Page 20

Heath strolls inside just as the laughter from the dartboard debacle begins to settle. He’s carrying a large box labeled “Power Play Custom,” which he sets down with a slight grunt at the endof the bar. Before he can address the delivery, his eyes catch the sight of the new dartboard, and a smirk tugs at his lips.

“Nice setup,” Heath comments, walking over to inspect the dartboard more closely. Brogan, still hovering nearby, offers him a nod.

“Yeah, Bennett finally saved the day after Virgil nearly brought down the house,” Boone jokes, tossing a dart casually. It lands with a satisfying thunk in the outer ring.

Heath laughs, shaking his head. “Should’ve been here earlier then. Missed the entertainment.” He throws a dart himself, scoring closer to the bullseye, eliciting a mock glare from Brogan.

Then Heath turns and makes his way back to the bar, his demeanor shifting as he approaches me and Beth. The box of coasters sits like a silent accusation between them.

“Your coasters, Beth,” Heath announces a bit too cheerily, sliding the box across the bar towards her.

Beth, wiping her hands on her apron, eyes him suspiciously. “Why are you acting weird?” Her voice drops low, the kind of low that makes grown men flinch. “You’re standing there looking like you just peed in my pool. You want to tell me why?”

Heath shifts on his feet, clears his throat like he’s buying time, but Beth isn’t having it.

“Don’t you dare say ‘no reason’ again. Not when you look like you’re two seconds away from bolting for the door.”

The bar goes quieter, noses half-turned toward us, sensing a show coming on.

Heath’s eyes flicker to me as I try to appear absorbed in rearranging some glasses on the shelf behind the bar. “Um,” he mutters, giving nothing away but a quick, knowing glance my way that only adds to the tension.

The bar falls into a brief, awkward silence, broken only by the distant thud of darts hitting the new board. Heath shiftsuncomfortably, aware that his nonchalance might not be as convincing as he’d hoped.

As Beth pulls open the box of coasters with a flourish, her brow furrows almost immediately. I feel the blood drain from my face. Like I’m watching a slow-motion car crash, fully aware I’m the one driving. My fingers go cold. My heart? Nope, gone. Probably slipped under the floorboards with the rest of my dignity.

I open my mouth to stop her—too late.

Beth pulls one coaster free and holds it up to the light. And there it is. The stupid, stupid bubble-lettered doodle of Brogan in bright, embarrassing glory.

“I see we took a few liberties with the design,” she says dryly, her eyes narrowing slightly as she inspects the coaster more closely.

“Not we. Notme,” Heath is quick to clarify, hands raised in a defensive gesture as he steps back from the counter.

“Oh, I know,” Beth responds, her tone teasing yet sharp. “I recognize the artist’s work.” She turns to me, passing one of the coasters across the bar.

My heart skips a beat, and my hands feel clammy. “Who designed them? What artist?” I feign ignorance, hoping my voice doesn’t betray the panic rising within me.

Beth chuckles, oblivious to my internal turmoil. “Check them out,” she says, gesturing towards the box that now feels like it weighs a ton. “We have a thousand.One thousand,” she continues, emphasizing the magnitude of the order.

“I know,” Heath replies, an amused smirk playing on his lips.

Beth’s eyes scan the contents of the box. “I don’t see the fancy ones we use for the parties, with the cork back.”

Heath nods, his expression turning serious. “I held them.”

“Close to your heart? Where are they?” Beth probes, her curiosity piqued.

“I wanted to see your reaction to these before ordering the more expensive ones,” Heath explains, his gaze flitting between Beth and me.

Beth’s response is a simple, “My reaction?” filled with a mix of amusement and disbelief. Beth’s eyes flick up to Heath like she’s about to murder him with nothing but her apron string. “You knew, didn’t you?” she accuses quietly, deadly calm.

Heath raises both hands, backpedaling. “I… I just thought it’d be funny. A little holiday surprise—”

Beth leans on the bar, voice sharpening like a blade. “You did this on purpose to get a rise out of Joely. Thought it’d be a cute little joke, huh? You spent my money just to call her out in front of the whole town?”

The room hums with people not-even-pretending-not-to-listen.

I can’t hold it in any longer. My part in this. Shit. Shit. Shit. I gave Heath the wrong coaster, and that assholeknewand he didn’t correct it! And now, Brogan is inside this bar right now about to find out in the worst way possible that I’ve been crushing on him since we were in grade school.