Page 7 of Brewing Up a Bad Boy

It was just after seven, and the tavern wasn’t that busy, which was surprising given that it was a Friday.

Lars noticed him coming in and waved. The tavern was counter service, and Alistair made his way over to order food. He wanted to try the IPA that Owen had recently brewed.

“Alright?”

“Yeah, I’m good. What can I get you?” Lars asked.

“Owen’s IPA. I’m interested to see how his turned out. Mine had a rounded bitterness that didn’t fade.”

“It’s good. Very popular. We’re thinking of expanding the microbrewery,” Lars said.

“He mentioned that,” Alistair said, leaning against the bar to chat with Lars while he sipped his beer and waited for his food.

A woman’s laugh rang out in the tavern above the din of conversations.Poppy.Trying to be cool, he canted his head to the side. Their eyes met, and her laughter died.

Fuck him.

This was exactly what he deserved after the way he treated her. “Do you think there’s a point where it’s too late to try to fix the past?”

“Not if it’s important,” Lars said. “Some things just take longer. Your food is ready. Where are you going to sit?”

Back in his room would be the smart answer, but he knew for his mental health that when he was in this mood, it was better to be around people. On his own, there was a chance he’d spiral and do something stupid.

He glanced around looking for a table and saw Poppy standing behind him. “Want to join us?”

“Us?”

“Sera, Wes, Liberty and Merle.”

“Do they all know I’m your ex?”

“Yup.”

There was a steadiness in Poppy’s expression. His plan to give her space wasn’t working because he’d done nothing but think about her before this. “Sure. I like a challenge.”

“What challenge?”

“Getting them to like me and getting you to see the ways I’ve changed,” he said.

“It’s one dinner,” she pointed out dryly.

He’d missed her more than he’d realized until this moment. “Don’t underestimate my charm.”

“Oh, I never do.”

He followed her back to her table with his tray of food and his beer. It was safe to say that no one looked excited to see him. But that had been true of so many first encounters in his life. So he just shrugged and took a seat next to Poppy.

She formally introduced Alistair to everyone. An awkward silence fell around the table. Wes made an effort to get the conversation started.

“How long are you in town?” he asked.

Alistair took a sip of his beer and started to eat the chunky beef and Guinness meat pie that the tavern had on special today. “Until Sunday. Wish I could stay longer. Birch Lake is charming.”

“But you have to get back to your family,” Liberty said, a bit of an edge in her voice.

“That’s right. My cousin is getting married. I think that, Merle, you got an invite, right?”

“Yeah. I’m not really into weddings or England,” he said. “Mom and Dad are going. Dad wants to play St Andrews again, so they’ll be heading to Scotland after the wedding.”

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