Jake closes the register with a heavy thud. “You’re what? Twenty-five? How do you know aboutCheers?”

“My mom watches a lot of reruns of old sitcoms. She has a lot of time on her hands, and I get sucked into watching when I’m with her.” Nora crosses her arms over her chest.

Jake nods but adds nothing else to the conversation. “I’m going to the bank and then dropping the truck off for Eve, who’ll be in shortly.” He comes to a halt in front of me and leans in.

My body tenses. Can he smell my fear?

“Keep Eve away from the expensive liquor even if you have to tackle her. I don’t want to write off any more bottles of Scotch,” he says quietly so no one else can hear.

Tackle Eve. My body on top of her. Her tits pressed against my chest. Her soft, breathy moans at the shell of my ear. Fuck. Nope. There can’t be any tackling happening tonight. “Sure thing,” I choke out.

As the night carries on, Dessa leaves. Nora leaves. And I’m left with Eve. Who hasn’t spared a single glance my way. Granted, the night has been busy as hell, so we haven’t had time to chitchat. Every time she strolls past me, I get a whiff of hercoconut shampoo, and all I want to do is grab her and bury my nose into the crook of her neck. It’s agony to want something you can’t have. When the clock rounds 12:30 a.m., the crowd settles down and I restock the coolers. The sooner the closing duties are done, the sooner we can leave.

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