11. A New Male Lead

11

A New Male Lead

Deacon

I don't condone violence, and I rarely resort to it, but I wish I could have smashed that guy's face on the pavement. I didn't hear what he said about Alice, but the fact that he went on a date with her was reason enough.

The front door opens, and Hayley and Marissa file in, followed by Alice. She gives me a faint smile and steps toward me while the others go back to their seats.

"Hey," she says, placing both hands on the counter.

My throat constricts. "Hey."

"Sorry about all that." Her cheeks flush pink, and she twists her mouth. "If I knew he was a Shark, I wouldn't have brought him here."

"It's fine," I say, placing my towel on the counter. "Are you okay?"

She seems taken aback by my question. Granted, this isn't how our usual conversations go.

"Yeah, I'm fine." She nods, letting out a sigh. "Can I get a drink?"

"Sure. Let me guess." I arch an eyebrow. "A Margarita? Or a Cosmopolitan with a pink umbrella?"

Her lips break into a smile, and I can't hold mine back. Seeing Alice smile is the most beautiful thing. "A beer will do."

My eyes widen. "Full of surprises, huh?"

"Oh, you haven't seen nothin' yet." She winks before joining the table of hockey players.

And just like that, I am left stunned. A wounded man who just took an arrow to the heart from a spunky Frenchie. What was that all about? And why do I have this urge to do whatever it takes to see that look in her eyes again? That's not me. I don't catch feelings. At least not this kind. I think Alice Beaumont might have broken me.

"Happy birthday!" I stride into the kitchen, where Lola is eating her breakfast at the table.

She glances up and offers me a rare smile. "Thanks."

"So, what do you want to do?" I ask, grabbing the mailbox label and sitting down across from her.

She looks up from her cereal bowl with that teenage glare I know all too well. "What do you mean?"

"I thought we could do something after school?"

"Well, there's a Jack Rose concert in Central Park tonight. It's free, and everyone at school is going."

I frown. "There's a game tonight, and the bar will be packed. I can't close."

"I could go alone," she mumbles, turning her spoon in her bowl.

I let out a laugh. "Absolutely not. Maybe we can go to a museum tomorrow instead."

Definitely more my scene than a pop concert.

She scoffs, giving me a death glare. "A museum for my birthday? Seriously? How old am I, fifty?"

I return her stare. "Well, think of something else, because I can't close the bar tonight. It's our only source of income. "

"Never mind," she says, dropping her spoon into the bowl with a clatter. "I knew I shouldn't have asked. It's not like you care what I want anyway."

With that, she storms off to her room. Well, that went well. With Spring Break starting tonight, this is going to be a lot of fun.

I take her to school in total silence before heading to my appointment with Dr. S. I don't talk much there either.

When I get home, I stick the label on the mailbox, and a smile tugs at the corner of my lips. I'm unlocking my front door when Alice steps out of the bookstore, wearing a pink dress beneath a green cardigan.

Noticing me, she says, "Oh, hey."

I still haven't gotten used to the fact that she and I can now have a normal conversation. Only problem? We did a lot more than talking in my dream last night.

"Hey." I wave like an idiot.

Her eyes dart to my mailbox, and a small smile touches her lips. "Oh, you added your name."

I run a hand through my hair. "I did."

"Thank you," she says, a hint of teasing in her eyes. I'm pretty sure she wants to fire back a spunky remark but decides against it. "How's Lola? Today is her birthday, right? "

I nod, breathing a sigh. "Yes. She's good. But so far, fourteen years old looks a lot like thirteen."

Her lips tilt into a stunning smile. "Just wait till she's sixteen. That's when the fun really starts."

"Oh, gosh," I groan, my heart picking up its pace. Though I'm not sure it's entirely from the prospect of Lola turning sixteen.

She chuckles, and our eyes meet, an uncomfortable silence settling in. At least when she hated me, there was never an awkward moment.

"Well, I'm going to—"

"Wait," I say, an idea suddenly coming to me. "There's this free concert Lola wants to go to tonight, but I can't take her because of the bar. I, um, would you mind going with her? If it wasn't her birthday, I wouldn't ask."

She presses her lips together. "What concert?"

"Jack Rose. I'm sure it's awful, and I'm sorry to ask. But since you owe me . . ." I say, letting a smile filter through. I'm pushing my luck, I know. But I can't help it.

As predicted, Alice answers with one of her full smiles. That subtle display of cockiness was completely worth it. "Right. Looks like I have no choice, then. I'll take her."

"Thanks." I run a hand through my hair. "I didn't know if you had a date planned already. "

"Interested in my love life now, are you?" She arches an eyebrow, and my body bursts into flames.

I roll my eyes. "Just wondering if I have to get ready to kick someone else's ass."

Biting her lip, she chuckles. "Well, if I recall correctly, it was my brother who did the ass-kicking. But don't worry. After last night, I've decided to cool it on the dating front for a while."

"Good." The word slips out before I can stop it.

Her gaze plunges into mine, and her face turns as pink as her dress. "Well." She clears her throat, looking away. "I have some errands to run, but let Lola know I'll take her to the concert. Hayley will be at the game, but I'll ask Emma to come with us."

I nod. "Okay. Thank you."

As I watch her vanish down the sidewalk, my heart soars, as if everything in my life was falling into place. Suddenly, I wish I could just close the bar tonight and go to the concert with Alice. Lola and Emma too.

Shaking my head into focus, I set myself straight. There is nothing going on between Alice and me. I've never been much of a flirt, but I'm pretty sure that was just a regular conversation. I'm living this weird phase of my life, with everything happening at once, and it's triggering emotions I didn't know I had. Plus, I've seen the types of guys Alice dates. Preppy, funny gentlemen—except for that Crain guy—who are her age! I'm not sure how old she is, but I'm guessing I'm at least ten years her senior. Plus, I'm far from those perfect characters she reads in her novels, so there's no way she would ever be interested.

Alice

Did I just flirt with Deacon Collier? What's even crazier, I think he flirted back! If you'd told me three weeks ago that I'd be exchanging lighthearted banter with Deacon, I would have laughed in your face. But I'm pretty sure this is happening, and I don't know what to make of it.

Of course, it could all be in my head. I am known for having a wild imagination, after all. Yet the way my heart raced and my skin tingled was very much real.

Deacon is far from my usual type, but there's something about him I can't shake. Something in the way he acts, something in his eyes that makes me wish I could read his life story.

But I'm not letting myself go there. I'll settle for friendly—okay, flirty—interaction when it comes to my next-door neighbor. No need to complicate things further. If there's one thing I know, it's that I have the worst luck when it comes to love. And since he's our neighbor, I'd hate to make things awkward.

Plus, he's not the kind of guy who dates. I'm sure of it. But I don't want to date him, so it's all good.

When I step back into the bookstore, he's not here, and a tiny part of me—the wrong part—is disappointed. Just as I'm pushing the door open, my phone rings, and my dad's face flashes on the screen.

I accept the video call. " Salut, Papa ," I chirp, waving at Hayley, who's helping a customer. I drop the store mail on the counter and walk upstairs. " ?a va? "

We chat for a while, and he tells me that his knee is getting slightly better. Then, he puts me on speaker, and Yvette, his wife, joins the conversation.

"Oh, by the way," he says in French, "your brother told me you went on a date with a Shark! What's wrong with you?"

I turn my head to roll my eyes so he can't see me. "It was just one date, and I didn't know he was a Shark. Don't you and Maxime ever talk about something other than hockey?"

"Nope," Yvette chimes in with a smile. "They don't."

"We talk about Alice too, don't we?" My dad says to his wife, his gruff voice booming .

"Well, don't worry, it won't happen again. From now on, I'll make sure to get their full resume before I let guys take me out."

Yvette laughs, and my dad just shakes his head.

"Not that I really want to go on any more dates. Men suck big time."

As the words leave my mouth, Deacon wanders into my mind with all his flannel shirts and that perpetual frown. I close my eyes, but it only gets worse. Now, he's smiling like he did that one time, and just like that, the temperature shoots through the roof.

"Good," my dad says, bringing me out of my trance. "You don't need a man anyway."

He's right about that. So right. But then, why is Deacon still starring in the silent movie that's playing in my brain?

I clear my throat. "Um, right. Well, I have to go, but it was nice talking to you. I'll call you in a couple of days, okay?"

"All right, honey. Talk to you soon."

" Au revoir, Alice." Yvette waves with a friendly smile, and I end the call.

I seriously need a distraction right now. The only problem? Every book I seem to listen to these days has only one male lead, and his name is Deacon Collier.