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My cousin Ava, pink hair and all, with a gorgeous new diamond engagement ring on her left hand, approaches us from behind the bar. “What can I get you ladies tonight?”
“Since when do you tend bar?” I ask.
“Since Brendan needed my help when we were researching our families. He taught me the basics, and I picked up the rest on my own.”
“Why tonight?”
“Laney called in sick because she caught a nasty cold. I’m filling in for a few hours, until eleven. Then I have to get some shut-eye. The bakery doesn’t open itself.”
I nod. I really respect Ava. She doesn’t touch her Steel money to run the bakery. And she’s expecting a windfall of cash from her grandmother’s estate, which she’s going to share with her sister and half brothers. She also got some money from a trust, which she’s using to help the community.
Totally unselfish, that one.
And then I think…
I want to be unselfish too. “Maddie,” I say, “how would you like to go first class to Europe?”
Maddie laughs. “Are you kidding me? I’d love it. But we don’t have the money. Although we may be able to change our tickets to first class after the tour, after the band gets paid.”
“Brock mentioned that all the band members got a signing bonus.”
She stiffens her shoulders. “Yeah, they did, but ten grand doesn’t go far when your family lost everything in a fire.”
Back to this again. She probably won’t take kindly to me offering to pay for her to upgrade to first class.
I love having money—all the money in the world. I wish I could use it to help others in town the way Ava is. She’s doing it anonymously, but how long will it stay anonymous? The family knows. Of course, as the members of my generation recently found out, my family is very good at keeping secrets.
Our parents kept some pretty treacherous ones from us our whole lives.
“All right, Maddie. But don’t say anything until I’m done, all right?”
Maddie stares at me, her head cocked. “Okay.”
“I want to upgrade you to first class. I want us to have this European experience together. We’ll sit together, be comfortable in our lie-back seats. We’re going to room together anyway. You’ve already agreed to stay in my room. I want you to share this with me too. Correction.Iwant to share this withyou. Yes, I have the money to do this first class. I want to give this to you as a gift.”
“For Christ’s sake, Bree.” She shakes her head and sighs. “I think my family has made it pretty clear on where they stand with taking Steel money.”
“Brock is paying for Rory to go first class.”
“Brock and Rory are engaged. You and I are…”
“Friends,” I say. “The word you’re looking for, Maddie, isfriends.”
She looks down at the bar. “Arewe, though?”
“We’ve been through this, Mads. I wish I had known how uncomfortable you were feeling. How bad you were feeling about being left out. It’s my fault. It’s all our faults. We’re a very close-knit family, and we didn’t see outside our bubble. I’m so sorry for that.”
Maddie lifts her gaze to mine. “You know? I actually believe you, Brianna.”
“So you’ll take the gift I’m offering you?”
She looks down at her drink—a sidecar—that Ava just slid in front of her. I can’t personally stand sidecars. They’re way too sour. I drink straight Peach Street bourbon, like my father.
Maddie sighs. “You don’t know how much I want to take you up on your offer.”
“Then do it, Mads. I want you to. I want to do this for you.”
“My parents will hate it.”
