Chapter Eleven
Chapter Eleve n
Thayne
MACK: Found the bear. Just wanted to let everyone know.
WILLOW: Yay!
COLTON: I found him too. So weird to see him working for once.
LYNNIE: Perhaps a certain singer is the cause of his newly found motivation to work?
THAYNE: Fuck you all.
“S o what? You just casually invited her to stay at your place?” Odessa looks at me with a hand on her hip, her eyebrow raised and the classic look of disbelief before she shakes her head .
It’s clear that she’s been hanging around with my sister and Lynnie too much and, as happy as I am that she’s settled here with some good friends, she now fills half of her shifts interrogating me about Emberli, who stands on the makeshift stage smiling as the crowd cheers for her as she ends her set for the night.
Not only has she got a great voice, but her emerald green orbs are enough to draw in any man, myself included. Her hair was slicked back into a ponytail tonight, but her chestnut curls stayed bouncing behind her with hints of a caramel color flooding through the strands.
She wore a flowery light blue sundress that had daisies decorated around the bottom of it.
This woman really loved her sundresses.
“Yes. I just invited her to stay with me. Have you seen Mack?” My attempt to change the subject doesn’t go unnoticed by Odessa, who shoots Billy a look that only the pair of them are in on.
She shrugs. “Why are you asking me? I don’t know.”
“Because wherever you are, Mack’s usually two steps behind you.” Odessa rolls her eyes at this. But she knows I’m right, because despite his rough and tough appearance, Mack tends to follow my most trusted employee around like a lost puppy and has done ever since she stepped into town. And the amount of dates she’s declined didn’t push my brother back, it only inspired him more.
He wasn’t one to give up, it’s why he was so good at his job.
“Stop changing the subject.” she snaps.
“You first.”
Her eyes narrow at me. “I’m just curious what’s going on here.”
“There is nothing going on here. She’s staying with me until Aca moves out. I’ve already asked him if it’s okay.”
Her suggestive eyebrow raise indicates she doesn’t believe me. “Thayne, you literally punched a guy for her.”
“How many times have I punched a guy for you?” Countless .
I hated disrespectful men. My dad wasn’t the best example, but when mom was alive, he worshipped the ground she walked on. And I was lucky to be raised by Doug, whose intentions were the same and made sure to teach my brothers and me the importance of women. It’s why I hated seeing women being belittled by my own gender. Most men of Shadow Peaks were big on respecting those who birthed us and raised us but we did have the odd few that didn’t align to the same morals.
“Not the point. Besides, you’ve been giving evils to every man who’s looked her way tonight. Right, Billy?”
Billy nods at this. Of course he fucking does.
That man agrees with everything Odessa says, not only because she gives him alcohol, but he often says how Odessa is like the daughter he never had. I’m sure if she murdered someone, he’d cover it up or blame himself.
“Don’t bring Billy into this. Besides, he’ll always defend you because you’re his favourite.”
Odessa scoffs but Billy shrugs. “It’s true.”
“Not fair Billy. I’ve known you a lot longer.” I say.
Billy laughs at this. “Yeah well, this one is more likeable than you are.”
“I can be likeable.” I argue.
“Tell that to Emberli.” Odessa smirks at me. “Besides, Billy is a witness to my case.”
“By all means, present your case.”
“I think you like her.” She nods her head over at Emberli, who packs up her borrowed guitar from Colton, still chatting away to the locals that have grown to love her.
It’s no secret that she’s a favorite. I hear the talk around the town, which is why it makes it so much harder to keep my distance.
“Your case is invalid.” I finally speak.
“Hell, if I was new in town, I’d assume you two were siblings with the way you bicker.” Billy shakes his head, taking another swig of his beer. “If you two are done. Can I have another?”
“That’s your limit, Billy.” Odessa tells him, discarding the empty bottles on the bar into the bin .
“Oh come on. One more?”
“No. No more.” Billy doesn’t ask again. Deep down he knows that she’s doing it to help him and when she places down a cup of hot chocolate in front of him, he smiles at her.
Lord knows my dad wouldn’t have had that reaction. Hell, I tried multiple times to cut him off from drinking or replaced it with water or lemonade.
Whatever I could find really. It never worked.
I often wondered why my dad wasn’t more like Billy as an alcoholic.
I wondered how much different our life could have been if he chose his family over alcohol. I wondered if he’d still be here.
Would he be proud of me?
Sounds stupid, wanting the reassurance of someone who fucked you up so bad. But I can’t help it.
It’s as if he’s constantly looking over me, waiting for me to mess up, almost like he’s waiting for me to turn into him. It was my biggest fear. But despite sharing the same blood as him and the same family name, I sure as hell would never be anything like him.
“Look, you don’t have to try to convince me. If you say you don’t like her like that, I believe you.” Odessa shrugs.
“I have a duty of care to my employees.”
She turns to me before pointing to the top shelf. “If you cared so much about your employees, you wouldn’t put the pint glasses on the highest goddamn shelf.”
I grab her a glass, holding it out to her. “You know I’d fire you if you weren’t the most reliable member of staff I had here.”
“I’m the only member of staff you have here, Thayne.”
I try to make myself look busy as Emberli arrives at the bar and pour a few customers their drinks, trying to listen in on her and Odessa’s conversation.
“You okay? You look pale.”
I can’t help but glance at Emberli. Odessa is right, she does look pale. Maybe she was sick .
It wouldn’t surprise me if it had something to do with that motel room she was staying in.
I should have helped her sooner.
“I’m fine.” Emberli shakes her head. “I don’t know if you’re busy on Wednesday but… I was wondering if you’d come with me tomorrow morning. I booked a check-up and I… I really don’t want to go alone.”
Odessa’s hand reaches over to Emberli’s, squeezing it soothingly. “Of course I’ll come.”