“You have to visit. Mrs. Sandler runs the place, and she sells the most spectacular cupcakes and drinks. Her chocolate swirl cupcakes are to die for.”
That made Harper smile. She did have a sweet tooth. “I’ll have to pay her store a visit before I leave.”
“You really should.” Ali paused, a small frown creasing her forehead. “Before I go…if you’re thinking of staying for a while, I should mention…we’ve had a little trouble recently with a local firebug.”
Harper blinked. “A firebug?”
“Some dreadful person has been setting a few fires around town. Not to worry, really. We have a great fire department here, and the sheriff is working overtime to find the culprit. But the last one was less than a mile away from the cabins, so I just thought it prudent to mention.”
“I’m glad it’s being handled.”
Ali moved toward the door. Before stepping through it, she stopped and turned. “Remember, there’s no rush to leave. Stay as long as you like. You’re very welcome here.”
Harper’s chest tightened. Welcome…something she’d never felt with her own family, let alone strangers.
When the door closed behind Ali, Harper headed to the bathroom. As she entered the little room, her gaze caught on her reflection, and her feet ground to a stop.
Holy shit. No wonder the older woman had gasped when she’d seen her. The bruising around her left eye was so dark, it looked like she’d literally gone over it with black paint.
Jesus Christ.
Tentatively, she reached up and touched it, flinching at the flicker of pain.
Memories of the previous night came back to her. Of the empty bank balance. The explosion of anger when she’d gone to her mother’s house. And the rage of her brother.
She’d run. Left her apartment. Her job. Everything she’d known to get away from them both.
She shuddered and turned away, quickly peeing before returning to the bedroom.
With a sigh, she lifted her phone from the bedside table. Even though she’d charged it on the way here, she’d turned it off before bed because, yeah, she was scared about what she’d find.
Sure enough, there were five missed calls from her brother and several messages. Messages asking where she was. When she was coming back. Calling her a coward.
She didn’t let any of them affect her. She’d heard it all before. Instead, she blocked his number and switched off her phone again.
Done. She wasdonewith them.
“Boy,you are not doing that right.”
Cody’s lips twitched as he turned to look at Barry. The man had aged over the years, with new lines around his eyes practically every day and plenty of white hair. None of that had affected his ability to judge every little thing Cody did.
“I’m curious—did you tell my sister she organized the bottles wrong too?”
“Of course not. That girl could do no wrong.”
Yeah, he’d heard that before. To be fair, his sister had worked with his dad and Barry at this bar for years while he’d been in the Army. Cody had only been back a year. “Well, old man, you’re about to witness real efficiency.”
Barry scoffed, but there was a hint of a smile on his face. He was currently Cody’s only other bartender, and he also worked in the kitchen. They didn’t serve much, just fries, burgers, and a few appetizers. But it just being the two of them here…that was a problem. They needed more staff, but in the small town of Misty Peak, that wasn’t easy to find.
“When are you hiring more help?” Barry grumbled as if reading Cody’s thoughts. “We can’t keep going with just you and me. If someone gets sick, we’re screwed.”
Cody grimaced as he continued to restock the alcohol. “Kayden will fill in if we need him. And I’m working on it.” Although, his older brother Kayden was pretty busy working at the Misty Peak Visitors Center, as both a tour guide and on the search and rescue team.
“How?” Barry asked.
“I’ve put out the word around town that I’m looking for someone.”
“Because that worked so well for you last time.”
