“Oh, no you don’t,” Kyle said. “You are not changing the subjects and getting out of this discussion, brother.”
“Now who’s the badger?” Brock asked.
“If he doesn’t want to talk about it…” Caroline spoke up.
“No, no, it’s okay,” Brock said. “Otherwise, this guy”—he pointed at Kyle—“will be on me until I tell him. I met someone today, yes. But, I don’t know how much I can say because she’s one of the contestants at the festival workshop.” He looked at Rachael. “Which means you’ll be judging her in a couple of days.”
“Ah, I see.” Rachael nodded. “You’re afraid of making it look like playing favorites.”
“Exactly.”
She put her hands up, palms out. “No worries. We’re judging on most-improved artist instead of personal preference since we’re going to be helping them all week; otherwise, none of it would be fair.” She gave him a dazzling smile. “I can tell you’re dying to talk about her, so go right ahead.”
Relief filled Brock’s chest. Okay, maybe he wouldn’t spoil Brianna’s chances after all. “Her name’s Brianna Taylor and she’s an unbelievable violin player. Er, fiddle, I mean.”
“Oh! Brianna,” Rachael said. “Yeah, she’samazing.”
“Wait. You’ve heard her?”
Rachael nodded. “The judges got to watch the finalists’ videos. I already think she’s got a real shot at winning; nothing you could say would impress me more than I already am.”
Everyone smiled—except Arden. “What did you say her last name was?” she asked.
Uh-oh. “Taylor. She works at Riversong Coffee. You know her?”
Her eyes momentarily widened but she quickly covered her reaction. “I…” Arden waved him off. “I don’t really. It’s nothing, I’m sure.”
A deep, wide pit opened in Brock’s stomach. “You can’t just say that and leave it there. What’s going on?”
Kyle’s eyes narrowed the tiniest bit and he scooted just a little closer to her.Great, now I’ve pissed off my new boss. Good going, Badger.
“Arden can say or not say whatever she wants,” Kyle said, his voice even but strained.
“Down, Pup,” Arden told her fiancé. “It’s okay. Badger is absolutely right. That was thoughtless of me.” She set her glass of lemonade down. “Lyons is a great place, but like any small town, we do love our gossip. There’s nothing wrong with Brianna, I promise. She’s fine. Her family though—I mean, the ones who don’t run the coffee shop—are a little…sketchy. They’ve been in trouble with the law forever.” She sighed. “Her dad’s a drug dealer. Well, I mean, he was, before weed went legal. Now he’s legal, too.”
“What do you mean?”
“He owns one of the nearby dispensaries.” Arden smiled uncomfortably. “I’ve got nothing against it; I’m glad it’s legal now because medical marijuana has helped so many people, but it’s not for me. It’s a legitimate business, but her family still has a dark mark on them and, well, I just want you to be careful. People talk.”
Brock fought back his annoyance. This was his best friend’s sister and he needed to respect her opinion. “Thanks for the warning, but I’m from a big city. I don’t give a shit what other people think.”
Arden shook her head. “I don’t either. I’m not saying that. I’m saying that the rumor is, they’re still tied to some of the criminal activity that goes on around the legal stuff.” She held up her hand. “And, I’m not saying that Brianna has any part in that. Her uncle runs the coffee shop and he’s completely above-board. She works for him, not her parents.”
Brock nodded. “Sorry I jumped to conclusions, Arden. Didn’t mean to lash out like that.”
Her eyes grew soft. “You didn’t. It’s a touchy time for both of us. Apology accepted.”
Kyle wrapped his arm around Arden and kissed her hair. His eyes still looked hard.
“I’m sorry too, Kyle,” Brock said.
He nodded. “If Arden’s good, I’m good.”
“Awesome,” Jake said. “Now that we’re all friends again, can we go over the security plan for the festival?” He gave Rachael a squeeze. “My angel’s already got a few creepers and I don’t want to see them at the show.”
The conversation changed to strategic plans for the next day, leaving Brock feeling off. He hadn’t meant to offend Arden, but he also felt compelled to defend Brianna. He reached for the good feelings he’d had earlier with Brianna, pulling them around him like a blanket. He hadn’t been that happy since before Sean died, and certainly not through everything that came after.
Yeah, bad reputation or not, Brock was going to make sure Brianna wanted to get to know him better.
