Chapter Two
“Hey, toss me that screwdriver,” Gabe called to his brother, reaching out from under the hood of the car.
“Which one? You have at least ten in here.” Greyson rattled around in the drawer of the tool chest.
“Phillips, please.”
“Here you go. You know, Dan down at the service station can put the new spark plug in.” Greyson leaned against the side of his ‘86 Jeep and peered in.
“Hollywood made you soft. ‘86 was the prime year for this SUV, you should be able to do almost anything but replace the engine on it.” Gabe swore as the screwdriver pinged off the screw and hit his other hand. “Damn, this one’s almost stripped. Why’d you park down here anyway?”
“I wouldn’t call it parked—this is where the Jeep died. I’m lucky I got it into this lot.”
“I suppose. Hand me that spark plug. You need help with the new house any time soon? I’m almost done with the renos on my place, and I need a new project.”
Greyson had just purchased a large fixer upper a few blocks from Gabe’s house. The house was in rough condition, but Greyson said it would be home for him and Prudence once he could repair it. Gabe had looked at the house with him before Greyson had purchased it, giving advice about the repairs and what they’d be able to do together.
“All right, that should do it.” Gabe straightened, a smile passing over his face. His smile fell right off when he saw the green tinge on Greyson’s face. “You breathe in too many fumes?”
“I’m going to propose to Prudence tonight,” Greyson blurted.
“Oh shit, man! That’s fucking awesome news!” Gabe pulled Greyson into a hug, clapping him on the back.
“I’m glad you think so, because my pulse has not stopped beating double time since I got the ring from Mom.”
“Grandma’s ring?”
“No. Mom’s always held that ring close to her heart. I figured when she lets it go, it’ll be for her baby boy.”
Gabe landed a punch to Greyson’s arm. “You’re an idiot, she would’ve been happy for you to have it.”
“When I called her last week and told her I was proposing to Pru, she dropped the phone and Dad had to come on the line. They’re both excited about it, but she did tell me she had a ring that would suit Prudence much better, Great Aunt Shell’s ring.”
Greyson pulled a small box out of his pocket, opening it to show Gabe an antique ring set in platinum with a ruby stone surrounded by diamonds. “She said with Pru’s red hair, it would be stunning on her.”
Gabe reached out and touched the ring. Despite the cold day, the ring was warm, like it had just been taken off a finger. “I haven’t seen this ring in decades.”
“I’m always grateful for Mom, especially at times like this.” He snapped the box shut and tucked it back in his pocket. “She also said you don’t call her enough and wanted to know if you’d found anyone special yet.”
Gabe rolled his eyes, their brotherly bonding moment broken. Even though he and Greyson were the only children, he was the baby of the family and still, on a rare occasion, he was treated like it. Their mom couldn’t understand why he hadn’t found a nice girl to settle down with. Greyson had always gotten a pass on things like that. Being a big Hollywood actor, he was supposed to be a playboy and not get serious. “I own a bar, Grey. I can find someone special every night.”
“I don’t believe that, you don’t have it in you. And this town’s too small.”
“Well, I’m not alone.”
“There’s a difference between being alone and being lonely.”
Gabe slammed the hood of the Jeep down. “Jesus, what movie did that line come from?”
“ A Good Day to Die , the last Ben Stone movie,” Greyson said.
“Let’s keep cheesy quotes like that in the movies, shall we?” Gabe put his gloves back on and rubbed his hands together to warm them.
“No problem, bro. You want a ride back to the bar?” Greyson looked at his watch. “It’s only three.”
“I’ll walk, you’re going the opposite direction. I could use the fresh air anyway, since I won’t get outside tonight until well after two a.m.” He waved at Greyson and turned to go. “Wait! When are you proposing tonight? Will I see you at the bar?”
“I’m going to bring her to the new house then we’ll be over.”
“If you don’t make it that’s okay, this is a big night for you.”
“We’ll be there, I promise.”
Gabe threw out a salute then turned to walk back to Finnegan’s.
He was happy for his brother. He knew Hollywood hadn’t been easy on him and was thankful he was back in Amber Falls. Prudence was Greyson’s perfect fit and they’d both realized it. It didn’t stop a pang from hitting him square in the chest. He didn’t think he was feeling jealousy, envy or even resentment. He wanted nothing but the best for them. A laugh burst out of him as he thought of the line from Greyson’s movie. Maybe he was lonely. He’d been working long hours and, despite his big talk earlier, he hadn’t had time for a relationship of any sort in over a year. He used to drop Greyson’s name to get some action when he was younger, but those days were long behind him. He could be looking for something more serious he realized, surprised that a thought like that would cross his bachelor’s mind.
He was almost back to the bar when the strong aroma of coffee hit him as he passed by the neighboring coffee shop.
He glanced through the window and caught a glimpse of a woman he swore he’d seen before. It took him a moment to process this information before he could turn back to the door, trying to pull it open. Locked, dammit . He was sure he’d just seen the same strange woman that had watched him through Finnegan’s window before disappearing. She hadn’t come into the bar and had backed away like she’d seen a ghost. He’d gone to the door to see if he could catch her, but she was nowhere in sight up or down the sidewalk. Maybe she had been the ghost.
The inside of the shop was dark, and a closed sign hung on the door. Still, he gave one more tug on the handle before he turned and left. Please don’t let me be haunted by a ghost . He was sure he’d seen a woman inside the shop. Her profile was familiar—the curve of her cheek, the shape of her eyes. His memory flashed back to that night, and he squinted, trying to bring the faded memory of her into view, hoping they’d overlap, matching like a fingerprint test. His mind kept the details in the dark, but his body tensed in response to his beckoning memory, one that frayed his nerves and set him on fire. He was haunted, he realized, just not by a ghost.
* * * *
“Where have you been now?” Annabelle asked, clearly frustrated as Devlin slipped back into the booth. “He didn’t come over here this time. Why are you acting like you don’t want him to know you exist?”
Devlin knew Gabe was friends with Annabelle, but she hadn’t expected him to be at their table every damn half hour. She’d been making up excuses to leave whenever she’d spied Gabe winding his way to them. “I’m going to drive you to Dr. Simmons tomorrow if you say you’ve gone to the bathroom one more time. That’s not normal.”
“Oh.” Devlin gestured to no one spot in particular. “I saw one of my regulars and went to say hi.” She didn’t want to go to the doctor’s office and had already spent more time than she ever wanted to in a bar bathroom.
Annabelle narrowed her eyes at the comment but was distracted when Sebastian walked into the bar, a beautiful brunette following behind. Devlin assessed the couple, noting how attractive they both were. Both were very tall, taller than her, with the same shade of sable hair. The night just got a lot more interesting.
“That bastard. He’d better not come over here.” Annabelle pretended not to look then downed the rest of her amaretto sour. Devlin was looking and saw Sebastian’s face light up with a smile that could only be described as devilish when he spotted Annabelle after scanning the room. The woman he was with was dressed in a short, black flapper costume and Sebastian, well, Sebastian appeared like he belonged in the 1920’s. He was dapper in his form-fitting three-piece suit, a watch chain glinting against his buttoned-up vest. His black overcoat had velvet lapels that were dusted with snow. He brushed off the snow and leaned down to say something to his companion, shrugged and gestured to the bar as she left, leaving Sebastian standing alone before he walked in the direction of their table.
“Dammit, he is. I’m going to need another drink if I’m going to be expected to talk with him all night.” Annabelle looked in her glass as if she could wish it to fill back up.
“I’ll go get you a refill,” Devlin offered.
“Let me guess,” Annabelle stated when Sebastian reached them. “Either she’s already bored with you, or you didn’t pay her enough to stay with you the whole night.”
“At least I’m here with someone, Winters.” He smirked, sliding into the seat across from them. “I’m sorry you are ringing in the new year all by yourself. Alone.”
“I’m not alone. I’m with Devlin and my date is…” She pointed to the bar where her date, a fellow reporter from The Bee, was talking to the brunette Sebastian had brought, their heads bent very close together. “Well, fuck.”
Devlin scanned the bar once again and she saw Gabe spot Sebastian and start walking over. “I’ll get us drinks.” She ducked out of the booth. Close call, Watkins .
“Two amaretto sours and a rum and diet, please,” she asked the bartender when he stopped in front of her. Gabe’s visit to their table was brief, and she had plenty of time to follow him with covert eyes as he slipped through the crowd with practiced skill, greeting customers as he went. He is so handsome tonight . While most of the other men were dressed to the nines in three-piece suits and glossy shoes, Gabe’s outfit was more subtle—a pinstriped shirt rolled to his elbows and brown corduroy pants with suspenders. With worn work boots completing the outfit he looked effortless, strong and capable, like someone who would’ve embodied the hard work ethic of the late 1920’s laborers. She was broken out of her reverie when the bartender set the drinks in front of her.
She made her way back to the booth just in time to hear Annabelle say, “and that’s a fucking fact.” She paused. A feather from her headband was now in her hand, an inch away from Sebastian’s nose. She lowered it onto the table and finished with a voice of steel, “Sir.”
Devlin looked between the two. Annabelle’s face showed pure contempt while Sebastian’s was full of mirth.
“I just wanted to know if you thought it was going to snow all night, Winters.”
“Drinks!” Annabelle and Sebastian started at her voice, clearly unaware that she’d been standing next to the table. She shook her head as she set the drinks down, hoping she wasn’t as obtuse about Gabe as these two were about each other. Their situations were different, but still. “I brought drinks!”
Sebastian slid over when Annabelle didn’t and motioned her to sit down. “Thanks, Devlin. I wasn’t planning on drinking anything until midnight, but it seems like a good idea now.” He shot a pointed look at Annabelle.
Annabelle scowled and took a long sip of her drink but was saved from having to come up with a retort when Chuck Charleson and his girlfriend stopped at their booth. Chuck was Prudence’s ex-boyfriend and had been dating the local EyeWitness news reporter, Kinsley, since before Halloween. Devlin glanced at her watch as the conversation turned to what it always had as of late—the weather. She half listened thinking about tomorrow, about getting out of this bar, about anything other than Gabe, so of course she flicked her eyes to him against her will. The night was going to be long.
As it neared midnight, she’d been able to go back to pretending to be unaware of the man who owned the bar. She just had to keep it together for a few more minutes. She gave herself a shake, wondering if she shouldn’t finish her drink. Her mind was getting a little cloudy and now was not the time to get careless.
“It’s almost midnight, let’s go get the champagne, Devlin,” Annabelle suggested, breaking into her thoughts. “I think I need another drink with my champagne anyway.”
Sebastian, who had stood to talk with Chuck and Kinsley, turned to Annabelle, giving away the fact that he’d been listening to their conversation. “Double fisting it, Ace?” he asked, and Devlin saw his gaze bob down to the gap in Annabelle’s neckline.
Annabelle scooted out of the booth and stood, brushing against his chest, unsteady on her feet to all appearances from her drinks, but most likely to screw with him. “Wouldn’t you like to know,” she said with a low, sultry purr in her voice.
Sebastian’s nostrils flared as he breathed in with a sharp inhale.
Chuck tugged on Kinsley’s arm and moved away. “We’re gonna go. Happy New Year, everyone.”
Annabelle smiled and tugged Devlin to the bar as Sebastian sat back in their booth. She giggled, “Messing with him is so easy. A man is a man is a man, they don’t stand a chance.”
“Is that all that was, AB? Messing with him?”
“Of course. What a silly question.”
Devlin surveyed the bar, not seeing Gabe anywhere. “I hope Greyson and Prudence make it,” she said, knowing it was possible they wouldn’t.
The bartender had just handed them drinks when someone jostled them, reaching in between them, trying to pick up Devlin’s glass.
“Excuse me, ladies,” the person connected to the hand said.
“Hey, get your own—the hell?” Annabelle asked. “What the fuck is that?” She pointed to a large ring.
“Oh this?” The person was Prudence. She raised her hand, admiring the beautiful ring, and smiled. “Grey proposed tonight.”
“Oh my God, Pru! Congratulations!” Devlin reached out and hugged her.
“About damn time.” Annabelle threw her arms around her already hugging friends. “Give us the details, this is Page Six stuff.”
“Of course. Greyson wants only you to do the write-up, AB.”
“Associated Press, here I come.” Annabelle threw a look back at the booth. “Eat that, your royal pain in my ass.”
“Speaking of.” Prudence tried to follow Annabelle’s line of sight. “Did Sebastian grace us with his presence tonight?” she asked as she raised her hand to get the bartender’s attention, her ring sparkling in the light, nodding and flashing two fingers when the bartender indicated a champagne bottle.
“Oh yes.” Annabelle jerked her head to the far side of the bar then finished her whiskey in one gulp. “He’s here, and he brought a date.”
Devlin and Prudence exchanged quick looks.
“Why does that matter?” Prudence asked in her sweetest, most nonchalant voice.
“It. Doesn’t. Matter,” Annabelle ground out and glared at the other two. “I’m just stating the facts.” She noticed the second glance between the two as they grabbed their drinks. “What? It doesn’t!”
“Methinks you doth protest too much, AB.” Devlin steered them toward the booth their friends were gathered at.
“If by doth protesting, you mean I don’t care what that abhorrent man does, then you’re right.” Annabelle rolled her eyes as they neared the table. “Besides, I don’t want to talk about me. You got engaged tonight, Pru!”
“I hear congratulations are in order.” Sebastian stood and placed a light kiss on Prudence’s cheek.
Devlin once again tuned out the conversation around her, feeling like a bad friend, especially after the news of Prudence and Greyson’s engagement, but she was tired. Her stomach was also starting to growl with hunger. She noticed that Greyson and Prudence had wandered on to the dance floor and Sebastian and Annabelle had started arguing again. She slipped away from them, hoping not to be noticed. I just needed a few bar nuts and I’ll be fine . She walked to the bar, the combination of hunger and tiredness had hit her like a wall. She was careless and didn’t even look to see where Gabe was.