“Yes, Dad. Your secretary emailed the day’s itinerary over to me. Brunch followed by a trip to the ballet, followed by a two-hour break, then we re-convene for dinner.”

  “Excellent. And I trust you have all the addresses?”

  “Yes, Dad. I already have everything saved and ready to go.”

  “Wonderful, I look forward to seeing you, Jennifer. I—” He paused and she checked to make sure that the call hadn’t been disconnected.

  “Dad?”

  “Yes, sorry.” He cleared his throat. “I will see you on Sunday. I would like to discuss a few things with you. Important things.”

  “Is everything all right, Dad?”

  “Yes, fine. I have another call coming in. I need to go. Goodbye, Jennifer.”

  “Bye, Dad.” She looked down at the phone. That was one of the weirder conversations she’d had with her dad, and there were certainly some odd ones for the books. He’d seemed almost sad when they’d talked. Their relationship had never been the best, especially after her mom died, but she’d known he loved her in his own hands off kind of way.

  A shiver ran through Jen as she recalled how her mom died, and her part in it. The gnawing sense of guilt still clawed at her throat whenever she thought of her mother’s death, even after all these years. She’d often wondered if maybe this was why her father was always so distant with her. Whenever she tried to talk about the day her mom died, her dad would shut down completely and leave the room. It was his way of not dealing with it and dealing with her.

  The way he couldn’t even look her in the eye in the months after her mother died had been difficult. She thought he must have blamed her. That was part of the reason she never pushed when it came time to talk about it. She had so many things she wanted to say, but he never seemed to want to hear it, and a small part of her was afraid of what he would say if they did have that conversation. Who would want to hear that the reason you’d never had a good relationship with your last remaining parent was because at least a small part of them hated you for playing a part in your other parent’s death?

  Pulling up to The Bramble, Mark rested his head on the steering wheel, breathing deeply as he tried to think of his next move. Even if he didn’t take a salary and asked Rox to take a decreased one for a while, there was no way for him to pay everything off. No way in hell. Cheryl’s deadline was ridiculous, but he didn’t know how to get out of it. It had been a condition of the divorce that he buy out her half. He’d been able to get the divorce finalized with buying her out as a condition.

  He trudged into the bar and up into his office. But, if he didn’t get that money to her, she would get The Bramble outright and be able to do whatever she wanted with it. With the remodel going so well and the relaunch bringing in lots of money, Mark thought it would be easy to buy her out in only four or five months, and if he couldn’t get the money together he could get another loan. Now, not being able to get another loan to pay her off, he was in serious jeopardy of losing The Bramble. A knock on the door jerked him out of his depressing thoughts.

  “Hey, hey, can I come in?” A sandy-haired head poked through the doorway.

  Mark jumped out of his chair and across the room, a huge smile on his face.

  “Liam, what the hell are you doing here?” He hugged his new arrival, patting him on the back.

  “I figured that since I missed the grand opening, I should show my face around here before you thought I’d forgotten about you.”

  “With all that’s going on with your company, I thought maybe you didn’t have time for the little people anymore.” A crimson flush crept up Liam’s neck.

  “I’m really sorry, man. There’s been some crazy stuff happening lately and I’ve been a shitty friend, I know.”

  “Don’t worry about it. I’m just messing with you. I know how crazy life can get.”

  “Cheryl?”

  “Cheryl.”

  “I’m sorry I ever let Anna introduce you two. She swore it would be a great match and you know how Lucas is when it comes to her. He could never say no.”

  “I don’t blame any of you guys. I certainly saw the red flags along the way, but decided to overlook them in the name of love. I’m paying for it now,” he said, running his hands through his hair.

  “But this place looks amazing! I can’t believe how much you’ve done with it. I can’t believe it’s the same place.”

  “It took a lot of work. But it’s turned out better than I could have imagined.”

  “It’s really remarkable. I’m proud of you, man. Who would have thought that when I was kicking your ass on Xbox back in the dorms that this is where we would end up?”

  “Never in a million years. I’d have thought you would have been one of those Wall Street types.”

  “Nah, you know how things went with my dad. I was not going to go down that path. No fucking way. That was always more of Luc’s thing than mine.”

  “Titans of industry.” Mark laughed.

  “Yeah, something like that.”

  “Anyway, I wanted to make sure that you’re still on board for the wedding this weekend. Anna sent me over here when they never got your RSVP.”

  “Oh shit, I completely forgot. Wow, I can’t believe those two are getting married. Remember when they first met?”

  “You mean when she stomped on his balls and he called her an atomic bitch? You mean you couldn’t tell it was love at first sight with those two crazy kids?”

  “I thought it would either be love or a double homicide.”

  “They bring out the best in each other, which is why I’m so surprised that Anna’s always so testy with him, but it’s not like he doesn’t need it. At least she’s a sweetheart to everyone else, which is part of the reason I’m here.”

  “This doesn’t sound like good news.”

  Liam grimaced. “Since Anna is such a sweetheart with everyone except for Luc, she invited Cheryl to the wedding and Cheryl accepted with a plus one.” Liam rushed out that last bit, perhaps hoping Mark wouldn’t comprehend it at ninety miles per hour.

  “As if my week couldn’t get any worse.”

  “I know man, I’m sorry. Their whole house from school is going to be there and Anna didn’t want to not invite Cheryl.”

  “It’s not your fault. And of course, I’ll be there for their big day. I’ll figure something out.” Mark wracked his brain to think of how he was going to make it through the wedding. Through a wedding where a drunk Cheryl would be present. That would be rough. He would have to check in on Keira and see if she might be able to go with him.

  8

  Managing to get away from the office before six in the evening was like a first-timer completing a marathon in under five hours, but Jen had done it. She brushed off the snide comments from Chad and walked right out of that building at five-fifty like the rebel she was. She found herself pushing the front door of The Bramble open a few minutes later, although she meant to go home and watch a movie.

  She waved to Charlie as she walked through the door. The crowd made it hard to get to him. She had to give a few people nudges to find a gap at the bar, as happy hour was still going strong. Always nice to see people enjoying themselves. With her eagle eye, she spotted a guy paying his tab ready to leave. She wedged herself in there and grabbed a stool, sat, and slung her bag onto the bar.

  “Hello, pretty lady,” Charlie called out to her, beaming.

  “Charlie, flattery will get you everywhere.” She had to shout and stand on the bar rail so Charlie could hear her over the noise. He walked over to her with a glass in hand.

  “What can I get you?”

  “How about a Bramble Bombshell? Those things are delicious and dangerous and I need some of that tonight.”

  “Coming right up!”

  Charlie slid her a bowl of nuts and popcorn. He came back with a bar menu and went about making her drink. She spun around on her stool and checked the place out for a minute, then turned her attention to the menu. Her mouth watered as she looked at all the options, and she decided on the ham and cheese mini quiche, jalapeno poppers, and a mini order of fish and chips. Seemed she was hungrier than she thought.

  Charlie came back and put her drink in front of her and took her order. Sipping her drink, she settled in and enjoyed listening to the live music that Mark arranged. She didn’t think he usually did it during the week, but it wasn’t like she knew the schedule of this place.

  The guy on the small stage toward the back corner opposite the bathrooms was an awesome musician. His auburn hair caught the light as he strummed his guitar. People were actually shutting up for once in a bar and listening to him play. It seemed like he used all parts of the guitar, knocking on it with his hands to add additional rhythms. With a rapid-fire delivery, he strung together musical patterns that had everyone entranced.

  She was so engrossed with the performance that she didn’t notice Mark until he popped up right in front of her. Startled, she sloshed her drink all over her hand. Jen reached for some napkins to clean it all up.

  “Sorry! I said your name about four times. I thought you heard me coming.” Mark apologized and signaled to Charlie behind her.

  “No, I didn’t hear you. Sorry, I was too busy watching that guy up on stage. Who the hell is he? He’s pretty amazing.”

  “His name is Eric Newcastle. He literally walked in off the street a while ago and asked if he could play. He’s been in a couple of times since then. He’s going to be touring with a band from the area and wanted to jam for a bit. Once Rox and the rest of the staff heard him play, they would have murdered me if I didn’t let him perform. It seems like people are really enjoying it. Maybe I should have musicians in more often during the week.”

  “If they are like this guy, definitely do. He’s mind-blowing. I mean, this day has been rough, but hearing him play and drinking this drink has made it better. The only thing that will make it perfect will be when Rox’s food comes out.”

  “Glad I could be of service,” he said, bowing.” And speak of the devil.” He pointed behind her and Jen let out a squeal as Charlie put all her plates on the bar. She cringed a little at how much she’d ordered and peeked back at him over her shoulder.

  He raised his brows and gave her a lopsided smile. “Hungry?”

  She stuffed one of the poppers into her mouth. “Freaking famished!”

  “I’ll leave you to it then,” he said, his smile falling. The musician on stage thanked everyone for listening and jumped down off the stage.

  “Looks like he’s done for tonight. I need to try to ask him back. He’s got this whole place captivated.”

  “It was a great set. And you should definitely try to get him to come back.” She glanced at Mark and he seemed much less loose and go-with-the-flow than he had the last time she’d seen him. He moved to leave, but she put her hand on his arm.

  “Hey, what’s the matter?”

  “A bad day, that’s all.”

  “Does this have to do with Cheryl and the divorce?”

  “Yeah, it’s a mess.”

  “Listen, I don’t handle divorce law, but I could check over the documents, if you want. I mean, I’m sure you have a lawyer and everything, but if you wanted me to take another look at them, I could do that.”

  “Really? That would be excellent. Could you look at them now?”

  “Sure, let me grab my stuff.” She picked up her bag and tried to balance the four plates in her hands. He laughed at her and took all four of them, balancing them all perfectly in one hand.

  “Show off,” she scoffed.

  “It’s called working in a bar. You pick up a few things after a while. Come on,” he said, nodding his head toward the back of the bar.

  As they reached the stairs to the office, the guitarist popped out of the bathroom. Mark reached out his hand. “That was an excellent set, Eric. Thanks for picking our bar to jam in tonight. It was a real pleasure.”

  Eric smiled brightly and shook his hand. “No worries, man. I had fun. You have a nice place, Mark. The crowd you get is chill and it’s fun playing for them. Plus, the drinks and the food are always top notch. I’ll definitely come back through here when I can. I’m on tour soon, so I don’t know how many more times I can squeeze it in, but you keep feeding me with this food and I’ll play anytime I get a chance.” Eric turned and walked down the hallway back out into the bar.

  “Looking forward to it,” Mark called out to him and Eric waved over his shoulder before disappearing around the corner into the bar.

  They climbed the steps to his office and Jen worried her bottom lip, trying to figure out what Mark had going on right now. She didn’t have many friends in town and she hated it when someone was screwed around, especially if she could help.

  Placing the plates on his desk, he pulled out the file and handed it to her. He plopped down on the couch and she sat on the desk, munching away. If there was a way she could help, she would do her best. But she didn’t want the food to get cold!

  Mark ran his hands over his face, not sure where to start. Dragging Jen into this didn’t seem like a good idea, but he didn’t have much of a choice.

  “Cheryl took out a lot of loans against this place, in addition to the one I took out for the remodel. A lot of them, so much that I would have to sell the whole thing just to make enough to be able to pay it off. The bitch of it is that she’d still get half of whatever it was sold for. So, she’s getting her money twice.”

  “How did she take out the loans without your permission?”

  “Forged my signature, as far as I can tell.”

  Her head whipped up and she stood, eyes blazing. “That’s illegal. Can you prove it?”

  “No,” he said, hanging his head. “My signature on the account matches all the documents. She would have had access to my signature any time she wanted. So now I’m stuck. I need to sell this place for the divorce to go through, but I can’t sell this place because then I have nothing. Plus, the thought of her getting away with this makes me want to punch something.”

  She wiped her hands and face with a napkin.

  She started flipping through all the documents, making small noises with each page turn. She picked up the next set and flipped through those as well. Grabbing a pen and blank piece of paper, she started scribbling things down as she went. He looked at her as she worked and she was just as captivating as when she sketched. She bit the side of her lip and every so often, she’d run her tongue along her lip to smooth it out.

  Remembering the kiss they’d shared out in the alley, Mark wanted to feel those soft lips on his again. Everything was going to shit and the last thing he should have been thinking about was kissing Jen, but he couldn’t help it. When Charlie told him that she was there, he had to stop himself from running straight down the stairs to see her. Even with everything happening, she was a bright spot in his day. Flipping the last of the pages closed, she stared at him for a couple of seconds.

  “Whoever drafted these is a fucking moron.” She picked up another jalapeno popper and shoved it into her mouth. He couldn’t help but laugh. It was good to see she wasn’t freaked out by anything she’d seen in there.

  “That would be her lawyer. My lawyer said he looked them over and everything was in order.”

  “Sure, everything is in order if he’s a moron.”

  “I take it there are a few changes you would make?”

  “Hell yeah, there are. First, anything she gets out of this place should be based on the current value, less the freaking loans she took out. It would be crazy for her to get half of the total value and not have to pay for the loans.”

  “I’ll get you a referral to someone tomorrow because this right here,” she pointed at the stack of papers she just went over, “is bullshit.”

  “Thanks, I appreciate it.”

  “No problem. You keep supplying me with Bombshells and Rox’s food and I’ll get you anything you want in this little battle.”

  Standing, Mark walked to her and put his hands on both her shoulders, squeezing gently.

  “You have no idea how much this means to me. I’ve been losing my mind over all this, and I’m so worried. Anything you can do could really change my life, Jen.” He pulled her into a hug and squeezed her tight. Her hair smelled like vanilla and he could stay there all day. When he pulled back and gazed into her eyes, they were both frozen in the moment. Unable to resist any longer, and wanting another taste of her, he dipped his head. The office door burst open and the two of them jumped apart.

  “Sorry, I didn’t realize you had company,” Keira said from the door. She attempted to close it, when Jen stopped her. Moving away from the desk, she picked up her bag and headed to the door.

  “No. It’s okay. I was just going, Ms. … I’m sorry. I didn’t catch your name during class.”

  “Please do not call me Ms. anything, especially out of class. I’m Keira,” she said, holding her hand out to Jen. Grasping her hand, Jen shook it.

  “You didn’t come to class this week.”

  “Sorry,” Jen said, sheepishly. “Work was killer and I couldn’t get away.”

  “I’ll forgive you, if you stop by sometime and show me some more of your work. I’d love to see it.”

  “Sure, I can do that.”

  “I’m withholding all Bombshells and mini-tacos until you comply with Keira’s request.” He grinned. Jen whipped around, scowling.

  “Traitor!” she barked. “You’re lucky I like you or I would withhold legal referrals,” she said. “I’ll get you that info tomorrow,” she added, barreling down the steps.

  “Thanks, Jen,” he called after her.

  “Lookie, Mr. Mark’s got a new girlfriend,” Keira teased.

  “Shut up!”

  “Touchy, touchy.”

  “What are you doing here?”

  “I came by to see you. I haven’t seen you in ages and you’ve been in such a funk lately that I wanted to check in on you. Plus, I heard from a little bird that Eric Newcastle was playing here.”

  “I’m a little bird now?”

 

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