Something Real (Whiskey Men, #2)(11)

Lilian’s face just keeps getting redder, and she’s looking at me defiantly. “She wouldn’t have been a good fit here.”

Lucas agrees. “Yeah, I’m glad you took care of it, but we really need to give you another raise or bonus if we don’t hire someone soon.”

Lilian stands and makes her way to the door. “I’m good, really. You guys need to quit worrying about me. Do you need anything else from me, Ford? I’ll be at my desk if so.”

She hightails it out of my office, and before Lucas can escape, I ask him, “Hey, you and Issi want to go out tonight?”

He leans on the chair that Lilian just vacated. “Uh, you want to go out? Who are you and what did you do with my brother?”

“Har, har, little brother. I DO have a life, you know. You want to go or not?”

“I think we are going to sit this one out. Friday is when I leave for the Vegas conference, and Issi can’t go with me, so I think we’re going to hang at home tonight. You have someone to watch Ollie?”

I wince when I realize that I didn’t even think about having someone to watch Ollie. On the rare occasion I do go out, it was always Granny that watched him. I hired a part-time babysitter, but I haven’t asked her to ever watch him so I can go out. It’s been more for after-school care and rides to practice and games. “Uh, no but—”

Before I can finish, my brother holds his hand up. “We’ll watch him.”

“Are you sure? Maybe you should ask Issi first.”

He laughs. “Have you met my wife? She loves having Ollie over.” He pulls out his phone and starts to text while he’s talking. “I’m texting her now, but I promise she’s going to love it. She’ll make some kind of plans to entertain-” He cuts off when his phone dings and then holds it up. “See, she says awesome. She’s going to make his favorite homemade pizza and the series they started watching the last time he was over has a new installment. So we got Ollie. I’ll pick him up at your house around five?”

I nod. “Thanks man, I appreciate it. I’ll have him ready.”

He nods and starts to walk out the door before turning back to me. “Wait. Where you going tonight?”

“The Whistler,” I tell him, naming the only bar in Whiskey Run.

He rears back in surprise. “You’re using a kid free night to go to the Whistler? All right, what’s going on?”

“Nothing’s going on.”

He doesn't believe me, though. “Bullshit, bro. What’s up?”

I shrug and do my best to act as if my request is completely normal when we both know it’s not. “Nothing. Lilian mentioned that she was going on a date there tonight, and I thought… I don’t know what I thought really.”

His mouth falls open, and then he starts to stutter. “But, but…” He shuts my office door and walks over, falling into the seat that Lilian just left a few moments ago. “Ford. No, you can’t do this. We need Lilian. You can’t mess with what we have going on here.”

I refuse to rise to the bait even though it’s pissing me off. “I seem to remember having almost the exact conversation with you about your wife. Look how that turned out.”

“Yeah, but Lilian works here. You’re her boss. If it goes south—and let’s face it; you don’t have the best track record—if it goes south, we’re both out of an assistant. We need her.”

I slam my fist onto my desk and lean over it, chest heaving. “I need her, dammit. It has nothing to do with her job here or anything else. I need her. For the last two years, she’s consumed my every thought, but I stayed away because she wasn’t dating… she wasn’t ready for a relationship.”

“What… now she is?”

I shrug and start to pace back and forth across my office. “I don’t know. Fuck, I don’t know, Lucas. But I do know that I can’t just stand by and not find out.”

“Shit. Fine. I got Ollie. I wish Huddy was in town. Take Beau with you tonight, not Austin.”

I don’t question him. Huddy is our brother that is serving overseas somewhere. I’m sure he wants me to take Beau because he thinks Beau can keep me in line and Austin is the type to instigate things. “Fine.”

Lucas gets up and goes to the door. “I’m telling you, Ford. You better be right about this. I don’t want to lose her here just because you can’t keep it in your pants.”

I don’t try to hide my feelings. I can’t anymore. “It’s more than that, bro. I promise.”

He nods in understanding, and I think he gets it. He’s softened since he and Isabella got married. Before he gets out the door, he grunts at me, “Don’t fuck it up.”

“I won’t,” I mutter to the empty room. The truth is, fucking this up is not an option.

I send a text to Austin and Beau.

Lucas and Issi are watching Ollie tonight. Either of you up for going to the Whistler and having a few beers with me?





Beau’s reply is immediate.

Can’t. Sorry bro.





As I’m looking at my phone, I get a reply from Austin.

I’m in. Meet you there at six.





I thumbs-up his message and send a middle finger emoji to Beau. Invigorated now, I need a plan. Lilian is going to be mine. She just doesn’t know it yet.