Page 61 of Tennessee Trouble

Friends. Yeah…this guy and I would absolutely be buddies. I can tell just from hanging out with him for five minutes. Those eyes that match the ones I see every night before I go to sleep aren’t hurting either. The resemblance is uncanny. It’s no wonder Lindee says they gave them away. Those eyes really are recognizable anywhere.

“In a different life…”

The same life where the chemistry between Lindee and me was a blessing and not a potential curse. Where we could have a future. One that features me coming home to her every night in that little cottage by the creek, the two of us cooking dinner together and playing around with recipes, talking about our days. One that includes Rylan coming down to Hickory Hills to hang with Milo and me at the brewery.

But no. We are not on that timeline. That’s some alternate universe somewhere. The one we’re on, right here, right now, features us awkwardly sitting next to each other at a bar, pretending that we have nothing to talk about.

“Look, I didn’t tell you this, but…” He shifts on his stool, turning to face me. Expression serious, but relaxed, he still looks like another everyday guy, rather than some big time COO. Like we’re just two guys having a regular conversation over our weekly beer. “I’m the fixer of the family…the problem-solver,” he stumbles to correct himself, realizing what he said. “And well…I want to help you resolve this. Because I can’t imagine you want to be hanging around this town longer than you have to. I’m sure you have your own life to get back to. “

I nod. He’s not wrong. He’s also not entirely correct.

Hanging around Trouble these last couple of weeks hasn’t been that bad. My family has been after me to take a break and they were right. On top of that, there’s Lindee. Being with her has been…utter perfection.

Then again, Rylan doesn’t know about what I have going on with his sister. He didn’t realize I was still here, which means she has kept as tight a lid on our little fling as possible.

Probably for the best.

“Mikayla has been working to try and land this deal—a partnership—with this company that is opening a new bar in Nashville. She’s been in talks with these guys for what feels like forever, but…it’s all kinda stalled out.”

Mikayla is working on that as CEO? That’s surprising.

“Don’t you have people for that? A marketing department?”

Rylan nods, leaning against the back of the stool. “We do. Mikayla was vice president of brand representation until our parents retired last year and she took over as CEO.”

Oh, that makes sense.

“She wasn’t willing to hand over this project to someone else after she switched roles. Something that I, as well as my best friend Declan, who is our CFO, really wish she would. He has to deal with it more than I do, since she makes him run around in circles trying to close this, but we both wish she would focus on some other projects we have that need her attention. Anyway, I digress. But the bottom line is this—Mikayla believes that if we can sponsor that tour with y’all, it will help give us some legitimacy.”

Some what?!

“Because Tennessee Trouble isn’t legit?” I regret my sarcasm instantly. Rylan is trying to help; I don’t need to be a jackass.

“Apparently not in the way these guys want us to be. We’ve never been a major, presenting sponsor of anything. Mostly because my PR queen of a mother believed that you couldn’t end up hitched to the wrong wagon if you weren’t hitched to anything. Especially when it came to celebrities.”

That’s fair. Celebrity endorsements are great, to a point. They can be a real gamble depending on the person and their actions. Milo and I have always known that we lucked out having the personal connection to Dustin so that we didn’t have to worry about vetting a potential bad egg.

“She’s not wrong,” I say.

Rylan holds up his hands in mini mock surrender. “I totally get where she’s coming from. But I also see why Mikayla wants to do this. And our lack of history is hurting us against some of our competing brands.”

Also fair.

“And having your name with ours on a pretty little graphic over Dustin’s name is gonna give you the clout you need?”

“My sister seems to think so.”

I’m not sure I agree, but what do I know. That’s not my area of expertise—by a long shot. We have Rose Adams who handles that for us. Although, we also personally know the guy we’re sponsoring, making it a whole different game.

For a second, I consider asking him what bar it is. Again, not that I know anything about the bars in Nashville, but chances are Rose does. Southern Brothers is served in every honky-tonk along Broadway. And if Rose somehow doesn’t know the management group, then Dustin certainly knows whatever country singer whose name will be splashed across it.

Then it occurs to me that such an offer would be what Rylan is after. Buttering me up and getting me to offer up my own resources to help. Get Dustin to pull a string or two.

“But don’t tell her I told you this.” Rylan lets out a wry chuckle, face going a little pale. “She would kick my ass from here into the middle of next week if she knew I was letting you in on our business.”

Or maybe not…

“She’s a little…high-strung, huh?”