Chapter 5
Chapter
Five
Sly and his sister, Dani, were close, and as busy as they both were with their jobs, they made sure to get together a couple of times a month.
On Wednesday night they met at Clancy’s, a bar and pool hall south of town.
The bar was always crowded and boasted a dozen pool tables—enough so that he and Dani were usually able to snag one.
“I met a woman,” Sly told his sister over the loud country-and-western music adding to the noise. He hadn’t planned on saying anything and wasn’t sure why he’d made the confession. Especially when lately, he hadn’t dated much and she’d been bugging him about it. Now she’d really bug him.
But Lana... Sly was still thinking about her, even though she’d shut him down. There was something about her, and he needed to tell somebody.
In the middle of placing the balls, Dani swiveled her head his way. “Oh?” Her eyes, the same silver blue as Sly’s and Seth’s, sparked with curiosity.
Not wanting to make a big deal out of what he’d said, he tugged on her ponytail like he had when she was four. Before life had knocked them both upside the head.
“Stop that.” Hiding a smile, she batted his hand away. “I’m not a little girl anymore. I’m twenty-eight years old.”
Dani was seven years younger than him, and one of the few people he trusted. He flashed a grin. “You’ll always be my baby sister, even when you’re fifty.”
“By then you’ll be an old man, and probably too frail to pull my hair.”
Sly scowled, but Dani thought it was real funny. “I’ll take solid, you take the stripes,” she said.
While she eyeballed the table, aimed her cue and broke the balls, Sly thought about how far they’d come since he was eleven and their mother had died. Two years later their father had followed her, leaving them orphans. Sly had wanted to take care of his siblings, but he’d been too young.
Their only family had been an uncle Sly and his siblings had never met, a man who lived in Iowa. Uncle George had grudgingly taken in Sly and his younger brother, Seth, who was ten at the time, but he hadn’t wanted Dani.
She’d entered the foster-care system in Prosperity.
Sly had worried about her constantly and vowed to someday reunite their little family.
It turned out that he and Seth had gotten the raw end of that stick.
Their uncle had disliked kids and mostly ignored him and Seth, which was better than the alternative.
His idea of attention had been to yell and raise his hand.
Sly and his brother had quickly learned to steer clear of him.
By default, Sly became his brother’s caretaker and parent of sorts, raising Seth as best he could.
His best hadn’t been so great, though. A kid with an independent streak, Seth had fought him on everything.
By the time Uncle George had died just before Sly’s eighteenth birthday, his relationship with his brother had deteriorated badly.
Hoping that returning home and reuniting with Dani would help mend the damages, Sly had brought his brother back to Prosperity.
Unfortunately, nothing had changed. After several minor scrapes with the law, Seth had dropped out of high school and left town.
A few months later, Sly and Dani received a postcard letting them know he’d settled in California.
He’d failed to provide the name of the city, and the postal stamp had been impossible to decipher.
Seth hadn’t spoken to or contacted them since.
Dani had ended up with a much better deal. Big Mama, her foster mom, had loved her from the start and eventually had adopted her.
His sister played pretty good pool too, and hit the ball into a side pocket. Another slid into a different pocket. She did a little dance. “Dang, I’m good!”
“Cocky, too,” Sly teased. “Wait’ll it’s my turn.”
She missed the next shot. Sly chalked his cue. “Watch and learn, little sister.” He took aim and dropped a striped ball into the corner pocket. He put away four more, then missed.
Before Dani took aim, she angled her head at him. “I’m glad to hear you met someone, big brother. How and where did it happen?”
“Remember that dinner meeting with my lawyer a couple weeks ago at the Bitter & Sweet? She was there with a girlfriend. We ended up dancing the whole night.”
“The whole night?”
Sly wasn’t about to answer that. “Are you ever going to move that cue?”
Dani ignored him. “Her girlfriend must’ve been bored silly.”
“Yeah. She went home.” He nudged her aside. “I’ll shoot for you.”
“No way.” She gave him a friendly poke in the ribs. “Does this woman have a name?”
“Lana Carpenter.” The words rolled off his tongue and left a sweet taste in his mouth.
“That sounds familiar. Where have I heard that name?” Dani wondered, tapping the cue with her finger. “I don’t think she’s one of my regulars.”
She worked at Big Mama’s Cafe, a popular place open for breakfast and lunch that Big Mama had started some thirty years earlier. Someday when the woman retired, the restaurant would be Dani’s.
His sister finally took her shot, pocketed one and missed the next. “Shoot,” she grumbled. “You’re up. Is Lana related to Tim Carpenter?”
Sly sure as hell hoped not. “Haven’t asked her.”
“She doesn’t know you’re thinking about suing a man who could be related to her?”
“Forget thinking about it. I’m definitely doing it.” Sly was still unhappy about having to take legal action. He missed his shot, too. “He should have gotten the papers yesterday.”
“I’m sorry it had to come to that.” Dani made a face. “Have you heard anything back?”
“It’s all going through my lawyer. When he hears, he’ll call.”
She nodded. “Where does Lana Carpenter work?”
“She owns a business called Tender Loving Daycare.”
“Now I remember why her name sounded familiar. Her daycare was profiled as small business of the month in the paper. Customers have been talking about it a lot. Her picture was in the paper. She’s pretty.” His sister gave him a speculative look. “So where are you taking her this weekend?”
Sly almost told her about stopping by the daycare, but he didn’t want to stir up his sister’s curiosity any more than it already was. “We’re not dating.”
“Why the heck not?”
Because something told Sly that Lana was the one woman who could cut right past his defenses. He wasn’t about to let anyone do that.
“Let me get this straight,” his sister said when he didn’t answer. “The weekend before last, you danced the night away with Lana Carpenter. Tonight, you mentioned her to me, but you haven’t asked her out. You must like her a lot.”
He snorted and shook his head, but Dani had a point. He did like Lana. No, he lusted after her. It was easy to confuse the two, but he was smart enough to know the difference. “I’m getting awful hungry,” he said. “Let’s finish this game and then grab a couple of burgers. The winner treats.”
“You’re on.” Dani lined up her cue and shot. The ball sailed neatly into a pocket. She missed the next one. “Why haven’t you asked her out?”
Sly exhaled loudly. His sister could be a pit bull about some things. Should’ve figured she wasn’t through with the subject of Lana Carpenter yet. “I don’t have her number,” he said.
Dani rolled her eyes. “Check out social media and find out what you can that way. Or, duh, look up the phone number of the daycare.”
“Things are pretty busy at the ranch.”
“Excuses, excuses.”
Sly took his shot and missed. He swore softly. “I missed that because I’m half starved to death.”
“As soon as I sink the eight ball, I’ll let you buy me that burger.” The remaining solid-color balls disappeared into the pockets. Dani eyeballed the table. “Eight ball, corner pocket.” After lining up the cue, she executed the shot perfectly. Her fists shot into the air. “Hot damn—I won!”
“You sure did, but I’ll beat you next time. I keep meaning to ask—how’s that guy you’re dating?”
“You mean Cal?” Her smile faded. “We broke up on Sunday.”
“Can’t say I’m sorry.” His sister seemed to gravitate toward men who treated her poorly. “You want me to punch him for you?” He was kidding, but if she wanted him to, he would.
“Absolutely not.” She made a face. “I’m a big girl, Sly. I can take care of myself. I just wish I could meet a guy and have something that lasted more than a couple of months.”
Sly hoped she found what she wanted. So far, she hadn’t had much luck. “You and I are alike that way—both of us suck at relationships.”
“Sad but true.” She gave him a somber look. “The difference between us is that I want to find someone, get married and have kids. You don’t.”
He shrugged. “I’m happy the way I am.”
“Well, I’m tired of going home to my apartment and cooking for one. It gets lonely.”
Another voice cut in—a lowlife named Paul. “Hey, Dani. Sly.”
He gave Dani a blatantly sexual look that made Sly see red. He managed a terse nod.
His sister perked up. “Down, big brother,” she murmured for his ears only. “Remember, I can take care of myself. Besides, I happen to have a little crush on that cowboy.” She tossed Paul a flirty smile. “Hi. What are you up to?”
“Lookin’ for you. Can I buy you a beer?”
Sly’s sister glanced at him “Rain check on that burger?”
“Do I have a choice?”
“Not really. Hey, why don’t you come to Big Mama’s for lunch on Saturday, my treat.” She stood on her toes and kissed his cheek.
“But you won the game. I’m supposed to treat you.”
“Not when I’m standing you up for Paul. Leave me a big tip on Saturday and we’ll call it even.”
“If that’s how you want it.” Sly resisted the urge to tug on her ponytail again. “You want me to wait around and give you a ride home?”
“I’ll do that,” Paul said, giving her a winning smile.
“I’d appreciate it.” She took his arm and winked over her shoulder at Sly. “I’ll see you Saturday.”
Saturday morning, Lana and Sophie sat in a booth by the window in Big Mama’s Cafe. Locals and tourists loved the busy restaurant, which served great food and was always packed on weekends.