Stepping out of the bathroom, I held my arms out and declared, “See? It’s too tight.”
“Are you out of your mind?” she cried, looking at me like I’d just grown a horn out of the center of my forehead. “Honey, you look fantastic!”
I glanced down at the pooch in my belly. Lifting my hands, I rested them on it and pushed. “I look fat.”
“Shut up.” My head shot up at the sharpness in her tone, and when I met her gaze, frustration was flashing back at me. “You are not fat, Eden. I don’t know what happened to make you have such a low opinion of yourself, but you’re absolutely beautiful, and I won’t stand to hear you say another damn negative thing about yourself.”
Pulling my bottom lip between my teeth, I bit down, turning my head away as embarrassment coursed through me.
“Hey now.” Nona’s voice went gentle just as quickly as it had hardened, and she rested a palm on my cheek, forcing me to turn my face back to her. “I’m sorry. That came out harsher than I intended. I just hate how you put yourself down constantly, and that you don’t see yourself as you really are. You wanna tell me what brought on the negative self-image?”
I’d been hoping to keep my past a secret a little longer, fearing it would tarnish what people thought of me. But I was discovering that if I wanted this friendship with Nona to work—and I really did—I was going to have to be honest about who I was and where I came from. I’d just have to hope for the best and trust her to be the truly good person I’d come to believe her to be.
“I didn’t exactly have the best upbringing,” I finally admitted, moving to the bed and taking a seat. If I was going to dive into all this, I might as well get comfortable. “To put it plainly, my parents were drunks and assholes. I spent my childhood moving around all over the country because they were either running from the cops or someone else.”
“Oh shit,” she muttered on a cringe.
“Yeah,” I deadpanned. “I have a big brother who’s a chip off the old block, as well. Just as bad, if not worse. And if that wasn’t bad enough, the three of them could be mean as hell when they were drunk, which they were more than they were sober.”
“God, Eden. I’m so sorry.”
I shrugged like it was nothing, even though the memories still caused a pain that refused to be ignored. “They are who they are. If they weren’t accusing me of thinking I was better than them, they were tearing me down every chance they got. As soon as I was old enough and had enough money, I bailed. Haven’t looked back since. I moved around, mainly because it was all I knew, but also because I was trying to find the perfect place to start over. I never had a forever home. Not until I moved here, that is.” A bitter laugh trickled up my throat. “I promised myself I was gonna start fresh, be a different person with no ugly ties to the rest of the Brenners, but I guess leaving all that behind was harder than I thought. It’s hard not to look at myself and see what they taught me to see for years, you know?”
“Oh, sweetie.” Nona sat down beside me and wrapped me in a sideways hug. “They were wrong. They were so very wrong, and terrible for making you feel like this.” Her arms fell away, and she shifted to face me and grab my hands, holding tight. “You’re a knockout. And I’m not just sayin’ that ’cause you’re my friend and I adore you. You really and truly are. Inside and out. And I promise, as someone who’s grown to know and care about you, I’ll repeat that to you as often as you need until you start to see yourself that way.”
My fingers clenched around hers, and my sinuses began to sting with unshed tears. I managed to get ahold of myself and sniffed the emotions back. “You’re amazing, No. Anyone ever tell you that?”
Her face split in a snarky grin. “Oh, doll. If I had a nickel for all the times I heard that, I’d have a mansion on the beach in Fiji by now and my kids would be getting Ferraris for their sixteenth birthdays.”
Pulling my hands away, I gave her a playful smack on the arm. “All right. The emotional portion of the evening is over.”
“Good,” she chirped, popping to her feet. “’Cause I need a drink and to shake my moneymaker. Let’s roll.”
* * *
Lincoln
Walking into The Tap Room, I scanned the crowd until I spotted Hayes sitting on a stool near the end of the bar. Heading in that direction, I offered chin tilts in return to people’s greetings as I passed.
Reaching Hayes’s side, I noticed a shot glass filled with bourbon and an uncapped beer sitting in front of the empty stool next to him.
“Ah shit. Those drinks mean you found somethin’ on the newest town resident?”
“Not sure yet,” he replied. “I’m gonna do some more diggin’, but looks like your shy, plain neighbor’s got herself a checkered past. Or at least her family does.”
My face pulled into a frown. I had to admit I hadn’t been expecting that, and the fact that I didn’t read anything in the woman living a couple houses down from me left me a little unsettled. “What does that mean?”
“Means your girl’s only got a couple things on her record. Little shit like a ticket for public intoxication when she was eighteen, but nothin’ most young folks don’t have. But her parents and older brother all got rap sheets a mile long. Petty theft, running cons, shit like that. But big bro’s been popped more than once for breakin’ and enterin’, and burglary. I pulled up everything I could find on Shepley Brenner and put in a few calls, one of those being to his PO in Philly, which is where he was last seen or heard from. Guy’s been in the wind for months now. Skipped out before his last check-in.”
“Shit,” I hissed.
“Yeah. Parole officer was a fount of information. Word on the street was brother got himself in a whole shitload of trouble, stealin’ from the wrong people. And by that, I mean the dumb fuck took money from criminals a lot goddamn higher on the food chain than him, and they’re out for blood. You happen to notice anyone comin’ and goin’ from Eden’s place?”
“Nah. Nothin’. In fact, I’ve never seen her with anyone but Nona Fanning.”
Hayes sighed and picked up his shot glass, downing the bourbon before chasing it with his own beer. “Don’t have the first fuckin’ clue if she’s involved or not, but my gut’s tellin’ me to keep a lookout. Hate to do this, brother. Know you’re busy with your own shit, but I need to cash in a marker.”
Fuck me. I knew that marker would be called one day, it just couldn’t have come at a more inconvenient time. However, there was no way in hell I’d ever say no. Hayes wasn’t just a buddy. Being a brother in arms made us brothers in every sense of the word but blood. I’d give my life for him and knew the man beside me would do the same damn thing for me.
When I first moved to Hope Valley a decade ago, Hayes had helped get Alpha Omega Investigations off the ground by tossing me cases that didn’t fall under the department’s jurisdiction. Hayes’s recommendation was all I needed to get my foot in the door. People in this town trusted his opinion, and now, ten years later, I employed eight guys and worked high-paying jobs all over the country that kept our banks accounts more than just comfortably padded.
“Whaddaya need?”
“Need you to try and get close to her. More than just keepin’ an eye out. I need you inside in case this fucker shows his face in my town, if he hasn’t already. Know this is asking a lot, but the department doesn’t have the resources for surveillance like that, and the captain would lose his mind if he knew me and Trick were investigating a long shot like this. Saw her picture when I was runnin’ her. She might not be your type, but she’s not exactly hard on the eyes, man. What you consider plain, most men around here would give their left nut for a taste of. And something tells me you won’t have any problems getting in there.”
It wasn’t getting in there that bothered me. I’d seen the way Eden’s cheeks burned red and heard the uncontrollable stutter whenever I was around. I was far from a choir boy, had been with more than enough women to be able to read them like a book. I was well aware of the fac
t that Eden had a thing for me.
Problem was I enjoyed variety, and having to pretend to date Eden would put a huge fucking damper on that. But a marker was a marker, and I’d have helped Hayes even if it was just a favor between friends.
“I’ll get close. Don’t worry about it.”
Hayes visibly relaxed, making it obvious that he hated having to ask me to wade in. But there was one thing I knew for sure: Hayes’s gut was never wrong, and if it was telling him something was up with the girl a few doors down, I was going to trust my brother’s instincts.
“Appreciate it, Linc.”
Picking up my shot glass, I downed the bourbon and let the warmth it left behind settle in. “No problem. But just so you know, next round’s gonna be on you too.”
“On it.” Hayes chuckled and lifted his arm to catch the chick behind the bar’s attention, pointing at our empty shot glasses for a refill. Then the two of us settled in to enjoy the rest of the night.
Chapter Seven
Eden
In the months I’d been in town, this was my first trip to The Tap Room, and as Nona and I pushed through the heavy doors and stepped inside, I was pleasantly surprised at the ambiance.
It wasn’t some seedy, small-town dive bar with sticky floors and tattered stools and chairs. The place was actually pretty cool.
As soon as you stepped in, there was a huge open area filled with tables and tons of seating. The whole place was one massive, cavernous room. To the right were big picture windows that went from waist to ceiling and extended the entire length of the building, giving the patrons beautiful views of the old-timey main strip that ran through the middle of town and the tree-covered mountains beyond. A long bar stretched the entire length of the wall to the left, with a big section of glass shelves against a mirrored background in the very middle where all the liquor and wine bottles were kept, and countless beer taps along either side of the shelves—hence the name The Tap Room.
Against the back was a raised platform area for bands with a small dance floor in front of it. There was even a vintage jukebox beside the stage area that was playing music while the band set up. And to the right of that and a little further back was an alcove one step up that was filled with pools tables, all of them occupied.
“Wow,” I said, drawing Nona’s attention. “This place is great.”
“Yeah. Sure, we don’t have a lot of options if you’re not willin’ to drive out of town, but this is pretty nice. Owners work hard to keep it up so everyone has a nice place to hang out.”
We moved through the room, winding through the tables and chairs that were mostly full, until we came to one not too far from the dancefloor and stage. As soon as my behind hit the chair, I heard, “Hey there, what can I get you?”
Looking up and over, I spotted a woman in jeans and a formfitting black tee with white lettering that stated “Welcome to The Tap Room. We’ll tap that good and hard.”
I was too busy wondering where I could get one of those shirts to pay attention to her question, until Nona lightly kicked me in the shin under the table. “You getting a drink, or what?”
“Sorry. Yeah. You have IPA?”
The waitress looked at me with a big smile. “Girl, you must be new in town. We got about a million different kinds of IPA. Which one do you want?”
I shook my head with a tiny laugh. “You’re the second one to say that in two days. Yeah, I’m new. How about you make the call. Just pour me whichever’s your favorite.”
“Will do. And trust me, you’ll love it. I’m Rory. Nice to meet you.”
Lifting my hand to grab her outstretched one, I gave it a shake and replied, “Eden. Nice to meet you too.”
“Eden,” she dragged out, like she was testing the word. “Love the name. And love the hair! That top is super cute too.”
Nona gave me a knowing smirk and mouthed, “Told you so.”
Rolling my eyes, I twisted back around to Rory. Biting my lips against shying away from the compliment, I said, “Thank you. I like yours too. A lot. Do you guys sell those? I’d love to have one.”
Rory cocked her hip and tucked the round tray she’d been holding beneath her arm. “I think I can work that out for you. What are you, a medium?”
Oh, I like this girl. “Uh, large. But I really appreciate that.”
She giggled and straightened. “Let me go get your drinks. Be back in a jiff.”
As soon as she left, I leaned in to Nona and lowered my voice. “Is the service around here always that good? This place is packed, but we barely had our asses in our chairs before Rory popped up outta nowhere.”
“Rory’s just that good,” Nona answered with a grin. “She’s been workin’ these tables since before she was legally old enough. This is her parents’ place, and their parents’ before that. The Tap Room in a Hope Valley institution.”
Just as quickly as she appeared the first time, Rory was back with our beers. “Here you go,” she said in a chipper voice. “Take a sip, Eden. I wanna know what you think.”
Bringing the draft glass to my lips, I took a drink. Some beers were too harsh and bitter, but this one was absolutely perfect, nice and smooth.
“It’s fantastic,” I answered. “You have a gift.”
“Awesome. Now I gotta go spread that gift to more tables. Holler if you need anything.” Rory spun around and took off once again.
I was watching her go, thinking I’d really lucked out by picking a town with so many awesome women in it, when the door of The Tap Room opened and that vile bitch from the night before came waltzing in, swaying her hips and flipping her hair like she owned the freaking world as she looked down her nose at everyone around her.
My back went rigid and the air around me dropped a few degrees. As if reading my mind, Nona spoke and pulled my gaze back her way.
“Well that’s just great,” she grumbled sullenly. “Gird your loins, doll. When Harley Madison walks into a building, things have a tendency to turn upside down fast. That is not a woman you want to get to know.”
“I already met her,” I informed Nona. “And it wasn’t pleasant in the slightest.”
Nona’s eyes went big, and she leaned in like she was eager for me to spill something juicy. “Really? What happened?”
“Nothing of any importance,” I said with a shrug. “She was in the checkout at the grocery store last night, and she was being unbelievably rude to the girl behind the register.”
Nona’s top lip curled up in a sneer. “She’s unbelievably rude to pretty much everyone. Only friend she has is Sue Ellen Mayfield, and that’s only because the fool woman’s a doormat who does whatever Harley says no matter how badly she treats her.”
I was struggling to keep up with all the names I was coming to learn. “Wait, Sue Ellen? That gossipy woman who spread the news about the robberies?”
“One and the same,” Nona confirmed. “Sue Ellen’s only slightly less disliked than Harley because she can’t keep her trap shut. When gossip spreads through Hope Valley, which is damn near daily, you can usually trace it all the way back to her as the source.”
“Oh great,” I said in a flat tone. “So the town bitch is besties with the town gossip. That’s a toxic combination.”
Nona lifted her beer and took a sip before replying, “You’ve got no idea. Those two are poison. Believe me when I say you don’t want to square off with either of them.”
I turned back and noticed Harley’s cruel blue gaze had landed on me, and she and the meek-looking woman trailing after her—who I assumed was the notorious Sue Ellen—were coming our way.
“A little late for that,” I confessed with a cringe, looking back at Nona. “I might have waded into the mess at the market. And from the looks of her right now, she’s geared up for a repeat.”
Nona hissed a muffled, “Shit,” just as Harley and her lackey hit our table.
“Well, look what we have here. Not surprised to see you with the new girl, Wynona. You always had a knack for pick
in’ up strays.”
I didn’t think I’d ever seen Nona so angry before. She looked downright vicious as she propped her forearms on the table casually and returned, “Speakin’ of strays, how’s my ex-husband? Sloppy seconds still working out for you?”
I sucked in a surprised gasp as Harley’s face pinched into an unhappy sneer. “I prefer to think of it as him trading up.”
“That so? Well if you’re supposed to be an upgrade, why’s he blowin’ up my phone, begging me to take him back?”
Oh damn.
Sue Ellen let out a little giggle and Harley whipped her head around to pin her in place with a glare that instantly shut her up.
“You can pretend you guys are living in domestic bliss all you want, Harley,” my friend continued, “but the whole town knows he scraped your ass off after only a week of shackin’ up with you.”
“I broke up with him,” Harley snapped in return, and my attempt to swallow down a laugh at her pathetic comeback resulted in an indelicate snort.
“What are you laughin’ at, fat ass?” she bit out, aiming her venom at me.
Usually a blow like that would have me cowering back, but I actually felt pretty for the first time in a really long time. Nona had worked wonders tonight in helping me build up the self-esteem my family had spent years beating down, and I wasn’t going to let some bitter shrew cause me to backslide. The childish name-calling did nothing but prove Harley Madison was a pitiful excuse for a human being.
“Wow, good one,” I deadpanned before cutting my eyes at Nona. “I can totally get why your ex would get sick of her. Even worthless pieces of crap like him have standards.”
Nona’s head fell back and she burst into laughter so loud it drew the attention of the people around us.
Before Harley was able to get her bearings and form a reply, a familiar voice that set my body on fire spoke up, interrupting us. “There a problem here?”
Out of My League: a Hope Valley novel Page 5