She smiles at me and I try to ignore the way it warms me up inside, but it does. It’s a genuine smile, one that reaches her eyes, and it is all that is right in the world.
“What?” she asks.
“Just thinking about our redo of this place.”
We share a smile and for that one moment, everyone and everything—the talking and the hustle and bustle of the restaurant—seems to dissolve into the background. Of course, just like every quiet moment with her today, Carter ruins it.
“So, Nancy-love, what’s good here?” he asks.
She blinks, the moment dissolving as she realizes that she’s mad at me still. She looks at Carter. “Just about everything, but they are known for their brisket.”
He purses his lips. “Yeah? Even here?”
We are at the epicenter of some of the best barbecue in Texas. Brisket is king here and Austin tends to get a lot of attention for it, but Mason is just as good in my opinion. Better in a lot of respects.
She nods. “It’s my favorite.”
“Then I shall have it,” he says jovially. “Hey, Travis, you going to be in San Antonio anytime soon? I was thinking we could do up Stallions again.”
He’s being nice, cordial even. But there is something in his expression that tells me he’s screwing with me. Why, I have no idea, but it’s there all the same.
“I don’t know when I’ll be there.”
I know he knows about the maybe stalker and that we are trying to keep it out of the public eye. I think Josh let the LOLs know, but they are not pushing the narrative on the Juniper Express. They understand what a mess Juniper would become if people found out about it. Press would show up and it would be a circus. Right now, they are keeping an eye out for things, but making sure that no one else knows.
“Nancy can come too. I’m sorry I couldn’t be there when you were there last time.”
Nancy’s face flushes and I remember that night distinctively. One of their friends had a bachelorette party at Stallions. Syd and Nancy got somewhat a little tipsy. Thankfully, not the starting a brawl and getting arrested kind that they did later here at Wyatt’s, but they still got very drunk.
The waitress comes to the table and takes our orders. “So, Travis, what are your plans for the off season? Would you want to come to Vegas with Nancy?”
That question leaves me frowning. Why would he want me to tag along? If we were in opposite positions, I wouldn’t want him around. Hell, I don’t even want him here now. But he’s sitting there smiling at me, like it’s no big deal.
“I think we’re going to stick close to Juniper for obvious reasons.”
He nods but says nothing else as the waitress returns with our drinks.
“So, I was thinking about the apartment,” Syd says. “The lease is up in October, and I will keep it if you both think you’ll use it. I mean, from now on you could stay at Grady’s when you pop into town.”
Fuck, it’s not the same thing. I like having the apartment because…I don’t know. Probably because I can pretend that we are more involved than just coworkers. Sad and pathetic, yes, but I have a whole fantasy when we’re staying there—especially with Syd practically living with Grady.
“I have a big guest house out back. It’s more of a pool house, but it has a little kitchen and a bathroom with a standing shower. If it’s privacy you are looking for, that works. It only has one bedroom and also a pullout couch.”
“Both are extremely comfortable,” Carter says as he sips his iced tea.
“How do you know?” Grady asks him.
“What?”
I can practically hear Grady grind his teeth. “How do you know?”
“Oh, I slept out there last week.”
Grady blinks and looks at Syd. She shrugs. Then he looks back at his brother. “When?”
“Oh, Friday night.”
“How did you get in?”
He finally looks up from his phone. “I just used the code.”
“I’ve been telling you we need to change that,” Grady says to Syd, who just smiles and says nothing. Truthfully, I don’t know how they put up with Carter. Even before he started irritating me about Nancy, he was a handful. Always ready to party, he lives in his own little world. I’m assuming it helps him with his ventures in building a world class club brand for the family, but I don’t see how. He’s kind of a spaz, always inappropriate.
We start talking about nothing in particular at that point, but I’m always aware of Nancy. She gets up for a few minutes and sits next to Syd so they can talk. Their heads are bent together, whispering about something, and it irritates me that I can’t hear what they are talking about.
When the food arrives, she returns to her seat and we all dig in. Mason’s barbecue has won him a few awards over the years. It just doesn’t get better than his own sauce—a highly protected recipe. He doesn’t tell anyone, other than one or two people who have worked with him for years. And he is popular, especially during the summer. Locals love him, but the number of tourists outnumber us. By the time we finish and head out of the restaurant, the line is out the door.
Syd and Nancy want to do a little shopping, so they go off on their own…then Carter tags along because…of course he does. They both head into Nerdvana with Carter trailing behind them.
“Tell it to me straight,” Grady says, his gaze on the front door as we lean up against his SUV. “Do you think she’s safe?”
I sigh. “I think so, and Josh says a stalker will at least hold off for a little while with me around.”
He glances out of the corner of his eye, then back to the door. “This has nothing to do with the show, does it?”
“What do you mean?”
“The reason that you’re freaking out.”
Irritation winds through me and I barely keep my mouth shut. It’s hard enough that he’s Syd’s boyfriend, but he’s my boss and it’s embarrassing.
“Listen, I get it, more than you know, Travis. Your sister was a pain in my ass, truly. Knowing that she had issues with men she worked with in her past, it made me very wary of even starting things with her. Plus, without her, I would be lost at work.”
“So, what made you change your mind? And don’t be gross about my sister.”
He chuckles. “It was the fact that I realized that without her in my life was much worse than losing her at work. If work goes to shit, that I can handle. Life without Syd, that’s unacceptable.”
“What does that have to do with Nancy and me?” I mean, I know what it means, but I’m hoping he doesn’t. The look he gives me lets me know that he definitely knows.
“Do you want to keep playing stupid with me, or do you want some advice that has nothing to do with the fact you work for me?”
I sigh. “Okay, hit me.”
“You think that if you keep yourself away from her, ignore these feelings you have for her, it will just go away. Believe me, it won’t. It will grow and if you don’t confront your feelings, it will fester. Don’t make that mistake. It might make things difficult to deal with on set, but at least you can move on even if she doesn’t want anything to do with you.”
“Great.”