Into the Fading Twilight (Starlight Grove, #2) (55)

“A bull rider,” Piper amended.

I let out a low whistle as I stuck my bag into the cabinet where we housed our belongings for our shifts. “This is big news.”

“You know,” Aidan cut in, “I rode a bull once.”

Fiona arched a brow. “The only bull you know is bull hockey.”

“Hey,” he shot back, offended. “It might’ve been mechanical, but I set a record for that bar over in Clover Creek.”

Brae let out a soft snicker, and Cora just shook her head and moved on to the next pepper shaker.

“It counts,” Aidan pressed.

Piper reached across the bar and patted his arm. “Keep telling yourself that.” She did a little spin away from the bar. “I’m telling you guys. I think this is it. Love.”

Fiona’s lips curved. “Ah, to be young.”

Cora’s gaze lifted, a cross between pain and worry in her eyes. “Just be careful. You don’t know a lot about him yet.”

An invisible fist ground against my sternum. She’d learned that you never really knew anyone in the most brutal of ways.

Piper stilled, her face falling. “Of course. I’m taking it slow.”

“Good.” Cora wiped her hands on a bar towel. “I’ll get the front doors open. It’s almost time.”

“I’ll help,” I offered quickly, meeting her on the other side of the bar as she headed toward the entrance.

I didn’t say anything as I fell into step beside her. But Cora’s gaze flicked to me for the briefest of moments. “I’m fine.”

“It would be okay if you weren’t.” I realized I was the biggest fraud, walking around telling everyone I was okay when I was far from it but encouraging Cora to be honest about her feelings. “But I also get that it doesn’t always feel safe to let anyone else in on that. Find someone. Just one person you can let in. It helps.”

Cora’s gaze flicked to the back hallway and held as Wylder appeared, his dark hair a little rumpled, and his scruff a little longer. Then her focus flicked back to me. “You find someone you can be honest with?”

I thought about it for a long moment. “I have. And I think it’s starting to set me free.”

Cora let out a long breath as she flipped the locks. “I’m gonna find that one day. Freedom.”

I wanted to reach out and squeeze her shoulder or her arm. But I wasn’t quite brave enough. Not yet. “I know you will.”

We got to work on the trickle of customers who were there right at opening and wrapped up refilling all the condiments and restocking the bar. As I finished with the limes, I glanced at Wylder.

“Need something?” he asked, not looking up from his phone. If there wasn’t a customer in front of him, his gaze was on that screen. But he didn’t look like he was playing a game or scrolling social media. It looked like he was reading something. Or maybe he was a crossword puzzle aficionado.

“I have a question.”

He straightened, his gaze swinging to me as he locked his phone and shoved it into his back pocket. “I may have an answer.”

“How would you feel about training me behind the bar? I could be a backup bartender when things get busy.”

His dark brows rose. “You wanna tend bar?”

I shrugged. “I’d like to learn. Maybe I’ll hate it, but it seems kind of fun.”

Wylder’s lips twitched. “It can be. It’s a hell of a lot to memorize.”

“I can make flashcards.”

A low chuckle left him. “All right, then. You can start with beers. Once I see you’re not pouring drafts that are half foam, we can move on to simple drinks. But why don’t you stay behind the bar with me for the first few hours today? You can handle food and beer as you watch and learn.”

I did a little half jump. “Thank you.”

Wylder shook his head but did it with a smile. “You might regret this when I’m asking you to pull the night shift for me.”

“We’ll just have to see about that.” I dumped the lime wedges into the container and then turned toward the bar. I nearly stumbled back a step as I took in the man opposite me.

Jack.

I remembered his name from the Compass meeting I’d attended, but it was the dark shadows playing across his features that I’d truly memorized.

Clearing my throat, I forced a smile as I grabbed a menu and deposited it on the bar top. “Hey there. Can I get you something to drink while you’re looking at the menu?”

“Coke.” His voice sounded just a little rusty. “Please,” he added.

“Coming right up.” I used the ice scoop to fill a glass and then reached for the soda gun. “Straw?”

Jack shook his head.

“Here you go. Do you know what you’d like to eat?”

He studied me for a long moment. “I saw the news article.”

Everything in me went rigid.

“That reporter bothering you?” he growled.

The tension running through me eased. Jack might be a little scowly, but he was just checking on me.

That knowledge had a smile coming more easily to my lips. “He’s nothing I can’t handle.”

Jack studied me for a long moment before giving me a slight nod. “You let me know if you want me to handle him instead.”