Page 16 of His Middle

Noah didn’t drink much, and when he did, it wasn’t fancy cocktails. The only thing he’d ever had other than a beer was a margarita, and he’d hated it. Arlen said he should’ve gotten a strawberry or banana one, but after his first experience, he’d decided to opt out.

After finishing up the tour with Sawyer, and discussing his ideas for new, fun eats for the club, it was almost eleven. Dirk, Arlen and Marcus would be there any minute, and he instantly went from calm to basket case once he came to that realization.

Sawyer hopped onto one of the bar stools after they’d slid the front lock open. “Hey. It’ll be all right. You don’t have to say a thing if you don’t want to, I can handle everything.”

Noah nodded shakily. “I’d seriously appreciate that. I sort of feel like I’m going to throw up right now.”

Without tearing his gaze from the front door, Sawyer grabbed Noah’s wrist then gave it a squeeze. “I’ve got you.”

Noah’s heart banged against his ribs. How he wished Sawyer meant that in all ways.

The door pushed open and before anyone entered, a sliver of muted light streamed in. The early summer sun was beginning to break through the haze much sooner now and the longer days had sparked more business. Great in one sense, stress-inducing in another.

But Sawyer will change all that.

As soon as Arlen came into view, Noah broke into a smile. It fell when he caught sight of Dirk a few paces behind him. They seemed to be ignoring each other—which was typical—their vocal sparring the day before notwithstanding.

“Hey, hon.”

Arlen sidled up to him then elbowed his side. Noah was now framed by Arlen and Sawyer. Maybe he’d survive the Dirk showdown after all. Undoubtedly, that was what Sawyer meant by ‘handling’ things.

“Hey.” When Arlen waggled his eyebrows in response, Noah frowned. “What?”

Arlen batted his eyelashes in the worst imitation of innocence Noah had ever seen. “Nothing.” He craned his neck as he peered past Noah. “Morning, Sawyer.”

“You beat me to it. Good morning, Arlen.”

Noah couldn’t believe how one man’s smile could be so infectious. He also didn’t miss how Sawyer had been giving Dirk the side-eye before turning to greet Arlen. For Dirk’s part, he didn’t bother to acknowledge anyone, instead giving everyone his back while he ducked under the bar. He kept his head down, fussing with lemons, limes, strawberries and setting out the maraschino cherries. Shirley Temples and Rob Roys were big sellers, along with fresh strawberry lemonade and virgin margaritas.

Sawyer returned his attention to Noah. “So, we’re only waiting on Marcus for now?”

“He’s not coming in.” They all turned to Dirk. “I filled him in on a few things and he decided he didn’t need the hassle.”

Noah’s jaw dropped. He had the feeling he’d be doing that quite a bit now that a new sheriff was in town.

Sawyer remained silent as he stared at Dirk with an impassive expression, while Dirk continued to slice up fruit as if he didn’t have a care in the world. At last, Sawyer faced Noah.

“Have you worked in the kitchen at all?” Sawyer didn’t so much as twitch at the loud snort that emanated from Dirk.

Noah did his best to remain calm. He didn’t like where this was going.

“Uh, I used to help sometimes when there was an event and things got crazy. But I can’t cook,” he quickly added.

Sawyer gave a quick dip of his chin before giving his attention to Arlen. “Have you?”

Arlen’s sassy smirk spoke volumes. “Totally.” His eyes darted to Dirk before they returned to Sawyer. “And I make a mean hamburger.”

Sawyer gave him a lopsided grin. “Excellent. Why don’t you two head into the kitchen and do some basic prep. We’ll cut the menu down today to a few selections, maybe come up with a special or something.” He gave Dirk a pointed glare. “I have something to take care of, then I’ll join you and lend a hand.”

Uh-oh.

Things were about to get real.

Chapter Six

Noah couldn’t move fast enough to get out of the line of fire. Once he’d pushed through the double doors into the back, he let out a long exhale. He found it embarrassing to be such a big baby when it came to standing up to people, but honestly, he didn’t have time for a major personality overhaul—not when the club’s survival was at stake.

Arlen appeared right on his heels. “Whoa.” He chuckled. “That was intense. I kind of want to sneak out there and hide, eavesdrop on the Dirk beatdown.”

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