Page 70 of You, Me, and Forever

Me: Meet me at the Brown Bear Diner. I’m heading there now.

So maybe I had every intention of seeing him.

But I’d keep that to myself.

Chapter EighteenMyles

I walked into the Moose Brew that evening, and Charlie waved me over. He was sitting at the bar talking to Benji. I’d become friends with these two over the last few months; Charlie and I had met there to discuss plans for the inn several times.

“There he is. I ordered us a couple of steaks. Though I did wonder if you were going to ditch me and go hang out with Montana.” Charlie took a pull from his beer, and Benji set my old-fashioned down in front of me.

“Please. Have I ever canceled on you?”

“No. But you do seem to hang out with her a lot for a dude who doesn’t do relationships.” Charlie smirked.

We’d talked. He was a single guy, raising his daughter on his own. Benji was single, too, so we’d all been open about it.

“We work together. We’re friends. It’s not serious.”

Benji laughed. “I stopped by the Brown Bear Diner today to get a milkshake to go, and you two were sitting so close, people were staring. Just admit you like the girl.”

“I’m not denying it. She’s great. Of course I like her. But I’m leaving soon. She knows that. We’re just having fun right now.”

I didn’t miss the look they shared, but I shook it off.

I knew what I was doing was selfish, but I couldn’t stop it.

While I was there in Blushing, I wanted to spend time with her. I’d never felt that way before, and I wasn’t going to second-guess it. I’d be gone soon, and I’d go back to normal. We’d discussed things, and we’d both agreed that we wanted to spend these last few weeks together.

“‘Having fun’ together?” Charlie said with a chuckle. “Dude, you just bought the Murphy Ranch for her.”

Benji laughed like the asshole that he was. “You bought that for Montana? Damn, dude. For a noncommittal guy, you sure go all out.”

“You can both just fuck off.” I rolled my eyes and took a sip of my drink. “It was a business decision. She’s a business partner.”

“With an unlimited budget to renovate the space and make it her own?” Charlie raised a brow.

“With a reasonable budget to get it where she wants it. I don’t fucking live here, remember? She’s going to run the place. So, she should be the one to make the decisions.” I shot them both a warning look.

“Man, I’m just trying to remember the last time I bought a mansion for the woman I was casually seeing,” Benji said, tapping his chin.

Charlie covered his mouth to keep from laughing. “Yep. I think I bought my last hookup breakfast, and that felt a little too intimate for me.”

“Well, we’ve established that you’re both dickheads, so there you go.” I shook my glass for a refill because I needed another drink. “And for the record, I’ve never bought anyone I was dating anything before, outside of a meal and a ticket to a Broadway show.”

That only invoked more laughter.

“That’s our point, asshole. This is different. Just own it.” Benji set my drink down.

“How about we just enjoy our drinks and stop talking about this bullshit? She and I are friends. I meet you two dickheads for dinner, and no one is questioning my motives.”

“I’d be willing to put out if you bought me a hotel.” Charlie smirked, and I flipped him the bird.

“Let me go grab your steaks. I’ll be back.” Benji tapped his knuckles on the bar top twice before walking away.

“So when you leave, I’ll be dealing with Connor regarding the construction at both locations, right?”

“Yep. He’ll fly in every other week and keep me updated on the progress. The dude is almost as good as I am,” I said with a laugh. “And he’ll keep me abreast of how things are going. I may come back out in a few months.”

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