Page 136 of The Lair

“Allie,I’m serious. This idea tops every other one I’ve ever had.”

“You say that a lot,” I point out. Jude jokes it’s become his catchphrase at this point, and he’s not wrong. “Also, your last one is hard to beat.”

Two months ago, Charlie suggested The Lair sponsor a local elementary school T-ball team, which brought us a ton of new clients, including from out of town.

“Okay, yeah. That was pretty cool,” he admits. “But how about this—home delivery on game nights. I can’t believe I didn’t think of this sooner.”

I purse my lips, unsure. “I’m not sure Travis will be on board. You know how he gets.”

Game nights are stressful already. I can’t imagine adding a delivery service to the mix, especially since Travis likes to keep things simple to avoid burnout.

Charlie’s groan is nothing short of dramatic. “Work your magic on your big, scary boyfriend for me. Pretty please, Allie Cat? He never says no to you.”

I stick out my tongue at him. “Ask him yourself, you coward.”

“Damn right I am.”

Amused, I shake my head. “Char, he hired you as our marketing manager after you left for Boston. Don’t you think that means he trusts you?”

Shortly after I came back to Bannport for good, Charlie found a job at a renowned marketing firm in the city. He comes back to visit as often as he can since his family also lives here, but we still miss him a lot—even Travis, as much as he tries to hide it.

“I guess hedoestrust me a little,” he concedes. “I mean, we go way back if you really think about it. I gave him his favorite mug, and I caught you hooking up by the pool table that one time and never told anyone. Fond memories all around.”

“You’re incorrigible,” I tell him as heat climbs up my neck.

No matter how much time passes, I still get flustered every time someone talks about me and Travis as a couple. It doesn’t help that people love to tease us about our relationship too.

Uncle Neil is as much of a menace as Charlie or worse, and he’s unapologetic about it. He’s been asking for grandkids since we broke the news one year ago.

Jude and Sandra are happy for us, and they join in on the teasing whenever they can. Sandra is a lot more benign, but Jude lives for giving Travis shit about how smitten he is with me. He says his tough-guy facade is slipping, only for Travis to scowl at him and prove him wrong.

Charlie, Lola, Barbara, and everyone else are equally as happy for us. I was scared Jada and Paul would frown upon our age difference or the fact that he’s my boss, but after seeing how he treats me and how happy he makes me, they’re fully on board with our relationship. Their support wouldn’t have been a deal-breaker, because I’m finally living for myself, and being with Travis is what I want, but it means more to me than they could imagine.

Charlie, perched on one of the stools, smirks as he watches me tidy up behind the bar. “I may be incorrigible, but I’m also apsychic. I totally called you and Travis being in love before you even knew it yourselves.”

That’s not a total lie.

“Stop bothering my girl, Charlie.”

Something else I won’t get used to anytime soon is the sound of his deep, soothing rumble calling me his. To the way the weight of his hands feels when he hugs me from behind, just like he’s doing now. To the way he’s so openly affectionate with me no matter who’s watching.

“I didn’t think you’d be into PDA,” I teased him shortly after we started dating, one night when he kissed me in front of Jude and Sandra. And not exactly in a discreet way.

“I want to kiss you all the time. I’m not holding back just because people want to watch.”

Now, Travis rests his hands on my waist and drops his chin on top of my head as Charlie says, “Me? Bothering Allie Cat? Never. I actually wanted to talk to you.”

“About?”

Something that hasn’t changed in the past year is Travis’s no-wasting-saliva policy. He and I can have hours-long conversations about anything and everything, but when it comes to other people, he likes to keep it short and not sweet.

“Some new marketing ideas,” Charlie says. “I have this one that…”

I don’t hear the rest of his sentence.

I can focus on nothing but the two people who have just walked into The Lair. On the tall, brown-haired boy and the younger blonde girl.

I know Travis has seen them, too, when his powerful body stiffens behind me.

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