Page 55 of Break My Heart
‘We plan to start trying as soon as we’re married. At our age, we can’t be waiting.’
‘You guys are only 33.’
‘Almost 34. Lyndsay’s freaking out because her doctor said it’s harder to get pregnant the closer she gets to 40.’
‘When do you think you’ll propose to her?’
Nick gets up and comes over to me, lowering his voice. ‘I haven’t told anyone this yet so this is just between us for now.’ He checks to make sure we’re alone. ‘I’m going to propose to Lyndsay the last night of the fall festival.’
‘Holy shit.’ I smile and give him a hug. ‘Congratulations!’
‘Thanks. I know we haven’t dated that long, but I’ve known Lyndsay forever and I have no doubts she’s the one. We’ve already talked about marriage and agreed we don’t want to wait. And the festival seems like the right time to pop the question. The place will be all decorated with lights, we’ll have a band, good food. And Lyndsay loves the festival. She has a lot of good memories of it. This will make for another good memory.’
‘Mom’s gonna be thrilled. Dad too.’
‘Yeah, but it means you’re next. Mom’s going to be pushing you even more to find someone.’
‘Who am I going to find in this town? I know every girl here who’s around my age, and dated most of them.’
‘What aboutthat girl I saw you out with at dinner a few weeks ago?’
‘That was Maci. I’m still kind of seeing her, but it’s nothing serious. She’s not ready to settle down, and even if she was, we’re not a good match. We run out of things to talk about after five minutes. She’s just someone to hang out with.’
‘For sex.’
‘Hey, she agreed to it. She made it clear that’s all she wants. Don’t be judging me for that.’
‘I’m not. I’ve done it myself, but it didn’t help me find the one. You’re in your thirties now. It’s time to stop the friends with benefits thing and get into a real relationship.’
‘I don’t have time, and if I did, I’m back to the problem of not having anyone to date. I love Haydon Falls, but trying to date here really sucks. There just aren’t enough girls.’
Nick leans back against the counter, folding his arms over his chest. ‘What about Gina?’
‘No. Never. She’s off limits.’
‘Why? Does she have a boyfriend?’
‘Not that I know of, but it doesn’t matter. I’m not dating her. She’s the enemy. You don’t date the girl who comes into town and steals all your customers.’
‘If she’s stealing them, it means her beer is better and you need to step up your game.’
‘Oh, so now you’re saying my beer sucks?’
‘I’m saying people buy what they like, and if they like hers better, they’ll go to G’s.’
‘Maybe they like her waitstaff better. She’s got hot girls working for her. I’ve got two guys. Maybe I just need to hire some girls.’
‘I think you need to see what happens now that you’re bothback to charging your regular prices. If she’s still getting more business, it might be your beer.’
‘You think it’s good, right?’
‘It’s good, but it’s not the best I’ve ever had. And I didn’t expect it to be. You’re just starting out. You’re still learning. I actually think it’s good that Gina opened up a brewery. It’ll force you to be better.’
‘Or put me out of business,’ I mutter.
Nick checks the time on his phone. ‘It’s getting late. I need to help set up in the barn before we open.’
‘I need to get to Gina’s,’ I say, noticing it’s almost eight.
