I shut off the line and face him. My heart hurts. Why do I keep wanting what I can’t have? “Is it that you said I’m not your girlfriend? That’s true. Or is it that you know I’m broke?” Also true.
“We didn’t say that.”
“Sure about that?” I sound like I’m five and mimicking Landry. “Or are you upset that your dad made sure I can’t benothingto you.”
His eyelids slide closed for a second. “Look, I know this is hard?—”
“You know what’s hard,slick?” I’m not going to be lectured by McBossy as if I’m some lovesick employee. Calder’s not the only one who’s been through the wringer. “You know what I don’t want to be doing? Talking to you, a man who could save the entire Cross empire with his pocket change. Each one of you could, but I can’t spare more than a couple hundred to toss into the pot. You know what stinks? I buried mysisteryesterday, and I’m at work today like a good little employee. I’m even wearing the shirt you hate.”
A sob wrenches out of me. Then another.
“Hey.” He reaches for me, but I jerk away.
Hot tears streak down my face. I pat my cheeks, and a horror darkens my mind.Oh no. No, no, no.I’m already pathetic around him—I can’t break down under the full weight of hisattention. But it’s too much. Too much loss. So much heartache. Loads of stress.
Too much, too much, too much.
“I’ve got to go.”
“Meredith.”
I shake my head. “If you have any respect for me, leave me alone.”
Proud I could get that much out without my voice cracking more than three times, I race out of the brewery.
TWENTY-NINE
CALDER
The taproom isn’t very lively for a Friday night. Is this typical for summer, with the Fourth of July just a few weeks away, or is it due to the owner’s death and the community thinking the juicy family drama is now behind us?
The urge to leave is strong, and it has been since Meredith rushed out, but I have a lot to cover with both of my brothers while they’re here, and I only have the weekend to do it. We’ll move cattle on Monday, and then Landry will be gone. Bowen, too, probably.
I don’t know how much time Meredith wants to think, but it’s ticking by really fucking slow. Did she go to Sawyer’s? Should I call Sawyer and ask her to check on Meredith?
It doesn’t help that all the empty tables are wiped off, refills have been taken care of, and I don’t have the heart to send Molly home. Meredith’s comments stick with me. My portfolios are making money while I’m standing here. If I send Molly home early, she won’t make a dime. This is how Dad went into so much debt.
“So, all of you?” Molly blinks from me to Bowen to Landry. We’re gathered at the edge of the bar counter, counting downuntil closing time. “Wow. I bet Meredith is relieved. We were terrified you guys would run us out.”
Landry shifts his feet and squints at the half-filled tables. “It’s still a possibility.”
Molly giggles nervously. “My grandma used to say, ‘If he’s pretty and he’s honest, he’s a liar,’ but I’m not sold that you’re lying.”
Bowen coughs with a laugh.
“To be fair,” she continues, oblivious to our discomfort, “my grandpa would say that about women, but he cheated so much Granny changed it around.” She drums her fingers on the countertop. “It’s weird not having Meredith here, isn’t it? I’m glad she’s finally taking some time off. Poor thing. So, what are your plans for the place? You’re not renaming it to, like, Three Brothers Brewery, are you? Or would that be Three Brothers and a…um, Sister?”
“She’s not our sister, or any relative at all,” I say and wince at all the declarations of what Meredith isn’t. I haven’t had a woman in my life mean anything for a long time—definitely nothing serious. So why does it bother me so much that it hurt her? “She’s part owner. That’s all.”
Molly’s mouth forms anO. “I’d have quit a long time ago if it weren’t for her. Not that your dad was bad,” she rushes to tack on. “It’s just that I could make more bartending in Williston. Those oil guys like to tip but can also be a little psycho.” She holds her hands up. “Not all oil men, not just oil men, and not people with real psychopathy, but you know what I mean. We get a tamer crowd here. But the money doesn’t compare.”
“When was your last raise?” I know the answer, but I want to get Molly’s impression of everything. She’s refreshingly open, likes to chatter, and I can see why she was kept on, even though she can coast through a shift. She doesn’t do that with the customers, and she’s been someone Meredith can lean on.
She scrunches her face up. “Um, I think it was…”
Bowen flicks his gaze to me before shaking his head. He’s seen the books. “Never. Dad never gave you a raise.”
She flushes like she was the pretty one busted in a lie trying to tell the truth. “No. No raise. Meredith really is great to work with, and she lets me get extra hours. She also doesn’t fire me when I have to miss work. I’ve gotta work around the baby daddy’s schedule, and it can get hard, you know.”
