Page 26 of Home Brewed (The Perfect Cup #1)

Beck

W hat a freaking night. I’m shaking with anger as I watch the cops drive Justin away. I need to tamp it down and not freak Hazel out any more than she already is. She has to be my priority. The things he said to her… I won’t be forgetting them anytime soon, so I’m pretty confident she won’t either.

I let Mel take Hazel to the office while I go talk to Nessa.

I’m eternally grateful for her quick thinking, pulling her brother down here.

Things would have gotten far more out of hand had I not had backup, and the last thing we need here is a bar fight.

She’s standing off to the side, talking to James now that his set is officially over.

His bandmates are nearby and clearly not too upset about the interruption, at least not for mine or Hazel’s part in it.

Nessa looks up right as I approach, and I snatch her up into a bear hug.

“Thanks for having our backs out there. That probably saved me a huge hassle.” I smooth down the back of her hair affectionately.

Nessa pats my back and pushes away from me to stand next to her brother again.

“Happy to help! That dickweed had it coming.” She wears her disdain openly on her face, but she’s such a tiny person that it looks a little funny. I turn to James so she won’t notice my slight laugh.

“Thanks to you, too, man. What a way to reconnect, huh?” I grab his hand, and he brings me into a bro hug, giving me a solid thump on the back that rattles my ribcage.

I do my best to keep collected, but ouch .

James and I get along, but he’s got the demeanour of a guard dog, all fluffy and nice until you take a wrong step.

I hope to never find myself on his bad side.

“No worries, man. I never liked that guy. It was nice to have an excuse to rough him up a bit.” James is a huge dude.

Like, a massive dude. And watching him smile is like watching a shark bare its teeth.

I know that he’s friendly. It’s still not exactly the vibe that he puts out into the world.

Compared to his spitfire redheaded sister, the hulking, buff, blonde doesn’t seem remotely related.

Although, they hold a spookily similar bloodlust.

“Rough him up?” Nessa asks. She hadn’t seen him escort Justin outside.

“Poor guy was so drunk and clumsy, ran into a few chairs. Tables. The doorframe on the way out. He hit my knee with his balls, what can I say? A regular klutz.” His shoulders are shaking as he speaks, and I roll my eyes. That tracks.

“Well, thanks again for the assist man. I gotta get my girl out of here, it’s been a more eventful night than either of us signed up for…” I wanted this night to be perfect and ten minutes was all it took to flush it down the drain.

“Oooooh, your girl ?” teases Nessa, “Are you going to ask her to go steady? Wear your letterman jacket?” She’s laughing at her own jokes now. “Oh! Oh! Ask her to prom!” James looks up, like he’s praying for the patience to deal with her before guiding her towards the bar again.

“I’ll take it from here. Tell Hazel it was almost nice to meet her,” he grumbles as he steers Nessa back to her station at the bar where I am beginning to suspect that she may have had more than the one shot most of my bartenders take at some point throughout the night.

Whatever. That’s a problem for tomorrow.

Right now, I need to get back to Hazel and salvage what’s left of this evening.

I get to the office right as Mel is leaving.

She offers me an encouraging smile and pat on the arm as she goes to pass me, leaving the door cracked just enough that I can see Hazel hunched over a glass of the rosé I started stashing in there for her.

She doesn’t seem to be teary anymore, just exhausted. Fuck. So am I.

“How’s she doing?” I whisper to Mel.

“She’s doing okay. Frustrated, but she’ll be fine.

” She gives me a reassuring squeeze on my shoulder and goes back out to the front.

I hope there aren’t any angry customers, given that both of my bartenders were MIA for a second there.

I would have been upset, too, if it weren’t for Hazel.

I quietly push through the door, closing it behind me.

The click of the latch causes her head to snap up and look at me.

I’m greeted with a thin, slightly shaky smile.

She’s a trooper, my girl. I would have been crying directly into my wine glass if that had happened to me.

“Hey, sugar, you ready to head out?” I ask, pulling her up from the chair. She kills the last of her drink, setting the glass back on the table.

“I am so fucking ready to get out of here,” she mumbles, placing her palm over my heart. I put my hand over hers, and she adjusts to meet my stare.

“I was thinking,” I start.

“That’s dangerous,” she teases. I burst out laughing, glad that she’s in good enough spirits to be making jokes.

“Okay, okay, I did have an idea, though.” I’m nervous to ask, I don’t want to come off as presumptuous.

But I’m not ready for this night to end.

“I was thinking I could show you my townhouse? We could wrap the night up with a movie, end on a good note.” I really hope I’m coming across as supportive and not creepy. Hazel seems apprehensive.

“I mean, I want that… I’m not sure if I’m ready for anything like that… I’ve definitely thought about it. With you, that is. But I’m still a little…” Between the excitement of tonight and her embarrassment of what she’s saying, her face nearly matches her shirt.

And she’s way too accommodating to tell me what’s holding her back outright .

“Sugar, there are no expectations. I just want to keep spending time with you. If that’s okay?” Her shoulders drop their tension.

“That sounds really good.” She twines her fingers through mine, letting me hold them for a moment before I finally lead her out of the bar.

The drive to my place is spent in silence.

It’s only ten minutes away, but the time seems to stretch in the words neither of us wants to say.

That despite our trying to make the most of it, Justin may have ruined this night, and I’m not sure if she’s going to give me a chance past this, not because of anything I did. Because of the things he said.

He was continually tearing her down. My hands clench on the steering wheel, thinking of the other times he probably spoke to her that way, the confidence when he said she would come back to him.

I sit there stewing, thinking about how long she put up with that treatment. I can feel it building in me, the need to go hit him in the face, but I stop when I feel something on my thigh.

Hazel’s hand found its way over to mine where it sits on my leg.

She hasn’t stopped looking out the window.

I hold onto this small connection like a lifeline, the connection that I could never have anticipated would bowl me over so thoroughly.

I poured my heart and soul into my career, putting in all my time and attention, and that left very little room for anything else.

I told myself years ago, when I first decided that I wanted to own my own business one day, that I wouldn’t waste time trying to date.

I decided that I would wait until I found someone worth putting everything else on hold for .

I haven’t exactly been a monk. I’ve had hookups here and there, a few repeat dates occasionally.

I never seriously considered anyone. Hazel changed all that.

Everything about her draws me in, makes me want more.

Any spare thought I have goes towards her, day or night.

The crinkle on her forehead when she’s focusing, or the way she clenches her hands when she has to deal with vendors being stupid, the way she ducks her head when she laughs, the way she’s always reading in her spare time.

I smile to myself as I pull into my driveway.

I own a two-story townhouse with a brown brick exterior.

I bought it when I was getting ready to buy the shop, knowing I would want to be close by.

It’s a three bedroom, which I’ll admit is too much room for me.

Fish and I never find it lonely. I love having the space to host family when they visit.

Before I can step out of the car, Hazel stops me, looking so deeply into my eyes I’m sure she can see my soul.

“Beck, I’m so sorry for all the drama that happened. I didn’t intend for any of… that. But, thank you. For everything tonight. The date was wonderful, and when shit went down, you protected me and I… Thank you. I’ve never had that.”

“You never have to thank me for taking care of you. I love it.” I place a brief kiss to the back of her knuckles before exiting the car.

“How did he know where to find us anyway? That’s what I can’t figure out.

” I don’t want to scare her, however, it’s worth thinking about.

She pauses in her tracks as it dawns on her.

“Fuck, I’m an idiot. I never turned off ‘Find my Friends’. God, I’m so stupid!” She wrestles her phone out of her pocket, punching the buttons until she lets out a satisfied humph.

Even if I want to argue against her statements, she’s fought enough tonight. At least that’s dealt with. Hopefully that’s the last we’ll hear from him.

“Your house is massive,” notes Hazel as I bring her inside, her eyes widening as she takes it all in.

It’s not that big, although compared to her small apartment, I suppose it could be seen as impressive.

I painted the entrance a deep green, wanting it to feel calm and cozy as soon as you walk in.

I have a brass coat hanger in the front hall and a small shoe rack off to the side.

“Do you want a tour?” I offer while helping Hazel out of her neck-stepping boots, knowing her feet have to be killing her by now. She agrees, tucking herself under my arm, into my side.