The Bluff (Graham Brothers, #2)(107)

I raise my brows. “Isn’t she?”

His laughter fills my ears as I make my way through the crowd to the inside of the building, which is still roped off.

We’re almost out of time, and I’m feeling sweat gather at my lower back as I reach the closed door. My hand slides into my pocket where my fingertips first brush against the seed from Winnie’s very first day of work. So far, it’s made it through multiple washes and outlasted several pairs of jeans.

Today, the seed has company. I was too afraid to carry the ring around in my pocket for too long, though I bought it the same week I asked Chevy’s permission. It’s been hidden in one of my boots in the closet.

I hesitate outside the closet, which means I get noticed.

“Hey!” Kyoko calls from the bar across the room. “Shouldn’t you be …” Her eyes go to the closet door, and she smirks. Hiring her at Winnie’s insistence might be the single best decision I’ve made. “Never mind. I can stall for a few minutes if needed.”

I nod, but before I can answer, the closet door flies open and Winnie drags me inside by my shirt collar. I let her move me where she wants, happy to be manhandled by this woman. She slams the door before pushing me up against it and yanking my mouth down to hers.

She’s greedy and desperate—or, knowing Winnie and her detailed brain, just very aware how little time we have.

She pulls back, breathing heavy. “You ask me to meet you five minutes before opening and then hesitate outside the door. Pull it together, boss.”

I’m torn between wanting to kiss her some more, wanting to drop to my knee immediately, and wanting to postpone this for a less rushed time. I catch sight of OC, now the official Dark Horse brewcat, by the window, licking one paw and staring at me with a look that says, Get on with it. I thought about attaching the ring to his bow tie, but that felt like a few steps too far.

Winnie’s eyes contain an ocean of meaning, an ocean of love, behind her glasses. Her fingertips trace my jaw, one of her favorite things to do. I can’t say I mind it either.

And in that moment, I know I can’t wait.

“Winchester Boyd, you’re my everything. My fire, my tender warrior, my brilliant partner.”

“Aw, I love it when you go all mushy on me.”

“I’m not mushy,” I say, putting the deep growl in my voice I know she loves. “Okay. Only a little. Only for you.”

“Well, is that all the mush, or do I need to prepare to be more twitterpated?”

“I don’t know what that means. But no, I’m not done.” I draw in a deep breath. “Winnie, you’ve been the best partner I could ask for with Dark Horse. You’re creative and full of brilliant ideas, resourceful and scrappy. I couldn’t have done any of this without you. But I think it’s time for you to take on a new role. This one just doesn’t suit you anymore. Which is why—”

Her eyes suddenly go wide and she interrupts me. “I quit.”

My hands tighten on her hips. “What? You … don’t want to work with me any more?”

“I promised myself I wouldn’t let you fire me again, that I’d quit first. This sounds like a firing speech. Much nicer than the other two, but still.”

Her eyes go a little watery, and I sigh heavily, digging in my pocket for the ring. I manage to get it and the seed, too, and I grab her hand, dropping both into her palm. She stares down at the ring, a square cut black onyx in a vintage setting—what I thought was the perfect ring for Winnie’s signature style.

I drag a hand through my hair. “Clearly, I still fail with words. I was trying to ask you to marry me, not firing you.”

“Oh,” she breathes, taking a small step back.

Still cradling the ring in her palm, she picks up the seed between two fingers.

“Is this—”

“What you gave me on your first day. I’ve kept it in my pocket ever since. It grounds me when I’m stressed. Just like you ground me. And you help me …”

I jam my mouth closed, and Winnie tilts her head. “I help you what?”

“It’s stupid.”

“Tell me.”

I can’t deny her. Especially not when she gets bossy. “You ground me, and you help me fly. See? It sounds stupid.”

“It’s not stupid,” she whispers. “I love it.”

Winnie’s eyes well up with tears, and I want to wipe them away, to wrap her in my arms. But this whole conversation has gone in a very different direction from what I imagined, so I’m still not sure where we stand. I did propose, right?

When she holds out the seed to me, my stomach drops. “You’re giving it back?”

“Only so you can keep it in your pocket. And so I can better examine this gorgeous ring.”

I take the seed, tucking it safely back in place. Winnie turns the ring over in her hands, and though I don’t think she’s the type to say yes or no because of the size or kind of jewelry, I really want her to like it.

I’d also REALLY like to move to the part where she says yes.

“So, you just thought you’d spring this on me five—now TWO—minutes before the grand opening?”

Okay, so yeah. The timing sucks. So does my proposal. If I were grading, I’d give me a solid D+.