“So you think she’ll be better off with a partial asshole?” Austin chuckled and leaned on his left arm to face him. “Come on, Jericho. You’re not a wolf who’s ready to settle. Why are you so hung up on this woman?”
Jericho tapped a pack of cigarettes against the palm of his hand and pulled out a slender stick, admiring the neatly trimmed paper. “Because we never really ended it. I never got the final word. We never had the fight where she would have told me what a failure I was at being her friend. I just woke up and she wasn’t there anymore.”
He lit the end of his cigarette and blew a donut ring in the air. It floated toward the ceiling, and damn if that didn’t remind him of her too.
“It sounds like she’s got something else going on in her life now, brother. If you care about her, you’ll leave her alone. If you don’t give a damn about her, you’ll mess with her head and ruin her life. I don’t know who Izzy is, but if she’s poison, then I don’t want my brother mixed up in that. You’re not adrift anymore. You’re part of a pack, and I have a responsibility as Packmaster to look out for my family.” Austin rapped his knuckles on the bar and looked around. “Just keep in mind that those years you two spent together were the years you were lost to us. Lost to everyone. If she had anything to do with that—”
“She didn’t. That was all me. Fame tasted pretty damn good back then.” Jericho set his smoke on the ashtray and ran his finger across his bottom lip, pinching it out a little. “How’s Lexi getting on with the business?” he asked, changing topics.
Austin smirked and turned around so his elbows were on the bar. “That woman is something else. She’s still scoping out buildings on the Breed side of town, and I think we’ve got a contender for the next Sweet Treats location.”
“Is she still doing the pastry thing?”
Austin nodded. “She’s got the cookies and cakes down pat, but she’s trying her hand at donuts and breakfast foods. I told her she’s getting in over her head—maybe she should just keep the shop open in the afternoon and see how business goes. Hell no. Lexi wants her store open morning and night. Her goal is twenty-four hours, but I’m not having that. We’re not a fucking 7-Eleven.”
Jericho snorted. “That would cut short your time in the sack.”
“Nooo doubt,” Austin agreed. “If she can hire staff to accommodate the hours, then I’ll agree to it. But money will be tight in the beginning, so I don’t see that happening.”
“You sure it’s a good idea? The old shop is running just fine.”
Austin slid off the stool and stretched back. “I give my woman whatever she wants, including her dreams. We need to move the business to the Breed district so we can get out of all that mess with taxes. I liked the last place we looked at; Wheeler’s negotiating a price to see if we can get him to come down.”
“So you’ll need staff?”
Austin patted Jericho’s arm. “Yeah. You feel like dropping the microphone and serving cookies?”
“That would be a negative. I might have someone in mind if she needs help.”
Jericho wondered if Isabelle would like that kind of job. She wouldn’t have to put up with drunken men, and the girl loved her donuts.
“What if you sang in the store now and again? It’s going to be a pastry shop that also serves coffee. Lexi wants a place where people like to hang out, and a singer would really draw in customers. We could set it up so you’d have a little area in the corner to play your acoustic. No mic, just a stool. Real casual.” Austin tucked his hands in his pockets. “You won’t have women throwing lingerie at you, but you might like the change of pace. It’ll put a little extra money in your pocket if you also put out a tip jar. I think it’s safe to say the ladies will pay well to hear you sing.”
Jericho swiveled around and stretched out his left leg, staring at the pool table. “I might do it for some free donuts.”
Austin strolled toward the door. “I think that can be arranged.”
“Unlimited supply,” Jericho added.
“Don’t push it.”
A knock sounded at the door downstairs.
“Are you expecting someone?” Jericho hopped off the stool and followed Austin.
“Lexi’s going to a movie with Naya. She doesn’t like coming over here because—”
“She’s a diva?”
“I don’t think she gets along with Wheeler, so she stays away to avoid the drama. Don’t mention anything about it,” Austin murmured as they hurried down the stairs.
“Naya, come in!” Lexi said excitedly.
“Is that what you’re wearing, chickypoo?”