Page 76 of Building Romance
Cam rolls her eyes. “You two are driving me insane. I’m going to go check on the café. I’ll meet you at happy hour.”
We just finished the rest of the construction work and plan to reopen on Monday. In the meantime, I bought us a small food truck that we’ve been serving coffee and a few pastries from out front. I didn’t want Cam to lose any customers during our construction project.
“You want me to come with you?” I ask.
“No. I got it. Just want to make sure Hugh set up the new oven how I want. I’ll be up in ten minutes,” she assures me.
I watch as she goes and then I turn to Drew. “What’s the news?”
He shrugs. “Just some love life updates.”
I raise an eyebrow. “Please tell me you aren’t having someone move in here.”
He laughs. “Hell no. Three’s company and four would be a disaster.”
I chuckle. “OK. Glad we are on the same page about that.”
“Completely. Now, let’s get up to happy hour. I hear we have guests tonight,” Drew says, and I groan. Al had promised to invite my family to happy hour last week. I pretended that was a great idea, but I have a sneaking suspicion he believed me.
I follow Drew upstairs and sure enough. My brothers are at the bar. Al has the heat lamps on and the fire pit going where Ava, Carly, and Bray are roasting marshmallows.
Everyone else is clustered around the bar and a table. There are pizzas stacked to the one side. My parents are chatting with Jessa, Troy, Margie, and Cornelia, while Hutch, Kasen, Piper, Gray, Jocelyn, and Roxy are at the bar.
“Usual?” Al calls out to us.
“Yes, please,” we say in unison.
“Where’s your better half?” Spencer asks.
“Checking on the new ovens,” I explain as I lean against the bar.
“And then I had Kasen run it through more software but I can’t tell anything and neither can he,” Hutch says to Jocelyn.
“You know, you could just find another hobby,” she replies as she leans closer to him. I can’t help wondering if something is going on between those two. Then my eyes drift back to the fire pit. The fact that Carly and Bray aren’t together is more baffling.
“But why? I’m devoted to this until I solve the mystery,” he declares.
Everyone groans and my brothers give me a look that says they have no idea what the hell we’re talking about.
I shake my head at them and mouth, “You don’t want to know.”
They shrug and go back to a conversation with Gray about a score he recently composed for a film. I’m about to ask Al if he can make Cam’s drink when I feel arms wrap around my waist from behind.
I take the hand on my abdomen and bring it to my lips, kissing the back of it.
“Usual, Cam?” Al asks.
“Yep. Thanks, Al,” she replies as I tug her around to my front. “Hey,” she says softly once she’s in front of me.
“Hey,” I reply as I gaze into her eyes. I’m not sure how my life ended up changing so drastically these past few months, but I wouldn’t want it any other way. I’m in charge of my own company. I’m doing something I love that doesn’t involve cutthroat business decisions. I get to work with my girlfriend who I am head over heels in love with. And I somehow got an entire new group of friends. And unlike the friends I had when I was younger, these friends like me for who I am, not how much money I have.
“What?” she says as she looks up at me.
“Just happy,” I admit.
She grins at me. “Me too,” she whispers.
There’s a clinking of a glass and everyone turns to see Drew holding up his drink. “I have an announcement,” he says.
