Page 94 of Rosie and the Beast Next Door

A tablet on the tabletop was lit up with a doc titled: TORTURE THE BEAST. My gaze caught on number four: “Comment on all of his social media posts with quotes fromPride and Prejudice. The six-hour version.”

Wait, what?

Haydn turned off the screen before I could read anymore. Were they brainstorming ways to torture me? I focused on the three men staring me down.

Rosie’s brothers all shared some features with her, but she and Jules were the most alike. They had the same auburn colored hair—though his was a tad darker—and expressive dark eyes. But Jules’s eyes were a little more murdery than Rosie’s had ever been toward me.

“Confessing your love online is a jackhole move,” Jules said.

Haydn cleared his throat. “Well, in some situations, it might be justified—”

“Hey, you’re Aurelia Halifax’s husband!” Gage said. We all turned to stare at him and his big, wide grin. “I remember when you went to her concert, and it was all over the news, man. Way to be epic.” He held out a hand for a high-five, and Haydn returned it.

“Gage Jennings,” Haydn said with a smile. “You guys were robbed in the semi-finals.”

While they spoke, I scanned the room until I found Rosie. She was at Max’s table, taking his order. My stomach lurched, seeing the two of them together. She had to be in heaven right now to be so close. She turned and caught my gaze, and when her smile slid to the side, I realized I was frowning.

“Josie,” Max said, loud enough for us to hear it at our table.

“Josie?” Jules said darkly. “Is he talking toRosie?”

I didn’t answer, because I kept shamelessly listening to the conversation. Max telling Rosie to do things she’d already done was really irritating me. And then to bring up that dumb book club again as if reading a thousand page book was a priority right now?

Jules must have felt the same way, because he stood and made as though to approach the table. “I’m going to have a talk with him.”

“Don’t,” Bennett said. “She has a crush on him, and it will make her mad.”

It took a few visibly deep breaths on Jules’s part to calm down, but I let my irritation simmer.

Max Eriksson had a very punchable face.

“So what are your intentions with our sister?” Jules said, apparently channeling all his anger toward me.

“The game’s on, Jules,” Haydn complained. “Let’s figure out his intentions later.”

Saved by the game. I relaxed into my chair as everyone’s attention turned toward the screen for face-off, while myattention was drawn back to Rosie. Her every movement reminded me of her smooth brush strokes. She glided through the room like she had a pre-practiced dance through it. It amazed me how she remembered everyone’s usual orders, their names, how people smiled when she approached, and how the entire room was lit up with her glow.

“You’ve got it so bad,” Gage murmured.

I grunted. Why even argue? He wasn’t wrong.

Rosie dropped off our pizza, looking a little more flustered than before. She’d disappeared for a few minutes in the back, and her smile was missing. “What’s wrong?” I asked as she bent close to refill my drink.

“My dad,” she breathed more than actually speaking, then nodded toward the back.

I turned toward her, but she was gone before I could ask her any more questions. I was a little disappointed to see that there weren’t any pineapple pieces on my pizza.

Rosie disappeared into the back again, and I couldn’t shake my concern. I probably shouldn’t be walking through the back of the restaurant, but they were so busy no one even spared me a second glance. The back door was propped open, so I went toward it and heard Rosie’s voice.

“You can’t come to my work, Dad. The boys are here.”

He let out a heavy sigh. “Then I’ll just take what you have.”

“I gave you all I had earlier.”

“But it’s not enough,” Orin said, sounding frustrated. “You said you’d give me all your tips.”

“I needed to replace some of the things I lost in the leak.”

---