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“So youdocare?”
I blew out a breath, rubbing small circles against my temples.“Unfortunately, yes, and that’s the problem.This is exactly why I don’t date coworkers.There’s always drama.”
“Drama isn’t exclusive to coworkers, you know.”
“Maybe not, but if it was someone outside of work, I wouldn’t have to see them every damn day and pretend like nothing happened.”
Char surveyed me in that big sister, tough love kind of way.“Then don’t pretend.”
“I have to.I have a job to do and work is the priority, always.”
“That’s a convenient excuse,” she said.“But maybe the reason you bury yourself in work is so you don’t have to deal with the stuff that actually scares you.”
My lips parted, but the rebuttal never came.Probably because she was right, and I wasn’t ready to admit that.
“I’m just saying, you don’t have to minimize your feelings to be good at your job.You’re allowed to want more than a perfectly executed seating chart.”
“But is there anything better than that?”I joked.
Char shook her head and laughed.“Go downstairs, get through the brunch, and handle business.As for Ben?Whatever’s causing him to pull away will eventually come out.Secrets always do.”
A small smile curved my lip.“Especially around here.”
“This town thrives on it.”
“Not just the town.Our family, too.”
“How do you think I found out about you and Ben?”She winked, and with a genuine laugh, I waved and headed out to face Ben.
I had an hour to get everything in order, maybe less because the ladies tended to show up early.Normally, I’d be stressing out, but I was emotionally drained and didn’t have the energy.
I walked into the barn, and relief spread through me.All the tables were in place and half the chairs were arranged.Ben had been here for fifteen minutes, tops.How the hell did he get so much done already?
Wyatt, Rhone and Franc appeared and even Gio.“What is going on here?”I asked as Wyatt and Rhone placed chairs around a table Ben and Franc just brought in.Gio dragged a single chair behind him.
“We’re helping, Ben!”Gio explained as he dropped the chair in place and showed me his muscles.“I’m getting strong!”He bounced over to me, and I high-fived him.
“You are.”I fully smiled for the first time today.“Pretty soon you’ll be carrying whole tables.”
“Like Dad and Uncle Rhone.”He nodded, his hair flopping over his eyes.“I’m going to be as strong as an elephant.”
“That’s pretty strong.”
“I know.Did you know elephants can carry over fourteen thousand pounds with their bodies?And their trunks can lift like six hundred pounds!That’s like how much Dad weighs!”
A laugh slipped from my lips as Franc’s head snapped toward us.
“How much do I weigh?”he asked Gio.
“Six hundred pounds!”
“Not even close,” he said, rustling Gio’s hair.Gio swatted his hand away and side-stepped him.
My attention turned to Ben, who was wiping sweat from his brow.
“What are you all doing here?”
“Gio and I met Rhone here to check on some barrels,” Franc said.