Page 8 of Bothered By the Grump

“Hey Irishman, you’re scarin’ off all the payin’ customers around here. Why the long face?” Hank, the bartender and proprietor of Hank’s Bar, faces me from across the counter. He crosses his arms and raises an eyebrow. “Thought you had a new girlfriend. That cute little thing with the tea shop. That should make any man happy.”

I tap a finger along the rim of my glass. “It should, right?” I feel disgusted with myself. I’m acting like a teenage girl mooning over a boy. I need to get my shit together. Instead, I find myself asking the one exact question that girl would ask about a boy she likes. “How do you know how a woman feels about you, Hank?”

My friend throws his head back and laughs, a barking laugh that makes his stomach jiggle. Hank is a conundrum. He can be a grumpy old gus at times, but he looks like Santa Claus and every Christmas he lets the local women talk him into playing Santa for the local kids. Then he has his days when he barely smiles and grunts in reply to your questions. He’s a moody bastard but he gives the best damn advice.

“Jesus, boy, you’ve got it bad.”

I shake my head and then take a long swig of the dark liquid. “I know. I’m screwed. The lass doesn’t seem to want anything long term. I’m so gone I’m ready to talk about how many kids we’re going to have.”

He grimaces. “That is bad, Irish. Why do you think she’s balkin’ at the thought of settling down? Have you talked about her past?”

I shake my head slowly, thinking of all the times I’ve tried to get her family history out of her. So far, I’ve only been able to get stories of her Granny from her. Her granny sounds like she was a hoot, but none of her stories have included why she isn’t ready to give her heart away.

“Nope, every time I bring it up, she, uh, distracts me.” With her mouth, with her breasts, with her…

Hank sends me a wink. “I get it. But maybe you could um, ignore her distractions for a little bit and try to focus on getting some intel. There’s got to be something making her hold back.”

“Fuck, man, that’s going to be difficult. She makes things very, very hard to ignore.” Emphasis on hard.

He grins. “Gotta ignore your baser instincts, pal. Your girl’s hiding something and it’s your job to get it out of her.”

I finish the last sip of my pint and set the glass down on the counter. I sigh, long and hard. “Aw hell, you’re right.”

“As I am so often. Go ask your girl some questions and get outta here with your sad face.”

I wave goodbye to the old bartender. Feckin’ hell. Why are bartenders always right?

Chapter eleven

Noelle

I never expected to fall for him. -Noelle

“Everything’s coming together, Esther. We should be more than ready for our grand opening, Saturday.” I clap my hands together and grin widely. I’ve invited practically the whole town to introduce them to Noelle’s Cup of Tea. I’m offering free teas and showing off the party packages I have available by serving some of my favorite baked treats. I’m hoping I’ll get lots of bookings that day. I’ve already had a several local women trying to take a peek in the window to see what the interior looks like.

Esther grunts. “Yeah, everyone will have a good time. You’ve worked hard, girl. You deserve this.” She wiggles her eyebrows. “This and all that hot sex you’re havin’ with the man next door.”

I open my mouth in shock. How does she…

“Hey, I’m old, but I have ears. Heard some odd noises comin’ from the kitchen the other day. Hope you two sanitized everything after.” She sends me a wink and starts sweeping the floor while I still stand there, speechless.

Okay, so maybe Luca and I have been a little…rambunctious. Hell, a lot. I can’t seem to resist that man. The other day I walked in his shop while he had his shirt off and I just couldn’t stop myself. He had to close up for an hour…

I smile at the memory. The only fly in the ointment is when he mentions the future. He likes to use the word “we” and I swear he almost told me he loves me the other day. Every time he gets serious about us, I try to distract him.

I’m not ready to talk about the future. I’m not ready to call this a relationship. My stomach drops. If I call this a relationship, then that means it’s bound to fail. I’m bound to be hit by the Gray curse and then Luca will disappear, either by his own choosing or in some other awful way. I can’t take it. I can’t risk losing him.

The man will just have to get used to getting blow jobs instead of talking. Yep, that’s all there is to it.

“We have a peeper again, Noelle.” Esther shakes her head. “They just can’t keep away, I guess.”

I turn towards the broad front window. Most of the window is covered up with some fall-themed art I had a local artist do, but there are gaps. One of those gaps is currently being used by a brunette peering in with her hands cupped around her eyes.

I approach the window and gasp. That’s not just any stranger.

“Mama!” I yell.

I run to open the front door, almost knocking poor Esther over in the process.