Page 46 of Stick to the Deal
The ride to Friendship Springs is quiet. I rely on GPS to guide me as Nic dozes in her seat. We leave the highway behind and drive through narrow roads with angled parking on both sides. Quaint buildings with large windows line the streets boasting cafes, boutiques, and services. Young families push strollers while sipping coffee. Old men play chess at bistro tables. Everything is colorful and cheerful.
“You’ve arrived at your destination,” the electronic voices says, breaking the peaceful silence.
As Nic rouses, I pull into a spot out front and study the building. It’s very much like it’s neighbors, exposed brick with white trimmed, tinted glass. Above the door hangs an unlit neon sign shaped like a champagne bottle with overflowing bubbles and the word “POP”. I’m utterly charmed.
I follow Nic out of the car, instead of the double doors in front of us, she keeps walking down the sidewalk to a papered up entrance next door. Inside, is an open area clearly under construction—the new event space. Round tables stack in themiddle of the floor. Two women sit at the single table set up—the blond from last night, and a brunette holding Nora. This must be Colin’s wife, Brianna.
Nic collapses into an empty seat, folding herself onto the table with a moan. “More coffee. Breakfast. Now.”
It’s a struggle not to chuckle as I pat her back. The two women eye me. Anna is smirking, but Brianna’s dark blue eyes hold an intelligent spark as she studies me. Looks like I’m going to have to make my own introductions. “Hello. Anna and I met briefly last night, but you must be Brianna. I’ve heard a lot about you.” I extend my hand, she takes it in her smaller one with a surprisingly firm grip.
“And you must be Reginald. I wish I could say the same.”
“Most people call me Bancroft. There’s honestly not much to tell, I’m afraid. Aristocrats are only interesting in books or movies.”
“So it’s not all galas and nights at the opera?”
“There’s a lot of that, especially if my mother has a say. Never developed much of a taste for them myself.” I look down at my disgruntled wife, currently blowing her hair out of her face in loud raspberries. Taking pity on her, I remove the offending piece and receive another grunt in thanks. “Though the ballet does have its appeal.”
“Food,” Nic groans.
“Breakfast is in the kitchen, suga’.” Anna chuckles. “Go on and help yourself.”
Nic grunts. “Too tired. Why the fuck are you so chipper?”
“Some of us didn’t drink two bottles of wine.”
“Goddamn it, Daisy-Mae, it’s too early for your shit.” Nic makes a show of dramatically pushing her hands against the table like the weight of the world is on her shoulders.
Giving in to the growing chuckle, I squeeze her shoulder. “I’ll go make you a plate.” I turn to Anna. “Is David in the kitchen?”
She shakes her head, her brows raising in surprise. “No, he’s still out picking up the paint with Colin. Asher and Johnson are in there, though.”
I push down the disappointment. The idea of meeting more people is overwhelming, but both Colin and David spoke highly of these two. The double doors open into a tidy industrial kitchen with gleaming countertops and stainless steel appliances. Two men stand in an aisle in front of a spread of hearty breakfast foods. French toast, scrambled eggs, bacon, biscuits, gravy, and…fried chicken?…laid out like a monstrous feast.
The blond man spots me first. He’s a little taller, an obvious gym fanatic. With his striking blue eyes and hair pulled up into a bun on his head, he resembles a modern Viking. He hands me an empty plate as I approach. “You must be the husband. Colin mentioned you’d be joining us. I’m Asher, this is Johnson.”
The other man nods at me. He’s more lanky, dark hair with a clean-shaven square jaw and dimpled chin. “Hey, man, good to meet ya.”
“Same, call me Bancroft.” I fill a plate for Nic, then take a second for myself. “How did you two get pulled into this? Nic’s only talked about Bree and Anna. Is there a fourth one I should know about?”
“Hell no. The three of them are trouble enough.” Asher laughs. “If they pull out a bottle of Fireball, run. I’m the head bartender here.”
“Don’t forget about being part owner.” Johnson waggles his eyebrows as he chomps on a piece of crispy bacon.
“Do you work here too?” I ask him. These people’s lives are more complicated than a Greek tragedy. My head spins, trying to keep it all straight.
“Bree is my boss, but at an engineering firm nearby. Colin and I are friends, and he introduced me to this asshole.”
Oh! It suddenly makes sense. “Oh, so how long have you two been together?”
They both laugh. “Just friends,” Asher says. “He’s too pretty for me. My ego couldn’t handle it.”
“Come now, Ash. Don’t be so hard on yourself—you’re totally in my league.” His cheeks crease as he turns to me. “We’re the token bachelors around here. We buddy up so we don’t feel left out. Well, us and David’s business partner, Ronnie. Where is he, anyway?”
Asher shrugs and grabs a flaky biscuit. “Dunno. He told David he was busy. So how’s married life?”
Before I can answer, the double doors fly open as Nic storms through. “I see you met Tweedledee and Tweedledumb.” She slides up beside me.
