Page 5 of Hate To Love You
But that lost-puppy look on his face arrests Liam, imbuing him with a sense of responsibility to do his due diligence and, at the very least, send Teague in the right direction. It’s not in Liam’s nature to leave a task undone that can easily be completed. After all, he’s on the clock now, right? He can literally bepaidto put up with the insufferable guy a little longer.
“Mr. Michelson will have your information,” Liam finally says. “His office is down the hall near the loading dock.”
Teague squints into the semidarkness. “Where?”
“Down the hall near the … the loading dock, like I said.” Liam gestures in the general direction. “You can’t miss it. Over there.”
Teague frowns as he looks off, then returns his gaze to Liam and shrugs.
He really does need everything done for him.
Liam’s fingers ball up into two wire-tight fists.
He musters every last bit of patience he has, prepared to give Teague directions one more time. Then, realizing the fruitlessness of explaining anything to a guy as helpless as him, Liam lets out a sigh and finally gives in. “Just come with me.”
3
Peanut
Mr. Michelson, general manager of Gary’s Grocers and with as much personality as a bag of rocks, taps his long fingers on the keyboard with tediously slow speed—tap, tick, tap, tap, tick, tap—before finally bringing up the file. “Ah, yes, here we are,” he says lightly, squints, jots something down onto a neon pink sticky note, peels it off delicately, then hands it to Teague with a wrinkly grin. “Employee ID. Your password is the last four of your social.”
“Awesome!” Teague glances down at the paper, frowns, then winces. “And the last four of my social are …?”
Liam rolls his eyes and crosses his arms.
Mr. Michelson—the sweetest and most patient man on Earth—jots it down on another neon pink sticky note, peels it off daintily, then hands it to Teague. “Now you be sure to memorize that, then throw away the paper, young man!” His voice is cheery yet soft. “Sure don’t want anyone else to get ahold of your precious login information, of course! They could weasel right into your profile and change you into Captain Banana who works for $1 an hour! Not that my payroll would mind.” He chuckles at his joke and eyes them both. “Oh, I’m just being my old fool self. Y’know, Teague, you remind me of my grandson Harry. Hewas a real charmer. Brought a different girlfriend with him every holiday.”
Liam wonders for a second if the manager is calling his own grandson a man-whore. And by extension: Teague.
But the comment only makes Teague chuckle right back. “Oh, that’s some good advice, Mr. Michelson! I ought to know my social by now, right? Shame on me. And thanks again so much for hiring me last minute,” he quickly adds, turning up his otherworldly charm ten nauseating degrees. “I amthrilledto be working here alongside some amazing people. Especially Peanut here.”
Peanut.
Liam’s eyes go wide.
Mr. Michelson quirks a bushy gray eyebrow. “Peanut …?”
“Yeah! Peanut! We went to high school together.” Teague glances back and forth between them with confusion. “Wait … You don’t call him that?”
Liam’s jaw tightens to the point of snapping. “No, Teague. No one calls me that anymore. Why would my boss—?”
“But why not? It’s so adorable! You get it, Mr. Michelson? His middle initial?” He gives the man one of his lopsided smiles. “Liam P. Knott. P … Knott.Peanut! Everyone called him that. Even some of the teachers and our assistant principal Mr. Ramos. It’s so cute!”
After an awkwardly long moment of putting it together, Mr. Michelson finally laughs, delighted by the silly play on words—while Liam’s face burns like wildfire with a mixture of fury and humiliation.
Teague, oblivious to Liam’s discomfort, only grins and crosses his arms, satisfied with himself.
Or maybe he knowsexactlywhat he’s doing.
“Well, hey, now!” says Mr. Michelson when he recovers from his laughter. “This works out perfectly! I was going to take some time to show you around myself, but why not letPeanutdo it?”
Liam recovers from his anger at once. “Wait.”
“Seeing as you two are friends already, it makes perfect sense to me. And besides, I think I slept wrong last night, I can’t for the life of me work out thisknotin the middle of my back. Knot! Knott! Ha! Now I’ve got P. Knott circling around in my head. Why didn’t you tell me that funny little story, Liam? What a delight it is!”
“That sounds great!” agrees Teague, throwing an arm around Liam’s back and startling him. “We’re basically old pals.”
Liam bristles. “Calling us ‘old pals’ is a bit of astretch.”
