Page 29 of The Last Call Home (The Timberbridge Brothers #5)

Chapter Twenty-Six

Lilah: Atlas’s wife is lovely, but can we all agree that this marriage is weird?

Mal: You’re the one who hired Blythe —and then asked my brother to hire her too.

Cass: Why are we discussing Blythe during our time together?

Lilah: I’m suspicious, okay?

Mal: It’s fine.

Lilah: Fine? She’s pregnant.

Mal: How do you know that?

Lilah: Simone.

Cass: What happened to HIPPA?

Mal: You expect HIPPA in this town? How cute.

Lilah: She didn’t tell me directly. Nysa took Maddie to the doctor, where she got to chat with Simone, and she asked how excited they were about the new baby Timberbridge—and Atlas’s wife.

Mal: Oh, so she assumed Atlas would’ve told the family?

Lilah: Probably. Obviously, she is up to date on how much you five hate each other.

Mal: I don’t hate my brothers.

Lilah: Sure, you don’t.

Mal: I helped Hopper rescue Nysa.

Lilah: Umm, you’re the sheriff.

Cass: He did it because he’s part of CQS, plus the sheriff. Of course he helped rescue someone.

Mal: I did it because he’s my brother.

Lilah: Sure. You’re so close to all of them. You keep kicking them out of town.

Mal: Security reasons. They’d be safer anywhere else.

Cass: Maybe having all of you in here would expedite things and drag the assholes outside of their hole.

Mal: You think?

Cass: I’m not sure, but we can try.

Lilah: How did we go from ‘Mal’s going to be an uncle’ to ‘Let’s get the mobs-y people out of their hiding holes’?

Mal: Mobs-y people?

Cass: She needs to stop making up words.

Lilah: Can we focus on Blythe and not me?

Mal: I’m keeping an eye on her.

Cass: Or . . . you can leave her alone. She might not need everyone on her case.

Lilah: You know something, Cassian?

Mal: Do you?

Cass: I’m opening the bar in ten. If you’d like to come and help, I’d appreciate it. If not, we’ll chat later.

Lilah: Coward. I’m on to you.

Mal: I’ll swing by later tonight, maybe torture you to make you talk.

Lilah: Oooh, what kind of torture.

Mal: BJ, but not letting him come.

Cass: You’re a cruel man, but it’s a hard no. I’m training these new guys and we might not be done until tomorrow morning.

Lilah: Will I still see you when I arrive to work?

Cass: Yeah. See you tomorrow morning.