by Zoe York
But a brand-new bar in Havenbrook owned by Finn Thomas? Heaven save them all. Her daddy had never been Finn’s number one fan—had, in fact, done all he could to keep Willow and Finn from seeing each other. In the end, he hadn’t needed to do anything. Finn had left all on his own.
“He definitely brings out the worst in me,” Willow finally said.
“I don’t know about that.” Avery stood from her chair, shifting toward her desk in the outer office as the phone began to ring. “I sort of loved seeing that fire in your eyes. Rage looks good on you, Will.”
As Avery answered the phone, Willow straightened her shoulders, arranging the paperwork on her desk into some semblance of order. Her day had been upended, and it wasn’t even noon.
“Hey, Will?” Avery called.
“Yeah?”
“I’m gonna run and grab a couple of cupcakes from The Sweet Spot.”
Willow’s mouth immediately started to water. They had the best cupcakes in Havenbrook. The menu changed with the season and with the day. A Wednesday in May meant Triple Chocolate Raspberry. The divine chocolate concoction, topped with heavenly ganache and filled with chocolate raspberry buttercream, was her and Avery’s guilty pleasure, reserved for the very worst of days. And today definitely qualified.
Willow smiled her first genuine smile of the day. “You’re a mind reader. I could use one. Or a dozen.”
“You sure could. Especially when I tell you Rory’s on line one.”
Apparently, Willow’s original guess of the gossip taking seven minutes to spread through Havenbrook had been a bit generous. She dropped her head back on her shoulders and closed her eyes, exhaustion cloaking every inch of her. After her morning, she didn’t know if she had the strength to put on a good face for her older sister. But she didn’t have much of a choice. She’d learned long ago not to let Rory see her sweat.
“Of course she is,” Willow said to the ceiling. “Maybe later the grim reaper’ll show up to take me to lunch.”
Avery laughed, grabbing her purse and waving as she headed out to grab the treats. “Be right back with enough sweets to keep you in a sugar coma for the rest of the day.”
Willow took a deep breath before picking up the phone and pressing the button to connect the call to her line. Pasting a smile on her face, she answered like she had no idea what would prompt her sister’s call. “Hey, Rory. How’re you doin’ today?”
“Will, you’re never gonna believe what I just heard,” Rory said, diving in without pleasantries. Very unlike her, which meant she deemed the gossip juicier than usual. She wasn’t wrong. “Mrs. Thompson was out waterin’ her flowers—honestly, she waters them fifteen times a day just so she makes sure not to miss Edna with the daily gossip.” She tsked, despite the fact that it was the same reason Rory sat in her porch swing all day, even when it was twelve thousand degrees outside. But as it was Rory, of course her hair always looked perfect, her makeup precisely applied, neither daring to step out of line despite temperatures rivaling hell. “Anyway, you’ll never guess what she heard.”
Oh, Willow probably had a couple good ideas.
Without waiting for Willow to say anything, Rory continued, “Rumor has it, the Thomas boys are back in town.”
“Yep, they sure are.”
“They got in—wait, what?”
“I said, yep, they sure are. The Thomas boys are back in Havenbrook. You heard right.” The number of times she’d thought about saying those words… Lord, she’d dreamed about it for months after Finn had left. That it had all been just a misunderstanding, that he was coming back any day. She’d spent her time daydreaming about it. But at some point, she’d stopped dreaming about it, stopped hoping. And she could honestly say she hadn’t ever thought she’d be uttering them ten years after the fact.
“How do you know that?” Rory asked.
“Because they just left my office.”
“What in heaven’s name were they doin’ in your office?”
Willow felt every ounce of disdain Rory put into the word office, like Willow having dared to pursue a career instead of finding a nice man and popping out babies was akin to peddling drugs on the elementary school playground. She took a deep breath, knowing it was a delicate balance, playing this game with Rory. Especially when their daddy did not need to be informed of all the plans just yet. But word was going to get around to Rory one way or another, whether Willow delivered the news or not. It might as well be the truth coming straight from the source… “You know Pete’s place in the square?”
“The old soda fountain?”
“That’s the one. I thought it was just Nola who bought it, but it turns out Drew and Finn are her partners.” She paused, closed her eyes. “They’re opening a bar.”
Rory gasped. “A bar? For heaven’s sake, Daddy’s gonna throw a fit. Does he know?”
There wasn’t a doubt in Willow’s mind he had no idea, because if he did, there was no way he’d have been gone at his conference this week. He’d have done everything in his power to make sure he was there to keep an eye on the Thomas boys while they ran around in his town.
“No, and I’m not tellin’ him. Neither are you.”
Rory made a sound that managed to project irritation and superiority all at once. “I can’t believe you’d ask me to lie to Daddy, ’specially on account of them.”
“I’m not askin’ you to lie, Rory.” Willow rolled her eyes. Their daddy wasn’t even there to see Rory suck up, and still she did it. “I’m just askin’ you not to say anything right this second.” Willow would rather pull out each of her eyelashes, one by one, than admit defeat to her perfect older sister. Because of that, she couldn’t tell Rory how challenging her job had been lately, how letting their daddy in on this was going to do nothing but make her life even more of a hell than it had been the past few weeks. So she fibbed. “Daddy needs to focus on this conference. It’s important. He can’t afford any distractions. And the Thomas boys are a big one.”
Rory hummed. “I suppose they are. Especially Finn Thomas. At least where you’re concerned.”
Willow didn’t say anything in response—didn’t need to. Of course Rory knew about Willow’s history with Finn—at least the basics. Daddy had made sure everyone in the family knew of her misguided path…and how far she’d fallen when the boy she’d thought was the love of her life had bailed without so much as a Post-it note stuck to her window.
“You’re not gonna do anything stupid again, right?” Rory asked.
Again. Because of course Rory wouldn’t let an opportunity pass to remind her sisters of all their multiple failings, and Finn would forever and always top Willow’s very long list.
And do something stupid? Like falling head over heels for a boy who had trouble written all over him? Yeah, she’d been there, done that. And she had absolutely no desire to do it again. Not as long as she lived.
She took a sip of her coffee in an attempt to hold back the heated reply sitting on the tip of her tongue. When she was sure she wasn’t going to bite her sister’s head off, she said, “No, I plan to stay away until they do their disappearing act again.”
Rory hummed. “You don’t think they’ll stay?”
The words Finn had said to her so long ago—words she’d worked damn hard to forget—came rushing back. Be very sure of what you’re saying right now, Willowtree, because if I take these last steps between us, it’ll take Jesus himself to tear us apart.
Apparently, their Lord and Savior had made a trip to Havenbrook that day all those years ago because from her vantage point, it’d seemed like Finn had left with little thought to what—or whom—he was leaving behind. So, did she think he’d stick around now? Not a chance in hell. He’d do whatever he’d come here for—to make sure Nola was set up with the building and the construction plans were on track, then go back to being a distant partner, just like Willow had caught Drew mumbling about as they’d been signing papers.
She shrugged to no one, as if talking about
the only boy ever to break her heart didn’t cause the old scars to rip open at the seams. “They don’t have a reason to. Their life isn’t here anymore and hasn’t been for a long time. We’ll see the dust of their rental car as they drive off in a day or two. Mark my words.”
For as long as Finn could remember, Nola had been in his and Drew’s small circle of friends. In Havenbrook, there were the haves and the have-nots, with very few in between. Growing up in the trailer park on the outskirts of town, Finn and Drew fit neatly into one particular category. And Nola had been right along with them, her trailer just a couple doors down for their entire childhood.
So it hadn’t been a surprise when she’d called a few months ago, going on about a great opportunity to buy the old Main Street Soda Fountain and renovate it. At the time, Finn had been contemplating making an offer on the bar he managed in California for the ready-to-retire owner—not because he loved that space or because it was a particularly good investment, but because it’d been time. After managing the business for the better part of five years, it’d seemed like the next logical step to take over ownership, especially when he had the means to do so.
Thanks to his goddamn genius of a brother, the two of them and their momma had been lucky, sitting on a nest egg Drew had been able to cultivate. So Finn had the financial means to do it—something he, his brother, and their mother had been without for the first twenty years of his life. But it had been more than just that. He’d wanted to do something with his life. Wanted to be something more than a bar manager. He wanted something of his own.
And now he was getting it…two thousand miles away from home.
It’d been so long since he and Drew had been in Havenbrook, Finn hadn’t remembered exactly what the old soda fountain had looked like, but they’d trusted Nola to make a sound decision for the three of them. Now that he stood in front of it, it was like he’d blinked and been transported back in time, to when he was nineteen. Most of the other buildings in the town square had had facelifts in the time he’d been gone, their storefronts and signage new and updated, matching with the rest of the renovated square. Not their place—or maybe their hole-in-the-wall would have been a more apt description.
It was the only unoccupied building of the newly revived downtown, a two-story brick storefront on the corner, complete with a crumbling front walk and peeling paint on the window casings. The dark red bricks made it appear classic, but the rotted front door and sign hanging above it screamed of neglect.
Finn cringed, thinking about what they’d find on the inside. It hadn’t been in his and Drew’s plans to stay more than a few days in Havenbrook, so he hoped the interior was up to snuff. The space had been empty for going on two years—was why the three of them had been able to get it at such a steal. Because of that, they had a bit of extra money to put into the renovation. And, from the looks of things, they’d need every penny.
The three of them stood out front, Drew and Finn flanking Nola as they all stared toward their future.
“What do y’all think?” Nola asked, dividing a look between them.
“I think we’re gonna use every bit of our budget.” Drew shook his head. “Maybe more.”
It was no surprise Finn’s knee-jerk reaction matched his brother’s. Finn stared up at the building, toward the grimy windows of the second story, remembering Nola had said it had an apartment they could possibly rent out for some additional income. One positive in what he feared was a money pit.
“What time’s Nash meeting us?” Finn asked about the contractor they’d hired.
As soon as the words left his mouth, a faded red truck, beat to hell and somehow still running, came to a stop along the curb in front of them, king construction in bold letters on the side. A man Finn didn’t recognize stepped out. But of course, it could only be one person. It’d been a long time since he’d seen Nash King, and he’d changed by leaps and bounds. He’d been a couple years younger than them in school, so they hadn’t hung out much—or at all, really. But in a town as small as Havenbrook, everyone knew everyone. No longer was Nash the scrawny teen Finn remembered. Now he stood as tall as Finn, his skin-and-bones stature filling out no doubt thanks to his chosen line of work. The younger kid wasn’t a kid anymore.
“Well, if it ain’t the Thomas boys, as I live and breathe,” Nash said as he stepped toward them, a smile stretching his lips.
“Hey,” Finn said, extending his hand for a shake. “Barely recognized you. Good to see you, man.”
“You too.” Nash shook Drew’s hand as well, grinning at them both. “Y’all gettin’ along okay?”
“I guess we’ll see once we get inside.” Finn nodded toward Nola who pulled out a set of keys.
“It’s actually not as bad as you’d think,” Nash said. “I walked it with Nola before y’all bought it to make sure we weren’t lookin’ at anything structural or any big-ticket items.” Nash grabbed the door at the top once Nola unlocked it and held it open for everyone. “With the exception of needing new electrical and a whole new HVAC system, it’s a solid building. A good investment, in my opinion.”
Original hardwood floors covered the space, several planks damaged or missing. A few fixtures had been left behind, as well as the bar and stools where the soda fountain had been. The walls, coated in months of grime, were a faded blue. Cobwebs and dust covered every square inch. Even if it was in good working order, it was going to take a shit-ton of elbow grease to get this place gleaming again.
“After talkin’ with Nola about what y’all wanted in here, I drew up a couple different floor plan options.” Nash walked to the counter, unrolling the plans and laying them across the dusty surface. “Anything can be changed, of course. This is just to give y’all an idea of space constraints and such for everything y’all want included. If possible, I’d like to get these finalized today, so I can get my guys in here tomorrow and get started. I know y’all won’t be here for long, so I want to fit in as much as possible. Save Nola some of the headache of dealin’ with any issues that come up after y’all leave.”
“What kind of issues?” Nola asked.
“Various things that come up here and there as we uncover possible issues with the space. You’ll also need to get started on picking out specific pieces—furnishings, fixtures, flooring, those kinds of things.”
“But that won’t take much time, right?”
“Did y’all hire a designer?” Nash asked.
Finn, Drew, and Nola shared a glance, he and his brother shrugging. Coming from a bare-bones bar that had nothing more than a bar top, stools, and a few high-top tables, Finn hadn’t even thought about hiring a designer for the space. Had no idea they’d need one.
“I’ll take that as a no.” Nash laughed. “In that case, it’s gonna take up a good bit of time. At least in the beginning. Once y’all get everything decided, your involvement will be less frequent, though there are always small details to contend with and building issues I’ll need approval for.”
“Any chance this can all get done within the next few days before Finn and Drew leave?” Nola asked with a hopeful smile.
Nash’s bark of laughter caused that smile to drop from her face.
“Shit.” Nola blew out a breath, running a hand through her hair. She turned to Drew and Finn. “I love y’all, and I know this whole thing was my idea, but I’ve still gotta work until this place is up and runnin’ and bringing in actual cash. I can’t afford to quit. And I sure as shit can’t afford to get fired because I’m runnin’ over here every fuckin’ day to pick out wall sconces.”
“What the hell’s a wall sconce?” Drew asked, scratching his jaw.
“And y’all thought you didn’t need to hire a designer?” Nash asked with raised brows.
Shit. She was right—they both were. This was going to take a lot more time than they’d bargained for, and Nola didn’t have it to give. Wasn’t fair to make her either. Not when she didn’t have the security of a solid savings account to fall back on li
ke he and Drew did.
“All right, just hang on a second,” Finn said, running a hand through his hair. “Gimme a minute to think.” He glanced around the room, his gaze catching on a dark alcove toward the back, stairs beyond it no doubt leading to the unoccupied space above. A plan started forming in his head, the itch under his skin he’d first experienced in Willow’s presence spreading until it was too much to ignore.
“Hey, Xena, you said the space upstairs is an apartment?” he asked.
“Yeah, two-bedroom. Cute little thing. If I wasn’t in the middle of my lease, I’d move there in a heartbeat and save money on rent. Pretty sure they even left some furniture in it.”
Finn’s question had been innocent enough, but neither of the brothers had ever been able to get anything by the other, and this was no exception. Drew’s brows shot up in an unasked, what the hell are you gettin’ at?
Finn rubbed a hand over his rough jaw. “I was just thinkin’…”
Drew blew out a heavy breath and shook his head. “Bad idea, man.”
“You don’t even know what I’m gonna say.”
“Twins,” was all he said with a tap to his temple.
Nola divided a look between them. “What am I missin’?”
“You were in there, right?” Drew asked him, ignoring Nola’s curious looks as he hooked a thumb over his shoulder toward town hall on the other side of the square. “Did she seem real open to havin’ you around for a while?”
“This isn’t about her.” Lies. “You heard Nash—someone’s gotta be here dealing with this shit, at least for a little while. Nola can’t do it.”
“And we can?”
“We have the means to take extended leave if we need to.”
“Wait.” Nola placed a hand on each of their forearms. “Y’all’re stayin’?”
“No,” Drew said, his eyes never leaving Finn’s.
