21. Behind My Back
Sean was having a blast. The people of Phail were fun and interesting. He had a ton of projects to do, and he was more in love with Branna than ever.
It had been a couple of weeks since Hawley had tried to hurt her, and she was completely healed physically. Lia had hooked her up with an online therapist, and Branna was finding it helpful to work through it with an unbiased person.
Sean was definitely biased.
Every time they had to do more paperwork or answer more questions about Hawley, his rage bubbled up again. Throwing himself into the renovation at the saloon was helping. Nothing like bashing the shit out of an old bathroom to help him deal with the anger. His imagination came up with dozens of great ways to annihilate Hawley while he was smashing things.
Now, he was building a surprise for Branna, but the nail gun was another great therapeutic tool.
“Falcon?”
He recognized Marcus’ voice immediately, but the sound still made him jump. He’d locked up the place so Branna wouldn’t sneak in and ruin her surprise. Should have known his buddy had a key.
Instead of calling Marcus to come in, Sean moved to the main room of the saloon and raised an eyebrow at Jabba, who lay on the floor, exposing his belly for Marcus to rub. “Some guard dog you turned out to be. What’s up, Arrow? Hawley still rotting in a cell?”
Marcus nodded. “Sure is. And the feds in Miami are tying him into a ton of other crimes. Now that his former gang has disbanded, they’re more than willing to throw him under the proverbial bus. Anyone who’s picked up for anything is using their information on Hawley to cut some deals.”
“Hawley better not be cutting any deals.”
“Not a one. Hawley pissed off a lot of people. Killing one of his own sent a message to everyone else. And he’s been stepping on the toes of other gangs, so he’s not getting any help from any direction. Warren Lewis has been fired and is also rotting in jail waiting on his trial.”
Good. That’s the way it should be.
“I’ve got some time this afternoon. Thought I could give you a hand.”
Sean hesitated for a fraction of a second. But this was Arrow, one of the people he trusted most in the world. Before he could respond, Marcus rolled his eyes. “I know you’re trying to keep something secret from Branna. Hell, everyone knows that. And no one’s going to ruin your surprise, least of all me. That woman deserves a happy surprise or two. You can trust me to keep it quiet.”
Sean grinned. “Nothing quite like small towns. Okay, you’re in. Come on, this way.”
Five minutes later, another voice called out. Troy. They went through almost the exact same spiel and then the three of them were making progress in the space.
When they took a break, Sean grabbed water for them all. “You heard anything from Levi or the others recently? I think they’d like it in Vermont. Just have to figure out how to get them here.”
Marcus and Troy shared a look and grinned. Marcus held up his water in a salute. “This from the guy who wouldn’t even answer texts a few months ago. The same guy who only deigned to appear when he needed our help.”
Sean felt his skin flush, but he laughed. It was true. He shrugged. “I wasn’t ready. Needed to work some shit out. I told Jabba I was thinking of heading up here or down to Miami just before I got Branna’s text.”
Troy shrugged. “Nothing from Slick or Garrett, but Oz responded the other day.”
“What did he have to say?”
Troy grinned. “Other than giving me shit for calling him Oz? Not a lot, but when I pressed him to come up because I had an opportunity for him up here, he didn’t tell me to screw off.”
Progress. “You tell him about the barn and the potential for a brewery?”
“Not a chance. If I give him too much information, he’ll find excuses. He’s not handling pressure well. Not since we got back. I don’t want to add to that. It’s got to be his choice.”
Marcus nodded. “Good call. I hope he can find his footing again. I hope they all can.”
“Me too. Anyway, I told him the time to be here was in a few weeks, as the weather was warming up and a project he’d enjoy would be ready.”
Sean laughed. “You’re a master manipulator, Epic. Glad you mostly use your powers for good.”
Marcus agreed then checked the time. “I’ve got another hour. Let’s make some more progress.”
* * *
Branna was glad she had a ton of skills that would help her run the pub—saloon—because she didn’t have many when it came to complex woodworking or building. Installing the bathroom fixtures was easier, but she would never be an expert. Turned out her carving skills were just as shaky.
Aisling laughed and waved her hands. “Not so hard or you’re going to go right through the wood. Then we’d have to start again, and nobody wants that.”
Branna laughed and dropped the chisel to shake out her hands. “This is so much harder than I thought it would be and I knew it would be hard.”
Josie Ellis patted her shoulder. “It’s okay. I’m pretty good at most artistic ventures, but this is super challenging for me, too. I think Aisling’s been pretending not to be artistic, but she’s secretly an expert.”
Aisling rolled her eyes. “Not even for a second.”
The other women around the table scoffed, and the banter continued. Branna had enlisted Aisling’s help for a surprise for Sean. He’d done so much for her, and she desperately wanted to do something wonderful for him. Something important.
Aisling had loved the idea and had been happy to help. She’d also recruited the other women from Midnight Lake and sworn them to secrecy. Piper, Tansy, Bella, Tessa, Josie, and Lia were all helping.
Lia’s hand didn’t have the mobility or dexterity for carving, but she’d put herself on clean-up and gopher duties.
They’d been working at the sawmill on the edge of the Midnight Lake property for days, and Branna enjoyed the company of these women. They were kind, funny, and super smart.
Over the days of working together, she’d learned that each of them had been through their own versions of hell. They knew the feelings bouncing around inside Branna, making them easy to talk with.
Yet another reason to love the town of Phail.
Troy, Marcus, and the men of Midnight Lake had also helped her on the other half of her secret project, and they were as amazing as the women.
She couldn’t wait to surprise Sean. And then she couldn’t wait to get back into the pub.
As if reading her mind, Josie asked. “When do you think you’ll be ready to open the Saloon?”
The town already knew the building as the Saloon so Branna was working to get herself thinking of it in the same way. After a lifetime of thinking of the pub, it took some work to switch her thinking around. From a marketing standpoint, it would be silly to mess with an established name, especially one she didn’t hate.
She shrugged. “Not sure yet. Sean’s got some work I can’t help him with right now, so I haven’t seen the progress in a few days. But the new appliances for the kitchen should be in next week, so I’m hoping soon after that.”
Piper smiled. “It’ll be great to have a gathering place in town. The diner is amazing, but the Saloon will fill in the gap for evenings.”
Josie nodded. “We’re lucky here at Midnight Lake. With so many of us living in the same space, we see each other all the time, but it’ll be nice to get to know the people from town better.”
Lia swept up more shavings. “With some of us spending half our time here at the Lodge and half the time in town, it’s going to be great. Tell me you’re going to serve some kind of food. I hate cooking.”
The others chorused in agreement, making Branna laugh. “I’m thinking mostly bar food. Easy things to pick at and share. Maybe some specialty nights.”
Suggestions flew around the sawmill and had Branna laughing. “I don’t care if Phail was founded by a Scot. I’m not serving haggis!”
Aisling stood. “As another woman with an Irish background, I agree. Haggis is revolting. On the plus side, we’re done. Let’s brush it off and have a look.”
With a shock, Branna realized her new friend was right. And not only about haggis. Her project was done, and it was amazing. “Wow. It’s so much better than I imagined. You’re incredible, Aisling. And I can’t thank you all enough for helping me finish it.”
Tansy patted her hand. “You’re welcome. This is what we do. We’re so glad you’ve come to Phail.”
They all laughed at the absurdity of the statement. Piper chipped in. “Sounds like a perfect time to use the town’s tagline. Come to Phail to succeed.”
And it couldn’t be more appropriate.