9. Let the Good Times Roll

Chapter 9

Let the Good Times Roll

Charlie parked behind the Miners Tavern and stared out the windshield. Christ, after wrangling with Joy Holiday, smoothing Bea's ruffled feathers while dodging her matchmaking attempts, and pouring over the Crystal Harmony Haven's sketchy, haphazard files, he had been ready to call it a day. Finding out the train project idled was the final log on the fire, and his call to the guy heading it up had gone unanswered and unreturned. Great.

The two women had sucked his energy, including his reserves. Cully had ghosted him for no apparent reason, leaving Charlie to deal with customers and their loose ends. He hadn't had time in his schedule to put out the extra fires, so he'd pushed off working up the estimates he owed Joy. He had yet to get started. With the train in endless limbo, he needed her project more than he cared to admit.

He exited his truck and strode for the back door. Normally, he would give a small wave to the security cameras he'd installed, but he didn't have it in him. As he reached for the knob, Hailey stepped out, leash in hand. It was tethered to her and Noah's dog, Chance, and the pup whined and wagged as soon as he laid eyes on Charlie.

Charlie immediately crouched down and let the Airedale mix lick his chin. "This is what the doctor ordered," he laughed.

"I'm letting him out for one last potty break before taking him back upstairs to wait for Uncle Reece to spend the night."

Noah and Hailey lived upstairs in a loft apartment Charlie had fixed up when he'd renovated the bar. The place had lots of character, but it was a little tight for two people. They needed someplace bigger, with a yard for Chance, but hadn't found anything yet. Housing was hard to come by in Fall River.

A thought struck, but before he could let it unfurl, Hailey bumped his shoulder and giggled.

"I think you're his favorite dog uncle. He's going to lick that sexy stubble right off your jaw."

"That's 'cause we're pals, huh, buddy? And it's a good thing since I ran out of time to shave off this so-called sexy stubble today." He ruffled the dog's neck, his spirits lifting as he did so. Dogs were the very best medicine.

When he and Chance had had their fill, Charlie climbed to his feet. Hailey placed her hand on his arm, her light blue eyes soft and shiny. "I can't tell you how much I appreciate you covering for us tonight. It's … I'm not used to … Thank you."

Shit, she wasn't going to cry, was she? Hailey had grown up rough and didn't have many relatives. She'd taken to their family as much as they'd taken to her, fitting in seamlessly; she was perfect for his surly-assed brother. Who'd have thought it possible?

Charlie wrapped an arm around her shoulders in an awkward bro hug. "No problem, sis. Where's Noah taking you anyway? Someplace really special, I hope."

Hailey's cheeks pinkened. "He's taking me to some fancy restaurant in Durango. Then he rented a romantic little cottage at the edge of town for the night."

"About time he splurged." Weeks ago, Charlie had agreed to play bartender so Noah could take Hailey out on a "real date." They both worked such long hours they could never carve out time to get away, and he—along with their older brother, Reece—had offered to take their places tonight. That was before his crap day. Right now all Charlie wanted was to go home, wrestle on the floor with his own dogs, down a beer or three, and veg out in front of the TV. He didn't want to serve people drinks, he didn't want to smile and have two-way conversations with them, and he didn't want to follow all that up with slogging through three bids.

But no way was he going to let Hailey know that, so he simply smiled down at her and patted her back.

Noah burst through the back door, overnight bags in one hand and a shit-eating grin on his face. He dropped a kiss on Hailey's head and whacked Charlie in the chest. "Thanks, man. Reece is here, and he and Dixie are working the bar together, though the crowd's pretty light right now."

"Then I'm heading in. You two kids have fun, but stay out of trouble, ya hear?"

"Oh, we'll have fun all right." Noah eyeballed the bags. "In fact, I'm not sure we'll need any of the clothes we packed."

"TMI, bro," Charlie huffed before he barreled through the back door. He swapped his T-shirt for a Miners Tavern one that sported the logo he'd designed and made a stop in the restroom to wash his hands and face before joining Reece behind the bar.

Dixie looked him up and down. "About time you got here."

"I'm late? Thought I was early. Hey, I'm surprised you didn't hear me pull up and listen in on my conversation with—" His eyes caught on dark hair, and a shiver of disappointment ran through him. None other than Joy Holiday sat at the bar, hunched over her damn notebook. Why couldn't the woman park her skinny ass in someone else's bar? Fuck! Just when he thought he could escape at least one of the reasons for his bad day …

Dixie patted his chest. "She's on your side of the bar."

Great. One big reason for his bad day had followed him and was on the side he was responsible for. Wait. Why was the side where she sat his ? Couldn't he pick a different section? He was the owner's brother! Baby brother. And how did Dixie know what he'd been thinking?

He glanced over at his brother Reece, who was engaged in an intense conversation with a fellow search and rescue volunteer and the county's deputy sheriff, Shane O'Brien. They were probably going over some disaster where a dumbass flatlander had hiked a mountain without water, cold weather gear, or a GPS tracker. In other words, without a clue .

"Excuse me. Could you—oh! It's you." Joy Holiday was holding an empty wineglass, staring straight at him.

He ambled the few steps toward her. "Sure, miss. What are we drinking"—he tipped his wrist to check the time—"this afternoon?" Kinda early to hit the wine bottle, wasn't it? Although if he'd had his druthers, he'd be bending his elbow too. But he wouldn't be slugging down wine.

She dropped her head like she was preparing to charge him. So much for making nice with the customers. "Sauvignon blanc, please. " As she handed him her glass, she glanced over both shoulders. "You and I need to talk."

Really? Hadn't they just talked a few hours ago? Oh, wait. She was going to fire his ass before he even got started, wasn't she? Well, at least he hadn't spent hours and hours working up the estimates. Good riddance. He hadn't been excited about working with the unappreciative, self-centered—

"It's about a guy named …" She mouthed, "Carl Weatherly." She followed this up by forming two C s with her hands.

His back went ramrod straight. "Sauvignon blanc and conversation coming right up." He snatched the wine bottle out of the under-bar fridge and filled it to the rim.

"Hi, Charlie." Germaine slid onto a barstool two down from Joy. In his peripheral vision, Joy's lips pressed into a hard line and her eyes narrowed.

Ah, shit. Just shoot me now.

"Uh, Germaine, why don't you slide on down by Deputy Shane? I heard him talking about you earlier." He wiggled his eyebrows.

When had he turned into such a bald-faced liar? Women made him do these things. Yeah, that was it.

Germaine fluffed her red curls. "Really?" She stuck her nose in the air and smirked at Joy.

Joy opened her mouth—she was sure to spew something about Germaine ruining her fancy shoe—and he slid her wineglass under her nose, sloshing a little over the side for having filled it so full.

Joy's golden eyes widened. "You gave me a double. I didn't ask for a double."

"On the house. Now what did you want to tell me?"

"Hi, Charlie!"

Fuck! He barely held back an eye-roll when Lauren sashayed over .

Joy Holiday raised her glass and her eyebrows. "Looks like your fan club's here. I'll catch you later when your hands aren't so … full."

He barely gave Lauren a glance, acknowledging her with an offhanded chin lift instead. To Joy, he said, "What's the news with the water at the Majestic?"

Joy took a large sip of wine and let her gaze travel over the ceiling. "Well—"

"They haven't got it turned back on yet. It's a real mess." Dixie stood beside him, tsking, and he nearly jumped out of his boots. "Would you fetch me three IPAs and a margarita rocks, handsome?" She batted her mascara-crusted lashes.

"Coming right up," he grumbled. When he looked over at Reece, his brother was no longer talking to Shane. Instead, he was hustling—the place was filling up—and Shane was pulling away from Germaine, who was leaning farther into his private bubble. Shane looked up and shot Charlie daggers.

Oops! He'd apologize to the deputy later.

Before long, Neve arrived, and she was joined by Micky and his live-in girlfriend, Amy. Consequently, Charlie only made it back to Joy long enough to refill her glass and deliver a Swiss burger and fries. He spared a moment to watch the woman attack her food and was caught by surprise when an image of Joy straddling him—in nothing but smooth olive skin—flared in his brain. The erotic vision sparked inconvenient movement south of his belt, and he tore his eyes away from her.

Shit! What was that about? He didn't even like her.

The next time he dared steal a glance, her nose was back in her notebook, her busy hand scrawling across the smooth paper. The place was hopping, but he was in a momentary lull, so he parked himself across the bar from her.

Her head snapped up, and she flattened her palm against the page. "What?"

He pointed at the notebook. "You've had something serious going on with that notebook for a while, and I was just curious about what you're writing."

A blush blazed across her slanted cheekbones. "N-nothing. Just making some, uh, notes."

"Yeah? About what you want to do to Crystal Harmony Haven? "

"Um, sort of?" She was utterly flummoxed, and it was fun to see. He couldn't resist needling her.

"Or maybe it's about something besides what you want to do to Crystal Harmony Haven?" In a tease, he tilted his head, acting as if he was trying to get a closer look at her writing. Three separate words peeking between her splayed fingers jumped out at him: dirty, naked, and engorged. Joy slammed the notebook closed. He couldn't keep his eyebrows from hitting his forehead.

Showing great restraint, he didn't ask the question dancing on his tongue: Are you writing about something you want to do at Crystal Harmony Haven or do to someone there?

Her complexion turned an alluring shade of dusky rose, and she glared at him. "Aren't bartenders supposed to mind their own business?"

He propped his elbow on the bar and planted his chin in his cupped palm. "I'm not a bartender."

"No, you're a contractor who owes me some bids."

Bringing himself fully upright, he slapped the bar top. "You're right, and I'll get to work on them as soon as my shift's over at ten." It was going to be a long night, made even longer because his mind was going to wander to those words and the mystery of what the hell she was writing.

She tapped her pen against the closed notebook. "Why are you ‘on shift' in the first place? Shouldn't you be focusing on your own business?"

Her sassy tone reminded him why he didn't like her. "I'm ‘on shift' because Noah and Hailey needed a night away. Reece and I offered to cover so they could get that time to themselves. Kind of important in a romantic relationship, or so I'm told." He pointed at her glass. "You good, or do you need a refill?"

She had the decency to look sheepish. "No, I've had enough. If you could close out my tab, I'll get out of your hair."

"Are you going back to the Majestic?"

"Where else?"

"But they don't have water." Not his problem, so why the hell did he bother?

"Maybe I'll take refuge at the Haven instead." Glancing over both shoulders again, she leaned forward and dropped her voice. "I still need to tell you about what happened there today. "

All ears, he braced his palms on the bar top and lowered himself until he was a mere foot from her face. "Tell me." This close, he could pick out the colors in those eyes. They were an intriguing mix of caramel and gold dust, with a splash of bold-roast coffee.

"That guy—"

"Carl?"

"Weatherly," she whispered. "He's working for someone named Bruno? He warned me away from you. He said you use inferior materials and you cut corners."

That asshole! He opened his mouth to defend himself, to enlighten her about that dickwad, but Dixie sidled up beside Joy and placed a tray full of empties on the bar. "Sorry to interrupt, but we have some very thirsty customers at table five who are about to howl." She gave Joy a wide smile. "That's a pretty blouse. Did you get it at the Vogue Vault?" Touching Joy's forearm, she tsked. "Looks like you dragged it through the mud, but don't you worry, hon. I've got the perfect remedy for that. You soak it in—"

"Uh, Dix?" Charlie gave her a pointed look. "The drink orders?"

She shoved a ticket at him.

Joy's eyebrows scrunched together. "Vogue Vault?"

"It's a li'l ol' consignment store a few blocks down. She just opened this past spring, and she's got some real nice things." Dixie pinched her eye-poppingly bright top. "That's where I got this!"

Joy's mouth opened and closed, and Charlie suppressed a snicker. If Joy's shoes were eight hundred dollars, the blouse she wore had to be at least half that, though it was simply a guess. When it came to women's fashion, he was completely in the dark. He did know he favored a simpler look on a woman, like jeans and a white T-shirt. Preferably a tight T-shirt.

Dixie dipped an eyebrow at Charlie. "Any day now on those cocktails, handsome."

"Yes, ma'am."

As he plucked glasses and arranged his setup, Reece sauntered over. "Need any help, baby bro?"

What the hell is with the "baby bro" shit? He wasn't going to let his brother see how much the term annoyed him or else Reece would use it all the time to torment him. "Nah, I'm good."

"Who's the dark-haired knockout you've been ogling all night? The one who looks like Zoe Saldana. "

"I'm not ogling her. I'm just keeping an eye on her in case she decides to hurl pointy things at me."

Reece laughed. "Why? Did you pull your usual stunt and string her along until you thoroughly pissed her off? Rookie mistake, junior."

Charlie's irritation soared. "No, it's nothing like that. She's my new client—maybe—and she's got a stick permanently stuck up her ass. I'm trying to dislodge it so she doesn't can me." I also need to set her straight about CDW Construction. Urgency simmered in Charlie's belly. Past Perfect's reputation was on the line.

"Huh. She seems pleasant enough toward Dixie. Even Micky, and no one's ever friendly to that idiot. Ever consider that stick is just for you, bro?" Reece whacked him in the stomach, and Charlie shoved him but didn't move him very far. Reece was like a block of solid steel. "Nice try," he laughed. "So what's the job?"

Charlie loved his brother … most of the time. Tonight, though, not so much. He evened his voice. "Crystal Harmony Haven. I'm trying to convince her to do a top-to-bottom reno."

"Wait. Who is she?"

"She's Helene Holiday's other daughter, Joy, but don't let the name fool you," Charlie snorted. In the middle of scooping ice into a glass, he stopped and gaped at Reece. "Oh shit. I should introduce you since you're the one who found her mother."

"I got this."

Even as the words left his mouth, Reece was on the move. Neve's eyes tracked him the entire way, and a familiar flicker of sadness in those big blues tugged at Charlie's heartstrings. "Hey, Doc. Thought any more about letting the good times roll in Doro? You know I'll show you a good time." He waggled his eyebrows for maximum effect.

A little grin bloomed on her pretty face. "Hmm? Not hardly."

A happy bubble floated up inside him and popped. He'd distracted her and made her smile … at least for a moment.

Dixie moved off, leaving Reece and Joy to talk alone. No idea what they were saying, but the body language was clear. Reece was telling her how sorry he was, reassuring her that her mother hadn't suffered, and Joy was thanking him for the kindness. Reece was a pro at that shit—that's what made him so good at search and rescue. He had a calming presence that soothed the injured, the panicked, and the grieving, a gene wholly missing from Noah's and Charlie's DNA.

Unfortunately, in leaving Reece and Joy alone, Dixie parked herself directly behind Charlie and tapped her wicked long nails on the bar top. The sound grated.

"I'm coming, I'm coming," he grumbled.

"Ooh, can I help?" Lauren said in a breathless rush somewhere over his shoulder. He pretended not to hear.

With an exaggerated wave of his hand, he presented the cocktails to Dixie. "There you go, gorgeous. Now stop flapping your gums and get busy."

She hmphed and walked away.

He slid his gaze down the bar. Reece and Joy were smiling now, the air between them seeming lighter and the conversation coming to a close. Here was his chance to get Joy's attention and tell her the truth about—

"Hey, Charlie!" Neve piped up. "Why not ask Joy to go to Doro with you?"

He gaped at her. "What?"

"She's a client," he wanted to blurt. Except Joy wasn't a client because she hadn't signed on the dotted line he had yet to come up with.

As he was pondering the semantics, Neve leaned forward and called to Joy. "Hey, Joy!" Charlie made a frantic slicing-the-throat motion, but, undeterred, Neve simply grinned at him. "Charlie's looking for a date this coming Saturday to go to a music festival. He'll show you a good time." She aped Charlie's eyebrow waggle. "Wanna go?"

Joy quickly dipped her head, acting as though she hadn't heard. Which was fine by him. Germaine, on the other hand, whipped her head around at the same time Lauren did. "I'll go!" they each chorused, then leveled each other with matching glowers.

Fuck! Me!

"You are evil," Charlie hissed at Neve.

She glanced toward Reece. "Maybe the other Hunnicutt wants to go too."

Typical Reece acted as though he didn't hear her. Whether it was real or an act, Charlie had no idea, but any empathy he had for Neve dissolved quicker than a dab of paint in a can of mineral spirits. He wanted to reach over the bar and throttle her. Instead, he gave her the stink-eye. "No more margaritas for you."

"That's okay. The other bartender will take care of me. He's cuter anyway."

Lauren tossed her hair over her shoulder. "I call bullshit. Charlie's the cute one."

Oh, for fuck's sake! He checked his watch. He still had an hour of awkward ahead of him.

From the end of the bar, Shane gave him a satanic grin, and Charlie slid his middle finger alongside his nose. Shane answered with two on either side of his, then blew him a kiss. Ah, the beauty of the silent insult exchange.

Charlie slid another discreet look Joy's way. The notebook was open again, and her head was down, her eyes glued to the contents. His curiosity surged right before a really bad idea struck him. If he did take her to Doro, he'd escape Bea's niece and Lauren's tentacles. Germaine's too. He'd also get his chance to fill Joy in on Carl Weatherly, and —bonus—the drive there might nudge her to fall in love with the area. If she fell in love, she might see the Crystal Harmony Haven potential through a rose-colored lens instead of a scratchy one. It would be on the up-and-up, purely professional. Just a local contractor showing his client the sights, broadening her horizons. Yeah. Right. He'd never shown a client "the sights" in his life.

As if she felt his eyes on her, she raised her head. He smiled. She frowned.

"I'm waiting," she snapped.

"For?"

"Check?"

Oh, right.

"Charlieee," Germaine cooed. "I'm not doing anything Saturday night."

"Busy right now." And Saturday night.

He tapped the surface of the POS, stuffed Joy's bill in a check holder, and handed it to her. She was ready with a credit card, damn it. As she slid it into the folder, he made his move. "The drive to Doro is really spectacular. It'd be a great way to see—"

"Are you asking me out?" Those tawny eyes drilled into his .

Oh hell no!

He felt other sets of eyes on him too and guessed they belonged to Germaine and Lauren. Great! Nothing like having an audience watch while I flounder. Not to mention being faced with the lesser of three evils.

At least Joy wouldn't paw at him. There were advantages to being the target of someone's disgust.

He dropped his voice and his head at the same time. "Not on a date. I'm just offering to show you around San Juan County, give you a feel for the area." God, was he really this desperate?

Her lips curled into a humorless smile, and he suddenly knew what a fly felt like when it got stuck in a spider's web. He tugged on the neck of his T-shirt. She stunned him stupid when she accepted.

"Sure, I'll go. On one condition."

"Which is?"

"I drive."

"My truck?" Sheesh, she wanted a lot.

She rolled her eyes. "No. I want to take the Beamer for a spin."

"Aw, sweet!" Micky chortled. So much for being discreet. How many people were listening in anyway? "Can I come?"

"No!" Charlie and Joy barked at the same time.

"Okay, okay!" Micky took a swig of his brew.

At least Joy and Charlie agreed on one thing. That was a start, and so was Saturday night.

He picked up the check folder and pointed it at her. "Hang on. Saturday's five days away. Thought you weren't going to be here that long?"

A few heads turned from her to him and back to her, like a tennis match. He ignored them.

She shrugged. "I changed my mind."

Reality reared up and sank in. They were doing this.

What the fuck had he just signed up for?