Into the Tide (Cottonwood Cove #1)(85)

“What the hell did you say to her?” Cage asked when I sat in the seat across from him as he took a sip of his beer.

“It’s amazing how quickly someone will run when you tell them that you’ve got a bad case of the shits.” I laughed.

Danielle came to our table and took our order before we were alone again. The restaurant was going off, and it still caught me by surprise sometimes as a little part of me was waiting for the other shoe to drop, and it just never had.

“Only you would have to come up with ways to get women to back off.” He smirked.

“Please. You’ve got plenty of women after you,” I said. “You need to get out more, brother.”

Danielle set my beer down, and I thanked her before taking a long pull.

“I do fine. I’ve got Gracie, and the office is busier than all fuck lately because everyone and their mother has some sort of odd animal these days that needs special care.”

I chuckled. “More Botox for their four-legged friends?”

He glanced around and leaned forward. “Get this. Mrs. Lapper came in with a chick. A fucking chick, dude. And she’s asking about veneers because she thinks the other chicks have better teeth. I feel like I’m being punk’d half the time, and then I realize they’re just completely insane.”

I tried to control my laughter when Danielle set our plates down, and Cage and I both dove into our rack of ribs.

“I guess your job is as interesting as mine. You should hear the bullshit excuses that I get when employees can’t come to work. Brandy, the hostess, called in yesterday and said she needed a me-day. What the fuck is a me-day? She said her anxiety was high because she’d gotten a haircut and didn’t recognize herself.”

Cage glanced up front, where Brandy stood behind the hostess stand. “Isn’t that her?”

“Yes. She has recovered after taking the me-day yesterday.”

“Her hair is long. What did it look like before?”

“Exactly the same. She informed me that taking off a half an inch of hair that has belonged to her for a long time is an emotional experience.” I dropped the bone onto my plate and sucked the sauce off my thumb.

Now my brother was laughing, and I loved to see it. Cage had a ton of responsibility, and he didn’t relax all that often.

“Fucking people, man. I don’t get most of them.”

He wasn’t kidding. Most people annoyed my brother, including his siblings half the time.

“It’s fine. Lila picked up the slack, of course. She moved people around, and we didn’t even notice Brandy’s absence.”

He stared at me for a long moment while he chewed before reaching for his napkin and wiping his mouth. “She’s been a big help to you. How do you feel about her leaving?”

“She has been. But I knew this day was coming. There’s no surprise there.”

“How about the way you feel about her? Has that surprised you?” he asked.

I could play it off with most people, but never with Cage. The dude could tell when you were bullshitting him without even trying. He’d just always been good at reading people.

“Sure. I wasn’t expecting it.”

“What are you going to do about it?”

“Nothing. She’s leaving. She’s got a great job to go back to. Plus, who the fuck knows where it would even go? I’m not a relationship guy. You know that. And Travis would lose his shit.” I shook my head and reached for my beer.

“I call bullshit.”

“Shocker,” I said, rolling my eyes.

“First off, everyone sees it, dude. The only reason Travis hasn’t called you out on it is because he’s too fucking preoccupied with his own shit.”

“Everyone sees what?” I ran a hand down the back of my neck.

“The way you look at her. The way she looks at you. You aren’t fooling anyone if that’s the goal. And Travis wouldn’t give a fuck if it was the real deal. You’re his best fucking friend. And it kills me to say this to you because I know that you’ve already got the whole long-hair, Grecian-god look going for yourself, and your ego does not need stroking—but you’re the best fucking guy I know. Don’t tell Finn. I’ve given him the same pep talk, so I’d prefer you don’t compare notes.”

I barked out a laugh. “Was that an actual compliment?”

“Don’t deflect. What’s your fucking story? Why are you using Travis as an excuse? What’s holding you back?”

I leaned back in my chair. I was still trying to figure out shit myself, and I didn’t come here for a therapy session. But Cage was a straight shooter, and I trusted him with my life.

“Lila is—she’s amazing. She’s gorgeous and smart and kind. She’s driven and determined and loyal. I mean, what the fuck isn’t there to love about her?”

His eyebrows rose at my words. “You’re in love with her.”

It wasn’t a question; it was a statement. I dropped the rib back onto my plate and wiped my hands.

“I don’t know what it is. But it’s something.”

“You know what it is. Since when are you a coward?” I’d been called a coward twice in my life—both times in the last few months.

“I’m not a coward. I’m a realist. I know who I am. Come on, Cage. When was my last relationship? Why do you think Travis would lose his shit? Because he knows I will most likely fuck it up. And it’s not even an option. She’s leaving in two weeks. They built a whole fucking program for her to run. I live here, with three restaurants to run. There are a million reasons why it can’t work.”