Chapter 12 Grayden
TWELVE
Grayden
Hearthstone Brewing Company was already crowded and lively when I walked through the door. Laughing faces, the aroma of fried food and hoppy beer, the sound of glasses clinking and conversations overlapping. I didn’t see Piper or Ollie yet, though I definitely felt plenty of eyes on me.
That was life in a small town for you. Especially when you were the newly returned ne’er-do-well.
At least there were plenty of people here who seemed more like tourists than locals, probably here for the skiing. They didn’t know who I was or what I’d done. To them, I was just another guy here to grab dinner and a beer.
I spotted Callum near the bar and headed that way, weaving through the crowd. When he saw me, his face lit up, and he pulled me into a tight hug.
I still wasn’t used to this yet, the easy affection with him, but I liked it.
“Grayden! Good to see you. Didn’t know you were swinging by tonight.”
“Grabbing dinner. Still hard at work?”
“I’m finishing up manager duties for the day, making sure these knuckleheads stay in line.” Callum gestured behind himself, where a couple of bartenders were busy pouring brews from the taps.
“Where’s Zandra?”
“She’s in the office in the back right now. But later, we’re going to try out this new restaurant in Hartley that does everything gluten-free. We’re meeting up with Ashford, Emma, and Maisie.”
There was a beat of awkwardness as Callum seemed to realize what he’d just said. His smile deflated at the edges.
I waved it off. “I don’t mind hearing what Ashford’s up to. It’s the opposite, really. I like hearing that he’s doing well and his family’s happy.”
“I’ve been talking to him about giving you a chance. Grace has too. He’s been stubborn so far, but we won’t give up.”
“It’s only been a week. I’m here whenever he wants to talk, but I’m not going to push it. That’s got to be his call. And I don’t want you or Grace stressing about it either.”
Callum leaned against the bar, studying me. “So how are things going? You settling in okay?”
“Actually, yeah. I found a rental where I’ll be able to open up a tattoo studio after some work to the building.” I would need to comply with health protocols as well, but there were no state-level licensing requirements. Passing the inspection and finding clients would be the main obstacle.
At least I still had friends in the community in Seattle who’d vouch for my skills. If that helped.
Callum’s eyebrows shot up. “Seriously? That’s big!”
“It’ll be good once I’m done. Drove out to a hardware superstore today to pick up supplies.” I rubbed a hand over my beard. “I’m thinking of doing a mural on one wall inside. To showcase the kinds of artwork I do.”
Callum grinned. “That sounds awesome. I can’t wait to see that. Is the location close to Main Street?”
“Uh, about ten minutes away. Not too far.”
It felt good to have something to work toward. Something productive instead of being so much in my head, a place I didn’t always love being.
Also, I’d finished reading the sci-fi novel, and I hadn’t had the chance to grab a new one.
Last night had been a little strange, spending the night in the Landry house. Sleeping in a cold, dusty sunporch under a pile of threadbare blankets, surrounded by boxes of sewing supplies and the ghosts of old memories.
It was just a house. A house that needed some TLC, and I was happy to provide it. Especially knowing it would benefit Piper too.
For some reason, though, I hesitated to mention to Callum that Piper was my landlord.
And that was probably the exact reason I should be open about it.
“Actually, I’m renting the place from Piper. It’s her mom’s old house.”
Before Callum could say anything to that, I heard a familiar voice behind me.
“Grayden! You made it.”
I turned to find Piper smiling up at me. She touched my arm briefly, her fingers light against my jacket, and I had to resist the urge to cover her hand with mine.
“Hey,” I murmured.
I’d been thinking about her nonstop since seeing her yesterday. Maybe I’d succeeded in getting those old memories from years ago stuffed into the back of my mind, but Piper as a grown woman seemed to take up the rest of my mental space.
Like the sight of her skin all flushed and snow in her hair. Or the adorable wobble in her voice when she’d asked me to have dinner tonight.
There was some fiery chemistry between us. I had no doubt about that. Where Piper wanted to take it, I wasn’t sure yet. Or even if I should go there.
As if I could resist.
Ollie ran over to Callum, throwing his arms around my brother. “Uncle Cal!”
Callum grinned and returned the hug, then held out his fist for a bump. “What’s up? You and your mom stopped by for dinner?”
“We’re here to meet him.” Ollie turned to me next, giving me the stink eye, before he focused on Callum again. “Uncle Cal, will you eat with us too?”
Callum aimed a curious look at me as he responded to Ollie. “Can’t tonight, buddy. Another time, though. Promise.”
Piper put her arm around Ollie’s shoulders. “We’ll grab a seat before they all fill up. Grayden, could you order us a couple of barbecue bacon burgers and a side of tots?”
“Sure thing.”
They headed off toward the tables. I felt my brother’s loaded gaze.
“Barbecue burgers and tots?” he said. “I can put that food order in for you.”
“Three burgers. But no tots for me. Make it a side salad.”
“Watching your figure in your advanced age?”
I flipped him off, but yeah, he was on the right track. Keeping in shape over forty was not the same ball game. “And I’ll take a golden ale. What do you think Piper and Ollie would want to drink? Or I could go ask them.”
“Nah, I’ve got it.” Callum tapped at the screen, punching in the order. “Piper likes the golden too. And Ollie always gets root beer.”
“Thanks.”
Callum poured the beers from the tap, taking his time. Then he said, “So. You’re renting Piper’s old house. And meeting her and Ollie for dinner. Didn’t know you’d been spending so much time with them.”
I kept my tone neutral. “That’s not a problem, is it?”
“No, just…interesting.” He made a face. “Are you and Piper on some kinda date? Was that the vibe I was picking up just now?”
“We’re supposed to exchange paperwork for the lease.” Though we didn’t need to have dinner for that, technically. “It’s a friends thing.”
Callum shrugged, though from the way his shoulders stayed bunched, he was far from comfortable. “Friends is good. I wouldn’t want to be the one to tell Grace if you and Piper are having some kind of fling. That would be weird for all of us.”
An unpleasant thought occurred to me, and I couldn’t stop myself from asking. “Did you and Piper ever…?”
“What? No. God, no. Piper’s practically my sister.”
Not my sister, though, I thought. Not even close.
But clearly my siblings wouldn’t be comfortable with me and Piper as more than friends. Not sure what else I’d expected. Grace and Callum were happy to have me back in their lives, but that didn’t mean I was good enough for Piper.
Fuck, they were probably right. What was I even thinking?
That you want her, my brain responded. It was true. Didn’t mean I should go after her. I was supposed to be setting up my new life here.
I picked up the two beers and the root beer, balancing them carefully in my hands as I started toward the table. Then someone bumped into me, hard. The icy drinks sloshed over their rims, splashing down the front of my shirt and unzipped coat.
Shit, that was cold.
Beer soaked through to my skin, and I cursed under my breath, looking up to see who’d just run into me.
It was that guy Dillon. Piper’s employee from Silver Linings.
“Sorry,” Dillon said, not sounding sorry at all. If anything, he looked satisfied. “Didn’t see you there.”
I felt my anger rising, a familiar heat in my chest and a growl building in my throat.
It would’ve felt so good to just let it out. Wipe the smirk off Dillon’s face with my fist. But I shoved it back down, clenching my jaw.
“Might want to open your eyes then. I’m taller than you, kid.”
“Silver Ridge doesn’t want you here,” Dillon hissed. “You should get back in your shitty truck and move on.”
Callum appeared with a bar towel. “Everything okay?”
Dillon disappeared into the crowd as I stared after him, glaring.
“Accident,” I said. “It’s nothing.”
I forced a smile, aware of people watching. Like they were waiting for me to get angry. Fly off the handle. Prove that I was exactly the violent good-for-nothing they thought I was.
Whatever. A few spilled drinks didn’t matter, and random people’s opinions of me didn’t matter either. Not like I was going to start brawling over some twenty-year-old having a jealous tantrum. Or whatever Dillon’s problem was.
The people of Silver Ridge could come after me with pitchforks if they wanted. I wasn’t going anywhere.
I dried off as best I could while Callum got us new drinks. Then I made my way to the table, weaving through the crowd with more care this time.
I reached the table and set the drinks down. Piper’s eyes widened when she saw my wet shirt. “What happened?”
“Small mishap. It’s fine.” I passed a beer to Piper and placed Ollie’s drink in front of him. “I hear root beer is your favorite, buddy.”
“Don’t call me that.” He pushed the glass away without looking at it.
“Ollie,” Piper scolded under her breath. “You love Hearthstone’s root beer.”
“No worries,” I said. “Sometimes we’re in the mood for something different. I could grab another drink for you if you want.”
Trying too hard, I told myself. But what did I even know about kids?
“Root beer is fine,” Piper said firmly.
Ollie stared at the table for a long moment, then pulled the root beer toward himself. “Mom, can I go play the arcade games?”
Piper sighed. “Yeah. Okay. But don’t go anywhere else.”
“I won’t.” He got up and was gone before I could blink.
She turned to me with an apologetic expression. “I’m sorry. I don’t know why he’s being so difficult tonight. Usually he loves coming to Hearthstone for dinner.”
“He hates me,” I said with a laugh. “It’s fine.”
“He doesn’t hate you. He doesn’t even know you.”
“Believe me, plenty of other residents of Silver Ridge have an issue with me, and they don’t know me either.” I leaned in slightly. “Is it just me,” I said, keeping my voice low, “or does it feel like half the people in here are watching us and pretending not to?”
Piper laughed, the sound warming me from the inside out. “Like I said yesterday, the local population is curious about you. It’ll wear off soon.”
“I hope so. By the time I have the house fixed up and open my studio for business, I don’t want people to be afraid to trust me with a tattoo gun. That could be a problem.”
“Are you kidding? Your sexy bad-boy reputation will be an asset as a tattoo artist. You’ve got that rebel factor going.”
I raised an eyebrow, smirking. “Sexy bad boy? That’s my reputation?”
She looked down at her beer, tucking her hair behind her ear. “I mean, that’s what I’ve heard.”
“Really. You’ve heard that. Just generally, around town?”
“Yep.”
“And what’s your opinion on that subject?”
“I think…” She sipped her drink. “I think you know exactly how attractive you are.”
I remembered her eyes on me last week at her place, when I took my shirt off. Women did like my tattoos. That was nothing new or particularly exciting.
But Piper’s attention had felt different. Like something I knew I shouldn’t have, but couldn’t resist.
The baskets of food arrived. Ollie came back from the arcade games and slid into his seat, picking up his burger without enthusiasm. We ate in relative silence for a few minutes.
The burger was good, the beer was cold, and Piper was sitting close enough that I could smell her shampoo. Some kind of vanilla and honey scent that was making it hard to focus on eating.
Then, halfway through his meal, Ollie set his food down and looked at me. “You’re Maisie’s uncle, right? Her dad’s brother?”
“Yes, I am.”
“Then why didn’t you try to come back here sooner?” Ollie’s voice was accusatory. “Why doesn’t Maisie know who you are?”
“Ollie, maybe we should talk about this another time,” Piper said, but I shook my head. I’d figured this interrogation might be coming. And honestly, I respected the kid for bringing it up.
I set down my food and wiped my hands and mouth. “I made some mistakes in the past. I had to go away for a long time because of them. But I never, ever wanted to hurt my family. All I wanted was to protect them.”
I could feel Piper watching me as I spoke, her gaze steady and unwavering. Ollie seemed to be listening too.
“I plan to fix things, and I want to meet Maisie. But only when her dad is ready for me to do that.”
“But why did you come back to Colorado now? Was it because you just got tired of wherever you were before? You couldn’t get along with those people, so you thought you’d try with us instead?”
This kid was relentless. “Not exactly.”
“My mom said you hurt someone.” His voice went quieter, but no less intense. “You’re a criminal, like the people my Uncle Teller puts in jail. I want to know what you did.”
“Ollie, that’s enough,” Piper said. “This isn’t a conversation to have in the middle of Hearthstone.”
“I don’t see why we have to be here with him at all.” Ollie pushed his food away. “I’m not hungry. I want to go home.”
I didn’t blame Ollie for his questions or his attitude toward me. His mom was right, though. This wasn’t the best place to confess all my mistakes, and maybe the subject matter wasn’t entirely kid-appropriate anyway.
Piper closed her eyes briefly, then opened them. “Okay. We’ll go.” She started gathering their things. “I’m sorry,” she whispered to me.
I stood. “It’s okay.”
She grabbed her jacket and Ollie’s, guiding him toward the door with a firm hand on his shoulder.
I followed them out, the cold night air hitting my still-damp shirt and making me shiver, even after I’d zipped up my coat.