“The sun is barely up. What the hell are you doing here so early?”
He pushes his way inside like he owns the place, clinking a mug down on the counter before pouring himself a cup of coffee. Steam curls from the cup in his hands, but he doesn’t drink it. He just stares at me over the rim. “Who’s here with you?”
I glance toward the extra place setting, and my stomach sinks. My brother has never been good at letting things go. He once dug through my garage in search of a wrench he swore I didn’t return, so this should be interesting. “What?”
He nods toward the second cup of coffee on the table next to the plate of uneaten food. “Someone is here with you.”
“What are you here for?”
A grin lifts his cheeks for the first time in years. “Shit. You gotta woman here, don’t you? Who is she?”
My heart thumps harder as I clear the plates from the table. I’m not sure why I’m doing it. He’s already seen them.
“Well,” he grabs a slice of bacon from my plate before I pick it up, “I was here to talk to you about the strawberry festival today, but now I’m here to figure out why your new girlfriend didn’t finish her breakfast. Thought you were good in the kitchen.”
I shake my head and turn back toward the sink. “I didn’t know you were thinking about the strawberry festival.”
“Why wouldn’t I? It makes perfect sense.” He pauses for a sip of coffee. “We can showcase Dad’s strawberry whiskey and maybe get an edge on those rednecks.”
“Kinda last minute. Did you get us a booth?”
He exhales loudly and sets the mug on the table before glancing up. “That’s the second half of why I’m here. I went to see Josie this morning to see if there was any more space.”
“Okay,” I turn back toward him, “is there?”
He nods. “She has an extra booth for us, but she was also pretty upset. The bakery was broken into last night. The upstairs apartment was vandalized, and her kitchen was trashed.”
“Fuck!” I should be thinking about the bakery and the damage that was done, but my immediate thoughts go to Ellie, who’s supposed to spend the day there. “They know who did it?”
Cash pauses, and I get the feeling this conversation is about to get personal. “Adam. She has his picture clear as day on her security camera. He didn’t even bother hiding his face. Guy just walked in, smashed a bunch of shit, spray-painted everything, and destroyed her livelihood.” He takes a sip of coffee. “I don’t even know if the bear did that much damage when he broke in a few years back.”
Damn it.My ribs constrict as I try to make sense of what I’m hearing. The only reason Adam would have vandalized the bakery is to send a message to Ellie, and the reason he needed to send a message was because she left her phone unaccompanied in that apartment last night. Maybe he went over there to see her. Maybe he thought she was playing tricks.
What the hell is going on with that kid?
I’m in the middle of my thoughts when a loud bang hits on the wall of the backroom.
My brother darts a wide expression toward me. “You’ve gotta tell me who that is. I have my ways, little brother. I’ll figure it out.”
I shake my head and close my eyes, trying to think of an excuse on the fly, though my head is reeling at the moment and excuses aren’t floating their way to the surface.
How could I ever tell anyone that I’m sleeping with my son’s ex-girlfriend? How could I look people in the eye and say I’m screwing around with a woman twenty years younger than me? There’s no excuse for that kind of behavior, and Cash would be the first to point it out.
He’s the kind of guy who’s raising two young kids on his own while simultaneously running a distillery, volunteering at every community event, and working his ranch. He’s not the guy who’d understand the filthy things I’ve been doing.
“Man, you sleeping with the mayor or something?” He laughs and takes another bite of my bacon.
“Thanks for giving me the update on Adam.” I open the front door and stand next to it. “I’ll meet you at the distillery this morning, and we can pack up for the festival together.”
Cash stares at me, then glances toward the coat rack where Ellie’s jacket hangs. I know the man doesn’t know her well enough to know what jacket she wears, yet my chest is tightening like he’s come face to face with the evidence of my sins.
He stands from the table and darts a narrow expression. “Tell me the woman that’s here isn’t who I think it is.”
“What?” I’m still playing dumb.
“You’re feeling guilty about something, and that can only mean one thing.” My brother crosses his arms as he stands in the doorway in the same dark T-shirt and jeans look he’s always wearing.
“Come on. Get outta here.” I open the door wider, staring at him like I’m not the liar I know I am. Funny thing is, I spent years in the Marines learning how to keep my face blank. I was good at it, too. Cash, though, Cash has this way of seeing through everyone.
