Page 65 of Pitcher Perfect

I pulled open a desk drawer to grab a protein bar. But when I saw the colorful packaging, my stomach turned. I could be sitting across from Caleb at a candlelit dinner instead of working late. Again. But I had to. A chance at affordable equipment was too good to pass up.

What will the excuse be next time? There will always be one. Did I make an excuse before I hurt us both?The negative asshole on my shoulder needed to shut his damn mouth.

I wanted to spend time with Caleb and for the brewery to succeed, but I had no idea how to have both. I wanted to do right by the guys, who had put so much of their money, time, and lives into Tap That, while also doing right by myself to makemehappy.

“You’re staring at that computer like it’s part of the family you have a multigenerational blood feud with.”

I startled at the voice. I frantically tried to smooth my hair before turning toward him. “Caleb? What are you doing here?”

He looked nervous and adorable in his comfy joggers and a Boise State T-shirt. I wanted to follow him home and cuddle. I licked my lips and stood from the desk.

Caleb kept his distance, holding an insulated bag. “I had a feeling you wouldn’t eat anything, and I promised you dinner.” He walked over and handed it to me.

I set it on the desk and unzipped it to give myself a moment to try and figure out why he was there. My head spun. Bringing me dinner was so thoughtful. Caleb was so thoughtful.Why did I fuck this up?

“Thank you. This is unexpected and undeserved.” I pulled glass containers from the bag. The hunger I could’ve sworn was nonexistent minutes ago roared to life at the sight of a makeshift charcuterie board with cheese, meat slices, fresh fruit, vegetable sticks, nuts, and even chocolate.

“It’s no problem. I would’ve cooked, but I wanted something you could pick at that wouldn’t need to be heated or immediately refrigerated.”

I squeezed my eyes closed.“I’m really sorry I bailed on you.”

He moved next to me. “Did you bail or cancel? Those are two different things,” he said softly.

I swallowed and opted for honesty. Fear could piss off. “Canceled. I got a tip a little while ago from a friend that his brewery is upgrading their equipment and selling off a few things. If we have a chance at buying it, we need to move fast, so I’ve been trying to find where I can free up money on my side of the operation before I talk to the guys in the morning. With the Fred Meyer contract, we have to produce more, but our equipment limits us since the beer has to, you know, sit and ferment for a while. So, I—”

He squeezed my shoulder. “Hey, it’s okay. I get it. Shit comes up sometimes.”

But what will be the next thing to come up?“You didn’t have to bring me dinner. I know you’re busy. You don’t have to take care of me.” The last thing I wanted was to be a burden or someone he thought was incompetent at taking care of myself.

One side of his mouth turned up in a soft smile. “I want to.”

I returned it. “I feel terrible I canceled on you tonight. Our first date and all. I know I fucked it up.”

“Working hard and caring about your business aren’t going to push me away. If you ever find yourself using work as an excuse to put distance between us, talk to me. But I don’t want you feeling like any issue that pops up with the brewery will be the thing that breaks what we’re building. I’m not that fickle, okay?”

I opened my mouth to speak, but no words came out. I nodded.

“How about we have a do-over tomorrow night if you have time? I’ll cook a nice dinner and bring it here. We’ll hang out for an hour, even set a timer if you want to, then you can get back to work, and I’ll leave you alone. I know you have a lot going on while you sort out the new contract and production. I’m sure I’ll need to be working longer hours next week for a few days before the chamber event, anyway. We’ll make it quick and take some of the pressure off.”

Caleb was too good to be true. No one had ever tried to meet me in the middle before. The guys I’d dated in the past had expected me to magically change my schedule and habits to suit them. The more they’d pushed, the more I’d worked. I wasn’t blameless, far from it since I used work as an escape from stress, but I couldn’t justify changing everything for someone I couldn’t trust, someone I wasn’t sure would stick around.

I wanted to think Caleb would stay long enough for things at Tap That to settle somewhat so I could make changes to how much I worked. I would always work more than I should. It was part of who I was, and I fucking loved my job, but I would be lying if I claimed to not want more to life. I didn’t want to be on my deathbed in forty years and regret spending my nights at the brewery instead of in the arms of someone I loved.

“That would be great.” I smiled at him.

Caleb’s phone rang in his pocket. He grabbed it and frowned at the screen. “It’s my Portland friend with the kitchen I use for catering. Mind if I grab this?”

I nodded then began to unpack the food he’d brought. He’d mentioned still having a few catering contracts to finish out that he’d booked before his pod collapsed. Hopefully, everything was okay.

“No, that’s totally fine. I can find another option. Thanks, anyway, man. Good luck with all that. Fucking sucks. Mm-hmm. Sure, let’s grab a beer soon. Yup. Bye.”

That didn’t sound good. I munched on a piece of salami while watching the tension creep into Caleb’s shoulders.

“Everything okay?”

He sighed. “Bit of a hiccup on the kitchen I planned to use for the competition. My friend said they had a pipe burst and there’s massive damage. The restaurant is closing for a while to do construction, so I need to find another kitchen.”

“What about your last few catering jobs?”

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