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“You good?” I asked, my voice softer than I intended.

He didn’t glance my way, just gave a single, clipped nod. “Of course.”

“Kinda feels like you went a little caveman there for a sec,” I joked, which wasn’t entirely a joke. West had clearly had a possessive nature that gave me whiplash against his good natured demeanor.

“Just didn’t want him getting the wrong idea,” West side, then started wiping the counter mindlessly.

For the rest of the night, West barely left my side. He made drinks and even convinced Tuffy to let him stock the fridge in the back. Every time I looked at him, he seemed a little more comfortable. A little more present.

And then the door opened again.

I glanced up out of habit, and once again found myself frozen in place.

Because standing in the doorway, wearing a worn Kings cap and a face that hadn’t graced Fiddlers in weeks, was Easton Brooks. He was a former regular turned lover boy when he met Jesse. Any other night and I’d have been glad to see him come into the bar. But he had a look on his face that made me think he wasn’t there for drinks and a good time.

Tuffy gasped. “Uh oh?—?”

“Yep,” I whispered, heart slamming in my chest.

Easton scanned the bar slowly, his eyes landing on West, then slid to me. His brows rose slightly, his mouth twitching into the beginnings of a smile.

“Well,” he drawled. “Ain’t this something.”

Chapter Twenty

WEST

My brother’svoice made my shoulders tense. He walked toward me with measured steps, looking like he was about to have the time of his life giving me shit for all the “rumors” he’d probably heard around town. Rumors I only made worse when I faced down the guy who thought he could take Blue home tonight.

Judging by the smirk on Easton’s face, my night was about to equal the level of chaos only a tornado could create.

I was hoping I could deal with my family at Sunday dinner, but I guess my time was up when it came to Easton. So I leaned my forearms against the bar and waited.

“Well, well, well…” he said, resting his elbows on the other side of the counter. “If it isn’t Mr. High-Rise, Low-Profile himself. Slumming it in a dive bar again, and do my eyes deceive me? Where is your jacket? Geez West, if I blink too fast, I might mistake you for a real person.”

“You left your beautiful family at home just to drive me crazy?”

“I normally know when you’re in town. But this is the second time in a week, and this time I had to hear about this,” hemotioned toward me and then the bar around us, “from the cashier at Piggly Wiggly. What the hell are you doing?”

“Serving drinks. Tossing bottles. Charming the locals.”

“Yeah, okay, but why?”

I glanced toward Tuffy and Blue at the other end of the bar. Blue caught my eye, then raised her brows. She had gracefully walked away as Easton approached, but she seemed to be ready to jump back in if I needed her.

I just shook my head slightly, then sighed as I pushed off the bar.

“Come on.”

Easton followed me down the narrow hallway toward the office. I held the door open, waited for him to step in, then dropped myself onto the couch with the dramatic energy of someone already emotionally exhausted.

Easton leaned against the wall, arms crossed. “You gonna explain, or just sit there looking like a busted Rolex?”

I rubbed my hands over my face and exhaled. “You already knew I thought she was attractive. So let’s not act like it’s a complete shock that I'm with her.”

“With her?” His eyebrows shot up. “West, I thought you were just tending bar at your new business venture. What do you mean, with her?”

Oh yeah, shit. He hadn’t shown up asking me about Blue, he was there because he heard I was bartending.