Page 13 of Wildflower and Whiskey
“I could’ve managed.” My tone came out a lot sharper than I meant.
He set the box down on the counter with an infuriating calm. “Didn’t say you couldn’t. Just figured I’d help.” He was infuriating because I was feeling all this chemistry around him, and he seemed completely unfazed.
I began to remove the glasses from the box, avoiding his eyes. But I still felt him there, too close, his presence like static in the air.
“You’ve changed,” he said watching me intently.
That startled me. His gaze wasn’t teasing or sharp like before. It was like he was searching or maybe analyzing me, like he was trying to see beneath my skin.
“People do that after ten years.” I chuckled and reached for another glass. My hand brushed his as he passed me one. I pulled my hand back fast like his touch had burned me. The corner of his mouth twitched, which meant he had seen my reaction and found it amusing for some reason. I placed the glass onto the shelf and forced myself to meet his gaze.
Whoa! That was a big mistake. His eyes were darker than usual, and it felt like they were pinning me in place. My heart picked up pace as I wondered if he might close the distance between us. And worse, I was terrified I would let him. I swallowed hard and took a step back. “Thanks for the help. I’ve got it from here.” I needed to take a slow breath and for that I needed space from him. Something flickered across his face, but I didn’t understand what it meant. Was it frustration, maybe desire? I didn’t think I wanted to know because I felt completely out of my element. He gave me a curt nod and turned away, leaving me with my pulse hammering and my hands shaking like I’d just run a marathon.
I didn’t know if it was relief I felt with him walking away. What I did know was this wasn’t good. I couldn’t let myself start seeing Phoenix Thorne as something other than my boss. I had my baby boy to worry about, and my entire life felt like it was hanging by a thread. And yet, I hated that long after he walked away, I still felt the tingle inside me from his hand brushing mine.
The lunch rush hit fast, and I barely had time to breathe. My apron was already streaked with flour and grease, my sneakers squeaking against the floor as I darted from one table to the next. Balancing plates of burgers, fries, and sandwiches while keeping my smile firmly in place was harder than it looked when my whole body was begging to go check on Braden.
The bell above the door chimed, and I looked up just in time to see two tall figures walk in. My chest squeezed. Eric and Becket.
“Elyna?” Eric’s grin stretched ear to ear as he crossed the floor and wrapped me in a hug. He smelled faintly of bread and cinnamon rolls. No surprise, considering he spread himself thin between running his bakeries and managing the orchard.
“Look at you,” Becket said, his voice deeper, more solid. He folded me into his arms next, his police uniform stretching across broad shoulders. “Damn, it’s been too long.”
My throat tightened. It felt good, too good to be hugged like that, to be remembered and welcomed like I was still part of something. Phoenix and I had always had our troubles, but the other Thorne boys were like a breath of fresh air. As kids we played together. Eric was a sophomore when I was a senior, so we didn’t see much of each other in high school. Becket, who was two years younger than Eric, always felt like my kid brother, maybe because he and the youngest brother Asher spent a lot of time hanging out with Luc.
From behind the bar, I caught the dark flicker of Phoenix’s stare. His jaw clenched as he wiped down a perfectly clean glass, his knuckles flexing around the rag like he might wring it in two.
I forced myself to pull away from Becket and focus on my tables. “I’ll catch up with you guys in a minute. I’ve got about ten hungry mouths waiting for food.”
The next hour blurred into trays, napkins, and drink refills. I ran back and forth, sweat prickling my spine, my hair sticking to my neck. Still, every time I glanced toward the bar, Phoenix’s gaze was on me. Hot. Heavy. Distracting. He poured beers with clipped movements, his attention yanked away every time I bent to deliver a plate or laughed at one of Eric’s terrible jokes.
By the time my shift ended, my legs ached, and my throat was raw from talking and laughing with the customers. I slipped out of my apron and said quick goodbyes before heading to Angela’s to get my baby boy. The drive to her house was thankfully short. When I was pregnant, I instantly loved the baby growing inside me. I knew I would do anything in my power to give him a good life, but what I didn’t realize was how hard it would be to have to work and spend time apart from him. Back in Montreal, I lived off the mat leave I got from the government, but it stopped being enough and I needed to make real money if I was ever going to be able to live on my own.
Angela opened the door with Braden balanced on her hip, his grin lit up my whole world. Relief washed through me as I took him into my arms, inhaling his baby scent and pressing my lips to his soft cheek.
“You okay?” Angela asked gently, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear.
I tried to smile, but it faltered. “I’m just… running on fumes after today.” The truth spilled out before I could stop it. “And the thought of going home to my dad makes my stomach turn.” My voice cracked, and I hated that I’d said it out loud, hatedadmitting how much dread sat in my chest, but Angela was so amazing. She was so maternal and made me feel at ease with her. Maybe that’s why I found it easy to leave my son with her every day. I hadn’t had a mom since I was seventeen years old, and even though I wasn’t young by today’s standards for having a kid, I felt it. I needed the direction of my mother, I needed to be taught what to do with my son. I was also determined not to make the same mistakes she did by staying with a man who was up to no good. Riley telling me to leave Montreal was probably the best thing that could’ve happened to Braden and me.
Angela’s eyes softened with sympathy. “Elyna… I’ve heard things. People around town say he’s been out of control. I didn’t want to overstep by bringing it up.” She touched my arm lightly. “You don’t have to live like that. Dominic and I have plenty of space. You and Braden could stay with us. You’d have your own room, some peace. No more nights listening for him to stumble around.”
Her kindness nearly broke me. After Mom died, I knew I only had myself to depend on, but being back in Val-Du-Lys was different this time. I was different and the people around me were good to their core. I swallowed back tears, but pride was a stubborn and ugly thing. I squared my shoulders. “Thank you, but… I can manage. I have to.” Angela looked like she wanted to argue, but instead she only nodded, giving Braden’s tiny fist a gentle squeeze.
“The offer stands. Anytime.”
The next weekdragged by in a haze of repetition. Work. Home. Work again. Angela was my saving grace, always there to scoop Braden up in the mornings, always cheerful, never making mefeel like a burden. At night, though, things were different. Every creak of the floorboards made me grip the bat under my pillow tighter. My father knocked things over constantly, muttering, sometimes swearing. At least he hadn’t cornered me again. Still, sleep was fleeting, and exhaustion pressed heavier each day that passed. I was counting down the days when Luc would return home. His college team won the championship, and he was finishing up with his exams. Just a few more days and he’d be flying home from Riverside. He’d see the truth for himself, and I knew he would help me in any way he could because, unlike Papa, Luc was a protector. After feeding Braden dinner and getting through our regular evening routine of bath time and bed, I took a shower, letting the hot water run over my body. I wanted to stay in the shower forever, but I feared Papa might come home so I quickly soaped up and went to my room, where my son slept contently in his playpen.
My phone buzzed and I saw I had a message from Colette.
Colette:I don’t think it’s right that I can’t babysit Braden anymore. I told Riley as much. He deserves to know.
My stomach dropped. Panic surged. The last thing I needed was Riley breathing down my neck, stirring trouble I couldn’t handle.
I blew out a breath, feeling completely defeated. Everything felt like it was teetering on the edge of collapse.
CHAPTER 8
Phoenix
