Page 31 of A Change of Heart

“I don’t want him to have to waste his breath talking to you.”

The door behind the bar opened and Noah wandered out, his brow creasing as he clocked Felix. “Did you forget the rule about keeping dogs on leads?” he said to Cadan.

Felix slapped a hand to his chest. “Ouch. That hurt, Noah. I see the staff in this place are as friendly as ever.”

“You’re welcome to find somewhere else to drink,” Seren told him.

“I was looking forward to hearing about the train,” Felix said, looking at Kit.

Kit took a slug of his drink, his Adam’s apple bobbing when he swallowed. “What do you want to know?”

“I was wondering what effect it has on your sex life.” He ran his tongue along his bottom lip. “Does the train attract the ladies … or is it more like the opposite?”

Before Kit could respond, Noah parked himself on a stool, creating a barrier between him and Felix. “How was your day?” he asked Kit, then took a sip of his Sprite.

“Aren’t you supposed to be working?” Cadan called out to him.

“Yes.” Noah span around on the stool. “Aren’t we supposed to sit at the bar and chat to customers? That always seemed to be your approach.”

“It’s different when you own the place,” Cadan replied, but his confidence had vanished.

“I’m sure it is,” Noah told him. “But the last time I checked, you don’t own the place.”

Cadan cocked his head. “I will one day.”

Noah turned back to Kit while Seren wandered around the bar, trying not to think about Cadan’s words. There was no way he’d ever take over the pub from Charlie, but it reminded her that her plans to buy the pub from Charlie one day were fading fast. For one thing, her attempts to save money felt futile, and for another, she suspected her plan to get Noah to go into business with her was less likely to happen since Keira had come on the scene.

Standing beside Cadan, she pulled on his arm to whisper in his ear. “Can you guys just leave?”

“Why?” he growled back. “This is my place. What gives your friends the right to treat me like crap?”

“Becauseyourfriend treats everyone like crap.”

“Can you just get us another beer?”

She kept her hand on his arm and waited until he looked her in the eyes. “Please,” she said quietly.

“Fine.” He sighed and stood up, then slapped Felix on the arm. “Let’s get out of here.”

“How come? I was enjoying myself.”

“Just finish your drink and let’s go.”

Felix dutifully drained his beer, then winked at Seren as he stood.

As soon as they’d gone, Noah moved back around the bar and began tearing open rolls of change to fill up the till. He didn’t say anything, which made his feelings as clear as if he’d launched into a rant.

“Sorry about them,” Seren said to Kit.

He shrugged. “Who is that guy?”

“Felix,” she told him. “An old friend of Cadan.”

Realisation flashed in his eyes, and her momentary hope that Kit wouldn’t connect the dots vanished.

“Didn’t you used to date him?” he asked.

“A long time ago.” Her cheeks flushed at the humiliation of the night of her twenty-first birthday. Even Kit must remember that night.