Jade opens the bar for me, then closes it so I can reopen it and manage the night shift.
Pushing inside, I flip on the overhead lights one by one. The smell of oak, whiskey, and lemon polish hangs in the air, settling into my bones.
Falling into routine, I wipe down counters, stock clean glasses, and straighten stools that were left crooked. The jukebox hums to life in the corner, soft country twang filling the empty room. My body works, but my mind is elsewhere.
The lock starts shimmying on the front door, taking me out of my routine, and I know it’s either Carter or my other dumbass brother coming to bother me.
“REEDDDD!” Maverick’s voice rattles the bottles on the shelves. “Your favorite brother has arrived, and I come bearing a dire mission from my pregnant wife.”
I don’t even look up from the rag in my hand. “You’re not my favorite anything.”
He slams onto a stool, grinning like a lunatic. “Amelia is craving olives. Not just any olives. Your olives. The sacred, holy grail olives you hoard back here like they’re liquid gold.” He leans forward, whispering loudly, “If I don’t bring them home, she’ll bury me alive. You wanna be responsible for my untimely death?”
I grunt, reaching under the bar. “You’re dramatic.”
“Dramatic? DRAMATIC?” He slaps the counter with both hands. “Bro, if you’d seen the way she looked at me when I came back without peanut butter cups last week, you’d know this is survival. She’s five-foot-two of pure rage.”
I set the jar on the counter. “Here. Take it and get out.”
He hugs it to his chest. “You’re saving lives tonight, Reed. Specifically mine. I’ll name my next kid after you.”
I roll my eyes. “Maverick, please, shut up.”
Before he can wind up again, my phone buzzes in my pocket. I pull it out, thumb swiping across the screen, and her name lights me up from the inside.
Her message sprawls across the screen.
Layla
you left me on read do u hate me
i’m totally joking, don’t take me seriously
*gif of screaming lizard*
A laugh escapes me, making my shoulders shake. I pinch the bridge of my nose, grinning like an idiot.
Maverick leans over the bar, squinting. “Who the hell’s got you laughing like that? What’s this? Who is she? Tell me, or I’ll pry it out of you.”
“Mind your business.”
“Oh, it’s ashe.” His grin widens. “You’ve been holding out on me, bro. Turns out it’s some mystery woman making you soft.” He gasps, clutching his chest. “Don’t tell me it’s Catalina. Carter would kill us both, and I’m too pretty to die.”
“Jesus Christ.” I shake my head, pocketing my phone before he can grab it. “It’s not Catalina.”
The low laugh escapes before I can suppress it, and Maverick’s eyes snap open.
“Holy shit. You laughed.” He slaps the counter so hard the olive jar jumps. “Reed Hayes, ladies and gentlemen, has officially laughed again.”
I shake my head and carefully set down a row of glasses. “You’re exhausting.”
“Exhausting? Nah, bro. I’m invigorating.” He throws his arms wide. “I bring life to this dusty old saloon. Without me, you’d just brood into your whiskey until you fossilized.”
“You’re anno?—”
His phone buzzes on the bar, screen lighting up. He grabs it, still smiling, but the color drains from his face in the blink of an eye. His jaw drops.
“What?” I ask, brows knitting.
