Page 67 of By the Book

Grab a beer tonight?

Wes

MBC? Like 7? I’ll tell Hayden.

Tripp

See you there.

I turn my key, the engine roaring to life. Next, I need to start thinking about potential suspects. I might as well get a list going of people that are against me before I have to add my best friend to it.

Walking into Manchester Brewing Company isn’t as pleasant a feeling as just a few weeks ago. Unlike before, Wes isn’t here yet. But Hayden is already planted on a barstool. We need a different seat this time, though. I’m not about to have this go down in the center of everyone, it’s bad enough he’s about to witness it too.

“A Clever Fox,” I order. Turning to him, I motion to the patio through the double doors. “Head out there?”

He looks over his shoulder and shrugs as the bartender slides me the drink. “Yeah, sure.”

There’s no one else outside, perks of coming on a late October weeknight. I grab a seat at the far fire pit, giving us as much distance from the other patrons as I can. Sinking back into a wooden Adirondack chair, I take a generous pull from my drink.

“So, how are things going?” Hayden asks, dropping into the seat beside me.

“I might be joining your rescue team after all.”

“Yeah, I heard a rumor about a recall petition. I don’t think it’ll happen though.” He says it casually, as if my being recalled isn’t really an option. Hayden’s been through plenty, and the confidence and ease he carries despite it all astounds me.

“You mean you’re not signing?” I laugh before taking another drink.

“If it’ll get you on my team, maybe I should.”

“Tripp is joining the team?” Wes asks, stepping into the light of the fire. A familiar knot twists my gut as he takes a seat on the other side of me.

“Working on it,” Hayden replies.

“So, pretty weird that I have to ask you this… but how’s my sister doing with everything going on?”

I tense, beer half raised to my lips. If this feels weird to him already, I’m screwed. Wes always did say that he loved coming home between trips because things never changed. This is his constant. And I’m about to blow that up, with our best friend as a witness.

Then again, Hayden’s presence might help the situation. That ease of his could come in handy to calm things down. Maybe it’s best to just knock this out. Setting my beer on the ground beside my chair, I lean forward, resting my elbows on my knees.

“Speaking of, there is something I need to talk to you about,” I start, my eyes trained on the dancing flames before us. They’re steady, flickering in the light breeze, and I use them to steady myself. “You know that I consider you my best friend, and I appreciate everything over the years.”

Beside me, Wes stills. “Okay…” There’s a skeptical edge to his tone, he knows this isn’t good news.

“I’ve never wanted to fuck that up. Ever.”

His jaw tenses as silence hangs between us. But he remains wordless. Does he know where I’m going with this? I reach for my beer and take a gulp before looking his way.

“The thing is, I think… no, that’s not accurate. Iknow. I know that I have been in love with Ivy for all of those years.” I flinch as I utter the words. I know how it sounds, like I’m the worst friend ever. And it’s going to get worse, because I’m not telling him about unrequited feelings. There’s more.

“You’re fucking with me, right? This is your shitty idea of a joke.”

“No, man. It’s not. I love her. I’ve got it so bad that it seriously kills me to be apart from her, even for a short time like tonight. And the day her store was trashed… the second she called me for help, it was like this feeling surged with full force.”

“If you lay a finger on her—” Wes starts.

I drop my gaze in shame. This is the part I really fucked up. And he can tell. The second I broke eye contact; it told him everything he needed to know.

“You already did,” he guesses coldly.

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