Page 243 of Steamy Ever After

“No, I’m not mad. I’m confused and wish you’d elaborate.”

“I will when the time is right. Now, I gotta get to Stave and start prepping food for tonight.”

“You don’t have to do everything yourself. I can come in. I just need time to shower.”

“Pretty sure I owe you a hundred get-well days. You’ve covered for me so many times I lost count.”

“She isn’t going to like this,” Peyton overheard Alex say when she came in through Stave’s rear entrance. Alex was on the phone and turned to wave when she heard the door close.

“All right, gotta go now.”

“What was that about?” Peyton asked.

“Nothing important.”

“If you’re telling me it’s nothing important, then whatever it is must be very important.” When Alex deflected, Peyton knew to be on high alert.

“This time, it isn’t. I swear.”

Swearing. Another bad sign. “Tell me what’s going on.”

“No.”

“What do you mean ‘no’? Alex, what the hell?”

“I knew this wasn’t going to work. I told him it wasn’t. “

“Who?”

“Maddox.”

“Oh, no.”

“He offered to do a barrel tasting tonight. He’ll be here around five.”

“And Brodie is coming with him, am I right?”

“Yep.”

Peyton went from the office to the tasting room. The bar and tables were full inside, and the patio looked equally crowded.

“Hey,” Alex said, coming up behind her. “You want me to call him and tell him not to come? We haven’t promoted it.”

“No, it’s okay. You should’ve called me, though, seeing how busy it is.”

“That’s what we have employees for, Peyton. And it isn’t that busy.”

“You’re right, we don’t have any open seats, but it isn’t that busy.”

“You’re turning into quite the eye-roller, missy.”

Peyton smiled and put her apron on.

“Not mad?”

“Why would I be mad?”

“So you’re happy Brodie is coming with Maddox.”

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