Fairy Tales and Cappuccinos (Everyday Love #1) - Taylor Rylan Page 0,20
the truck while I fastened my seat belt. The cab was warm, and I sent a silent prayer up for the heated seats. They were a must in the winter in Colorado as far as I was concerned.
I pulled out my phone and sent Chris another quick text.
Me: Grabbing dinner. Don’t wait for me. Sorry.
Chris: I won’t. Have fun.
Me: It’s not a date. It’s work.
Chris: Yeah, you keep saying that.
“Everything okay? Is Chris okay with you going out after work?” Hudson asked.
“Perfect, and he’s not my keeper or anything. He actually said to have fun,” I said as I pocketed my phone. I felt it vibrate a few more times as Hudson pulled out of the back lot and into the alley that connected all of the garages to the side roads.
From the street, you couldn’t tell they were here, but it made sense. Behind the buildings were a bunch of lots that had garages on them. Some even had fences. Hudson had said that some of the people had dogs, while there was one family that had a young kid.
I hadn’t realized that there were so many apartments above all of the buildings before. Now that I knew they were there, I knew to look and could see them. It was interesting, and I thought it would be convenient for someone like Hudson. And with the way Pleasant Grove was already decorating for the holidays, I bet the view was gorgeous at night.
6
Hudson
I couldn’t believe that Sawyer agreed to not only go to the home improvement store but out to dinner with me. Of course, it wasn’t actually a date. I couldn’t date my employee. That never ended well. Ever. But at least now I knew that most likely Sawyer played for my team. Even after I’d kicked him out of the shop, Ford had texted me two words. He is.
My cousin, bless him.
And sure, Sawyer said he was looking for something new, but that didn’t necessarily mean he’d stay here. There wasn’t a whole lot for someone like him in Pleasant Grove. And I’d not yet heard if he had thought more about staying here or not.
“So you’ve lived here your whole life?”
I darted a quick look to my right before I refocused on the road. It was bitterly cold out, and it had started to flurry oh so lightly, so I needed to remain focused on the drive. “I have. My family is from here, and until I was twelve, I lived with my mom. She married and moved away. I stayed here with Grandma.”
I left it at that. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to share the story. The entire town knew that my mom had left me behind for her new husband. It’d torn me apart at the time, but I had Grandma, and she’d been nothing but amazing and I never wanted for anything, including love.
“What about you? You’re from Breckenridge?” I asked.
“Yeah. My parents run a ski resort. It’s…I guess you could say a family business of sorts. My older brother—”
“Manages it for them. Richard Clifton. He’s your brother.”
“Yes.”
“You worked for your family’s business,” I said absently. I’d just put two and two together. I assumed that Richard Clifton was related to Sawyer, but I didn’t know they were brothers. So much more made sense now. “Can I ask a personal question?”
“Sure.”
“Why did you quit? Your family’s resort is very well-known.” And the Cliftons right along with it. I couldn’t believe it had taken me a week to realize he was one of Michael Clifton’s sons.
Sawyer blew out a deep breath, and I wasn’t sure he was going to answer.
“Mostly because of the stress. I’m on the brink of having an ulcer, and when I asked for fewer hours, I was lectured about giving it my all and then some. Only slackers needed time off.”
That sounded harsh. It had to be difficult to have your own family be that way toward you. “I’m sorry. Is there anything I should know? I mean, about your ulcer? Err, almost ulcer?”
“No. I just need to eat regular meals, avoid spicy foods, and cut way back on my caffeine.”
That didn’t sound like fun. At all. “But yet you want to open a coffee counter inside my bookstore?”
“Ironic, right? But that doesn’t necessarily mean I’ll be drinking all the coffee. Just that I’m going to be serving it. I have enough willpower to not spend all day drinking coffee. Especially when it causes such pain.”