He ran his fingers through his hair and headed behind the bar. He was just getting things set up for the evening when the door opened.
Kayden entered and dropped onto a stool in front of Cody. “I need a whiskey.”
“Rough day already?”
“You could say that.”
Cody pulled out a glass and poured a shot. “Wanna talk about it?”
“Linda’s been training Matilda this week.”
His brows rose. “Okay. And why is that terrible?”
His brother threw back the drink and thumped it down onto the counter. “Because I don’t trust her, and now she’s running the visitors center. Because the sight of her reminds me of Dad when he told us he’d lost the family home and was re-mortgaging the bar.”
Cody’s chest clenched. Yeah, that had been a kick in the gut. “Like I’ve said before, herfatherwronged a lot of people in this town, not her.”
“You really think she had no idea? Even if that’s true, you don’t think she knows where he is?”
“Why would she—”
“She and her mother left too quickly after her thieving father skipped town. Where’s she been all this time? And you know damn well that while Dad lostourfamily home, her mother kept hers. That’s where Matilda’s living.”
That still didn’t sound like something that was Tilly’s fault.
Almost on cue, a knock sounded at the door just before it opened, and Tilly took half a step in, a smile on her face when she saw Cody. Then Kayden turned his head, and the smile dropped. “Oh. Sorry. I thought I’d stop in and see if Harper was here.”
Kayden turned back to the bar, his knuckles whitening around the whiskey glass.
“She’s upstairs but a bit busy at the moment, Tilly. I can let her know you stopped by?”
“That would be great.” She shot one more quick, almost nervous glance Kayden’s way before giving Cody a tense smile and stepping out.
Cody’s eyes narrowed on his brother. “You gonna be a jerk to her at work every day?”
“When am I a jerk?”
He almost laughed. “A lot of the damn time, and you know it.”
Kayden opened his mouth to respond, but Cody’s phone dinged with a message. He looked down to see it was a text he’d been waiting for.
She’s ready for you. Key’s under the mat.
Cody’s heart thumped in his chest. She was ready. Finally.
“What has that shit-eating grin on your face?” Kayden asked, pulling Cody’s attention.
“That was confirmation that my big gesture to woo Harper is ready and waiting.”
Harper barely lookedat her mother as she walked into the small apartment kitchen. “Would you like tea or coffee?”
“Just some water would be nice.”
Water? When had she ever seen her mother drink just water?
She turned to the fridge and pulled out a bottle, then pushed it across the counter. Her mother simply touched the cap of the bottle without actually removing it and taking a sip.
Harper folded her arms, repeating the question she’d asked when she spotted the woman outside the bar. “What are you doing here, Mom?”
