Chapter 1
TWO MONTHS AGO
DARCY
“I think this is it,” I said as I slowly turned around to take in the blank canvas of the retail space we’d already visited three times.
I closed my eyes and envisioned a glass display case for the healthy treats made by my sister, a wall of colorful and useful accessories for customers’ beloved pets, and even a fenced-in area by the front window where the dogs who were finished with their appointments could hang out while they waited for their owners.
I opened my eyes and turned toward my sister Tansy before I asked, “I can feel it. Can you?”
Tears filled her eyes as she nodded, and when she turned back to the realtor, she said, “We’ll take it.”
“I’ll let the seller know you’ve made a decision and present your offer to him this afternoon.”
I couldn’t resist hugging the woman who had been so patient with us. As I pulled away, I said, “I’m going to miss seeing you all the time.”
“What do you mean? I live down the street from you, and now that we’re friends, I know I can come hide out at your place whenever I want to get away from the craziness at my own.”
“Brighten, isn’t it time for us to leave for my appointment?”
“Speaking of my craziness,” Brighten muttered. I turned to look at her son, an adorable little boy who had stolen my heart the first time we met, and said, “Call and see if they can swing by and pick you up instead of meeting us there.”
“I’d rather take an Uber.”
Brighten’s eyes narrowed, and her son held her gaze for a few long seconds until he sighed and turned away.
I saw him push an icon on the screen of his watch before he lifted it to his face and asked, “Would you be able to pick me up on your way? Brighten is going to make us late, and she won’t let me call a car service. ”
I smiled when I heard a man’s voice respond to him with, “Because you're seven, Griff. You shouldn’t even know about car services. Send me your location, and I’ll be there in a minute.”
“If you need to leave, we’re fine here by ourselves, or we can come back when you have more time,” Tansy suggested.
“Either way is fine,” I agreed. “I just want to take some pictures and get some measurements so we can start planning the remodel. We’d hate to make you late for your appointment.”
“It’s a haircut, not a meeting with world leaders,” Brighten said with an easy smile. “He can get through it without me.”
“So, can we stay for a few more minutes?” I asked.
“Sure.” Brighten looked at her watch when it dinged and then curtsied toward her son before she pointed at the window and said in a passable British accent, “Your chariot has arrived, fine sir.”
The boy grimaced and then high-fived Brighten on his way past as he said, “That was a decent accent, but it still needs work.”
“Love you!”
“I love you, too, Brighten.”
We watched as he pushed the door open and then walked across the sidewalk and opened the back door of a black truck before he hoisted himself into the seat. The driver honked the horn and then drove off.
“Now that he’s in good hands, let’s throw around some remodeling ideas! I love this part and rarely get to be involved.”
“Since we don’t know many people here yet, we’re not really sure who we can trust when it comes to contractors. Would you happen to know one you’d be willing to recommend?”
“Absolutely. Call Conner Construction and tell them I sent you.”
“Didn’t we meet someone with the last name Conner the other night?” Tansy asked.
I thought about that, trying to name him while I envisioned his face. When it came to me, I announced, “Deacon!”
“Actually, Deacon Conner is the one you’ll need, as he is in charge of their commercial construction. As an added bonus, he’s a great guy and incredibly trustworthy. You can’t go wrong with him in charge.”
“Can I have his number?” I asked.
“Absolutely.”
◆◆◆
CROW
Luna, my most trusted bartender, looked at me before she narrowed her eyes and asked, “Why are you covered in hair? Did you get a dog?”
I looked down at my black T-shirt and realized I was covered in fine blonde hair before I muttered a few select curse words and walked toward the back of the bar. “I’ll be back in a minute.”
I entered the code that would let me into the hallway and then jogged up the stairs to my office.
I used a different code to get into that door, and as soon as the door shut behind me, I let out a sigh of relief.
The previous bar manager - my uncle, who just so happened to be the co-owner of The Glass Slipper along with my father and other men from our family - had soundproofed the space years ago, so I could barely hear the music playing or the loud chatter of the crowd even though I could see the entire bar through the expansive window.
I grabbed my gym bag and set it on the desk, but the second I unzipped it, I could tell that even if I were to find a clean shirt, it would reek of sweat.
I closed the bag and threw it toward the couch and then rolled my eyes when it slid off and landed on the floor.
As I pulled off the shirt I was wearing, I walked over to the cabinet in the corner where I kept some of the logo T-shirts for friends who helped out at the bar when we needed them.
I dug through the pile to find one that would fit.
I found a black one with the Glass Slipper Gentleman’s Club logo and pulled it on before I walked over to look out over the bar. My phone chimed, so I pulled it out and smiled when I saw that it was a video from my brother, Hawk.
His son, Griffin, was walking ahead of him, and the video shook as Hawk turned to close the door.
He hurried to catch up with Griff as he made his way through the living room into the kitchen, where I could see his mother, Brighten, standing at the stove.
As she stirred something in a large pot, she said, “You guys got here just in time! Griff, please put together one of your incredible salads, and Hawk . . .” Brighten’s voice trailed off as she turned to look at them.
Her face was a mask of horror before she screeched, “You let him get a mullet?”
I cackled as I typed out my response.
Are you dead? If you can read this, it might be a good time to let her know he’s got an appointment on Friday to turn that into a style she’ll like much better.
I looked back out over the bar and watched the bouncer ID a group of people who were lined up to come inside as I waited for Hawk’s response. When he didn’t reply, I sent a text to Brighten.
Did you kill one or both of them?
What the fuck is wrong with you jackasses?
We have family pictures with your parents this weekend, Crow!
Mullets are back in style, Bright Eyes.
I keep telling myself it’s just hair, but my baby looks like a hillbilly!
Opal said his curly hair was perfect for a mullet, and she’s a professional.
I’m going to shave your hair and eyebrows, and then I’m going to do the same thing to your brother.
If you’re going to shave anything, it should be your legs. When we were having coffee on the porch this morning, the hair was waving in the breeze.
I hate you in more ways than the English language has words to explain.
Love you too!
Your dinner is in the microwave, asshole. I hope you choke on a meatball and rupture a blood vessel in your right eye.
I was still chuckling as I walked out of my office but stopped short when I almost ran into one of my servers, who had her hand held up to knock.
“What’s up, Ash?”
“You told me to come to you if there were any more problems.”
I knew exactly which dancer she had come to complain about, so I sighed before I asked, “What did she do?”
“She’s trying very hard to remind me that I know how to throw a punch and make me forget that orange is not on my color wheel.”
“I’ll take care of it,” I assured her as I pulled the door shut behind me.
As I followed Ash down the stairs and walked toward the dressing room to prevent a catfight - something a smart man would steer clear of, I wondered how Kale had managed to stay sane during the years he’d run The Glass Slipper.
I smiled to myself when it dawned on me that he was one of the most unhinged men I knew.
He held the top spot on the scale of crazy, but some of his friends and family ranked right up there with him.
If something didn’t give soon, I’d likely be able to give him a run for his money. Watching my brother and Brighten reconnect after all these years had made me yearn for something I wasn’t sure I’d ever have, especially since most women gave me a hard pass after finding out about my job.
When I was just a few steps away from the open dressing room door, I called out, “I’m coming in, ladies!
” I gave everyone a few seconds to cover up, if that was what they wanted to do, and then walked into a room full of half-naked women, most of whom were just as comfortable shirtless as I’d always been.
Yeah, getting into a serious relationship with a man who was surrounded by strippers every day wasn’t something most women could stomach. Sometimes I wondered how I did it myself.
◆◆◆
DARCY
“Tell me about how you got this,” the man I’d met earlier asked as he reached over and lightly traced the edge of the band-aid on the back of my hand.
I cleared my throat and blinked a few times, wondering again how I got this drunk, something that had happened way too many times lately. I couldn’t think straight and knew without a doubt I’d had way too much to drink before I took the last shot the man ordered for me.
I looked around for Tansy and noticed that I’d lost my sister somewhere. We were supposed to stick together, right? Had she wandered off, or had I? I couldn’t remember. The last time I’d seen her, we —
The man inched his chair closer to mine before he ran his fingertip up my arm. I watched its progress as I tried to remember his name. I think it started with G. No. His name was Tim. Or was it Jim? Neither one of those started with a G, though, so that couldn’t be right.