Page 61 of Buried Dreams

We make it to the bar and spot a couple of empty stools. “You want to sit down?” he asks, and I glare at him. “You should sit.”

“I think I’ll stand,” I reply as he pulls out the stool, and the bartender approaches us.

“What can I get you?” he asks, tossing down two coasters.

“I’ll have the house blend,” Brock orders, then turns to me.

“I’ll have the same.” He nods at me and walks away.

“So tell me how you feel?” he asks, and I look around, spotting a couple of people I know, including Emmett.

“Like a bitch in heat,” I grit out between clenched teeth. Emmett spots us and walks over to us.

“Hey, you two,” he greets with a beer in his hand, leaning against the bar with his elbow. “Fancy seeing you two here.”

“How fancy?” Brock semi-glares at him, making me roll my lips and Emmett just laughs at him.

“Did you ever check your schedule”—Emmett looks at me—“and see when it’s a good time for you to come and take a ride with me?”

“She did.” Brock sticks his face into the conversation and puts a hand at my hip, gripping it tight. “It’s going to be the day after never.” Emmett just grins. “You can schedule her in right now.”

“Are you threatening my right-hand man?” Charlie walks up to Brock and slaps his shoulder and then squeezes.

“Who, me?” Brock feigns innocence. “I would never.”

“Is Autumn here?” I ask Charlie, and he shakes his head. “She forced me to come out and have a guys’ night.” He looks around. “I’m going back home in ten minutes and telling her no one was here.”

“You do know that she owns this bar.” Brock looks over at him. “And she can ask.”

“Yeah,” Charlie says, leaning on the bar with his elbows, “but by then, it’ll be over. She can’t get mad at me after the fact.”

“Um,” Emmett starts, “have you met your wife? She almost kicked you out of the house yesterday.”

“She did not.” Charlie glares at him. “She just locked the door and refused to open it until I did what she told me to do.”

“And what was that?” I ask Charlie.

“Get out of her hair,” he deadpans, making us all laugh. He looks over his shoulder at the door, his eyebrows going big.

“Since when did those two start dating?” Charlie looks over at the door, and I turn back to see Caleb walk in with Lilah beside him.

“He asked her out last week,” I fill him in. “She came to get a box of donuts for the guys at the barn.”

“And left with a fucking date,” Emmett snaps and turns back to watch them walk to the table with a group of guys. “Who the fuck is he anyway?”

“What’s it to you?” Brock asks him. Emmett turns back, and his eyes are almost in slits. “Word on the street is that you fucking hate her.” He pushes off the bar. “Even now, you are scowling at her.”

“First of all,” he snaps, grabbing his bottle of beer, “I don’t fucking hate her. She’s young, and she’s reckless. Second off, why don’t you mind your own business?” He walks away from us and heads to the table where the boys are.

The three of us just watch him pull out the chair and sit down. The scowl never leaves his face as Lilah smiles and looks up at Caleb, introducing him to everyone. Lilah smiles at the bunch, and then when she spots Emmett, she looks down at her hands and avoids looking back at him. Instead, she turns to talk to Caleb, and the two of them walk away to their own table.

“Um.” I look over at Charlie. “Is Caleb going to be okay?” Charlie is still looking over his shoulder at Emmett. “He has a couple of days left of work at the bakery, and it’s going to be hard for him to do all that with two broken hands, and from the look on Emmett, a broken face.”

“He’ll be fine,” Charlie assures me. “But just in case, I’m going to go and make sure he stays in one piece.” He pushes off the bar. “Now I can’t leave in ten minutes.” He turns to Brock. “Thanks.”

“I didn’t do anything,” he says to Charlie, and it feels like it’s old times with the two of them joking. “I just asked a question.”

“Oh, didn’t you?” Charlie retorts. “You knew what buttons to push.”

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