Page 54 of Redemption
“Hey. Can I get a beer?”
“Hey, yourself.” I smile, popping the top off a Coors and setting it in front of Beck. “What are you doing here?”
“Came to see you.” He takes a long drag from the bottle, never once looking away. “That okay?”
“Sure.” I prop my hand on the edge of the bar, leaning into him. “I mean, I’m working, so I can’t chat with you all night, but things have been slow since the dinner rush ended.”
“Hey, Pres, can you—” Clayton notices Beck as he returns from the storeroom and lifts his eyebrows when he sees how close we’re talking. “Hey, Cowboy. To what do we owe the honor of your presence on a Monday night?”
Beck flips my brother off, making me chuckle. Clayton told me Beck hates that nickname, and therefore, Clayton being Clayton, uses it as often as possible. “I didn’t realize I was limited to certain days.”
“You’re not.” Clay gives him a knowing smirk. “I’m just surprised, that’s all. Although I suppose I shouldn’t be, all things considered.”
Beckett’s forehead is lined with creases. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
Clayton looks around at the other patrons before returning his gaze to Beck. “I think you know exactly what I mean. Although, if you’d like, I’d be more than happy to explain in front of all these people.”
My eyes widen. “Clayton.”
My annoying brother laughs. “Relax, kiddo. I’m just fucking with him. I think it’s great you two are getting along. If you’ll excuse me, I’ll hang out on the other end of the bar so I can pretend I don’t overhear anything that would offend my delicate sensibilities.”
I smirk. “I’m pretty sure you and I have very different definitions of delicate sensibilities.”
Clayton gasps loudly and presses an open palm over his heart, channeling his inner Southern Belle. “Why, Presley Anne, bless your heart. I have no idea what you’re talkin’ about. I am an angel, sent straight from the heavens to do God’s work. I wouldn’t dream of misbehavin’.”
There is nothing ladylike about my snort. “Clayton, you and I both know there aren’t many things you enjoy more than misbehavin’.”
“Don’t you know it,” he says, dropping the act. “It’s what makes life worth livin’.”
Beck and I exchange a loaded glance. I’m sure he’s thinking about our conversation by the pond yesterday, too. I couldn’t stop replaying it in my head all night, and it’s the first thing I thought of when I woke up this morning. When Derek’s wife, Melissa, called to discuss filing for divorce, I didn’t feel the dread that I usually feel when thinking about Sebastian. Melissa’s going to prepare the paperwork and let me know when my soon-to-be-ex-husband’s been served. I should probably be nervous about Sebastian’s reaction, but instead, I’m excited that I’ve taken the first step to put the last twelve years behind me.
I can’t keep focusing on things that are out of my control; Sebastian’s temper is one of them. He’s going to do what he’s going to do, and I’ll just have to cross that bridge when I get to it. For now, I’m going to focus on finding little pockets of joy in my day however I can, and I have a feeling the man before me is going to be a big part of that.
“Yeah... I don’t need to see anyone looking at my baby sister like that, least of all the man who’s practically a brother to me. It’s kind of creepy when you think about how incest-adjacent the whole thing is.” Clayton shudders and inclines his head to the left. “If you need me, I’ll be over there.”
I shake my head. “You’re an idiot, Clayton.”
“Love you too, Pres,” he calls over his shoulder.
Beck smirks. “Don’t let him fool you; he’s happy to have you back. We all are.”
Of course, the moment the words leave his mouth, the one woman who’s definitely not happy I’m back, walks in. When she sees Beck and me, she glares and tugs on the arm of the man behind her, dragging him to a booth in the back.
“Who’s your hot date, Nicky?” Clayton shouts. “Aren’t you going to introduce us?” He laughs when she raises her middle finger in the air without looking back.
Clay walks back over to where I’m standing. “Well, that didn’t take long. I thought she’d give it at least a week before she started spreading those long legs for someone else.”
I whack my brother with a dishtowel. “Clayton, don’t be so crass.”
I watch Beck carefully, seeing if he’s bothered by the fact that the woman he’d seen for two years has moved on so quickly. There are no outward signs, but I don’t know if I can read him as well as I used to.
“You okay?”
Beck lifts his brows. “Why wouldn’t I be?”
I shrug. “It’s okay if you’re not, you know. You spent two years of your life with her.”
He takes another pull from his beer. “Pres, I think you’re overestimating the situation. It wasn’t like that.”
