Nixi finally looked up, resting her chin on her fist.“I’ll make sure she gets to Flossy’s safely.”
Amka hadn’t realized Flossy had an open room.More likely she’d somehow made room for the poor widow.“Thanks, Nixi.”She forced a smile.“I’ll bring another round and some pretzels for you all.”
Nixi nodded, her concerned gaze on Lorrie.
Steve leaned in.“Helene?We should do a collab.Something about insurance and the wilderness.What do you think?”
Amka turned toward the bar, the weight of too many secrets pressing between her shoulder blades.Jarod was dead.Helene was looking in all the wrong directions.The widow was unraveling.And somewhere out there, someone still thought they had fifty grand coming.
And her heart?Her heart was in the woods with a man who barely knew what to do with it.
She had to talk to somebody about the blackmail note, so naturally, she grabbed her phone and texted Christian: NEED TO TALK.TONIGHT.ALONE.IMPORTANT.No emojis.Just the truth.
The reply came fast.I’LL BE THERE BY MIDNIGHT.DON’T LEAVE THE BAR.
No “baby.”No “sweetheart.”Just orders.Protective, infuriating orders that she both hated and kind of wanted.He wouldn’t be so bossy if he didn’t care.Of course, he was all rough and little diamond.But his actions spoke loudly.He’d saved her a few times now, risking his own life each time.That mattered.She dropped the phone and went back to slicing lemons, hand steady now.Of course, her gaze kept sliding to the end of the bar.Her thoughts to what he’d done to her on that burnished wood.She’d blushed the entire time she’d bleached and cleaned it earlier.
And he was coming back at midnight.
Chapter32
Amka reached for the lemon bucket again and realized, too late, it was already full.She tried to remember filling it.Her brain felt like it had a time delay, like she was working underwater.
She leaned on the bar for a second.Just a second.Her legs buzzed.Her shoulders felt like lead.Her whole body was one big, throbbing mess.
Dutch now slept in his chair by the fire, his chin down, his breath even.
Across the room, Steve told some loud story about a bear and an airhorn.Helene pretended to laugh, but her glass was empty again.Unless she waved, Amka wasn’t refilling it.Lorrie had gone quiet, her eyes dim, and May…May was fully asleep on the bar, arms tucked under her head, a doctor puddle in rumpled scrubs.
Amka glanced at the clock.Christian would be back shortly, and she had every intention of closing down when he arrived.
A tray clattered onto the bar beside her.
“I’ll help,” Nixi said, her purple hair spiked up and her blue eyes surprisingly clear.“You look wrecked.”
Amka looked over at her, startled.“What?”
“You’re toast.I can see it all over you.”Nixi motioned to the tables.“Let me bus.I could use some exercise, and I’m tired of listening to Steve hit on all three of us.The guy is seriously lonely, and that’s just an ick for me.”
Amka opened her mouth to brush off the help, but the words didn’t come.Her throat tightened.She bit back the refusal and gave a slow nod.“Thanks,” she said.“Yeah.I appreciate the help.”
Nixi gave her a small smile, already moving through the bar like she owned the place.Efficient.Graceful.Like she wasn’t wearing the same boots she’d worn to cross three rivers that week, if her last post was to be believed.
Amka grabbed a rag and started wiping down the bar again—an actual dirty spot this time.“Didn’t peg you as the dishwashing type.”
“I’m not,” Nixi said, stacking glasses.“But I’ve had enough tequila and tragic Instagram DMs for one night.Felt like time to be human again.”
Amka snorted.“That bad?”
Nixi shrugged.“Worse.Some guy sent me a picture of his kneecap and asked if it looked infected.”
“Why?”
“Apparently, I mentioned in a post that I once dated a paramedic.That’s all it takes now.”
Amka shook her head, still smiling.“How’d you get into all that, anyway?The followers.The hiking.The selfies with yaks or whatever.”
Nixi paused, her tray half full.“You want the honest version?”
