That would be too much work for him. “Even Shrek needs some downtime. All I gotta do tomorrow is finish the roof and attach gutters.” I had an electrician and a plumber coming on Tuesday, so I wouldn’t need Sebastian then either. “If you can spare a few hours on Wednesday, we could get the interior wall sections up—I can do the rest myself.”
It’d been a rough ten days, but I’d be a liar if I said Sebastian—and Dylan—hadn’t made the work easier. The hardest part was over. The guesthouse sat on a solid foundation, the exterior looked really fucking good with a couple coats of white paint, everything was insulated to perfection, and the framework was real sturdy. Now waited the interior, which was a one-man job once the kitchenette and bathroom were installed.
Sebastian cocked his head. “Did you lay the floor already?”
I nodded and caught Percy, who was about to slide off my shoulder. “Last night. I had to get it done before the electrician and plumber arrive, and I didn’t wanna be swamped tomorrow.”
I wasn’t gonna be good company on Wednesday, because it was Rosie’s birthday. Luckily for me, Sebastian wasn’t looking for good company.
“Fair enough. Wednesday—I can be here at nine.” He reached out and cupped his hand over Percy’s head. “You were right about one thing. Your Yorkie mutts are adorable as fuck. Too bad their daddy is a complete piece of shit.”
It was a punch straight to the gut. Heating me up just a little bit with his love for animals, then ripping the rug out from underneath and striking me with an ice-cold fist. My face fell, and I didn’t have the energy to hit back. I was suddenly wrung-out and felt entirely too vulnerable.
I took a step back as Teddy reappeared, none the wiser, with a happy smile on his face.
I didn’t know why I was here. Of all the places I could go to get wasted, I was parked in the marina’s lot, seconds away from Quinn’s Fish Camp on the boardwalk where Sebastian was working.
Perhaps I wanted him to finish the job. I felt like shit, and I couldn’t pretend it was only because of Rosie. Lately, too much had been building up inside me. Losing Rosie, the rejection of my parents, the way Sebastian acted toward me, feeling so damn uprooted… I’d declined a dinner invitation at Soph and Dylan’s for Teddy’s homecoming today; I’d see him tomorrow for his birthday, and I needed that time to get my shit together. But I didn’t wanna be completely alone tonight either. Even if that meant showing up at Sebastian’s work and facing more biting comments about what a piece of shit I was.
He hadn’t said anything today, though. In fact, he’d been extra quiet.
I climbed out of my truck and adjusted my Stetson. Being down in the dumps was no excuse to look like a slob. I’d shined my new shoes too, and I’d bought a black button-down because my other shirts needed to be ironed.
As I headed toward the boardwalk, I could see through the windows of the restaurant that it was divided into two sections. Seemed like the dinner guests ate in one part, and then there was a bar in the other where the tables stood closer to one another. I spotted fishnets and old glass floats hanging from the ceiling, and a skipper’s wheel graced the back of the bar.
I opened the door and was met by soft country rock and the scents of grilled fish, spices, and oak. It took no time at all to locate Sebastian because he was right there behind the bar, pouring beer.
Wednesday night wasn’t the busiest this place had seen, I was guessing. I counted about a dozen people in this area, including the four who sat at the bar.
I sidestepped and held the door open as two women headed out with to-go boxes. Only, one of them tripped on the carpet, and I hurriedly reached out and righted her.
“You okay, ma’am?”
“Wow,” she laughed breathily, a flush spreading on her cheeks. “Uh, yeah. Thank you.”
I dipped the brim of my hat and let her go.
Sebastian was looking at me when I turned my attention to finding a seat, and I figured the end of the bar would be a good spot for me tonight. It was a little more secluded, and the man who clearly wasn’t happy about seeing me would be able to ignore me easier if I sat in the corner.
He met me there on his side of the bar when I slid onto a stool.
“Were all the other places in town full?” he asked.
“I already know I’m not welcome here, but thank you for the reminder.” I nodded at the shelf. “I’d like two shots of tequila and whatever dark lager you have on tap.” I pulled out my wallet from the back pocket of my jeans and requested to start a tab too.