She was being a coward. But the kiss had been hot and heavy and not like anything she’d experienced with anyone else. Which wasn’t necessarily a good thing when she had no idea how long she’d be here.
She kept waiting for Cody to show her a flaw. There had to besomething. Everyone had a flaw, but so far, nothing. She hadn’t been lying yesterday when she’d told Barry that hope was dangerous. She didn’t want to hope that this town could be her new beginning. That Cody might actually be interested in heranda good guy. Because what if none of it panned out?
A woman stepped into the bar, the expression on her face as far from a smile as possible as she crossed the space and lowered onto a stool on the other side of the bar.
“Hi. Scotch on ice, please.” Her voice was quiet and almost completely devoid of emotion.
Harper frowned as she pulled out a glass and scooped some ice into it. “Coming right up. Is everything okay?”
“Nope. Not even close.”
Harper poured the drink and pushed it across the bar. “I’ve had a few bad days lately myself. They suck. But everyone in this town has been wonderful at making me feel better. Hopefully they can do the same for you.”
The woman laughed, but the sound was almost bitter. “Unfortunately, I amnota crowd-pleaser around here.” She shot back the Scotch, swallowing the hard liquor in one gulp.
“Want to talk about it?”
For the first time, the woman looked up and met Harper’s gaze. “You’re new here.”
It wasn’t a question. “I am. Cody took pity on me and gave me a job. Are you a local?”
“I was. But I left about five years ago when my dad…” She shook her head. “It’s complicated. But I left.”
“I know complicated families. I have one. Family is supposed to make life easier, but that was never the case for me.”
Understanding crossed the other woman’s face. “Yeah. Me neither.”
“I’m Harper.”
“Matilda. But people call me Tilly.”
“Well, Tilly, if it’s a friendly face you’re after, I’ll always offer you one in here.”
For a second, Harper almost thought she saw a sheen of tears in the other woman’s eyes. Was she that desperate for someone to be kind to her? Had others in this town really been so terrible? “Thank you.”
“Harper, I—” Cody stopped beside her, his gaze shifting across the bar. “Tilly. What are you doing here?”
“Just getting a drink.” An awkward, drawn-out silence passed before she spoke again. “Is that okay?”
At Cody’s hesitation, Harper looked at him. Was he really going to say no?
When the silence stretched, she nudged him in the shoulder.
“Of course,” he finally said, but it didn’t come out easily or sound as warm as usual.
What was going on here? Had Tilly done something to the locals of Misty Peak?
“We’re just closing up now though,” he added.
Harper looked around and, sure enough, there was no one left in the bar.
Tilly set money on the bar and stood quickly. “I’ll see you both around.” She nodded at Cody, and when she looked at Harper, there was a small lift of the corner of her lips before she turned and left.
The second she was gone, Harper turned to Cody. “What was that?”
“What was what?”
“Why did you hesitate when she asked if it was okay that she was here?”
