AllFreeNovel
Share Us
The older man eyed me. “Same difference.” He shuffled down to the other end of the bar to serve someone.
“Man, I wish I could drink beer for a living,” Hudson said. “Sometimes I think I went into the wrong family business, especially when I have to waste an hour of my time explaining why cheap cabinets look cheap. These people have caviar taste on a sardine budget.”
I rolled my eyes. “I don’t drink beer for a living.”
“Someone has to taste test, right?”
“True enough. But you wouldn’t be happy here.”
Hudson had lasted one month bussing tables before he quit to work for Paul’s contracting business. He enjoyed the variety of work it offered.
“You’re probably right,” he said.
“I’m always right.”
Hudson snorted. “And so humble about it too.”
I shrugged. “I never claimed to be humble.”
The front door, which was to our backs, opened, and Hudson looked over his shoulder as he brought his glass to his mouth. His eyes widened, and his hand paused. I turned to see what had made him forget to drink his—well, Wes’s—beer.
Wes had his arm around a woman and was helping her to a chair. With a start, I realized it was Claire, and I jumped to my feet, ready to rush over to help. I took one step before remembering myself.Not your business.I sat back down, still watching intently. Beside me, Hudson snickered.
What an ass.Hudson was making me rethink my stance of being too mature to hand out ass beatings to pesky little brothers.
Claire folded her arms on the table and rested her head on them.Wait… is she the drunk? What the hell? And why would Wes bring her here?He’d gone out for a drunk-and-disorderly call and come back with the enemy. I scowled. He had some explaining to do.
And damn it—the Banks Brew Co. was supposed to be my sanctuary. She shouldn’t be here again, especially in a state that made me worry about her. The only thing keeping me in my seat was that I trusted Wes with my life, so I could trust him to take care of Claire.
Wes came up to the bar. “Charlie, can I get a glass of water, please?”
“What the hell, Wes?” I asked.
He jerked his chin in Claire’s direction. “The drunk-and-disorderly report was exaggerated.”
“So is she drunk or just disorderly?” Hudson chortled.
I bit back the “shut the fuck up” that was on the tip of my tongue. I didn’t like that my brother was having a laugh at her expense, but I wasn’t her defender. I wanted her out of my bar and my town. After she’d recovered, of course. I wasn’t a monster.
Charlie placed the glass of water on the bar.
“Neither.” Wes picked up the water and carried it to Claire. He put it on the table then patted her shoulder awkwardly.
Wes had lived with my family, including my four sisters, but he had no sisters of his own. Despite his police training, he wasn’t equipped to handle hysterical women. Not that Claire was hysterical. In fact, she looked the opposite. She looked broken. Again, a strong urge to go to her struck me. I wanted to save her from Wes’s piss-poor comforting efforts by wrapping her in my arms and stroking her hair.
Where did that idea come from? Fuck.
It was nothing. She was a woman in distress. Any man with half a heart would feel the urge to step in. It was in the male DNA—caveman shit or something. Naturally, I’d feel it even more than usual since this was my place.
Claire was a strong independent woman, though, and she didn’t need my help. Again I wondered why Wes had brought her here. Having a woman who was nursing a hangover be the first thing people saw when they came into the Banks Brew Co. didn’t do us any favors.
Fuck it.I walked over. “What’s going on?”
“I didn’t get the whole story.” Wes continued to pat her shoulder, and it was making me cringe. The way he was patting her made her head wobble with each touch.
That couldn’t feel good. And I’m the one with no finesse?
“Something about a boat.”
