Page 83 of Married to the Frenemy

“You can do anything you want, pipsqueak,” I reply through the lump in my throat.

“Doesn’t look like a little girl whose had her life ruined,” Jude remarks.

“Not yet,” I shoot back, but Jude won’t hear it.

He can be a pain like that.

“And how about Haley?”

“What about Haley?” I ask cautiously.

“She was able to quit working at the casino because of you.”

“No. The only reason she agreed to marry me is because she quit the casino and had no other options.”

“Semantics.” He waves me off. “You never told her she had to find a job to replace it. Instead, you encouraged her to take this time to pursue her passion. Now, her business is thriving, thanks to you.”

“She did all the work.”

“But she never would have taken that first step if it weren’t for you. Do you see what I’m saying?”

“Not really.”

“Your mistakes don’t define you, so stop letting them. You’re a good person. Maggie sees that. Haley sees that. When are you going to see it, too?”

I’m about to renew my argument that I’m still the root cause of Haley’s current predicament when a tall brunette saunters up to our table, her tight-fitting tank top bearing the Wicked Hop logo indicating she works here.

But I’ve never seen her before.

“Hey, Jude? Can you show me how to change the tap again? I’m worried I’ll mess it up.”

His lips curve up in the corners as he nods. “I’ll be right there.”

“Thanks.”

When she spins and heads back inside, it doesn’t escape my notice that Jude’s eyes narrow on her short denim skirt as she walks away.

“Who’s that?” I ask once she’s gone.

He snaps his gaze back to mine. “Just a new hire.” His response is dismissive.

“You hired someone to work at a brewery who doesn’t know how to change a tap?” I arch a disbelieving brow.

“She needed a job.”

“Who is she? I haven’t seen her around before.” I look through the windows, watching as she wipes down a few recently vacated tables. It’s not too busy inside, since it’s only a little after four. In a matter of hours, this place will be packed with people, especially since it’s Friday.

“She’s new in town.”

“Wait a second.” I dart my wide eyes toward Jude, knowing why she looks familiar now. “Is that…”

He nods.

When I took Maggie out for ice cream last weekend, we drove by a woman being pulled over by our local sheriff. That in itself wasn’t unusual. What caught both my and Maggie’s attention was the fact that she was in a wedding dress. And not a simple one like Haley wore. This thing had layers upon layers of tulle, or whatever the hell they use to make wedding dresses.

From what I’ve heard through the famously unreliable Sycamore Falls rumor mill, she’d been pulled over for driving a stolen car, but seeing as it was her now ex-fiancé that reported it as stolen, the sheriff took pity on her and didn’t arrest her. But he still had to impound the car.

That doesn’t explain how she ended up working for Jude, though.

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