by Stacy Finz
“Uh-huh. See you later.”
TJ continued to watch her until Deb disappeared down the hallway. Win cleared his throat.
“You think we can get back to business here and save you and Deb’s sexy time for later?”
“Sure.” TJ threw his pen at Win. “I wouldn’t want to keep you from anything important, like updating your Tinder account.”
“I’ve got a tour in an hour and I’d like to get organized.” Win directed the last part of that statement at Darcy. She stared at her hands and picked at her nail polish.
Colt glanced at his watch. “I’ve got to get back to the station. So let’s move this along.”
Darcy tuned out the conversation, wondering why Win had looked at her like that. She really didn’t want to discuss the kiss. There was no reason to dwell on it. She’d prefer to just move on as if nothing had happened. And if he expected her to help him prepare for his group, he could forget about it. She had her own work to do.
“Is there anything more you two can do with FlashTag?” TJ asked, snapping Darcy out of her thoughts.
“You mean like ask them to marry us on the jumbotron at the Giants game?” Win said and Colt and Josh laughed. TJ wasn’t amused.
“I’ll send them thank-you cards today,” Darcy volunteered.
“Maybe we should send a box of Colt and Delaney ski jackets.” TJ made a note on his tablet.
“Dude, you’re trying too hard. They’ll think we’re desperate.”
TJ ignored Win and looked at Darcy.
She had to agree with Win. “Uh … yeah … it might be over the top.”
“Fine, we’ll wait until next Monday and follow up.”
“In the meantime, why aren’t we doing more business with Lucky Rodriguez and his cowboy camp?” Win asked.
Everyone turned to stare at him like he’d grown two heads. Darcy couldn’t remember him getting too involved on the business end of GA.
“I’m serious,” he said. “He has a great spread and thanks to Darcy booking time with him, it was probably the highlight of the weekend. Seems to me we could be cross-promoting.”
It was nice of Win to give her credit. She’d been conditioned to not expect it so the acknowledgment was surprising. And generous. Something she stowed away to think about later. More important, Win was right, GA should be doing more stuff with Lucky Rodriguez.
“He does a lot of corporate team building, too,” TJ said. “We’re competitors.”
“Our operations are totally different. People come to us for adventure sports, they go to Lucky to feel like a cowboy for a week. There’s no reason why we can’t give our clients a brief taste of that lifestyle and vice versa. Seems like a missed opportunity to me.”
The room got quiet.
“Winifred may be right.” Josh broke the silence. “Shocking as it might be.”
Everyone laughed. The Garners liked to poke fun at one another and especially at Win. This time, though, Darcy thought they should be taking him more seriously. His suggestion could turn out to be a good moneymaker and after Stanley Royce they could use the revenue.
“Okay,” TJ relented. “I’ll look into it.”
“I could do it,” Win said and Darcy saw Colt do a double take.
“Something in your Wheaties we don’t know about, boy?”
Win leaned his chair back on two legs and flipped Colt the bird. “Lucky and I have a rapport and none of you have ridden a bull.”
“I don’t know about riding a bull,” Josh said. “But you’re certainly full of bullshit.”
TJ put up his hand as if to say enough. “If you want to feel him out, go ahead. Let me know what he says.” He then changed the topic to the pressing matters of schedules, payroll, and ways to cut down on overtime.
Darcy went for a doughnut as she listened to TJ drone on about how much they were over budget and accidentally grabbed Win’s hand as he reached for the same buttermilk bar she had her eye set on. They both froze and Darcy pulled her hand back. Win put the bar on her plate and took a jelly doughnut instead.
She managed to get through the meeting without making eye contact with him. Afterward, she rushed out and hid in the bathroom. If she could stay there until his tour started she wouldn’t have to face him. Except she had work to do and someone might need to use the toilet. She stalled for as long as she could and returned to her desk.
After fielding a couple of phone calls, she booted up her computer to send out informational e-mails to some of their clients. All of them got a list of what and what not to wear for the various tours GA offered as well as what essentials to pack for their trips. She wouldn’t call the work drudgery but she preferred talking to clients directly. Most of them were so enthusiastic about their upcoming trips that it was a little contagious. A promotion would enable her to do more of it as well as use more of her organizational skills. At Snyder Real Estate she’d pretty much run the whole show. Keeping the books, posting new listings on the website, setting up appointments with clients, ordering signs, supplies, and business cards—her responsibilities were numerous.
Even though the work was more stimulating, she liked it better at GA. TJ was always complimentary and appreciative of the job she did and although most of the Garner brothers intimidated her, they were never boring. The idea that they would make a great reality TV show had crossed her mind numerous times. The Amazing Race meets The Bachelor. She didn’t quite know how they would pull that off but she had no doubt that women across the country would tune in weekly to watch.
“There you are.” Win tugged her out of her chair. “Step into my office for a second.”
“I can’t … I’m … um … waiting for a call.”
His lips grazed her ear. “No, you don’t.” He grabbed her cell phone off the desk and shoved it at her. “You can just as easily take it in my office.”
She was about to argue that it was a GA call but she could access the switchboard from his office too. Which meant she was stuck. It was either go with him or admit she was a chicken.
“Five minutes, Win, that’s all I have.”
He kicked the door closed behind her and for good measure locked it. “You’re trying to make me fall off the wagon.”
“You’re the one who got into my bed and kissed me first. Don’t blame me. And what wagon?”
“I told you, I no longer do casual hookups.”
“Right.” She screwed up her face in disbelief.
He sat on the edge of his desk and folded his arms over his chest. “I’m holding out for something real.”
She wasn’t sure whether to buy it or not but it might explain his sudden interest in her. A lack of sex had driven him to desperation. She quirked a brow. “Something real?”
“Yeah … maybe.” He hunched his shoulders forward in a halfhearted shrug. “And that little stunt you pulled, pretending to be asleep, put me on the road to perdition.”
“The road to perdition?”
“Exactly. And would you quit repeating everything I say?”
“Seriously, you’re blaming me for the kiss? I’ll admit that I faked being asleep because I was too tired to walk and because it’s your fault that I have blisters all over my feet. But you kissed me all on your own, bucko. So get off your high horse.”
He got to his feet and paced. “What are we going to do about it?”
“Nothing,” though if not for Nana rattling pots in the kitchen it would’ve been something. She felt a twinge of disappointment. “Haven’t you kissed a million women and walked away?”
He didn’t respond, which was answer enough. “In case you’re interested, there hasn’t been anyone since Britney.”
“Yeah, not that interested.” Except she sort of was. And surprised, if he was actually telling the truth. “Is it okay if I get back to earning a living now?”
“Yep. One more thing before you go.” He walked up to her and put his face an inch away from hers. “I know you liked it so why are you pretending that it was no
thing?”
“I told you, I’ve been going through a dry spell. It really doesn’t take much these days.” She backed away, afraid that if she stood there any longer she’d do the unthinkable and kiss him again.
“Keep telling yourself that,” he called to her as she walked out the door.
Chapter Eleven
Win needed to get out of the office to think and find a way to curb his lust. Darcy wasn’t his type but she sure as hell did something to him. It was probably her acid tongue. He liked a woman who called him on his crap.
He walked to the Juicery and got a green smoothie. Doughnuts were his vice but he liked to stay healthy. Main Street swarmed with people, even for a Monday. Paddle and Pedal had a good line of people waiting to rent bikes and inner tubes for the river. It was turning out to be a warm day, perfect for the water.
Good thing because he was taking a group white-water rafting. A family. He usually did the more advanced tours but one of their rafting guides was on vacation. It would be a nice break. Families with kids were the bomb. He loved watching their expressions as they discovered the joy of a great adventure. When they were kids, he and his brothers had lived for getting out on the river, the lake, a black diamond trail, anything outdoors.
He strolled back to the office where his group, the Blake family, waited. The kids were playing on the rock wall while Josh gave them a few pointers. It was high time he and Hannah started pumping out a few children of their own and take the burden off the rest of them, since it was all Mary ever talked about. She wanted to be a grandmother while she was still young enough to chase her grandkids around. Colt and Delaney would probably spit out a baby before too long. And who knows, maybe TJ and Deb wouldn’t even wait until their winter wedding. From the way they’d been looking at each other, Win wouldn’t be surprised if Deb walked down the aisle in a maternity dress.
He gathered the Blakes and gave them a safety spiel. It was their first time out so he planned to stick with Class I rapids. He loaded the gear into one of the shuttle vans and they headed out. Most of the time he met his groups at the river but this worked just as well.
By the time they got back everyone had taken off for the day, including Darcy. He saw the Blakes off and went home to shower off the river. There was a locker room at GA but he wanted to feed the cat. Afterward, he walked the short distance from his apartment to downtown Glory Junction for a pint and a game of darts at Old Glory. Mondays were usually relatively quiet at the bar, filled mostly with locals. On Wednesdays, all the Garner brothers came to take advantage of Boden’s hump day specials.
“Hey, Win.” Candace Kelly gave him a finger wave from the table where she sat with two other women.
They’d gone to high school together and now she was Delaney’s receptionist. Last he’d heard, she and her husband had split up. Despite not having talked to her in a while, everyone’s life in a small town was an open book.
He waved back and took a seat at the bar.
“What’ll you have?” Boden asked.
“Sierra Nevada and a burger. Side salad, instead of the fries.” He’d eaten a sandwich out on the river but was starved.
Boden put in his order and drew him a beer. Win scanned the dining room through the back-bar mirror. He didn’t see any of his regular dart or pool buddies, like Chip. Even though he was a recovering alcoholic, he came to Old Glory after work in the evenings a lot and nursed a cola.
Boden brought his Sierra Nevada. “Don’t look now but Candace is checking you out.”
Win took a surreptitious glance. “Not interested.”
“She’s hot.”
“Then why don’t you date her?” Boden was a lady’s man. Chicks went in for his whole grunge biker look. The flannel shirts, the biker boots, the tattoos, the chains.
“Nah, not my thing. Your brother got the one I wanted.”
“Which one?” Hannah, Delaney, Deb—they were all gorgeous, smart, funny, the whole package.
“TJ.” Boden gave him a hard look.
Everyone in town knew Win and Deb’s history. No secrets in Glory Junction. But there was no bad blood between him and TJ. He loved all his brothers like crazy, even if they liked to micromanage his life.
“TJ has good taste and so does Deb.”
“What about you?” The kitchen bell rang and Boden grabbed Win’s burger and set it down in front of him. “Who you seeing these days?”
“No one. I’m focusing on work and buying a house.”
“Yeah? Where you looking?”
Win leaned over the bar, snatched the oil and vinegar from a condiment basket, and poured a little of both on his salad. “I’d like the lake but don’t know if I can swing the prices over there.”
“Reggie Brown is trying to sell his place on the river. He wants to leave Glory Junction for one of those senior communities. The place needs work but it’s got good bones and the views …” Boden let out a whistle.
“Really? What kind of place is it?” Reggie was an old-timer, whose wife died a few years ago. Win only knew him through his parents and had no idea where he lived.
“Log cabin. Reggie built it himself.”
“No kidding. How much does he want for it?” Win wouldn’t mind living on the river, though some of the houses with water access weren’t on county roads. You either needed a plow or a snow mobile in the winter.
“Don’t know but you should talk to him. Maybe you can swing a deal before he lists it.”
“I might just do that.” Win took a bite of his burger and Boden moved on to help another customer.
Win was halfway through his dinner when Candace sidled up to him and cocked her hip against the bar. “So how have you been, stranger?”
“I’m doing okay, Candace. How ’bout you?”
“I’m single now.” She slid closer so that her hip brushed against him.
“That’s what I heard. I’m sorry about you and Dale.”
“I’m not,” she said, and he was flummoxed on how to respond.
“Well, I’m glad it hasn’t been too tough for you. Divorces can get hairy.” At least they didn’t have kids. Win tried to make eye contact with Boden, hoping the barkeep would rescue his ass because he knew what was coming.
She took the stool next to his, which confirmed his fears. “What are you drinking? It looks good.”
It was beer, for Christ’s sake. “Sierra Nevada.” He supposed that was a hint to order her one but he didn’t want to encourage her. He just wanted to finish his dinner in peace.
He was just about to casually mention that he was seeing someone when Dale came into the bar. Craning his neck around the room, he spotted Candace and stomped over, looking mean as a grizzly bear.
Shit.
“Well, that didn’t take long. You’re screwing Garner now?” Dale said it loud enough that people as far away as Reno could hear him.
“Shut up, Dale, you’re making a scene.” Candace scooted even closer to Win. He got the impression that she was enjoying Dale’s “scene.”
“She was just saying hi, Dale.”
Dale was a big-ass dude, who used to be an offensive tackle on Glory Junction High’s football team. Since then, most of his muscle had gone to fat but he was still a beast.
“I wasn’t talking to you, Garner. I was talking to my wife.”
“I’m not your wife anymore. And I’m free to see whomever I want.” Candace rested her hand on Win’s leg.
Why me?
“We’re not seeing each other, Dale. I was here having dinner and a beer and Candace came over to say hi. That’s all.”
They had an audience for sure but no one stepped in to confirm Win’s story. And Boden had freaking disappeared.
“Is he telling the truth, Candace?”
“It’s none of your business.”
Dale moved closer. He smelled like a distillery and gripped Candace’s arm, hard. “We’re leaving.”
“Dale,” Win said, “take your hands off her!”
&nb
sp; “Who the hell do you think you are telling me what to do?” Dale got in Win’s face. His breath alone could’ve killed a herd of elephants. “Come on, Candace. Don’t make me tell you again. We’re leaving.”
“I’m not going anywhere.” She yanked away and Win could see a nasty red mark on her arm.
Win stood up and got between them. “Look what you did, Dale. You’re drunk and you’re acting like a dick. Go home and sober up, dude.”
He should’ve seen it coming but by the time Dale’s fist landed in his face it was too late and he staggered back. Someone screamed, maybe Candace, and then it was pandemonium. Fists flying, glasses breaking, and Boden yelling above the fray. Out of nowhere, a few bargoers had come to lend Win a hand or just brawl. It was hard to tell what their objective was.
Whatever it was, Win didn’t want any part of it. All he wanted was to finish his fucking dinner and play a goddamn game of darts. But there was so much pushing, shoving, and shouting that Win was pretty sure that people were just fighting for the sake of fighting.
“Are you happy, Dale?” Candace screamed. Win couldn’t be sure because his left eye was throbbing and starting to swell but he thought she looked supremely proud of herself.
“This is your fault, Candace. You’re the one who divorced me.” Dale lunged at her and Win intercepted by grabbing Dale by the shirt.
He managed to land a punch to Dale’s prodigious gut and the dumb clod doubled over. Win rammed him up against the nearest table and pushed him into a chair. “Sit.”
In the distance he heard sirens, which was weird because the police department was only a block away. Then again, his left ear was in agony so perhaps it was tinnitus.
He let out a loud whistle and felt the room still.
“The cops are on their way.” Boden’s voice reverberated off the wood-paneled walls. “And you people owe me for the damages.”
Win let out a breath and looked around. It wasn’t as bad as it felt when he’d been in the thick of things. A puddle of beer on the floor. His Sierra Nevada. Some broken glass, a smashed plate, and a barstool knocked to the ground.
