Page 109 of Love Is Brewing

“Nice and fast,” he said, pulling her to the side. She saw one of the workers inside move to the driver’s door on the other side of the truck and she and Elias went there.

“What can we get you, Elias?” the kid said.

“I’ll take a mac and cheese bowl with pulled pork,” he said.

“Make that two,” she said.

He pulled his wallet out and handed over his card for it to be processed. When the card was returned, the food was delivered just as quickly.

“Enjoy it,” the kid said.

She and Elias walked back to the building but went around another side where there weren’t people so he wasn’t stopped.

“You’re like a celebrity,” she said.

He snorted. “Only in Southern Pines and to a beer lover. It’s true that it’s nice to be able to walk around and not worry about someone always stopping and wanting to talk to you.”

“I’m getting used to it,” she said. “I got stopped before coming here. But it wasn’t about you this time.”

It still happened weekly. If not daily.

The longer she was here, the more people realized she was dating Elias.

If she got asked one more time if she liked his beer, she might scream.

Why was that the only thing people cared about when they talked to her or about Elias?

Or if it wasn’t about his beer it was that he was doing so much for the community.

Good things for sure, but still not too many people’s business either.

“I’m hurt,” he said. “I like it when people ask you about me.”

She elbowed him when they made their way to his office, then sat and ate.

“It’s annoying but not a big deal,” she said, smirking.

“I was asked about you a few days ago,” he said.

“You were?” she asked. “Someone stopped you on the street and asked about my practice?”

“Well,” he said. “Not that. More about you.”

She waved her hand. “Annoying. No one asks me about you. They ask about your business. But when they see you, they ask about me and not my business. What a double standard.”

He laughed. “You’ve got a point. I hadn’t thought of that. Give me some cards. I’ll hand them out.”

“Stop,” she said. “I can grow my business on my own. Just like when I was leaving the courthouse I was stopped and handed my card to someone. She didn’t want to talk to me outside. She said too many eyes. It made me feel good. She’s going to call.”

“Not everyone loves living here for those reasons and others that are nosy think it’s great.”

She was shoveling her food in because she had to get back to the office for another call and it was ten minutes away.

“How much longer is Talia going to be working for you?” she asked. She’d waved to Elias’s younger sister when they were walking to his office with their food.

“A few more weeks,” he said. “She’d been offered some other temp jobs and turned them down. I think she knows what she wants and is going to talk to West. She’s dragging her feet.”

“Does she think West is going to say no?”

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