“Is it about the ranch?”
“Let it go, Lil.”
A rare fire ignited in Lily’s veins. “Did you open it? I swear to God, Nic, you are the nosiest little—” She went for it again, but Nicole dodged to the side, evading.
“I said no.”
Lily’s blood turned to steam at the implication that she couldn’t handle whatever was in there. Nic was the hothead; Lily was the measured one. But suddenly, she’d never wanted anything more than she wanted to see the contents of the nondescript white envelope.
Lily shoved Nic’s arm, but Nic knew it was coming and leaned in, caging around the papers, unmoving. Diving for her midsection, Lily knocked Nic off the stool and tackled her onto the floor. Suddenly paling in importance, the liability waivers rained around them, landing among the discarded peanut shells in the layer of sticky beer on the floor. Behind the wrestling women, men hooted and clapped, cheering them on. Normally Lily would get up and take this argument elsewhere, but she had a singular focus, and it was to dig that envelope out from under where Nicole had rolled onto her stomach, covering it with her body.
“No fucking way,” Nic yelled into the floor, even as Lily smacked uselessly at her shoulders, tickled her ribs, and then began to punch her ass.
“It has my name on it, you dick.”
“You don’t want it!”
“You’re committing a felony!” Lily glanced over her shoulder. “Petey! You’re a cop.”
“Off duty,” he answered, laughing into his beer. “Punch her in the ass again.”
“I’m gonna punch you in the dick next if you don’t help me.”
“Honey, you’re welcome to hit on any part of me.”
With a savage growl, she dug with all her strength under her friend’s body, reaching blindly for the envelope. She got her fingers around it, tearing off a corner as she yanked it free. Lily scrambled up and away, hiding behind Big Eddie near the dartboard in case Nicole decided to come for her.
“I’m telling you,” Nic warned, “you don’t want it.” Defeated, she stood, swiping bar floor grime from her cheek with the back of her hand. She returned to her stool, and her beer, and the bowl of nuts. “Just don’t come pouting to me when you see what it is.”
Back in the corner, Lily pulled the letter free. A bar full of eyes lingered on her as she read it, at first uncomprehending—the words swam in swirls of black and white—and remained glued to her face as she returned to the beginning to start again. Sentences took shape, meaning coalesced, and all of the ache and loss and empty blackness she’d packed into a solid brick in her chest broke free, becoming a swarm of horseflies.
The letter was from the man who now owned her family’s land. A man she’d met only once, barely a week after that other, brutal heartbreak. As much as Lily hated Jonathan Cross, she’d wanted to read these words every day for ten years.
… retiring… ranch up for sale… like to give you the first opportunity…
It didn’t matter how good a deal he was offering her. There wasn’t a single thing she could do to get her family’s ranch back.
Once something was gone, it was gone. Lily thought she’d dealt with her sorrow, her longing for that place, but she felt bruised all over again.
It took every ounce of physical strength she had to maintain her composure. She tacked her lower lip to her teeth, nailed her jaw shut. She forced her shoulders steady, working to keep them from rising up around her neck, to keep her back from curling. No one alive—at least, no one in this room—had ever seen her break. Finally, when everyone had lost interest or turned away out of respect, she made her way back to the bar.
Nicole had already ordered her friend a fresh beer and pushed it over as Lily settled onto the stool beside her.
“Told you,” Nic said.
“You did.”
“What’re you going to do about it?” she asked.
“I’m going to do a whole lot of nothing,” Lily said, and brought the glass to her lips.
Chapter Two
New York City
May, Present Day
THE DOWNSIDE TO leaving for JFK at 8:15 a.m.: in the past twenty minutes, the tangle of morning rush-hour traffic had not once moved faster than ten miles an hour. Potential upside: Leo was free to answer the litany of questions his boss could ask literally anyone else still at the office… but wouldn’t.
When his phone chimed with the tenth text in five minutes, Leo closed his eyes, groaning.