Chapter 19 Paige
Paige
The Twilight Tavern’s parking lot was still half in shadow when I pulled in, the morning air crisp enough to see my breath.
The neon sign was dark, and the only sound was the gravel crunching under my boots.
I’d come in early to meet a supplier who promised to drop off a special order—a batch of local cider I wanted to feature this month.
I was halfway to the front door, keys in hand, when I heard her.
“Paige! Hey, wait up!”
Danielle’s voice carried too easily across the empty lot. I turned to see her jogging across the asphalt in boots that probably cost more than my monthly power bill. She’d always been used to the finer things. The way Eli had been struggling for money lately must be driving her up the wall.
My stomach sank. “Danielle. Where did you come from?”
“I parked in the back. I was afraid you’d drive away if you saw me.” She reached me at the door with a breathless smile, like we were girlfriends about to grab coffee. “I was hoping to catch you! Can we go inside and talk for a minute? Mom to mom?”
“I’m waiting for a delivery,” I said flatly.
“You’ll have to make it quick.” I should tell her to get lost and keep quiet like Ren said, but I knew the only way to get rid of her was to either hear her out or physically remove her from my presence.
I figured listening for a few minutes was better than an assault charge.
She fell into step beside me as I unlocked the door and entered.
The bar was quiet, the chairs were still upside down on the tables, and morning light slanted through the blinds, striping the polished wood.
I set my bag down behind the bar, checking my phone for a message from the delivery driver. Nothing, damn it. I wanted out of here.
Danielle wandered toward the bar, letting her gaze sweep the place like she was measuring it for curtains. “It’s so cozy in here during the day. I never noticed.”
“You’ve never been here before opening,” I said, moving behind the bar to grab a glass of water.
She smoothed her hair, that perfect fake smile still in place. “Speaking of mornings, do you know where Eli is?”
“I don’t know,” I answered flippantly. “Go back outside and lift up a rock.”
Her smile faltered, just for a second, before she pasted it back on. “Funny.”
“Not really,” I said, grabbing a glass and adding lemon slices to it.
“I was actually coming to talk about Briar and Lark,” she continued, lowering herself onto a barstool like she had all the time in the world. “They seem a little off lately. Maybe it’s the adjustment, or maybe they just need more structure at our house—”
“Off? That’s cute. As if you don’t know exactly what the problem is. They will be fine,” I cut in, staring her down so she’d get to the point and tell me what she was after.
“I’m only saying this because I care,” she said, leaning forward, voice dripping with phony concern.
“Transitions are hard. And Eli’s under so much stress right now with business at the sandwich shop being so slow and the laundromat needing repairs.
Meanwhile, you’ve got this place running like a dream… ”
And here it was. The pivot. She wanted something from me.
“Yeah, this scenario is exactly my dream come true,” I bit out.
“It’s such a shame Eli doesn’t still have a stake in it,” she added, ignoring my tone.
“That income would really help all of us. The girls, too,” she added.
“I hated having to suggest Briar quit dance class. She’s such a talented girl.
Eli wants her to dance. He wants to provide for everyone. And the bar—”
“No.” I looked her dead in the eye. “Never going to happen.”
Her brows pinched. “Paige—”
“No. I built this bar up. I ran it while I was married to Eli, did you know that? I ran all three businesses. I kept the books straight, paid the bills, and did the work while he was chasing bad ideas and showing up when it was convenient for him. I make more now because I know what I’m doing.
He doesn’t. He’s not my problem anymore.
If he runs the other two businesses into the ground, I do not care.
Deal with him yourself and keep me out of it. ”
The sweetness in her smile dropped away completely for a heartbeat before she forced it back. “We need the money, and I think it’s only fair that—”
“You are out of your damn mind. No,” I said, letting my voice drop.
“You want my money. You think my bar is your shortcut. It’s not.
And by the way? You’ve been treating my daughters like a burden, don’t pretend that you’re aiming for future stepmother of the year. They see how you act. And so do I.”
The air between us went still. Outside, a delivery truck rumbled past without slowing down, not mine, of course.
Danielle pushed back from the bar, chin high. “I was only trying to be helpful. Can we be polite with each other, please?”
“This is me being polite. It’s the best I can do when it comes to you.
It’s time for you to go,” I said. “Oh, and if you still can’t find Eli after you leave, think about where he used to be back when I couldn’t find him.
If he’ll cheat with you, he’ll cheat on you.
” I shrugged lightly. “Food for thought.” I guess I wasn’t being polite. Whatever.
She left without another word, the door swinging shut behind her. I ran over to lock it, trying not to lose my shit.
I grabbed the phone from behind the bar and called my supplier, pacing between the tables. The manager answered, his voice chipper until I asked about my cider.
“Oh, uh, yeah, that order was canceled,” he said, confused.
“Canceled? By who?”
“Someone from your number called yesterday afternoon, saying you didn’t need it anymore. I double-checked the order form, and it matched your account info.”
My stomach dropped, a cold, creeping unease settling in. “It wasn’t me.”
There was an awkward pause. “Sorry, Paige. I can put in another order, but it’ll be at least a week before we can get it to you.”
“Thank you. Do it, please,” I said tightly, hanging up before my voice could crack with the mix of anger and suspicion bubbling up.
I stood there in the quiet, my pulse sharp in my veins. The cider wasn’t just late; it was not coming. Someone was messing with me.
And Danielle just happened to show up this morning, all smiles and false concern, fishing for information and reminding me how much she thought this bar should belong to Eli.
Coincidence? Maybe. But I’d been around long enough to know that some smiles hid teeth.
I moved through the space, searching for anything out of place. Things where they shouldn’t be. Forgotten receipts. Anything that held a clue. The bar felt suddenly unfamiliar, like I was walking through a stranger’s dream.
Once inside my office, I reached for the ledger on my desk, flipping through recent orders and deliveries, tracing every signature and note and matching them up with the records I kept on my laptop.
Nothing jumped out, but suspicion clung to each page.
I should talk to Eli about this, but the thought made my jaw clench.
Was I being paranoid? Could this just be a simple mistake?
Forget Eli. I called Ren, who told me to send him copies of my records and keep him updated on anything out of the ordinary.
I needed to get out of here. I should go home and take a nap. I was exhausted. Maybe sleep would bring clarity.
I left my office, the ledger still open on my desk, and stepped into the dimly lit doorway that separated the cramped back from the main part of the bar. The world narrowed to the threshold, and then I saw Eli standing in the glow between shadow and light.
He didn’t move, didn’t speak. The way he stood, half turned as if caught mid-thought, made something inside me go taut.
I felt the press of old history in his silence—a memory of when this place belonged to both of us, before the lines blurred and broke.
I didn’t hear him come in; the bar had been locked.
My gaze dropped to his hand, where a battered key glinted between his fingers.
“You still have a key?” My voice was sharp enough to cut glass.
He glanced at it like he’d forgotten it was there. “Of course. I helped build this place.”
“That was years ago. It’s mine now. Give it to me.”
“What?” His eyebrows shot up.
“You heard me.” I walked through the room, holding out my hand. “Key. Now.”
His jaw flexed, but he dropped it into my palm. The weight of it was heavier than it should have been.
“Since when do I need permission to come in?” he asked. “We were married. We have kids together. This place was mine.”
“Since you stopped being my husband,” I said flatly.
“And since you showed up uninvited in a locked building that doesn’t belong to you anymore.
It’s mine now, Eli, and you are no longer welcome here.
Maybe I should call the police.” I watched him carefully.
Weird things were happening here, and sadly, I wouldn’t be shocked if he were part of it.
He stuffed his hands in his pockets. “I came to apologize. For everything that’s been going on lately. And to offer to take the girls this weekend. Give you a break.”
“Generous,” I said, my voice dripping with acid. “As if you didn’t get Lark’s text this morning. You are driving them away. They don’t want to see you right now.”
“I have things to make up for, okay? Can you talk to them for me?”
“No. They’re teenagers, old enough to have minds of their own. It’s not up to me. It’s up to them, and I’ll back up anything they want. If they want to see you, I won’t ever stand in their way or discourage them. I promise.”
“We have to talk this through. We can’t live this way.”
“None of this has anything to do with me. Can’t you see that? You caused all of it. We’re divorced. You’re not my problem anymore.”