Fortune, page 4
“I love that George Foreman grill,” she says.
“It’s a lifesaver for me.” I bite into my juicy burger.
The evening goes on, and it only gets busier.
At around eight, Ava’s sister, Gina, enters, along with the rest of the awesome foursome, Brianna Steel and Angie and Sage Simpson.
“Ava!” Gina shouts. “What are you doing behind the bar?”
Ava’s right about her sister. Gina Steel is gorgeous—Ryan Steel in female form, with a lean but curvy body, simmering amber eyes, and long black eyelashes. Her dark hair falls nearly to her waistline.
Ava smiles. “Hey, G. The usual?”
“You can make my usual?”
“I can make almost anything. I’ve taken the Brendan Murphy quickie bartender course this evening.”
Gina lets out a laugh. “Maybe I should take it. I’m always up for a quickie.”
Ava forces a look of amusement, though she’s clearly not amused, and I’d bet Gina knows it.
“What’s her usual, Ava?” I ask in an attempt to defuse the situation.
“You don’t know?” Gina bats her eyes at me.
Ava’s look of faux amusement dissipates at her sister’s obvious flirtation. Actually, I do know her usual. Gina, along with the rest of the awesome foursome, always orders a cosmopolitan.
“I do,” I say, taking care not to respond to Gina’s flirting even in a platonic way. “Just wondering if Ava does.”
“Cosmos, for four,” Ava says. “And I know how to make them. Grey Goose okay?”
“Tito’s for me,” Gina says. “Grey Goose for the twins, and Ketel One for Bree.”
Ava stares at her with one eyebrow raised.
Gina erupts into laughter. “I’m just kidding. Whatever vodka you have is fine.”
“Grey Goose is the house brand,” Ava says.
“Grey Goose is great.”
“Okay.”
I can’t tell whether Ava’s amused or angry—I’d say a mixture of both—but she makes the drinks in quick order.
“Put those on my tab,” Gina says.
“Will do.”
Gina and the rest of the awesome foursome take their drinks and head toward the back where the pool tables are. That’s usually where they end up, especially when Jesse Pike and his bandmates are here playing pool—which they are. The decor in the pool area hasn’t changed since my father purchased the place decades ago and put up posters of sixties and seventies rock bands.
“Looks like your sister has eyes for the band,” I say to Ava.
“My sister’s a big flirt, as you well know. She’s never serious about any guy.”
“Brianna is all over Jesse,” I say, scanning the back area.
“Is she? That’s an age difference for sure.”
“Yeah, well, whoever she likes, Donny and Dale won’t be happy about it.”
“Why wouldn’t Donny be happy about Jesse? He’s marrying Jesse’s sister.”
“Surely you know that your cousin and Jesse Pike have a rivalry that goes all the way back to high school. Plus, guys are just guys, Ava.” I laugh. “They don’t like older men hanging around their little sisters. Which makes me very glad you don’t have a brother.”
“I have cousins who treat me like a sister. And yeah, I know about Donny and Jesse, but Callie told me she made them get over it.”
“That’s good,” I say, “because Brianna looks pretty intent on nabbing Jesse’s attention this evening. And I know about those cousins who treat you like a sister. I’m pretty sure Brock and Dave will be watching us like a hawk at your parents’ party tomorrow evening.”
“They can mind their own business.”
“Sure they can. But they won’t.” I give her a chaste kiss on her rosy cheek. “That’s just how they are. Overprotective, and it seems the Steels are even more so than most.”
Ava smiles. “I’m kind of pissed off at Brock myself right now. And Dale and Donny for that matter. And my father. And uncle. Hell, let’s just put all the Steel men in that category. Whatever secrets they’re keeping? I’m so done.”
“Hey…” I finger a lock of pink hair. “I’m going to level with you about everything I know. You’re the one who decided to wait until after the party.”
Ava wipes the bar with a damp rag. “True enough. The party. But after that? It’s open season.”
I don’t reply. I don’t blame her. She’s angry and she’s frightened and she feels her family may not be who they say they are.
Speaking of family, the bell on the door jingles, and in walks my father.
I wave to him. “Hey, Dad.”
He takes the one open seat at the bar. “Can you take a break? I need to talk to you.”
“Not really.” I gesture. “Look at this place.”
“Tell you what. I’ll stay and help you and Ava. Where are Laney and Marianne? Johnny?”
“Marianne went out of town for the holiday. Johnny’s unstocking. Laney’s waiting tables. She’s back by the pool tables.”
“Okay.” He darts his gaze around and then lowers his voice. “Seriously. I need a few minutes of your time.”
Something in his voice sends a chill through me. “All right. Hey, Ava?”
Ava walks up to us. “Hi, Mr. Murphy.”
“Hi, Ava. Call me Sean.”
“Okay. Hi, Sean.”
I lay a hand on Ava’s shoulder. “My dad needs to talk to me for a few minutes. You think you can handle the bar? I can grab Laney to help you.”
Ava furrows her brow.
I can’t blame her. She’s sick to hell of all the secrets, and frankly so am I.
“Please?” I whisper in her ear. “He says it’s important.”
She shrugs. “I suppose I could take orders if Laney tends bar. There might be something that I don’t know how to make.”
“Good enough. I’ll go get Laney.”
I walk out from behind the bar to the back where Laney Dooley is taking an order from Jesse Pike and his friends.
“Hey, Lane, I need you behind the bar. Ava’s going to take care of the tables because my dad needs to talk to me for a few minutes.”
“Okay, no problem.” She scribbles on her pad. “I’ll get this order in for you guys, and Ava will bring it back when it’s done.”
Laney follows me, and Ava takes her place waiting tables.
“Okay, Dad,” I say to my father. “I’m all yours.”
“Let’s go back to the office.”
The office—which is the size of a small walk-in closet—is behind the bar in the kitchen, which isn’t usually staffed. I do my paperwork upstairs in my place, so the office is pretty much storage right now—overflow from the stockroom where Johnny’s unloading cases of liquor.
“What is it?” I ask.
“Why did you give that guy my address?”
“What guy?”
“Pat something. Lamone.”
“I didn’t. I said you were in the book. It’s not exactly private information in a small town.”
“Yeah, whatever. He came by to see me this afternoon.”
“So?”
“He was a damned pain in the ass, Brendan.”
“Why?”
“He kept asking me about some woman named Dyane Wingdam. I’ve never heard of her. And then he showed me the same message that you and I got through Hardy’s office. The one that didn’t make any sense.”
“Wait a minute.” My mind races. “This woman he’s talking about is his grandmother, right?”
“That’s what he says. He says he has DNA proof.”
“The first message. The one about Darth Morgen. It’s an anagram for grandmother.”
Dad raises his eyebrows.
“Ava figured it out. It took her all of two seconds once she plugged it into an anagram maker on the computer.”
“And her mother couldn’t figure that out?”
“That’s the point. Ryan and Ruby are keeping something from Ava. We asked Ruby for help with this over a week ago, and she just kept putting it off.”
“Ruby Steel’s a bright woman. No way she didn’t know what was going on here.”
“Right? I think the same thing…and so does Ava.”
“That must be upsetting her.”
“It totally is. She’s not sure why her mother wouldn’t help her solve these riddles.”
“So Ruby probably knows what this other puzzle means too.”
I nod. “I’m pretty sure she does.”
“So the question is,” Dad says, “why did this Pat Lamone fellow get the same message?”
“He thinks he’s related to the Steels.”
Dad cocks his head. “And is he?”
“Hell if I know. I believe he went to school here. He’s around Callie Pike’s age. Maybe Rory’s.”
Dad clears his throat. “So you would have graduated long before he did.”
“Yeah. I don’t remember him from Adam. I don’t think he graduated anyway. They moved before or during his senior year. I might be wrong. I’d have to check with the Pikes. They’d remember.”
Dad rubs his jawline. “So he might be related to the Steels. He has this grandmother of his in the hospital. And he got the same message that we and the Steels got.”
“Right. The grandmother may be the key. Maybe this is referring to Pat Lamone’s grandmother. The woman in the hospital.”
“Maybe it is, but how does that have anything to do with us?”
“Dad, I just don’t know.”
“All right. You don’t have any more answers than I do, I guess. Let me give your mom a call and let her know I’ll be helping you at the bar tonight.”
“I appreciate it, Dad. Thanks.”
I head back out to the bar, and a few minutes later, Dad joins me.
“You know? It’s good to be back behind a bar.” He grabs a towel and wipes up some condensation on the counter.
“You want to take over?” I laugh.
“Are you kidding me? You’re so busy here, I’m surprised you didn’t call me before. Don’t you have people on standby for when you get nights like this?”
“I have Ava now. She picked up things like you couldn’t believe. She’s smart as a whip, that one. Obviously gets it from her mother.”
“You saying Ryan Steel’s a dummy?”
“No, that’s not what I meant. But Ruby has that puzzle-solving intelligence, and that’s what Ava has. It’s amazing how she can read those cards the way she does.”
“Yeah, the cards. Your mom likes those cards.” Dad’s expression remains noncommittal.
“I know she’s been to Ava for some readings. But Ava wouldn’t talk about it.”
“She shouldn’t. It’s probably very confidential.”
Very confidential.
Absolutely right, and Ava has a lot of integrity. I’d like to think I do as well. I did promise Ryan Steel I wouldn’t speak to Ava about what he and I talked about. But…some promises have to be broken. They have to be broken when the woman you love is at stake.
“How is Mom, by the way?” I ask.
“She’s good.” And again…Dad seems noncommittal.
“She hasn’t…talked to you about maybe not researching your uncle again?”
He laughs, finally. “Oh, she has.”
“That happened so long ago. I can’t believe what’s happening now could possibly be related.”
Dad fills two pilsner glasses with beer from the keg. “It’s a long shot, but I feel like it’s connected somehow.”
I open a bottle of Fat Tire and hand it to a customer. “It seems to be the only way we could possibly be connected to the Steels, for sure. But it was so long ago.”
“Think about this, Brendan. If Ava’s solution to the puzzle is correct, and it’s telling her that a grandmother is alive, perhaps it does go back that far.”
“But whose grandmother? Your mother and Mom’s mother are both gone. And Ava’s grandmothers are also both gone.”
“Which means maybe it’s referring to this Pat Lamone’s grandmother. I mean, why else would he have come to see you, and then me, about her?”
“He came because the email told him to. But I have no idea what any of that means or why we’re even involved.”
“Which is why I think it must have something to do with my uncle and his death at the wedding of Brad and Daphne Steel. That’s our only connection to the Steels, son. The only one.”
Chapter Seven
Ava
Watching my sister play pool is like watching a romantic comedy. Guys flock to her, and she gives them just enough attention so that they want her, and then she eases away.
She’s never serious.
She likes to pick up men, have some sex, and then move on. It’s her way. I sure didn’t like her coy flirting with Brendan at the bar. That won’t happen again on my watch.
I distribute the drinks and then dart my gaze to Jesse Pike, Cage Ramsey, and Dragon Locke.
The band.
Has my sister been with any of them?
They’re all in their early thirties, and Gina’s only twenty-two, so probably not. But I’m sure she’d gladly add them to the notches on her bedpost.
They’re all incredibly good-looking, of course—especially Dragon, in a completely unique and dark way. I’ve never really been attracted to him—or any of them—in a sexual way, though. Not like I am to Brendan.
I can’t believe I’m in love.
Gina and the rest of the awesome foursome are like Brock, Dave, and me. All the same age, so they were treated more as siblings than cousins.
Funny—they got the moniker the awesome foursome, while the three of us got Huey, Dewey, and Louie.
Of course, they are awesome.
All of them are tall, beautiful, and built. And all smart as anything as well. Gina is the artist of the group, Brianna’s the rancher, and Angie and Sage are both interested in the culinary arts, like their mother, Aunt Marjorie.
They both look like Dave in female form except Sage’s eyes are brown, like her mother’s.
Angie is the quieter of the two, and Sage is just like Gina—a complete and total flirt. She and Gina are hanging all over Cage Ramsey and Dragon Locke.
So I’m not surprised when Angie walks up to me, her brown hair swept into a high ponytail, which somehow makes her eyes look bluer.
“Hey, Ava.”
“What’s up, Ang? Do you need a refill?”
Angie lifts her pink cosmo, which is still half full. “Not yet. When did you become a bartender?”
“This afternoon. Brendan came over and helped me at the bakery this morning, so I offered to help him tonight.” I dart my gaze around the bar. “And he sure needs it. This place is packed.”
“Friday nights are usually packed, but you’re never here.”
“The bar’s not really my scene. But Brendan and I…” My cheeks warm.
“So I’ve heard.” Angie smiles. “I have to admit, I didn’t see that one coming.”
“I didn’t either, to tell the truth. But it’s nice. It’s really nice.”
Angie looks toward the bar, where Brendan and his father are working. “He’s a lot older than you, Ava.”
“I know, and it kind of freaked me out at first, but honestly? When I’m with him? There don’t seem to be any years between us. It’s so easy. And believe it or not, we have a lot in common.”
Angie raises her finely lined brows. “Really? You and Brendan Murphy?”
“Yeah, actually.” I feel myself getting a little bit defensive.
She shrugs with a smile. “Well, if you’re happy, cuz, so am I.”
I glance again at the other three of the foursome, who are flirting up a storm with the band. “What’s going on with you guys?”
“Just enjoying our senior year. I’ve been dating a guy at school, but it’s nothing serious.”
“Oh?”
“Yeah, it’s pretty casual. But it’s more than Gina and Sage are doing. You know them, hopping from one guy to the next.”
“Yeah, I know. What about Brianna?”
“She has eyes for one man and one man only.” Angie gestures to Jesse Pike.
Jesse Pike, rocker extraordinaire.
“Yeah, I noticed that earlier. Or rather Brendan did. That’s an age difference.”
“Right? He’s thirty-two and she’s twenty-two. But that’s still one year less than you and Brendan.”
I can’t help a laugh. “I guess you’ve got me there. I just don’t see the two of them together. Jesse’s a rocker. And Bree? A hundred percent cowgirl. She’ll never leave the ranch.”
“No, she won’t. Besides, none of us has the heart to tell her that Jesse Pike has never once glanced in her direction.”
“He seems to be glancing now.”
“He’s being nice to her, Ava. He always is. He’s a good guy. But I think he sees her as a little sister.”
“Yeah, probably because she’s the same age as Maddie.” I look over my shoulder, scanning the area. “Where is Maddie, anyway?”
“I don’t know. I assume one of the girls invited her to come. She’s kind of an honorary fifth member of the awesome foursome.”
“Maybe she’s doing something with her family.”
Although, once I say that, I realize it can’t be true, because Brock, Rory, Donny, and Callie have just walked into the bar, and trailing behind them is Maddie. Maddie, the youngest Pike sister, who looks a lot like Rory, with rich dark hair and dewy brown eyes. Maybe not quite as classically beautiful, but a close second.
She glances toward Gina and Sage at the pool table, and her lips turn down to a frown.
“Maddie just walked in,” I say to Angie.
Angie looks toward the door. “Oh. Hey, Mads!” She gestures.
“I think she feels left out a lot with you guys,” I say.
“I know.” Angie’s shoulders slump as a look of guilt mars her pretty face. “But the four of us are family. It’s different.”
“Yeah, I suppose so.”
“Maybe you don’t get it, Ava. You know, since you left the family fold and all.”
“I didn’t leave the family fold.”
“Yeah, you did. You live in town, and you don’t take money from your trust fund.”
I dig my feet into the hardwood floor, feeling defensive. “I’m still a member of the family, and I love them all just as much as you do, Ang.”
“It’s a lifesaver for me.” I bite into my juicy burger.
The evening goes on, and it only gets busier.
At around eight, Ava’s sister, Gina, enters, along with the rest of the awesome foursome, Brianna Steel and Angie and Sage Simpson.
“Ava!” Gina shouts. “What are you doing behind the bar?”
Ava’s right about her sister. Gina Steel is gorgeous—Ryan Steel in female form, with a lean but curvy body, simmering amber eyes, and long black eyelashes. Her dark hair falls nearly to her waistline.
Ava smiles. “Hey, G. The usual?”
“You can make my usual?”
“I can make almost anything. I’ve taken the Brendan Murphy quickie bartender course this evening.”
Gina lets out a laugh. “Maybe I should take it. I’m always up for a quickie.”
Ava forces a look of amusement, though she’s clearly not amused, and I’d bet Gina knows it.
“What’s her usual, Ava?” I ask in an attempt to defuse the situation.
“You don’t know?” Gina bats her eyes at me.
Ava’s look of faux amusement dissipates at her sister’s obvious flirtation. Actually, I do know her usual. Gina, along with the rest of the awesome foursome, always orders a cosmopolitan.
“I do,” I say, taking care not to respond to Gina’s flirting even in a platonic way. “Just wondering if Ava does.”
“Cosmos, for four,” Ava says. “And I know how to make them. Grey Goose okay?”
“Tito’s for me,” Gina says. “Grey Goose for the twins, and Ketel One for Bree.”
Ava stares at her with one eyebrow raised.
Gina erupts into laughter. “I’m just kidding. Whatever vodka you have is fine.”
“Grey Goose is the house brand,” Ava says.
“Grey Goose is great.”
“Okay.”
I can’t tell whether Ava’s amused or angry—I’d say a mixture of both—but she makes the drinks in quick order.
“Put those on my tab,” Gina says.
“Will do.”
Gina and the rest of the awesome foursome take their drinks and head toward the back where the pool tables are. That’s usually where they end up, especially when Jesse Pike and his bandmates are here playing pool—which they are. The decor in the pool area hasn’t changed since my father purchased the place decades ago and put up posters of sixties and seventies rock bands.
“Looks like your sister has eyes for the band,” I say to Ava.
“My sister’s a big flirt, as you well know. She’s never serious about any guy.”
“Brianna is all over Jesse,” I say, scanning the back area.
“Is she? That’s an age difference for sure.”
“Yeah, well, whoever she likes, Donny and Dale won’t be happy about it.”
“Why wouldn’t Donny be happy about Jesse? He’s marrying Jesse’s sister.”
“Surely you know that your cousin and Jesse Pike have a rivalry that goes all the way back to high school. Plus, guys are just guys, Ava.” I laugh. “They don’t like older men hanging around their little sisters. Which makes me very glad you don’t have a brother.”
“I have cousins who treat me like a sister. And yeah, I know about Donny and Jesse, but Callie told me she made them get over it.”
“That’s good,” I say, “because Brianna looks pretty intent on nabbing Jesse’s attention this evening. And I know about those cousins who treat you like a sister. I’m pretty sure Brock and Dave will be watching us like a hawk at your parents’ party tomorrow evening.”
“They can mind their own business.”
“Sure they can. But they won’t.” I give her a chaste kiss on her rosy cheek. “That’s just how they are. Overprotective, and it seems the Steels are even more so than most.”
Ava smiles. “I’m kind of pissed off at Brock myself right now. And Dale and Donny for that matter. And my father. And uncle. Hell, let’s just put all the Steel men in that category. Whatever secrets they’re keeping? I’m so done.”
“Hey…” I finger a lock of pink hair. “I’m going to level with you about everything I know. You’re the one who decided to wait until after the party.”
Ava wipes the bar with a damp rag. “True enough. The party. But after that? It’s open season.”
I don’t reply. I don’t blame her. She’s angry and she’s frightened and she feels her family may not be who they say they are.
Speaking of family, the bell on the door jingles, and in walks my father.
I wave to him. “Hey, Dad.”
He takes the one open seat at the bar. “Can you take a break? I need to talk to you.”
“Not really.” I gesture. “Look at this place.”
“Tell you what. I’ll stay and help you and Ava. Where are Laney and Marianne? Johnny?”
“Marianne went out of town for the holiday. Johnny’s unstocking. Laney’s waiting tables. She’s back by the pool tables.”
“Okay.” He darts his gaze around and then lowers his voice. “Seriously. I need a few minutes of your time.”
Something in his voice sends a chill through me. “All right. Hey, Ava?”
Ava walks up to us. “Hi, Mr. Murphy.”
“Hi, Ava. Call me Sean.”
“Okay. Hi, Sean.”
I lay a hand on Ava’s shoulder. “My dad needs to talk to me for a few minutes. You think you can handle the bar? I can grab Laney to help you.”
Ava furrows her brow.
I can’t blame her. She’s sick to hell of all the secrets, and frankly so am I.
“Please?” I whisper in her ear. “He says it’s important.”
She shrugs. “I suppose I could take orders if Laney tends bar. There might be something that I don’t know how to make.”
“Good enough. I’ll go get Laney.”
I walk out from behind the bar to the back where Laney Dooley is taking an order from Jesse Pike and his friends.
“Hey, Lane, I need you behind the bar. Ava’s going to take care of the tables because my dad needs to talk to me for a few minutes.”
“Okay, no problem.” She scribbles on her pad. “I’ll get this order in for you guys, and Ava will bring it back when it’s done.”
Laney follows me, and Ava takes her place waiting tables.
“Okay, Dad,” I say to my father. “I’m all yours.”
“Let’s go back to the office.”
The office—which is the size of a small walk-in closet—is behind the bar in the kitchen, which isn’t usually staffed. I do my paperwork upstairs in my place, so the office is pretty much storage right now—overflow from the stockroom where Johnny’s unloading cases of liquor.
“What is it?” I ask.
“Why did you give that guy my address?”
“What guy?”
“Pat something. Lamone.”
“I didn’t. I said you were in the book. It’s not exactly private information in a small town.”
“Yeah, whatever. He came by to see me this afternoon.”
“So?”
“He was a damned pain in the ass, Brendan.”
“Why?”
“He kept asking me about some woman named Dyane Wingdam. I’ve never heard of her. And then he showed me the same message that you and I got through Hardy’s office. The one that didn’t make any sense.”
“Wait a minute.” My mind races. “This woman he’s talking about is his grandmother, right?”
“That’s what he says. He says he has DNA proof.”
“The first message. The one about Darth Morgen. It’s an anagram for grandmother.”
Dad raises his eyebrows.
“Ava figured it out. It took her all of two seconds once she plugged it into an anagram maker on the computer.”
“And her mother couldn’t figure that out?”
“That’s the point. Ryan and Ruby are keeping something from Ava. We asked Ruby for help with this over a week ago, and she just kept putting it off.”
“Ruby Steel’s a bright woman. No way she didn’t know what was going on here.”
“Right? I think the same thing…and so does Ava.”
“That must be upsetting her.”
“It totally is. She’s not sure why her mother wouldn’t help her solve these riddles.”
“So Ruby probably knows what this other puzzle means too.”
I nod. “I’m pretty sure she does.”
“So the question is,” Dad says, “why did this Pat Lamone fellow get the same message?”
“He thinks he’s related to the Steels.”
Dad cocks his head. “And is he?”
“Hell if I know. I believe he went to school here. He’s around Callie Pike’s age. Maybe Rory’s.”
Dad clears his throat. “So you would have graduated long before he did.”
“Yeah. I don’t remember him from Adam. I don’t think he graduated anyway. They moved before or during his senior year. I might be wrong. I’d have to check with the Pikes. They’d remember.”
Dad rubs his jawline. “So he might be related to the Steels. He has this grandmother of his in the hospital. And he got the same message that we and the Steels got.”
“Right. The grandmother may be the key. Maybe this is referring to Pat Lamone’s grandmother. The woman in the hospital.”
“Maybe it is, but how does that have anything to do with us?”
“Dad, I just don’t know.”
“All right. You don’t have any more answers than I do, I guess. Let me give your mom a call and let her know I’ll be helping you at the bar tonight.”
“I appreciate it, Dad. Thanks.”
I head back out to the bar, and a few minutes later, Dad joins me.
“You know? It’s good to be back behind a bar.” He grabs a towel and wipes up some condensation on the counter.
“You want to take over?” I laugh.
“Are you kidding me? You’re so busy here, I’m surprised you didn’t call me before. Don’t you have people on standby for when you get nights like this?”
“I have Ava now. She picked up things like you couldn’t believe. She’s smart as a whip, that one. Obviously gets it from her mother.”
“You saying Ryan Steel’s a dummy?”
“No, that’s not what I meant. But Ruby has that puzzle-solving intelligence, and that’s what Ava has. It’s amazing how she can read those cards the way she does.”
“Yeah, the cards. Your mom likes those cards.” Dad’s expression remains noncommittal.
“I know she’s been to Ava for some readings. But Ava wouldn’t talk about it.”
“She shouldn’t. It’s probably very confidential.”
Very confidential.
Absolutely right, and Ava has a lot of integrity. I’d like to think I do as well. I did promise Ryan Steel I wouldn’t speak to Ava about what he and I talked about. But…some promises have to be broken. They have to be broken when the woman you love is at stake.
“How is Mom, by the way?” I ask.
“She’s good.” And again…Dad seems noncommittal.
“She hasn’t…talked to you about maybe not researching your uncle again?”
He laughs, finally. “Oh, she has.”
“That happened so long ago. I can’t believe what’s happening now could possibly be related.”
Dad fills two pilsner glasses with beer from the keg. “It’s a long shot, but I feel like it’s connected somehow.”
I open a bottle of Fat Tire and hand it to a customer. “It seems to be the only way we could possibly be connected to the Steels, for sure. But it was so long ago.”
“Think about this, Brendan. If Ava’s solution to the puzzle is correct, and it’s telling her that a grandmother is alive, perhaps it does go back that far.”
“But whose grandmother? Your mother and Mom’s mother are both gone. And Ava’s grandmothers are also both gone.”
“Which means maybe it’s referring to this Pat Lamone’s grandmother. I mean, why else would he have come to see you, and then me, about her?”
“He came because the email told him to. But I have no idea what any of that means or why we’re even involved.”
“Which is why I think it must have something to do with my uncle and his death at the wedding of Brad and Daphne Steel. That’s our only connection to the Steels, son. The only one.”
Chapter Seven
Ava
Watching my sister play pool is like watching a romantic comedy. Guys flock to her, and she gives them just enough attention so that they want her, and then she eases away.
She’s never serious.
She likes to pick up men, have some sex, and then move on. It’s her way. I sure didn’t like her coy flirting with Brendan at the bar. That won’t happen again on my watch.
I distribute the drinks and then dart my gaze to Jesse Pike, Cage Ramsey, and Dragon Locke.
The band.
Has my sister been with any of them?
They’re all in their early thirties, and Gina’s only twenty-two, so probably not. But I’m sure she’d gladly add them to the notches on her bedpost.
They’re all incredibly good-looking, of course—especially Dragon, in a completely unique and dark way. I’ve never really been attracted to him—or any of them—in a sexual way, though. Not like I am to Brendan.
I can’t believe I’m in love.
Gina and the rest of the awesome foursome are like Brock, Dave, and me. All the same age, so they were treated more as siblings than cousins.
Funny—they got the moniker the awesome foursome, while the three of us got Huey, Dewey, and Louie.
Of course, they are awesome.
All of them are tall, beautiful, and built. And all smart as anything as well. Gina is the artist of the group, Brianna’s the rancher, and Angie and Sage are both interested in the culinary arts, like their mother, Aunt Marjorie.
They both look like Dave in female form except Sage’s eyes are brown, like her mother’s.
Angie is the quieter of the two, and Sage is just like Gina—a complete and total flirt. She and Gina are hanging all over Cage Ramsey and Dragon Locke.
So I’m not surprised when Angie walks up to me, her brown hair swept into a high ponytail, which somehow makes her eyes look bluer.
“Hey, Ava.”
“What’s up, Ang? Do you need a refill?”
Angie lifts her pink cosmo, which is still half full. “Not yet. When did you become a bartender?”
“This afternoon. Brendan came over and helped me at the bakery this morning, so I offered to help him tonight.” I dart my gaze around the bar. “And he sure needs it. This place is packed.”
“Friday nights are usually packed, but you’re never here.”
“The bar’s not really my scene. But Brendan and I…” My cheeks warm.
“So I’ve heard.” Angie smiles. “I have to admit, I didn’t see that one coming.”
“I didn’t either, to tell the truth. But it’s nice. It’s really nice.”
Angie looks toward the bar, where Brendan and his father are working. “He’s a lot older than you, Ava.”
“I know, and it kind of freaked me out at first, but honestly? When I’m with him? There don’t seem to be any years between us. It’s so easy. And believe it or not, we have a lot in common.”
Angie raises her finely lined brows. “Really? You and Brendan Murphy?”
“Yeah, actually.” I feel myself getting a little bit defensive.
She shrugs with a smile. “Well, if you’re happy, cuz, so am I.”
I glance again at the other three of the foursome, who are flirting up a storm with the band. “What’s going on with you guys?”
“Just enjoying our senior year. I’ve been dating a guy at school, but it’s nothing serious.”
“Oh?”
“Yeah, it’s pretty casual. But it’s more than Gina and Sage are doing. You know them, hopping from one guy to the next.”
“Yeah, I know. What about Brianna?”
“She has eyes for one man and one man only.” Angie gestures to Jesse Pike.
Jesse Pike, rocker extraordinaire.
“Yeah, I noticed that earlier. Or rather Brendan did. That’s an age difference.”
“Right? He’s thirty-two and she’s twenty-two. But that’s still one year less than you and Brendan.”
I can’t help a laugh. “I guess you’ve got me there. I just don’t see the two of them together. Jesse’s a rocker. And Bree? A hundred percent cowgirl. She’ll never leave the ranch.”
“No, she won’t. Besides, none of us has the heart to tell her that Jesse Pike has never once glanced in her direction.”
“He seems to be glancing now.”
“He’s being nice to her, Ava. He always is. He’s a good guy. But I think he sees her as a little sister.”
“Yeah, probably because she’s the same age as Maddie.” I look over my shoulder, scanning the area. “Where is Maddie, anyway?”
“I don’t know. I assume one of the girls invited her to come. She’s kind of an honorary fifth member of the awesome foursome.”
“Maybe she’s doing something with her family.”
Although, once I say that, I realize it can’t be true, because Brock, Rory, Donny, and Callie have just walked into the bar, and trailing behind them is Maddie. Maddie, the youngest Pike sister, who looks a lot like Rory, with rich dark hair and dewy brown eyes. Maybe not quite as classically beautiful, but a close second.
She glances toward Gina and Sage at the pool table, and her lips turn down to a frown.
“Maddie just walked in,” I say to Angie.
Angie looks toward the door. “Oh. Hey, Mads!” She gestures.
“I think she feels left out a lot with you guys,” I say.
“I know.” Angie’s shoulders slump as a look of guilt mars her pretty face. “But the four of us are family. It’s different.”
“Yeah, I suppose so.”
“Maybe you don’t get it, Ava. You know, since you left the family fold and all.”
“I didn’t leave the family fold.”
“Yeah, you did. You live in town, and you don’t take money from your trust fund.”
I dig my feet into the hardwood floor, feeling defensive. “I’m still a member of the family, and I love them all just as much as you do, Ang.”
