He doesn’t react for a few moments, then pushes away from the counter and picks up the check, making a production of folding it and putting it in his back pocket. “Well, all righty then. This won’t be the last time we meet, Cole Garrison, but you might not like my offer as much when I return.”
I grin at him like a fool. “I’m gonna count on the market hanging in there.” I lift my hand in a friendly wave before he turns around and walks out.
“Did you get all of that?” I ask, watching the door with a glare in case he decides to come back.
“Yep. It’s all on video and saved to your cloud,” Brittany says. “Why the hell do you think he wants this place so badly?”
“I don’t know. His father owns Bev Corp. I can’t figure out why they’d be interested in this place, but Holly thinks he wants to give him the brewery as a peace offering. I guess he’s on the outs with him. The Labelles are involved because they need the money too.”
A group of ten women walk in through the door, cutting off further discussion and keeping Brittany and me busy for the next hour. They left work early for happy hour to celebrate one woman’s engagement.
Things have just begun to settle down when my phone rings in my back pocket. When I pull it out, I’m not surprised to see the name on the screen.
Evelyn Labelle
“I’m gonna take this in my office,” I say to Brittany. “I need to speak to the Wicked Witch of Highland Hills.” I hold up my phone.
She lifts her eyebrows. “Good luck with that. I’m guessing our friend back there called in his attack dog.”
I answer a few feet from my office door, just before the call goes to voicemail. “Hello, Evelyn,” I say in a forced cheerful tone. “How lovely to hear from you.”
“What are you up to?” she asks, sounding suspicious. “Why are you being so pleasant?”
“I’m capable of being pleasant. To what do I owe the honor of this call?”
“While I know that we all agreed that Jane would spend Thanksgiving Day with us,” she says in a stilted voice, “things have changed.”
“You changed your mind?” I ask, not bothering to hide my eagerness. “I have no problem keeping Jane home. Maybe next year.”
“Of course we still want her,” she says in a snippy tone. “But things have changed. All of our family is coming for the weekend, and Apple is really eager to spend the weekend with her cousin. Would you keep Jane from her family?”
“This isn’t about her cousin, and you damn well know it, Evelyn.” I refrain from telling her that Jane can’t stand her bratty cousin. “First it’s Thanksgiving, then you want her for the weekend, and we both know you’ll demand her for Christmas. And more.” I add. “You keep threatening to take her from me, and this is your way of keeping me in line.”
“I’m not trying to take her from you, Cole,” she says in mock sympathy. “But should it ever come to that, I plan to make sure you get visitation. One night a week and every other weekend.”
I know I shouldn’t engage her, but I can’t bring myself to hold back. “You think I’m going to settle for seeing my daughter every other weekend?” I ask in disbelief. “You’re insane.”
“A bachelor who runs a brewery-slash-tavern and lives above the den of iniquity?”
“You know nothing about our lives, Evelyn,” I say through gritted teeth. “Jane is happy and loved.” Maybe if I say it for the ten millionth time, she’ll actually believe me.
“And yet she’s at the principal's office more than she’s actually in class. It’s no wonder with her father spending all his time in a brewery. Throw in the fact you’re sleeping with Holly Mayberry, and it’s no wonder Jane’s been misbehaving. That woman’s family is practically feral.”
My heart stutters. How does she know about Holly? Jesus, did Horacio pull a triple agent on us? But it only takes me a moment to recover. “Holly is an amazing influence on Jane.”
“Millie must be rolling over in her grave. She couldn’t stand that woman.”
Another arrow pierces my heart, sinking far deeper than any of her other barbs. “You have no idea who Millie liked or didn’t like back in high school.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure about that, Cole,” she says, her voice icy. “Have Jane ready for us to pick her up at eleven on Thursday morning. And don’t worry about having her pack a bag. We can’t have her dressing in that Dollar General stuff you always put her in. We’ll have something for her to wear when she gets here.”
I nearly set her straight—Jane’s stuff is from Target—but she hangs up before I can respond.
I stay in my office for a few minutes to settle down before I head back out. Holly said she’d bring Jane home after their coding class, and I want to be out there when they show up.
Thinking of Holly usually makes my stomach feel like I’m riding a roller coaster, but now my guilt is back. I know I should ignore what Evelyn said, but her words have burrowed under my skin.
When I step behind the bar, I see that Holly and Jane are already there, perched on stools at the end of the counter. Their heads are bent close to each other and they’re intent on some conversation that Jane is taking seriously. Surely Millie would want Jane to be happy, and there’s no doubt that she is. But can I be with Holly if Millie really did hate her? Would it be like stomping on her grave?
I walk up to take them their food and drink orders, planning to give Holly hers on the house, of course, but she gives me a worried look.
“Um… I heard from our mutual idiotic friend,” she says. “We need to talk.”
Shit. Does she have news that Horacio betrayed us? “Yeah,” I say, shorter than I intended. “We do.”
