Page 55 of Building Romance
“You cannot be fucking serious?” he screams. Great. Pissed-off Dalton is a million times worse than angry Spencer. Spencer will calm down by tomorrow but Dalton will hold a grudge for the next ten years.
“I like her,” I seethe through gritted teeth.
“You like her? You like her! Well, great, let’s just all sing kumbaya and call it a night,” he says, his voice laced with sarcasm.
I run a hand through my wet hair. “You don’t understand. I was wrong about her. She’s not who I thought she was. You’d like her if you gave her a chance,” I try to explain.
“You think I go hanging out with everyone who runs competing businesses? No. Because I don’t want them to know our company’s secrets. How will you even be able to trust her?” Dalton asks.
He raises a good question. Shit. I wish we had had more time to figure things out before people knew we were together or whatever the hell we are.
“I got to go,” I say.
“We’ll talk about this later,” Dalton assures me and I groan as I disconnect. Right now, I need to calm down and the only thing that will relax me is seeing a certain spunky redhead.
I watch her close up her café and I smile as she dances around with a mop. I’m sitting on a bench that looks recently placed outside the bookstore. I’m so intrigued by the beautiful woman across the street that I don’t notice Al.
“Am I interrupting you?” Al asks.
I jump a little. “Shit, you scared me,” I say as I try to calm my racing heart. I know my cheeks must be pink from being caught ogling his neighbor. Thankfully, it’s dark out.
“Sorry about that. Just going for my nightly stroll,” he says as he sits down next to me.
“Hey, Al. Hi, Fletcher,” Hutch calls out from the entrance to the park at the end of the block.
“Hi,” I say, confused why he’s dressed in camo and walking around the city at night.
“Anything?” Al asks.
Hutch shakes his head. “Nope. Just Troy going for an evening walk. Oh, and Joe. I’m shocked he took the night off from the tavern. And Bray went for a run before work.”
“Well, best you get inside. Looks like we might get some snow tonight,” Al says to him.
Hutch looks up at the sky. Clouds are starting to roll in, blocking the moonlight.
“Good. Snow will mean tracks and that means more clues,” Hutch says with a grin as he walks inside.
“He’s obsessed with those flowers, huh?” I ask, remembering the first day I met Hutch.
“Something like that,” Al agrees.
We’re quiet for a few minutes as we both watch Cam. She’s shaking her ass now while wiping down counters. Adriana comes into view and the two of them duet to whatever song they are listening to.
“Cam’s captured your heart, huh?” Al finally says, breaking the silence with words I’m not ready to hear.
“I’m sorry, what?” I ask, feigning ignorance.
He uses a cane to point to Cam. “That one is special. I’ve seen her grow into a strong woman. She needs an equally strong man. Are you up for that challenge?” he asks.
I fight a smirk. Fucking Al O’Brien. The man is a classic romantic. I remember seeing him with his late wife, and even as a kid I knew that they were how love should be.
“She’s different than I thought she’d be,” I admit.
“Well, she’s guarded. She doesn’t show her true colors to just anyone. You must have gained her trust somehow,” he explains.
“How can it even work though? I feel like we’re Romeo and Juliet. We’re destined for disaster,” I confess because I need to talk to someone and Al seems like Switzerland compared to my brothers.
He smiles. “Love has a sneaky way of working out, if you just try. You’ll figure it out. I have faith in you. Maybe your business needs a little tweak. You’re a smart man, Fletcher McDowell. I see a lot of your grandfather in you. Don’t listen to those troublemaker brothers of yours. Follow your heart and you’ll always win.” He pauses and stands up. “Well, off to stretch the old legs. You have a good night.”
