Page 6 of On The Rocks

Ronan gave Ella a final nuzzle before transferring her to Kira. “Thanks, Sunshine.” Then he started scribbling furiously.

Leaving him to the brewmaster haze, I wandered away from the bar with my bottle, my screaming yellow Crocs quiet on the hardwood. A present from Kain when we’d started lunching at the taproom last week. He assumed I’d be insulted by the duck yellow and the little rude pins he’d added.

Me? That said he was starting to like me.

And I liked yellow.

I’d swapped my mud-caked boots for the Crocs, knowing I’d hear the wrath of Kira if I tracked crap into her establishment. The taproom was still in the cleaning and opening phase. They’d have a few events like St. Patrick’s Day, Teaser Tuesdays, and a few other ideas Kira and Bells had come up with before fully opening for Memorial Day.

Which would coincide with the local showcase that was my domain.

Absently, I dragged the pad of my thumb over the calluses on each fingertip. Having music around me again was dredging up a lot of bullshit I thought I’d buried.

I wandered outside to find Lennon and found her at the large swing at the top of the hill looking over the valley with the orchard below. The trees were slowly coming out of their slumber. The winter had been especially bitter, and Justin and Beckett had worried about the ice, causing a slow start to the spring blooms.

But the sun and a stretch of warm days had created a flurry of movement. Beckett spent most of his days checking over the fields with the skeleton sprint crew, while Justin and I had taken to the backbreaking work of opening the cabins and cottages.

Kain had been back and forth between Hawaii and the orchard to help out with a few of the larger, more intricate remodels like mine. I’d wanted a cool bird for the name of my place—maybe even my namesake—but Kain had named it the Starling.

Which made the skin between my shoulders itch.

While we’d been talking more, I still hadn’t told him about my life before the orchard. We were more about sweaty remodeling and a drink while watching rugby or hockey before he escaped to Bells.

I couldn’t blame him. If I had a woman like her waiting for me, I’d be in a hurry to get home too.

And that left my gaze drifting back to Lennon who was pushing the swing into a creaky rhythm with her boot as she sipped from her bottle.

“Think we need to oil those chains again.”

She glanced over at me. “Yeah, maybe.”

“It’s nice to see you again, Lenny.”

“I think I prefer the annoyingdarlin’to that one.”

I grinned. “Now I’ll have to exclusively use Lenny if it bugs you.”

“You would,” she said, but there was a smile flirting with her lips as she took a long drink. “You guys have been busy since I was gone.”

“We were trapped up here most of the winter. Good thing Laverne kept us fed while Ronan and Kira did the nesting thing with the twins.” I shivered. “Freaking two babies. I don’t know how they do it.”

She shook her head. “That’s a nope from me. I’m not sure I even want one, let alone two at once.”

“Pretty sure it wasn’t on Kira’s first baby list.”

“Definitely not.” She glanced back at me. “You want the kid thing, Griffin?”

That was a question that had been on my mind a lot lately. I wrapped my fingers around the back of the swing and gave her a push. She yelped and pulled up her feet to cross them under her. “I honestly don’t know. I’ve never landed anywhere long enough to consider it.”

“Me neither. Something about this place, though.” She stared out on the valley below and we were quiet as the chain creaked with each push.

I understood what she meant. There was a magic to the orchard that made me want to stick around. But to build a life?

That was a lot to consider.

“Tired of life on the road?” she asked quietly.

The swing bumped me as I was startled enough not to pay attention. I pushed her once more. “So, you know who I am?”

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