All the frustration simmering inside of me dissipates.
“Oh, um, it’s okay.”
“It’s not okay. Look, you have every right to be pissed at Dad for what he did to you. I was an asshole for trying to talk you into seeing him.”
From the corner of my eye, I see Becca aiming a concerned stare at me. I cover the mouthpiece of the phone with my hand and mouth, “My brother.”
“Oh,” she whispers, then nods and gestures for me to take the call. When she hops up, yanks her shirt down, and starts cleaning up, I want to scream out of frustration. Fuck. We were so damn close to what I’m certain would have been a hot-as-hell kiss.
“…and if you’re not busy, I’m in your neighborhood with a six-pack of your favorite microbrew,” Tyler says.
“What?”
“I was going to stop by and drop it off. And I can fix the water dispenser on your fridge too, if you want. I brought my tools.”
“Oh. Uh…”
I hate how annoyed I am at Tyler in this moment. My brother is being decent as hell, trying to make things right and smooth things over with my favorite beer and an offer to help me. All I want to do is tell him to go away so I can salvage that moment between Becca and me.
But as the seconds pass, I know it’s long gone. She’s busy cleaning up. Tyler is on his way to see me as we speak. I just have to move on.
“Yeah, I’m on my way there now. See you soon.”
I hang up and look over at Becca, who’s standing next to the counter a few feet away.
“Is your brother okay?” she asks.
“Yeah, he’s fine. He’s on his way to my place. Surprise visit.”
“Oh.” I’m heartened at how disappointed she sounds.
“Well, you’d better get going then,” she says quickly.
I’m taken aback, but she’s right. I can’t leave Tyler hanging.
“Here, I’ll send you the video.” It only takes a couple of taps, but I find myself trying to go as slowly as possible, just so I can have more time with her.
Becca looks at her phone and flashes a tight smile along with a thumbs-up. “Got it. Thanks again for your help.”
“Sure.”
The words aren’t even out of my mouth before she darts off to the back. I stumble to my car, still half hard, my head in a fog.
Chapter10
Becca
Tori locks the entrance to Sweet Cheeks when the last customer leaves, then spins around to me and pumps her fist in the air.
“Can you believe it? Sold out of every flavor!” she squeaks. She runs over and pulls me into a hug. “I can’t remember the last time that happened. Can you?”
I shake my head. “Maybe our grand opening like a year ago?”
Tori breaks our embrace but keeps hold of my shoulders. “And we’re shipping ice cream all over the country. We’ve never been this busy.” She winks at me. “I think we know what we owe this success to.”
She steps away and starts wiping down the counter. “I still can’t believe Gage Grant licked ice cream off your stomach. God, you are the luckiest woman alive. Two days of that video being posted to the Sweet Cheeks’ TikTok and look.” She gestures to the empty containers of ice cream in the display case. “Brilliant marketing, Bec. You two are an amazing team.”
Tori flashes a sly smile at me, and I feel my entire body burn hot. I start closing out the register, but my focus is shot. It’s been that way ever since the other night. That was the single hottest thing I’ve ever done in my life, and every time I think about it, I swear I’m going to combust.
