“Hey, loser,” Hunter joked with Alec. “You missed a gorgeous morning. Squeezed in twelve miles. Why’d you bail?”
Hunter waved off the glass of wine Sara offered, so Colby guzzled it, earning herself a quizzical grin from her sister-in-law.
“I was in Portland.” Alec also declined wine.
“At six thirty?” Hunter crossed his arms. “Produce market?”
“No. I went up yesterday evening to check out the competition and bumped into Colby. We ended up talking late into the night.”
Sara glanced from Alec to Colby, her gaze dropping to the point of contact where Alec’s hand rested lightly against the small of Colby’s back. Sara grinned, but Hunter remained clueless.
“So you crashed up there,” Hunter said, reaching inside the fridge for a beer. “Want one?”
“No, thanks.” Alec’s composure helped Colby tap into some courage.
“He didn’t just crash up there.” Colby cleared her throat. “We came to a decision.”
Hunter cracked open the bottle and took a swig. “Don’t tell me you’re fighting about the menu again. People love Alec’s food. Letting him take the lead there is the right call, Colby.”
She held his gaze, unwilling to discuss her desire to add a few comfort foods to the menu to satisfy people with her palate. “That’s not what we were discussing.”
“What, then? Not that happy-hour idea again, Sis?” Hunter’s brows pinched like they always did when he went on a fact-finding mission. “Did Gentry mess something up?”
“No, none of that.” Poor Gentry—everyone always assumed the worst.
“Inventory? Accounting? What?” He cocked his head. “How can I help?”
“Stop talking, for starters.” Colby rested her hands on the island. “This isn’t about the business.”
If Colby could’ve whipped out her phone and snapped a photo of Hunter’s perplexed expression to share with her mom without being rude, she would’ve. Rarely was he this confused. Sara, on the other hand, appeared to see what was coming and decided he needed a little help.
“Honey, take a seat.” Sara slid a barstool out for him.
“Why do I feel like I’m about to be punked?” Hunter glanced at Alec and took a bigger swig of beer.
“Your sister and I have decided to see each other outside of work,” Alec said.
Hunter choked on his drink. “What?”
“We’re dating, idiot.” Colby rolled her eyes.
Hunter’s lemon-faced expression telegraphed his thoughts loud and clear. “Dating?” He looked at Sara as if somehow she’d right the ship, which had clearly tilted beneath him. He attempted a smile, grasping for something that made sense. “Is this a joke?”
“No.” Colby sympathized with her brother’s shock.
“You two are dating?” Hunter repeated dumbly, his brows lowering. “Why?”
“Hunter!” Sara slapped his arm.
“I just mean it’s not a great idea. They work together.” He frowned and turned on Colby. “You’re breaking your own policy. It’s not too smart, Sis.”
Before Colby could respond, Sara interrupted. “Everything doesn’t revolve around business. At least not for most people.”
“Here we go again.” Hunter heaved a massive sigh.
“Yes, here we go again.” Sara raised a hand overhead. “Why can’t you set aside work for five minutes and think about your sister and your friend?”
“I am thinking about them. Colby’s finances are tied up in the restaurant. Alec’s career is, too.” Hunter shrugged, hands held out in question. “If this relationship doesn’t pan out and they can’t work together, they’re both screwed.”
“You’re hopeless.” Sara shook her head, then grabbed Colby’s hand. “I think it’s awesome. You’ve both been through so much, and I think you’re perfect for each other.”
“Oh, yeah. Kumbaya!” Hunter rolled his eyes. “You’re all being a little naive. Alec, seriously, my sister?” Then his face contorted, as if certain activities involved in dating just registered. “What are you doing with my sister?”
“Nothing that makes her unhappy.” Alec remained calm, although he looked weary.
“Don’t want to hear it.” Hunter waved his hands in front of his face. “Don’t even want to think about it, actually. Way to start off my week. Like I don’t have enough to worry about with CTC and Jenna’s stupid ideas, now I’ve got to worry about our investment in A CertainTea, and whether or not one of you will hurt the other?”
“Maybe you could stop thinking about yourself for a second, unless you like emulating Jenna.” Colby wrapped her arm around Alec’s waist. “How about we start over and you choose to be supportive?”
“Don’t hold your breath,” Sara muttered. “It’s practically impossible for him to drag his head away from CTC for more than five minutes.”
“Everyone back off,” Hunter huffed. “It’s a bit much to absorb in three seconds. Even without the business issues at stake, Alec and Colby dating is a little weird. I need time to adjust.”
“Grow up, Hunter.” Sara stood there looking like Khaleesi gearing up for battle.
The energy in the room shifted.
“Please, don’t argue,” Colby interjected. “Hunter, I get it. It’s a shock. It’s caught us by surprise, too. But the time we’ve spent together these past several weeks changed things. We aren’t kids anymore, but the fact we’ve all been friends forever is exactly what makes me trust Alec and think we could be happy. I’d hope you’d want that for us.”
“I do.” Hunter hung his head for a second and then stood tall. “Of course I do.”
“Our friendship is important to me, but I’m not here for permission,” Alec stated. “We just didn’t want to sneak around behind your back.”
“Thanks.” Hunter shifted his weight to his other leg and shot Sara a sidelong glance. She didn’t smile or poke fun at him or do any of the things she normally did to make him feel better.
“We should go. Obviously, you were busy when we showed up.” Colby hugged Hunter. “I’ll touch base with Sara tomorrow and find some other time when we can all go out.”
“Sure.” Hunter crossed his arms. “But tell me this. Will you announce this at work or keep it on the down low? There are a lot of implications to consider before you jump into this in front of your employees.”
Sara groaned and then gave Colby and Alec a quick kiss. “Call me tomorrow, and we’ll look at the calendar.”
She spun on her heel and stalked out of the kitchen, her heavy footsteps echoing as she jogged up the stairs. Hunter stared over his shoulder to where she’d gone. “Not what I needed tonight.”
He tossed his empty bottle in the recycling bin, where it shattered. Colby hoped that wasn’t some kind of omen, for her brother or her.
“Thanks for telling me. I didn’t mean to be a dick about it.” Hunter bro-hugged Alec. “But don’t hurt my sister.”
“I won’t,” Alec promised, and she believed him.
Hunter gave Colby a heartier hug. “We’ll talk later.”
“Woo-hoo.” She smirked, but she knew he felt bad, and now he’d have his hands full with Sara. They’d work it out, though. Theirs was the kind of love that always found a way to survive. Maybe, just maybe, Colby would also find that this time around.
Chapter Thirteen