A Pessimist's Guide to Love (Heartsong Duet Book 2) by Jennifer Hartmann

Author:Jennifer Hartmann [Hartmann, Jennifer]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2023-01-24T13:00:00+00:00

Chapter 15

Cal

I’m rushing to get things organized when Ike chucks a lollipop at my head and laughs like a toddler.

“What the hell?” I snatch it off the desk and throw it back at him. “Let it be known that I have zero faith in you assholes running this place while I’m gone for the weekend.”

He unwraps the peach Dum Dum and pops it in his mouth, still grinning. “Don’t blame you, boss. Shame you don’t got any other options.” His eyebrows waggle as he sucks the candy against his cheek. “We’ll keep the place standing, at least.”

I’m not convinced. “Kenny brought a fucking space heater into the garage and put it by the gas cylinder.”

“Got cold,” he shrugs.

I scrub both hands over my face and blow out a breath. “I’m taking off in ten minutes, after I close out this invoice. I’ll be back Monday morning. Text me with any emergencies,” I tell him, pausing to add, “And no, Dante clogging the toilet again is not an emergency. Plumber’s number is in the break room.”

Both of his hands fly up, palms forward. “Hey now, we ain’t gonna disrupt your romantic weekend. That doll deserves to be wined and dined and treated like a queen.” He winks. “Too bad you’re the king she got stuck with.”

I level him with a glare.

Since my flu bug finally decided to leave me the fuck alone, I invited Lucy up to Door County for a couple of nights for a relaxing getaway. It’s not intended to be the “romantic weekend” Ike’s implying—more so a chance to connect on a deeper level and work through some of my issues. Talk, eat some good food in Ephraim, maybe do a wine tasting. Some of my fondest memories as a kid were of visiting Door County in the summertime and sucking down chili dogs and banana splits by the water while taking in the views of the bluffs across Eagle Harbor.

Lucy and her family even came along one year when I was nine, and she was seven, and we explored Cave Point, went kayaking, and splashed around in the hotel pool until our skin pruned.

It’ll be a different experience in the winter—and as adults—but I’m looking forward to it just the same.

Ike’s laughter follows him as he turns to head back into the garage, but I stop him before he pushes through. “Hey.”

He spins. “Yeah?”

My chest tightens a bit as I glance up at his clear blue eyes, and a wave of gratitude spills through me. Swallowing, I say, “Thanks. For having my back,” I tell him, voice strained.

I don’t need to elaborate; he knows what I’m referring to.

The levity dissipates from his expression, and he nods slowly, pulling the sucker from his mouth. “You know I’ve been there, Bishop,” he says. “Ruined my life, then had to rebuild it from the ground up. It wasn’t a fuckin’ cakewalk, that’s for sure—I’ll be damned if I watch a buddy of mine go through that same hell for a second time.

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