“Take as long as you want,” Cody said.
Harper crossed the floor of the bar. It wasn’t until she met her friend that Tilly looked away, and damn, why was it only then that Kayden felt like he could breathe?
He swiveled back toward the bar and took a big swig of beer, feeling his brother’s eyes on him before he spoke.
“Everything okay?”
“It’s great.” A damn lie.
Cody scoffed. “Okay, new question. You being nice to her at work?”
“When am I not nice?”
“All the time. You can be an asshole, and you know it.”
“I’m not being an asshole to her.” Hell, even if he wanted to, her big green eyes wouldn’t allow it, because even thoughshe tried to come off as tough, he saw the fragility beneath her exterior.
“Good.”
“Cody,” Tim, the new bartender, called from the other side of the bar. “Could I grab your help with something?”
“Sure.” Cody gave Kayden a look of warning before heading off.
What did his brother think? That he’d intentionally make her life hell at work? He wasn’t acompletejackass.
Kayden sipped his beer again. He came here a few times a week to see Cody, and sometimes Eastern would meet them here when he had someone looking after Avery. Kayden also came to get away from the quiet of his house. He didn’t usually mind the quiet, but sometimes it got loud, and he had to get out. Maybe that was because after so many years of serving in the Air Force he was used to noise. To having people around him.
Half an hour passed, his brother stopping to chat every so often, before Kayden rose and turned—only to bump straight into Tilly.
She gasped and pulled back. “Oh, God, sorry. I was heading to the bathroom.”
“You’re fine, Matilda. I didn’t see you, either.”
“Tilly. People call me Tilly.”
He knew that…still, he’d been calling her Matilda. Because using Tilly felt intimate for some reason.
There was an awkward pause before he cleared his throat. “How have you found working at the visitors center?”
Her brows rose like she was surprised he’d asked. Which was fair. He hadn’t taken much of an interest before now. “It’s good. Busy. There’s a lot to do. But I like working in the mountains and being involved in the running of the center.”
“The mountains are pretty awesome.”
She smiled. “They’re why people don’t leave Misty Peak.”
“You left.” The words were out before he could stop them, and they had the small smile dropping from her face.
“I did.” Another heavy pause before she cleared her throat. “Well…I’ll leave you to it.”
She started to walk away when some guys passed behind her, one bumping her in the back so roughly that she fell forward. She would have hit the floor if Kayden hadn’t grabbed her and tugged her back up.
“Hey! You okay?” he asked.
She nodded quickly.
Anger pulsed through Kayden’s veins, not just at the way the guy had knocked into her with no apology but because he’d muttered something under his breath before chuckling.
“What did you say?” Kayden growled loudly.
