On the Rocks (Last Call #1)(28)

I, on the other hand, see only the potential failure. I recall how battered my heart was five years ago, and that was just from having a childhood crush squashed like a grape. I don’t have it in me to suffer the type of disappointment and hurt that would come now that I’ve felt what it’s like to have Hunter Markham make love to me. It’s like handing a drowning man a life jacket, only to pull it away once he feels the safety and security of it in his grasp.

So, for the last four days I’ve avoided Last Call… and thus avoided Hunter. I’ve given instructions to my foreman on the work schedule, and he’s handling things just fine. I’ve gone by to check on the work after the bar has closed down for the night, and spent the weekend working out of my dad’s old shop, finishing the outdoor bar unit I built.

But that’s done now, and I finished the last coat of sealant on the walnut last night. It turned out beautifully. My crew picked it up this morning to bring it over and install, and I need to get over there to oversee the process.

I stand from my kitchen table, where I was moping, and head back to the bathroom. Brushing my teeth, I pull my hair back into a ponytail. I look in the mirror and try out a tentative smile, just to see if I can get it to bring a measure of happiness to my sad heart.

Nope. I still feel miserable.

Sighing, I head out to Last Call, knowing that I’ll be seeing Hunter within a few minutes, and I don’t even know how to behave around him.





“Push it forward about two inches to the right,” I tell my foreman, Lee Reed. He came to work for my dad about five years before he died and gladly stayed on with me. Not out of any major sense of loyalty, I don’t believe, but because work was scarce and I was able to keep paying him. He was good at his job though, and I had trust in his abilities.

Lee and another crew member lift up the edge of the massive unit and push it slightly, bringing it into alignment with the measured marks I had laid on the floor.

“Perfect,” I say as I haul myself up and dust my knees off. “Go ahead and anchor it, and then cover it with the tarp.”

Lee nods, and they get to work securing the unit to the floor. I watch them for a few minutes as they use the Ramset to shoot nails through the shoe board and into the concrete below. When I’m satisfied that they are on task, I head to the rear of the new decking that was installed, checking on the progress of the staircase the rest of the crew is building down to the beach. That should be finished by the end of the day, and we can start on the covered roof portion tomorrow. We’ll hold off the staining until the roof is finished.

I added on one other project that I had talked to Hunter about last week, but it was something I planned to do in the off hours. I thought it would be neat to build a hanging wall from the edges of the floating roof, so that Hunter could hang his trophies from his competitions. On the ASP, your trophy was an actual surfboard and he currently had them stacked up in the rear of the storeroom, gathering dust.

Making my way back inside, I use the restroom and then walk to the front bar to grab a bottle of water, which Hunter had stocked for my crew and me. As I turn the corner, I’m brought up short by Hunter and Brody standing behind the bar, going over ledgers.

He was not here when I arrived this morning, and I had been out back all day. I knew I would run into him at some point, but I still wasn’t prepared for the visceral reaction I got just from seeing him there. He and Brody had their heads bent close together, going over the documents in front of them, talking quietly. I thought about just walking away before I was noticed, but then I decided to just rip the Band-Aid off and get it over with.

“Hey,” I say as I step behind the bar and open the refrigerator under the counter. Taking a bottle of the water, I start to turn away, but not before I see Hunter raise his head, his face bland and unreadable.

“Hey,” Brody says, giving me a small smile.

Hunter says nothing, just watches me. It’s unnerving, wondering what is going on in that handsome head of his, but it’s an effort in futility. I want to say something… anything, so that I can get a reaction from him, so I can gauge what he’s thinking, but my mind is blank.

I start to turn away, but his voice stops me. “Did you get the bar installed out back?”

Turning back, I say, “Yeah… they’re anchoring it right now.”

He just nods and turns back to the documents. Brody just sort of frowns at me, I’m sure not understanding the frost in the air surrounding us. The urge to flee is great, but then something pushes through my reticence and, before I can stop myself, I say, “Hunter… if you have some time today, I need to talk to you.”

Looking up at me in surprise, he stares blankly, pushing away from the bar. “No time like the present. Let’s go to my office.”

Oh shit. My heart starts hammering because I wasn’t ready to talk right this very moment. These things take time to figure out. There’s a certain bit of finesse I need to employ, and that takes preparation.

I have no choice though, and I follow Hunter back to his office like I’m marching off to face a death squad. My mind is spinning, trying desperately to think of what I’m going to say. Should I apologize? Should I explain my fears? Should I treat this as a joke?

I have no f*cking clue.

Hunter precedes me into his office and I follow behind, turning to close the door behind me. When I turn back around, Hunter is there in front of me. I’m completely startled when his hands come up to my face to hold me tight, and he kisses me.