Rare Blend (Red Mountain #1)

9. Ethan

CHAPTER 9

Ethan

I’M LIKE A FERAL ANIMAL

T hat was a fucking nightmare. If there’s anything I hate, it’s having to run the farmers market booth. Normally, Gavin does it, because he loves interacting with people while they try his wines. He’s also very good in social situations, something I seem to lack.

And now I have to do another nightmarish thing…ask my little brother Shane for a favor.

“This place is a shit hole.” I look around Shane’s apartment and try to keep myself from gagging. Every square inch of flooring is covered in discarded clothes, food wrappers, and empty beer bottles.

He snickers at my disgusted face, seemingly proud of his disaster.

“And what the hell is this?” I ask, digging out whatever is poking me from under the couch cushion. I instantly regret it when I find a woman’s bra with a high heel dangling from it. My hand drops the items, and Shane catches them before they hit the floor.

His face splits into a smile, and he laughs. “Sorry about that.” He sets the stuff on a recliner, still smiling to himself. “We were wondering where the other shoe ended up.”

A full-body cringe starts to set in. “Please don’t tell me you fucked some random girl on this couch and now I’m sitting in it?”

“No, of course not.”

My shoulders drop in relief.

“She wasn’t random,” he continues.

I shoot out of my seat so fast the room spins. “What the fuck is wrong with you?”

He shrugs, unaffected by my outburst. “You know Shelby. She’s not a random chick.”

A vein starts to pulse between my eyebrows. “As in Shelby, your service manager?”

He nods. “Yeah. Hot as hell, right?”

There’s no way we’re related. Not possible. “You’re not supposed to fuck your staff, dumbass.”

Shane is the head chef at Flat Stone, our in-house restaurant. His kitchen? Immaculate. Everything else? A total disaster.

“Chill,” he says, kicking his feet up on the coffee table and knocking over a stack of mail. “It was her last shift. We were celebrating.”

“With how often you stick your dick in someone, I’m surprised there’s not a few mini Shanes walking around.”

His brows raise. “Bruh, I keep my shit wrapped. Thanks for the advice, though, Dad.”

I rub my temples, trying to remember why I came here in the first place. “Are you busy, October thirtieth?”

His shoulders lift. “Fuck if I know, that’s forever from now, why?”

“Can you watch Goose? I have an important meeting at the Woodinville tasting room, and I might be gone overnight.”

He blows out a breath. “And you’re asking me? You would actually trust me with him?”

He sounds just as shocked as I feel.

“Mom and Dad will be on vacation, Gavin is busy, Elyse has a wedding, and Ariana is going to be in Pullman visiting Layla for Halloween. It’s you or it’s no one. Think you can keep him alive?”

He nods, his eyes wandering like he’s trying to convince himself. “Yeah, no problem. I got this.”

I already regret this decision. Shane is the least responsible of my siblings and probably the least responsible person I know.

After leaving Shane’s apartment, I take a full, deep breath. Fresh air never smelled so good. Once I’m in my truck, I cover my hands in a thick layer of hand sanitizer.

On the drive home, I pass by the gas station, the one I’m pretty sure Marisa bought all the food from that first night. Gnawing guilt twists my stomach. I didn’t handle that night well. In fact, I haven’t handled anything to do with Marisa very well. I don’t intend to be an asshole, it just happens. And then I feel even worse afterward.

We came to somewhat of an understanding a few days ago, but I haven’t talked to her since. It’s exactly what I wanted, yet I’ve found myself searching for her every time I walk out of my place. My eyes draw to her cottage like they’re being pulled by a magnet, looking for any sign of her. And there hasn’t been any.

I was convinced she had left until I spotted her at the market earlier. The second she saw me, she up and sprinted away like she couldn’t get away fast enough.

I would react the same way if I was in her shoes. I’ve been a grumpy asshole to her for almost no reason other than she’s a distraction. A beautiful, sunny, unpredictable, distraction. And none of that is her fault. It’s mine, and my issues, and my baggage, and my terrible anxiety. I’m like a feral animal around her, desperate for her approval and attention, but I snarl trying to get it. I’m a fucking mess.

Even on the very first day when I met her in the vineyard. Sure, I was upset because it was just one more thing I had to deal with, but then she walked out of that dangerous little car of hers, fresh faced and doe eyed, and I didn’t know what to do. And then she spoke, that honey-sweet voice of hers. I couldn’t peel my eyes off her, even though I wanted to. She had every warning written all over her. A beautiful, tempting, city girl, full of sass and sun, with no patience for my bullshit. It feels like the universe is dangling something I can’t have right in my face just to taunt me with it, because why else would that same woman be the very one staying next door to me?

It’s a cruel joke.

I make an illegal U-turn and head back toward downtown. At the very least, I owe her a meal. Maybe then I’ll be able to put a stop to the guilt and shame eating away at me.

Taqueria Los Volcanes is without a doubt the best taco truck in Red Mountain. There are four other taco trucks in town, and they’re decent, but I have a soft spot for this one.

“Hola, amigo,” Jose, the owner, says, poking his head out of the order window.

The winery hosts a few evening events in the summer and invites local food trucks to park out front so guests can drink wine and sample the different cuisines. Jose is always invited, and over the years he’s become a family friend.

I order my usual and then place an order for one of each taco.

“Big appetite today, huh?”

“Something like that,” I mumble.

While I wait for the order to be ready, I take a seat at one of the wooden picnic tables on the patio. If I had been paying attention, I would’ve noticed the guy with his head bowed and face hidden by a baseball cap seated right across from me. It’s not until I feel his stare that I realize who it is.

I knew I was going to run into Laura and Travis when I moved back. It wasn’t an if it was a when . Red Mountain is small—there is no avoiding the inevitable.

You’d think I’d be ready, be mentally prepared, yet somehow I still feel caught off guard. Travis was like a brother to me, my best friend throughout childhood. He was at my house so often, sometimes it felt like he lived there. So of course, when Laura and I started dating, I wasn’t surprised at all they were close. In fact, I liked it. I liked that two of the most important people in my life were friends. Looking back on it, there were lots of signs, I was just too blind to see them.

Our eyes meet, and he starts to stand, obviously trying to leave.

“You can stay,” I tell him.

He pauses with his leg half swung over the bench, before reluctantly sitting back down.

“It’s not like I’m going to pick a fight with you in broad daylight.”

He nods and looks away as his Adam’s apple bobs in his throat. “I’ll leave as soon as my food is done.”

I don’t respond, instead I let the awkward silence buzz around us like an annoying fly.

He clears his throat and looks at me, opening his mouth a few times and then shutting it, as if he wants to speak but keeps stopping himself.

I shift in my seat, searching for something to break the silence. “I got the wedding invitation. Congratulations.” I’m surprised that came out sounding as sincere as it did.

The color drains from his face. “I didn’t realize she invited you. I’ve been letting her handle all that stuff. Sorry about that.”

The urge to laugh in his face is so strong I have to clench my fist. That’s the thing about Laura. She does what she wants, when she wants to. To hell with anyone else and their opinions.

He shakes his head, wearing the internal conversation going on in his head all over his face. “Seriously, man, I had no idea. I would’ve never…”

His words die, but I hear the rest. He would’ve never allowed it to happen had he known.

“Well, like I said, congratulations. I hope it works out for you guys.”

“Order for Travis,” Jose’s wife Marta yells out.

Travis stands and looks at me. “Heard you moved back.”

“Yep.” I don’t provide further explanation.

“Well, that’s good, man.” The palpable discomfort hangs heavy in the air between us. “So, uh, I guess I’ll see you around.”

“Yeah, see you.”

He grabs his food and quickly leaves.

That was worse than running into an ex, that was like running into someone who’s been exiled from your family. I guess at this point, all I can do is hope for the day it no longer feels weird to see him.