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Instead of going out through the bar, I took the door that led to the main dining area and then slipped into the bar to watch him. He looked like he belonged behind that bar. As if it were already his. My mind began to ponder how I could help him ensure it was.
An idea came to me, and I returned to the table where my friends were and grabbed my purse before saying goodbye. Mike was busy talking to someone, so I sent him a text that I had to run and would speak to him later.
A few minutes later, I got a reply that asked if I was okay, and I told him yes, but I realized I needed to do something, and I would see him on Sunday night.
Before leaving the parking lot, I called my brother Evan. “Are you working?”
“Yes.”
“Is Laney home? Or is she in California?”
“She just got home about an hour ago. Why?”
“Because I wanted to talk to her about something. Do you think she is still awake?”
“Oh, yeah, she is wired. She always is when she gets back from seeing her brother.”
“Do you think she’d mind if I stopped by?”
“What’s going on? You alright?”
“I am, but I need to speak to her about something.”
“Give her a call. I’m sure she’d love to see you.” I heard someone speak behind him. “I gotta go. Talk later.”
He didn’t say anything else before I heard the phone click and then pulled up Laney’s number and called her. When Evan first met Laney Marshall, she worked for domestic violence as an advocate for the victims. She was at the hospital with a client when my brother walked into the ICU room, and the two of them had an instant connection.
We all loved Laney when we met her, and it wasn’t long after we learned Laney was much more than we thought. She was Alaina Marshall Buckworth, and she was a billionaire. She had practically run away from her family. Their guilt ate at her after her sister was killed by her husband.
The company was based in California, and the main offices were still there. However, Laney had another office here in Millerstown that oversaw the medical equipment research and development, plus the manufacturing of those devices. It brought her back to Evan, and the two of them had given us all a gift when they got married a few months later.
Laney had flown all of us, including Cara and Bryan, to a little island in the Caribbean, where we stayed in one of her beachfront mansions and celebrated their nuptials. It had been like a fairy tale, and seeing Evan in those surroundings had made me wonder if it would change him.
It hadn’t. He still worked as a nurse in the ICU of our hospital. He was also still down to earth, although he did drive her Maserati around from time to time.
Evan and Laney were a great couple, and if you saw them away from their house, you wouldn’t be able to tell that they were more affluent than anyone in this area.
I called Laney. “Hi, sorry to bother you so late at night, but I wondered if I could come by and talk to you.”
“Sure. I just poured a glass of wine and turned on the fairy lights. Come join me.”
“Great, I’ll be there in about fifteen minutes.” As I drove over, I wondered what the best way to bring up this subject was. Was I making a big mistake by even considering this?
I let myself in and left my purse on the table as I wandered through the house and to the back stairs that took me down to her garden. She had a fire in the pit, and the colorful fairy lights were on and twinkling. The sound of running water trickled in the background, and soft music played from hidden speakers.
“Hello!” I called out, so I didn’t scare her.
“Perfect timing. I just poured you a glass.” She eyed me as I joined her. “Where are you coming from?”
“I was at the tavern.”
“On a date?”
I shook my head. “No, um, just meeting with some friends for a drink. Evan said you just got back from California.”
“I did.”
“Was it a good trip?”
