Kelsey exhaled, a hand pressed to her chest upon finding Charlotte out of harm’s way. “It’s fine, Mama. Just go back to sleep.”
Grumbling under her breath, she crouched amongst the fallen tools. She didn’t have time for this. There was not only a leaking sink to tend to, but she had a bar packed full of customers and her kids to keep an eye on until reinforcements arrived.
Quickly, Kelsey shoved each tool back into the bag before gathering the papers into a stack and trying not to allow them to distract her. She sat back on her heels, about to push herself up to her feet when something on the top sheet caught her eye. The logo of the bank O’Henry’s Bar and Grill had their loan with was reflected in the corner. Bright red words stamped on the page: PAST DUE.
In that moment, her heart skidded behind her ribcage. There was a silent roaring in her ears, and a rumble in her chest as she felt herself losing control of everything. As much as she’d been trying to push this information to the back of her mind, the reality of her financial situation sat staring her in the face. The contents of this letter, and all the rest in the stack, meant things were about to change.
And she hated change.
Forcing herself to focus on the letter again, the date in bold letters caught her attention. If she didn’t come up with a solution, in less than forty-five days, O’Henry’s would have a new owner.
After Ricky’s snowmobile accident the winter before, resulting in his death, Kelsey had taken over the responsibilities of the business. Including handling the finances and managing the bar. In all honesty, it had been a lot to take on. Juggling the bar and the kids the past nine months was exhausting.
Yet, she’d found herself taking to her new role as O’Henry’s manager easily. She enjoyed serving the customers, chatting with the Pineridge locals, and connecting with vendors from breweries all around Colorado.
O’Henry’s Bar and Grill wasn’t just a bar or a livelihood. And it wasn’t only a part of Ricky and his legacy.
It was a part ofher.
It was a part of Pineridge.
After the accident, she’d closed the bar for a full month which caused her to get behind. But the bills had piled up. She’d had to take a second loan against the business to be able to afford to keep it going. Even though the bar was frequently busy, there was more money going out than what was coming in.
Kelsey wasn’t sure how she would fix this, but she had to. She couldn’t let this happen. She’d already lost Ricky; she couldn’t lose the bar too.
CHAPTERTWO
DAVIS
Swipinga thumb at the condensation on his glass, Davis Vance contemplated leaving the bar. Coming into O’Henry’s on a Friday night had been a mistake. It was loud and crowded. The only exceptions he made for putting up with either of those things was for a concert. And it had better be a damn good concert.
The drunk customer grew louder, and Davis groaned. He took a long, satisfying drink of his beer before setting the glass on the bar and pulling himself off the stool. Kelsey wasn’t wrong, he typically shied away from confrontation. But he’d told Kelsey he would handle the drunk guy and he didn’t want to let her down.
As he lowered his head, and yanked the brim of his hat down, someone bumped into his shoulder. When he glanced up, he spotted a familiar face.
“Leo, hey.”
Davis and Leo Hoffman shook hands.
“Hey, Davis?”
Davis nodded, confirming his identity and Leo hadn’t just mistaken him for his twin brother.
“It’s good to see ya. How’ve you been?” Leo asked.
“I’m good. And you?”
“Can’t complain. Hey, how’s the show going? Izzy and I don’t miss an episode.”
“It’s moving along. Looking forward to filming wrapping up for the season, honestly, and getting a break.” Davis rubbed a hand at the back of his neck.
Looking forward to the break was putting it mildly. If Davis truly wanted to be honest with Leo, he’d tell him the show sucked and he missed the old days. Back when it was just him and his twin brother, Garrett, working job to job, never really sure when a paycheck would come. They’d help friends and the residents of Pineridge, sometimes taking trade work instead of payment. That’s how he’d ended up with an old snowmobile and a tattered sailboat. Both sports he'd never been into.
“It’s pretty cool having celebrities in our own town.”
Celebrities.He’d hardly refer to himself as a celebrity. Though Garrett didn’t mind the title. Even let it go to his head.
When Garrett’s fiancée died in a helicopter crash while vacationing in Hawaii with her parents a year ago, he was lost. Davis would’ve agreed to just about anything to help his brother out of his depression. And apparently, he had. Because he signed a contract with HGTV he’d never been thrilled about.
