Page 14 of Brewing Up a Bad Boy

Never in her entire span of knowing Alistair had he intentionally cared about any of her preferences. “I sort of like the veggie options, but sometimes they’re spicy. So stick with the regular meal, because there’s usually a choice.”

“I’ll get you the veggie, and if you don’t like it, we can swap,” he said.

“Alistair, stop.”

He was trying too hard. “You don’t have to act as if you’ve had a lobotomy.”

Looking offended for about a second before he started laughing. “It’s okay for you to have your way, Poppy.”

“Oh, I know that. When did you start to?”

“I don’t want to sound like a broken record, but after you left...” He shrugged and took a long gulp of water. He wasn’t chill even though he was trying to act like it.

“You know this is just a one week thing, right?”

He walked to the sink and put the tumbler in it. “It’s more than that. I’m trying to fix things.”

“Why?”

“Karma. I can’t be the man I was anymore.”

Except he’d had years to try to fix things with her and had waited until eighteen months after their divorce to try. “Did something else happen?”

“The leave of absence was a huge wake-up call,” he admitted. “Truth is, you were on my mind before things exploded at work.”

“Exploded how?”

“Let’s just say it wasn’t pretty.”

Okay then.He didn’t have to share everything with her. There were a lot of things she would keep to herself until he asked. But he wasn’t asking about the personal stuff. Just her meal preferences for a flight to a wedding she hadn’t wanted to attend.

“If that’s all, I have to finish this blog before opening WiCKed Sisters today.”

“For the Tea Society?”

“Yes. How many blogs do you think I have?”

“Just the tea one, according to Google,” he said.

“You Googled me?”

“Yeah. Just wanted to see what you were up to.”

“Ali, be honest here, do you see us getting back together?” Maybe she was overstepping, but that kiss last night hadn’t felt casual to her. Definitely not on her side. Did he want something more? “My life is here. I’m not getting married ever again, and I like the woman I am now,” she said.

“Slow down, Pop, it was just one kiss. The wedding is a chance for me to have your back and get you on even footing with Lancaster-Spencer. Am I still attracted to you? I think I’d have to be dead not to be. But you made it clear I fucked any chance of you looking at me that way again. And despite all evidence to the contrary, I’m really not an idiot.”

“Of course you’re not, but you do act like one sometimes.”

“True. I’ll stop by the store later and confirm the time to pick you up in the morning,” he said. Then he let himself out of her house.

She stood there for too long. Watching the closed door, dwelling too much on Ali. There were hints of real difference in him. Still, she got the sense he was hiding something.

The sun was hot, something he wasn’t used to, but he enjoyed it. Alistair basked in the sun while sitting out back of the tavern and talking to Owen.

Coming to Birch Lake hadn’t just been for Poppy. His friendship with Owen had been a big part of it. But he was also doing this for himself. He needed to stop hiding from the past.

The old barn that he’d had converted into his home back in the UK was on a fair amount of acreage, and he’d started brewing out there. His therapist had pointed out that one of the reasons for his short trigger seemed to be a lack of patience, and brewing was a slow process. So he’d started it as a hobby, never expecting he’d enjoy it as much as he did.

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