Bar Bites: A Man of the Month Cookbook (Man of the Month 13)

She considered saying no. After all, she really was too busy. But the truth was that she should see him. Maybe she and Eric hadn't discussed it yet, but Ben was the elephant in the room. She needed to make sure Ben knew that she was dating his brother. Not that it was officially his business, but it seemed like the polite thing to do.

"All right. In an hour?"

"Sounds good. I'll swing by and pick you up."

"No, meet me at The Fix. I was about to head there to pick up some papers I left in my cubby." A white lie. There were papers, but she didn't need them. She wanted neutral territory, and her apartment definitely didn't qualify. "We can walk over to Starbucks."

"Perfect. I read about the Man of the Month calendar contest and everything that went on to save the bar. I was hoping to see Tyree and tell him congrats. And see my little brother, before Mom drags him home for a family dinner."

"He's off today," she said. "Same as me."

"No big. He's family, so he'll be around. I'll see you soon."

And that, she thought, was the problem. Ben was around in Eric and Tiffany's relationship, whether they'd invited him there or not.

Chapter Five

Not that Eric didn't appreciate Tiffan

y getting him out of working all day on Tuesday, but once she started to stress about her paper, he'd sent her home. And since he didn't have any other plans, he headed into the bar.

Cam, who was usually off on Tuesdays, was more than happy to cut out and surprise Mina, so Eric slid seamlessly back into his regular routine. Griffin was there, although he'd long ago abandoned his usual place at the bar. Now he was tucked in a corner with Beverly, and Eric had to admit they made a damn cute couple.

Jenna and Reece both used to be regulars at night, but with a two-month-old, Jenna was still officially on leave--though she was working from home--and Reece worked the day shift as much as possible.

Shelby and Nolan sat in a back booth with Amanda and Derek, and they were probably the most boisterous table. Most likely laughing at one of Nolan's off-color joke.

Brent wasn't around, and Eric assumed he was at home with Elena and their daughter, Faith.

And Eric knew that Tyree was in the back with Eva, and would come out periodically to mingle with the regulars and newcomers, just the way a good bar owner should. Tyree, frankly, was Eric's role model, and Eric couldn't have felt prouder that Tyree had offered him the South Congress job if he tried.

All in all, the bar was in fine form tonight. And God knew the customers were keeping Eric on his toes because everyone wanted one of The Fix's specialty drinks. He wasn't the only bartender on duty, but he was the most experienced, and he was doing his best to not only make the drinks quickly, but also put on a bit of a show in the process.

He was popping a lime in a Loaded Corona when the door opened. There was a bell that hung over the door just for show--Faith had bought it at a garage sale for her Uncle Tyree, and he'd immediately hung it over the door--but unless the place was empty, Eric never heard it.

At the moment, though, he was facing that direction and he saw the man walk in. Dark hair. A wrestler's build. And a smile that could cheer up the dourest of rooms.

Ben.

"Eric!" His brother waved to him from the doorway, then hurried over looking like a kid on Christmas morning. "Damn, man, I want to give you a hug but there's two feet of bar between us. Oh well, Mom'll just make us do it later."

"What are you doing here?" Unlike some brothers, Eric and Ben had never had a rough patch. Maybe it was because of the six-year age difference, but they'd always been tight. Which was why it was so damn hard to see him now, with both a bar and a secret between them.

Still, it was also one hell of a nice surprise. "What are you doing in town? I thought you were off being a Yankee."

"Funny man. No, I actually have a job interview at the University."

"I thought you loved your job."

Ben nodded. "I do, but they reached out to me. And can't hurt to talk. And there are lots of good reasons to come back to Austin."

"Like your little brother," Eric said, and Ben smiled.

"Nah. That twerp. I ran as fast as I could."

"Asshole."

"Prick."