Page 24 of Talk About… Rivalry

“We have crowds coming from all over, not just this town. People might check it out, but if the vibe over there is as stiff as it sounds, they’re definitely going to come here for our drinkspecials and themed nights. He can have the old men smoking their cigars and drinking their bourbon.”

She took another bite of her sandwich, a little less fervently this time, before her nose wrinkled, and she groaned, shoving it toward me.

“Never mind. The babies decided they don’t want bacon today.” She looked a little green around the gills.

“I thought morning sickness was over.” I backed away to be safe.

“Tell that to them,” she shot back. A notification on her phone stopped her before saying anything else. She picked it up and glanced at it before looking at me.

“So, I hear you cracked a joke on live. The comments have been full of a ‘Make Maverick Laugh’ challenge. You’re going to need to be on the lives for a few nights coming up.” It was a challenge and I didn’t bother to argue.

Oddly enough, when she first started this whole social media page on PackVlog, I thought it was going to be the worst. Honestly, it hasn’t been too bad. Nash was big on doing the trending dances and things like that. Cameron was the asshole doing all the thirst traps. I had the silent videos. Honestly, Avery just took shots of me working and compiled them with some big song that worked for it.

I got to be the tall, dark, and mysterious one, grunting out one-liners on the lives, and that seemed to be enough.

We couldn’t deny that it worked. Our business had more than tripled since she’d been back. Mom didn’t have to worry about paying her bills anymore and we were able to pay for employees so we could take a step back.

“I’ll be around,” I promised.

She narrowed her eyes at me. “Mama said you’ve been here every morning and staying late most nights. What’s going on?”

“You guys finally got to me,” I said, taking another drink of my coffee and not meeting her eyes. “With the Artisan Fair comments.”

“How’s it going? Any luck?” She tried to play it cool but her excitement bled through.

“Actually,” I admitted, “a lot. I’ve heard back from nearly everyone I’ve messaged. A lot of them expressed how much they’ve missed it, and nothing’s been the same since. I’ve gotten tons of advice and a lot of contacts. Right now, it’s just a game of networking and making plans. I was thinking that we could finally tear down what’s left of the distillery and make permanent fairgrounds there. They always just set up in whatever space was available, but those muddy grounds were awful during the rain. Imagine if we laid gravel or concrete and had actual parking and permanent booths set up. We’d be able to run rain or shine.”

“Wow, you have been taking this seriously,” she said. “That’s a great idea! I actually love that. I think Mama would be fully on board, and it’d be like a tribute to the dads.”

“I figured this was their thing, but we could make it ours, too,” I said with a shrug. My cheeks heated at all of her attention and I think this was more conversation than I’d had in days. I didn’t like the spotlight being on me.

“You’re doing a good job,” Avery said, looking at me with a serious expression. “You’ve always taken care of us, Maverick. You don’t have to do this alone. We can help.”

“Oh, you will be,” I promised. “After maternity leave and when you get back to work, we’ll start hyping up the returning fair. By the time you get back, I’ll have a date and hopefully a game plan. That’s my goal, at least.”

Her eyes widened. “You think you’ll be that far by then?”

“Mom wasn’t kidding, Avery. I’ve been here all day, every day, for weeks.”

She let out a sigh. “Clearly, being a workaholic runs in this family, but take it from someone who knows… whatever you’re hiding from isn’t just going to disappear because you’re burying yourself in work.”

“I know,” I admitted.

How could I look at my little sister and tell her that I had been in love with her best friend for years and that her best friend hadn’t given me a second look? That I didn’t want any other omega because no one really compared to her?

That I hadn’t dated in years?

Every single one of them ended because they weren’t right. I found myself with one foot out the door every single time anything went past a second date.

Eventually, I just gave up altogether. As the years passed, though, I was starting to lose hope.

Avery was right, I was wearing myself out with my work, but at least it was something that I could be proud of.

That had to count for something, right?

With a groan, Avery stood, rocking herself for a minute before packing up her stuff.

“The whole pack is in full swing trying to get the nurseries ready, and I needed some quiet. But according to the last message, my time is up and Mason is going to be here any second.”

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