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“Maybe you can make things work this time.”
“Maybe.”
“Though, knowing Mills, I bet she doesn’t like you very much after that stunt you pulled on Thursday night.”
“You heard about that,” Cal said with a wry grin.
“Who hasn’t? It’s still trending everywhere. No one cares about Swift and Kelce anymore. It’s all about Bridgestone and the mystery woman. I heard there were strangers in town asking about her.”
“What?” Shit. Cal had more than a problem on his hands. He needed to get hold of Ivy. She’d be able to fix it.
Ryland turned to leave the room. “Normally, Mills doesn’t work Saturday nights at the Sundowner, but I know for a fact she’s closing tonight.”
At Cal’s raised eyebrow, Ryland shrugged. “I have a buddy who works in the kitchen. Maybe you should pay her a visit to see how mad she is.”
“Maybe you should give Carly a call and let her know you haven’t forgotten her.”
“Maybe.” Ryland cracked a smile, and then his kid brother was gone.
Left alone once again, and restless as hell, Cal checked his phone and noted it was nearly midnight. If he headed to town now, he’d get to the Sundowner before last call. He fingered his cell once more, saw all the unread messages, and thoughtfuck it. Couldn’t hurt. He sent a message to Ivy and, decision made, grabbed his jacket and headed out into the cold, crisp November night.
It was time he started mending some of those fences he’d let fall down.
CHAPTER13
Millie Sue lockedthe door behind Jennifer. She took a few moments to just breathe, then turned around and let her gaze wander the now-empty bar. She was in a weird place. Tired as hell because she hadn’t slept much the last few nights, but wired and jumpy. It had been a busy night. A lot of folks had come out thinking there would be a repeat performance of Thursday night, but she’d quickly dashed everyone’s hopes by staying behind the bar—and the fact that one bona fide country superstar had been a no-show pretty much put a nail in that coffin.
A part of her thought Cal would drop by, but every time the door flew open, it was some other man who appeared. And she was fine with that, because she wasn’t in the right head space for Cal Bridgestone.
Itshouldbother her. How much she thought of him. How much she wanted to see him even though she was still mad as hell. Big Bend had been invaded by paparazzi, of all things. Here. In this town out in the middle of Nowhere, Montana. She’d had Taz escort three different men out of the bar because they’d been trying to take her photo without permission, while asking all sorts of inappropriate questions. She wasn’t used to that crap and resented the hell out of the fact that the Sundowner had been invaded by men looking to profit off a picture or juicy gossip. Men who didn’t belong in her corner of the world.
Yet, as the silence wrapped itself around her, Millie found herself drifting in a wash of nostalgia and melancholy. So much so that she found herself heading for the jukebox, her tired body suddenly as wired as her brain. She wasn’t sure how long she stared down at the thing, but eventually, she leaned against the machine and dug into the front pocket of her jeans until she found a quarter. The jukebox was as old as the Sundowner and still loaded with all the original tunes that were now classics. She deposited the coin and chose the same song she always did when she was alone and feeling blue, a ballad by Patsy Cline that tugged on every heartstring she owned.
The lights were low, and the smell of beer and fried food permeated the air, like every other honkytonk she’d ever been in. Smell was memory, and as Patsy began to sing, Millie Sue swayed to the melody, singing along and harmonizing with a woman who’d been dead for decades. Her words, the power of her voice, was still very much alive, and her crazy longing for a man who didn’t love her back was as palpable this night as it was the day Cline recorded it.
The last note lingered, and, surprised, Millie swiped at tears that stung the corners of her eyes. Would this feeling ever go away? Would she always be half happy and half sad? Could she live the rest of her life like this?
“My God, Mills, get your head on straight.” Her voice was raw.
A tapping noise caught her attention, and she whipped around, fear rising when she spied a shadow outside the door. The upper section was frosted glass, so it was easy to see. Whoever it was, was big. Heart pounding, she dug into her pants for her phone, but realized it was in the office.Shit.Was it one of the men Taz had escorted out of the bar earlier in the night?
She was just about to run back to the office and retrieve her phone when she heard him, his voice like a whisper in her head.
“It’s me, Mills.”
Cal.
“Can we talk?”
Her heart had to be in her ears because it was all she heard. Thump-thump-thump in rapid succession. Breaths falling like stones, she walked toward the door, though she paused an inch or so away. Long moments passed, and neither of them spoke, Cal out in the cold, and Millie Sue frozen on the other side.
“Millie?”
She knew this was wrong. Letting him in. But Millie seemed helpless to stop herself. She reached for the door, unlocked it, and stepped back.
Cal strode into the Sundowner, and she clicked the bolt behind him. She didn’t turn around, but rested her head against the door, unwilling to face this man who affected her like no one else ever would.
“Hey,” he said softly.
